CarMax
reviews and complaints

As someone deeply invested in the world of cars, I must say that CarMax has left customers with mixed feelings. While some have praised the variety and quality of vehicles available, others have faced significant challenges. Issues like undisclosed accidents, poor customer service, and misleading pricing have left many feeling frustrated and dissatisfied. It's clear that CarMax needs to address these concerns to regain trust and provide a more consistent experience for all car buyers.

Bought a car from CarMax in East Haven & they were wonderful! Salesman was respectful, helpful & knowledgeable. Entire process was seamless. The office was clean and everyone was very friendly.

Carmax is an entity within itself. An effective and efficient way to sell or to buy a vehicle without pressures from pushy Sales Personal! The entire process of obtaining an actual written offer is approx. Thirty minutes or less. Competent Staff (Ontario, Ca)., quick software analysis and an inspection. Simplifies the process. Relaxed environment, large area like arena and a/c give this concept a cool rating!

Long story short carmax was trying to hold my pay off amount on my vehicle and cashed it yet wouldn't update it and told me it wasn't received everytime I called yet still charged me for the month, nearly impossible to find a higher up over the idiots I kept talking to and thankfully pissed consumer gave me the info needed to get ahold of someone who pulls strings and get my payoff updated In the system. Was literally taken care of in 2 days from the day I reached out through pissed consumer

Over the years, I have bargained hard when purchasing a new car. So when I discovered CarMax I thought I had died and gone to heaven! Since then I have purchased five cars from them and sold two. Their prices are competitive, the cars are well inspected (they won't sell a car that has been in an accident), they have a wide selection and there is no pressure. And best of all, no haggling! I've found that there are great opportunities when buying up-scale cars that are one or two years old. All of them had mileage under 10k and because of early, high depreciation were much cheaper than new; they even had their original warranty. Because I tend to sell before the warranty expires, other than regular maintenance I've had no repair expense. What's not to like.

I requested a tow truck to help with a flat tire using my insurance coverage for my car. I filled out an online form to make the request, which was easy to do. However, there was a problem when the estimated arrival time for the tow truck was initially set for 1 to 1.5 hours. In the end, the tow truck didn't arrive until 2.5 hours later. I wasn't too bothered by the delay because I know that roadside assistance requests in my area often take a long time to fulfill. However, when the tow truck finally arrived, it wasn't a flatbed truck as I had expected. Instead, it had a flat tire in the rear and was a front-wheel drive vehicle. The driver informed me that their request for assistance didn't mention anything about a flat tire. He asked if I was going to a dealership, as I had gotten the flat tire right across from a dealership. I told him that I wasn't going to a dealership, but he informed me that their request stated that the destination was a dealership, not a regular tire shop. When I submitted my request, I specifically selected the "Flat Tire" option and didn't indicate anything about going to a dealership. So, I am a bit disappointed that my insurance company didn't provide the correct information, which ended up wasting time for the tow truck driver and also made me wait longer for a different truck to be assigned. When I requested a tow truck from a different company, they called me to confirm the information I had provided in my online form before dispatching the truck. This extra step would have helped to avoid the issues that occurred during this transaction.

I purchased my car from the CarMax located in Stockton, California a little bit over a month ago. Within just a few hours of me driving it, I noticed a strange noise coming from my driver side front tire. It turns out that I had two missing caliber bolts. I had to purchase the bolts as well as install them. But, CarMax did reimburse me for what I paid for the bolts. Then, my passenger side window wouldn’t roll down. After this problem, my headlight was loose and kept flashing on and off. I called CarMax and their soonest appointment was a week out. I took the appointment, and they fixed the problems. Three weeks go by, my car starts overheating. I noticed the coolant was very low, so I had to purchase some and fill it up myself. (At this point, I haven’t even had the car a month yet) After putting the coolant in, it ran fine for about a day. It started to overheat again, and I thought maybe I had a leak. Turns out there were no leaks at all. I reached out to CarMax, they offered me a loaner car while they take a look at it. I had my car towed to the facility where I picked up a loaner car that I’ve had for 3 days now. CarMax reached out to me and informed me that yet, another, part needs to be replaced. I feel this car wasn’t probably prepared to be sold. It’s caused me many inconveniences. Anything we could do about this would be helpful. Thank you so much. (My car came back from Carmax after the overheating issue, now with the passenger side window not working, AGAIN).

