Painless shopping, painless selling
Written: Apr 19 '08
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When we first visited the CarMax website, we weren't sure whether we would be buying, selling or both. We were considering a new Saturn Vue but also possibly a used one. The CarMax website allowed us to quickly bring up every Vue within a selected mile radius of our location. It turned out that our local store had plenty, but if they didn't we could have had one shipped in from another location. Their website very clearly spells out how much the transfer fee would be.
Each car on the site also has a variety of photos you can scroll through, showing both the interior and exterior of the car from various views. It was almost as good as poking around their lot, but from the comfort of my laptop! Supposedly it is updated every night at midnight, so there is a small chance that the car you want to look at might not be available. We didn't run into this with any of the Vues we wanted to see.
They also have a link to estimate what your current car is worth if you want to see it to them (you can do that for the same price, even if you're not buying). We ran their value and also ran it through a few other sources to get a range.
Armed with prinouts, we headed off to the physical location. We were greeting by a salesman as we entered, and he sent our car off to be appraised and showed us various Vues while we waited. He took us on test drives with no pressure whatsoever and answered our various questions with patience.
The amount they offered for our car came in right in the middle of the values we'd come up with in our online research. We knew they would sell it for several thousand more, since we'd also researched the selling prices on their website, but I know that's how they make their profit. Since we wanted to look at new Vues too, I figured I could see how dealer trades would compare to the CarMax offer.
We were given the sales price in writing and told it was good for seven days. Meanwhile, we bopped around to various new car dealers, and none even came close to the CarMax offer for our old vehicle! They all wanted to give us HALF that amount! Forget that.
We did end up buying a new vehicle and returned to CarMax to sell the old one. I wondered if there would be some trick, but there was none at all. It was very straightforward; they take the car, do the paperwork, and hand you a check. The only thing to be aware of is that it's a bank draft, so it can take up to 10 days to clear.
Now I'm watching their website to see when my old car goes on sale. I know they auction some, but I suspect they're going to keep that one because it has a good resale value.
If we buy a used car in the future, I will most definitely consider CarMax strongly. It's wonderful to be able to shop online in the comfort of your home, to be able to compare prices at your leisure, and then to go to a hassle, no pressure environment. Yes, I know you can get a car cheaper from a dealer if you haggle, but sometimes it's not worth the effort. Yes, I know I could have sold my old car for more, but that would have mean tons of strangers calling and coming to our house.
CarMax simplified the experience, and sometimes that's worth a few bucks.
Recommended:
Yes
What product did you purchase or try to purchase? Used Car
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inkkognito
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Member: Barb
Reviews written: 201
Trusted by: 58 members
About Me:
I live to travel (and to ride my horses). Visit my website: www.disneycruiser.com
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