Car Max Auto Superstore

07/14/09

Horrible

by houston_wine_lover at Citysearch

Roommate bought a Saab from CarMax, Houston, TX six months ago. Has been in the repair shop twice since then. Brake rotors are completely deteriorated, which isn't covered on the "MaxCare" warranty (read the fine print). When asked what their standards were for their 125-point inspection, they said they have minimum standards when inspecting brakes: new brake pads are 12 inches, they require 4 inches of pad to pass their inspection. This is a sham and basically will get your car past the initial return phase and then lead to a sequence of expensive repairs.

Also, their service department will tell you that they do not diagnose problems. You basically have to already know what's wrong with your vehicle before you take it in. Then they probably won't fix it correctly. I feel horrible for anyone who buys from them - it's clearly a sham.

• Pros: None
• Cons: Fleecing the consumer

Nation's largest used car retailer takes the haggling out of the car-buying experience.

by Nathan Stull at Citysearch

In Short
Instead of pushing for commission, each salesperson makes the same amount of money, so the sticker price really is the sticker price. Each of the 300-400 SUVs, vans, light trucks and cars on site undergoes an extensive inspection (flood, frame, odometer checks included) and reconditioning before they are ready to sell. Plus, CarMax will make a cash offer on your vehicle that's good for a week, whether you buy from them or not.

03/11/08

Great customer service, very nice atmosphere, quality used cars

by bemackson at Citysearch

This was our second purchase from this CarMax lot. Five years ago we bought a van with no glitches during the buying process, so we vowed to return to CarMax for our next purchase.

Just like the first experience, we walked through the front door and were greeted immediately with a smile and a handshake by a nice, young, man. He radiated honesty and a good personality. We felt comfortable and got right to the point and let him know we had a trade-in to get a value on. He got their personnel right on that, before we even discussed anything else.

Then, I told him exactly what we had looked at on the internet, and we spend about 30 minutes looking at different vehicles on the lot and test driving them. The salespeople don't make commission, he was just doing his job. He was doing what he is paid to do....have good customer service and assist us in buying a car. We went home that day with the car that we had our hearts set on before we got there.

If you search the internet and know what you are looking for and what price is fair for the vehicle you want, CarMax is the place to go. If you find one online, there is no use in arguing at all of the other car dealerships for a lower price unless you just enjoy doing it! It's just too easy at CarMax and the prices are very fair.

Every detail of the experience was positive and plan to return again in a few years for our next vehicle.

• Pros: Positive atmosphere, huge inventory, online shopping, excellent service, no arguing with salespeople
• Cons: NO haggling with the price of the car...it is what it is!