I had my first payment scheduled for deduction from my bank account. I ensure everything was set up online weeks prior to the first due date. Nothing comes out of my account so I log in the day after the first payment was due, and my account said my payment was past due. The system would not let me try and make a payment so I called customer service. I spoke with a rep, and he entered my information and the payment was taken care of the very next day. I asked if there was anything pending to ensure I would not be charged twice and the rep said there is nothing pending and I even checked on my end as well and saw nothing was pending to be taken out. Two days later, they took another payment out of my account causing my bank account to be over drawn by 600 dollars, plus the overdraft free of 35 dollars. I called and they said it would take 3-5 days to refund my money. A week goes by and my account is still negative and nothing refunded. I spoke with another rep, who had a terrible attitude. She said it was processed. Now it has been a week and a half and I still have no money returned. There is no reason for this to take that long to refund. I had to cancel a crucial medical treatment because I did not have my upfront payment in time, now having to wait another month because I still have not gotten my refund. That is a lot of money to be taking in error. Refunds need to be IMMEDIATE for things like this. I have called three times and nothing has been resolved and I am still out $635

I bought a 2020 *** 380 on June 17, 2022. When I bought it, one of the tires had a leak. They told me about it and submitted a work order. About ten days later, the service department called me to say that the new tire had arrived. However, even though I told them that the tire was still leaking air, they didn't prioritize the replacement. They said the earliest service appointment available was a week later. Within the next few days, the tire wouldn't hold any air at all and went completely flat. I couldn't drive it, so I had to have it towed to get the tire replaced.

On August 22, 2022, I noticed that my temporary license plate had expired. When I called, they told me that there was a problem with my account that prevented them from renewing it. However, they never informed me about this. I checked with ComplaintsBoard.com and they told me that there was no issue with my account. I called CarMax again and another representative said that I wasn't charged for the tags, so it was my responsibility. They didn't tell me this when I bought the car, and I wasn't given a choice. In my experience, the seller usually takes care of the tags, so I had no reason to think otherwise.

All I'm asking for is another temporary tag so that I can do what they should have done, or at least give me the option. But no one is returning my calls, and the manager hasn't responded to my email. It seems like once you give them your money and sign the paperwork, they don't care about you anymore. They're good at selling, but terrible at customer service follow-up and communication.

I returned a vehicle under their 30 day return policy. I was given a draft for my down payment. It said to call to make sure it would clear if deposited. I was told it was ok and 5 days later the draft bounced causing a mess with my bank account. I was told that someone in their office neglected to finalize something. I was not happy.

I had a 2018 Honda Accord transferred to the local dealership on March 18th, 2023. The car arrived at the dealership on March 22nd, 2023 and had to go through an inspection. The car was ready to drive by 2:30 pm that day. I contacted an agent named John who sent me a link to upload my documents for the home delivery process. A few hours later, I received a text from an agent named Sarah who caused me a lot of trouble. She said I needed bank statements, which the previous agent didn't inform me about. I uploaded the bank statement and then received another text from Sarah saying I needed to go to the dealership to complete the process because she couldn't verify my income. She also mentioned that I only needed to bring my bank statement but would have to print out the pay stubs in front of the associate who would assist me. Another agent called me back and was rude while trying to explain that sometimes income verification can't be done remotely. However, when I took the same documents to the store, it wasn't a problem. I made an appointment for the next day to complete the order. They had to run my credit again and informed me that they didn't even need proof of my income, only proof of insurance. Despite the frustrating experience, I decided to proceed because I needed a car and didn't want to shop elsewhere. The associate who helped me at the store was amazing, friendly, and knowledgeable. I believe his name was Mike. It took three hours to fully complete the process. This has been the worst experience I have ever had. I don't think I would recommend anyone to buy online; it's better to visit the store in person.

I purchased a car from CarMax. Initially, there was a small issue that was promptly resolved. However, there was a problem with the oil filter that was fixed incorrectly, resulting in oil leakage on the engine block and concrete floor. The dealer mentioned that this is a common mistake made by non-CarMax service shops. Despite the warranty being expired, CarMax promptly and properly repaired other minor items when I requested the service. I will definitely do business with them again.

Had a 2019 Nissan Armada delivered from TN to North Houston on Oct ‘21. Vehicle was on time and as promised. Financed through CarMax with no issues. Second time I have purchased a car this way. Very satisfied.

I have bought over 40 cars from CarMax in the past 20 years and I have never had any problems at all. Other people I know who have bought cars from CarMax have also had a similar experience. Even when I bought a car that turned out to be faulty, they provided me with another car to use and eventually bought the faulty car back. There were no difficulties or headaches involved.

For the second time in my life, I visited Carmax and had a great experience. Everyone at this location was friendly and knowledgeable, making me feel very comfortable doing business here. Matthew V took excellent care of me, answering all my questions and guiding me through the entire process. I am extremely happy with the deal and would not hesitate to do business with him and Carmax again in the future.

I've bought several cars from CarMax and send all my family and friends there. Love the no haggle, and that they fix issues if they come up for several months for free even when I don't buy their warranty. They always show me the history report so I know if the car has been in an accident or not.I think the only reason their score is so low on here is because people usually only come here when they have issues and CarMax is huge and does a ton of business.

I recently purchased a car from CarMax in Spokane, WA. I had it delivered from Oregon for a fee of $. There were three similar cars available at other dealerships in Spokane, but none of them were prepared for a test drive. I checked the CarMax website and found a higher-end model compared to the others. It was more expensive, but had fewer miles, appeared to be in excellent condition, and had only one previous owner. I thought it was worth paying $*** to take a look at it. I'm glad I did because CarMax was able to deliver the car and have it ready for a test drive much faster than the other dealerships in town.

I went to the Carmax in Fort Worth, Tx off hulen. I bought a car from them a couple weeks ago but wasn’t really a fan. But this time Brian helped me and he made sure that I wasn’t buying anything that was going to mess up. He made sure to be completely honest about each car I was interested in. He went ABOVE & beyond with providing information about the vehicle, details and carmax protection. I wasn’t aware of all of my options my first go round but BRIAN IS THE BEST CAR SALESMAN I’ve ever come across. THANKS BRIAN! You deserve a raise! Thanks again! I’m a very satisfied customer.

This place is awesome because it is filled with amazing people. I was there today to sell my car and dealt with Hunter in the business office. I was shocked to learn that she is new because she was fantastic. I didn't have all my paperwork in order, but she quickly told me not to worry and leave everything in her hands. Not only did she take care of all the missing paperwork, but she had me in and out with no stress and check in hand. I was shocked that everyone wasn't shopping here because their commitment to customer service obviously flows down from top management. Everybody had a smile on their face and I can see why. They love helping customers and working for such a great branch. I don't know if all Carmax locations are as great as this one, but if not, then they need to come here and take notes. From the minute I walked in the door, I was treated with such great care, honesty and courtesy. They go out of their way to protect everyone with proper social distancing and hand sanitizer everywhere. What a clean place they have which is why there was no coffee in the service area. I understand why due to Covid, but gosh, a cup of coffee would have been great to top off an amazing experience. Quelah, the manager came over and I saw where her team learned the lesson of placing the customer first. Their offer was not only fair, but a little higher than I expected. I loved every minute I spent there and will encourage any person to go there for automotive needs whether it's service, new car purchases or trading in a vehicle. Ask for Hunter in the business office and tell her Stephen sent you. She is just tops. I wish there were other words to use besides Amazing, Great, Awesome, Perfect, Superior, and top-notch, because these folks are truly miles above their counterparts in the automotive sales industry. Keep up the great work and thank you for providing me such a wonderful experience at your store today.

I purchased my car in June 2021 with the extended warranty. Unfortunately, on the very first day, I encountered a problem with the seats. I had to leave the car at the dealership, and a few days later, I received it back. My car is a ***, equipped with a diesel engine. However, less than a month later, I experienced another issue with the seats. I took it back to the dealership, and they kept it for a couple of weeks before informing me that they had fixed the problem. This pattern continued for a few months, with the car repeatedly being taken in for repairs. Eventually, they decided to send it to the *** dealership, where they successfully resolved the issue.

After a couple of weeks, I encountered a new problem with my steering wheel. It became stuck, and I had to exert a significant amount of force just to turn it slightly. This was extremely dangerous for me while driving. I returned to the dealership, and they kept my car for what felt like an excessively long time. Finally, I received it back, and it was functioning properly again.

However, a few months later, the engine light turned on. I assumed it was time for an oil change, so I took it in. As soon as I arrived, I noticed all the staff members gathering and staring at me. I entered the dealership and explained the situation, which seemed to bring a sense of relief to everyone present. Since I have a diesel car, it requires a specific type of oil. Unfortunately, they did not have the correct oil in stock, so I had to wait for a week for them to obtain it and perform the oil change. Additionally, the filter needed to be replaced during this service. Due to the extended wait time, they offered to rotate my tires for free. However, ever since that day, my car has been experiencing various issues. The accelerator is not functioning properly, and the engine light remains on.

Frustrated with Carmax, I decided to go directly to the *** dealership, fully aware that it would likely be expensive. *** contacted me to inform me that the wrong oil and filter had been used in my car. I was extremely angry because if I had continued driving the car with the incorrect oil, it could have caused severe damage to the engine. It is clear that Carmax lacks the expertise to properly service luxury cars. Therefore, if you plan to purchase a luxury car from them, getting the extended warranty is pointless since their mechanics are not knowledgeable in servicing such vehicles.

I have concerns about the integrity and transparency of the service department at *** Carmax. After buying my car, I initially chose to have routine service done at my local *** dealership in *** County. However, I was hesitant to bring my car to Carmax for service because I overheard another customer complaining about how the service department had caused issues with his car. Against my better judgment, I decided to take my vehicle to Carmax for a 70,000 mile service, which included air filter and oil change. However, they did not replace the spark plugs for some reason. I also noticed inconsistencies in warranty milestones between the local *** shop and Carmax. For example, the MB dealership recommended changing spark plugs at 70,000 miles, while Carmax's warranty suggested waiting until 100,000 miles. The same discrepancy applied to oil changes, with *** recommending every 10,000 miles and Carmax recommending every 5,000 miles. I tried to find a compromise with the service manager, but they were not helpful. One day, when my car needed an oil change, I called the usual dealership but they were fully booked, so I reluctantly took my car to Carmax. After the oil change, I noticed that my check engine light was on. I immediately informed the representative, Robert, who manually turned off the indicator. However, a few minutes later, the light came back on. I called the service department again, and they told me that it was difficult to turn off the light. I had to leave town due to an emergency, and the next day I noticed a small oil spot in the parking lot. This is when the problem started. The oil leak continued, so I went to Carmax and demanded that they look into it. Despite overhearing another service representative say they were available that day, the manager, Chris, asked me to come back the following week. When I returned, Chris directed the car to the original mechanic, Rob, to diagnose the issue. Both the service manager and mechanic confirmed that the oil leak was getting worse and needed attention. I explained that the check engine light only came on after the car was serviced by Carmax, but they refused to take responsibility. I repeatedly asked to speak to the overall store manager, but was told he was unavailable due to being out of the office, busy, or on vacation. I wanted to express my concerns to a higher authority, but I couldn't because all of my service invoices, including those from the local *** dealership, as well as my car registration and manual, were missing from my dashboard. I was unable to freely express my concerns. After the oil leak incident, I decided to take my car to another facility. They not only fixed the car, but also informed me that the air filters had not been recently changed, as Carmax had claimed. I have the filters as evidence. Additionally, the new mechanics found a compromise in the gasket tubing around the engine plug. The customer service at Carmax in *** was very unhelpful when I expressed my concerns about how I was being treated and how my car was being mishandled. I have been prevented from speaking to a higher authority on multiple occasions. In fact, I have called the customer relations department nearly 50 times since the beginning of the year to express my dissatisfaction, but I have not received a call back as promised. I have evidence of my persistent calls to the customer care department. I also asked Carmax to provide me with detailed service invoices for my past services, signed by me. When they did provide them, they were vague and filled with mechanic jargon. Only Chris, the service manager, was able to access the system and print the invoices. I suspect that he intentionally formatted them in a way that made it difficult for others to print them at my request. I believe my car was sabotaged because I am a female customer. I have contacted my local news stations with this story, but I am afraid for my safety for speaking out. From September until now, I have been stressed and have not found any resolution to this issue.

For the past few months, I have been searching for a new vehicle. I prequalified with an auto finance company and searched every day for a new truck that met my needs. Finally, I found the perfect truck. It was conveniently located near my house at CarMax Tampa. I have bought two vehicles from this location before, so I decided to try their online buying experience. When I called CarMax Tampa, I was redirected to a call center, which was different from my previous experience where I spoke directly to a sales associate at the store. My previous experience with an online retailer called *** was great. The car I purchased was exactly as pictured, and they even provided a video walk-through. Unfortunately, this did not happen with CarMax Tampa. After putting the vehicle on hold, they proceeded with auto financing. I informed the representative that I had a preapproval reference number from the auto finance company, and I was told that they would only run credit with that company. However, they ended up running my credit with nine different lenders, despite my repeated requests not to do so. The initial offer I received was not the same as my preapproval, so they ran my credit again. This time, it also went to all nine lenders. I asked them to release the vehicle to the auto finance company so they could see it and match it with the offer. The CarMax representative put me in touch with their manager, who turned out to be a trainee and not a manager. They ran my credit a third time with all nine lenders, even though I provided the reference number for my preapproval. After thinking it over, I decided to go with the alternative offer from the auto finance company and scheduled a home delivery for the following Friday. On Friday, the CarMax Tampa vehicle home delivery service arrived on time. However, when I opened the door to check the car before the test drive, I noticed a strong smell of smoke and marijuana. The car also appeared to be in need of detailing, with dirt and grime on the leather seats. It was not up to par and looked like it hadn't been cleaned properly. I was embarrassed to receive a car in this condition. I asked the delivery person if they would spend $*** on a car like this, and they shook their head no. I was extremely upset and couldn't believe that this was happening, especially after my previous positive experiences with CarMax Tampa and another retailer. I didn't want to look at any other cars at CarMax or do any more business with them at this point. I called the CarMax team to let them know about my experience, and a person named *** became my contact at the location. She offered to recondition the vehicle and invited me to come back to CarMax Tampa to check it out, including a test drive, once it was done. The following week, after the vehicle had been "reconditioned," I went back to CarMax Tampa to test drive it and make sure it was up to par. *** was very nice and introduced me to someone named ***. I took a test drive with my mother-in-law, and the car drove well. However, when I returned the vehicle, I noticed that the leather still wasn't in good condition, and there were other issues with the car that I hadn't noticed before. I discussed these concerns with *** and a manager named ***. The driver's door had damage that needed to be painted, a cup holder was missing plastic, the antenna was bent, there was a plastic clip missing in the back seat, the wrong keys were provided, the seat heater buttons in the back were worn out, and the all-weather floor mats were missing. Additionally, the back-up camera was not functioning. Two weeks later, I called CarMax Tampa every day, trying to reach ***, ***, or ***. Only *** called me back, and *** called me back after I expressed my frustration to the business office. However, *** and *** often promised to call me back but never did. I felt that they should have been providing me with daily updates, considering I was calling them every day to find out what was happening. After 14 days from the initial home delivery, the process still wasn't complete. I reached out again on Sunday, and *** assured me that he would call me back by Monday morning. He did call me at 9:40 am on Monday and said he would have an answer by noon. He called me back at 12:14 pm, but I was on a work call and he didn't leave a voicemail. I called him back, but he was on lunch. Unfortunately, I didn't have an extension to reach him directly, so I had to go through the business office. When I called back at 5:25 pm after finishing work, he said everything was complete except for one small plastic piece in the back. I trusted that it was actually complete and that he had inspected the vehicle. I decided to go with my mother-in-law to check it out. I asked for ***, but I was assigned another sales associate. At this point, it had been 21 days since my initial finance application. I had mentioned this multiple times to every manager I spoke to, and they told me it wouldn't disappear until 30 days. However, when I called the auto finance company, they informed me that it usually takes 21 to 25 days and provided me with an exact date. I was frustrated because I didn't want my credit to be run for a fourth time. When I went outside, I immediately noticed that the damage to the driver's side door had not been repaired or painted. The sales associate handed me the keys, but they were not the correct keys, which was another red flag. I looked at the antenna and saw that it was still bent. The car was not in the condition I expected, as the leather had not been reconditioned or detailed. It would have been better to take the car to a professional detailer to improve its appearance. The cupholder was missing a plastic piece, there were no floor mats, and the only things that seemed to have been fixed were the broken vent clip and the worn-out back seat warmer buttons. It was embarrassing. The sales associate expressed surprise and called over ***, who seemed embarrassed as well. She had been told that everything was complete except for one piece in the back, and she was also surprised that the keys were missing. I was appalled that this was the third time I had tried to get the vehicle, and it still wasn't in the expected condition.

02/20/2024 approx. 4 pm. I entered the store to pick up the truck I had it shipped from Alabama. I told CarMax personal last week that I would be paying cash, Cashier's check, and that it must be listed in a living trust. The sale gentleman knew nothing, the manager, Karl IMPLIED that I stole the cashier's check. I started crying, No empathy whatsoever. He called my bank we were on the phone 45 mins to verify that I did not steal the check. No apologies. The insurance has been on the truck since 1/06/2024 Then they implied that I should have brought my trust with me. Whatever they should have told me that last week. Now they want an EIN number, and you don't get an EIN number with a living trust. This is the most HORRIBLE experience that I have ever had when buying anything. The only guy that was 1/2 nice was the one that brought me my keys,

Hi back in September 2022 i purchased a Hyduia ACCENT GLS hatchback, i was not told of the issues of it and car note is 421$ i have to keep taking it to the shop for repairs first it was the starter , then the alternator, and then the crank shift sensor its just alot of money out of pocket expenses car max made me pay for, and ive been making payments partial as it goes due to the car being repaired, this is unacceptable something has to be done about this they need to do better

my number is [protected]

email [protected]@gmail.com

of course i love my car but i wish they would've told me the problems before hand

On 12/12/23, I did a prequalification for an automobile purchase, regardless of reason, requesting a deposit for purchase price of an automobile is a violation of 15 U.S. Code § 1662 - Advertising of downpayments and installments. In addition, under the Consumer Protection Act, the Truth in Lending Act, and Equal Credit Opportunity Act, it is a discriminatory practice. In addition, since CarMax is borrowing my Credit to then reextend my credit to me in the form of payments with interest, this is a violation of 18 U.S. Code § 892 - Making extortionate extensions of credit; 18 U.S. Code § 893 - Financing extortionate extensions of credit; attempting to 18 U.S. Code § 894 - Collection of extensions of credit by extortionate means. As an American, I am able to use my credit without these discriminatory, false, misleading, and deceptive business practices.

I bought a car Thu, December 15, 2022 from Carmax at Southlake. It is a 2012 Chrysler 200. I have not even had the car for a year and the engine light and battery light are on. I took the car to a car shop and they said the car needs a new alternator and a new engine. They are estimating the cost to be 11,000. This is way more than the car is worth. I still owe 10,500 on the car. I called Carmax and they refuse to help me. Now I am stuck with a car that won't run and a huge bill to repair it, and I just bough the car.

Regards, 09/10/2023

Vin#5XXGNYA79FG495504

My name is Sarah Cohen [protected]. [protected]@gnail.com My husband's name is Adam Daniel Cohen [protected]),[protected]@aol.com. My husband purchased a 2015 Kia Optima at Goldmark Auto Group in Sarasota Florida on 03/09/2022. We bought the car used with 61,114 miles, third owner. The problem is we can get no one to repair the engine. We have all these warranties and guarantees, but in the past 7 months we have had no one offer to help. They say Kia refuses to work on it. Even though they have two recalls. It has been at the Kia shop for 7 months now. We are making our car payments and insurance payments on a car we can't even drive.

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