CarMax
reviews and complaints

My wife and I found the Jeep we wanted with CarMax and received our email offer from carmax after confirming our online interest in the vehicle. We were later informed that someone had incorrectly listed the vehicle and it was now $8k more. CarMax would NOT honor their initial 7 day offer that I have IN EMAIL and they won’t honor it. Their offers are not absolute! They can change them whenever they want apparently and you can do nothing about it! Even AFTER THE OFFER WAS MADE! Shame on you guys. My entire family swore by CarMax after purchasing numerous vehicles from them. That has come to an end. You will never get another dime from us! Hope it was worth it!

Please consider twice when choosing to do business with this company and this location (tampa) specifically. I will not document my experience in details as it was one of the worse customer experiences I have ever had in my 62 trips around the sun. If I could give negative stars I would.

Situation : Selling my car to them via online quote

I setup an appointment (arrived early), had all the documentation and nearly 6 hours later and I swear 10 different people, I finally was walking out the door !

Staff: All seemed friendly but no one and I mean NO ONE took ownership of my visit, leads me to the process...

Process: On a 1-10 scale of bad to good -1000. I was handed off multiple times and each time I had to go seek out someone to get an update. Too many hands touched the process and the communication to me was, well, non existent. When I tried to track down the "last person" who I talked to, they were either no where to be found or left for the day.

When I thought it was on the last person, we were reviewing/singing the last documents and behold, they were paying me 10K more that they should have (they had the pay off amount wrong). After being the 5 hours I almost just ignored it and was going to take the money...but, being an honest person, I could not do that - so back to the drawing board, and I was delayed again. Now, one would think they would have "thanked me" for catching THEIR 10K mistake, but no one person said thanks, in fact the last person I was with, when I stated I was not falsifying anything / fraud and could have walked out the door, she said and I quote "that would not have been your fraud, it would have been ours" ... .what ?

So I decided to reach out to the corp office to let them know and well, the local office must be following the corporate "example"...they replied, did not even thank me for the 10K catch... this was the best they came back with ... "I promise you that I will share your experience with our senior leadership teams so that we can make sure we take this feedback into account and provide it to the right teams to make sure that this does not become our norm."

I waited a MONTH to see if "senior leadership" would reach out, you guessed it, crickets, so I let them know (after a month) I was going to let the world / social media know and warn anyone I can to NEVER do business with this company, unless you want to waste hours of your time needlessly and get very frustrated, even when you "follow them" in their ridiculous "process"

I bought a 2022 Honda CR-V Hybrid Touring from the Clearwater store in Florida. When I bought the car is said it had 2,092 miles on it and after I got it I seen in the paperwork it had 4065 miles on it. How your people would put another1973 miles on it I will never know. But it is wrong and you cheated me. During the signing of the contracts I received a call that my brother had died in upstate NY so I had to hurry and was not watching in closely to the paperwork. While I was in NY I received a call that some paperwork had to be resigned and would be mailed to me. I told the lady at that time that I was not happy with the car and would return it to the dealership in Columbus, Ga. where I live. The lady said fine.

Upon returning to Columbus, Ga. I went to the dealership and told them I did not want the car because of poor gas mileage and it being to small for me. The dealership told me there was nothing they could do unless everything was transferred from Florida to them and it would not make any difference because I had driven over the 1500 mile limit even thou it was within the 30 day return period.

I am very upset about this and will seek the advice of an attorney unless Carmax comes up with a solution. I will send a copy of this to your main office and one to the dealership in Clearwater. George A Aiken

Hello, I am extremely dis-satisfied by the service I am receiving from Carmax Burbank. I bought a car from them on Dec 13, 2022. It took them 4 months to register the car with DMV and get me my license plates. More so, they spelled my name wrong. I had to follow up several times over several weeks before they provided me with an update on getting it corrected and now they are asking me to resolve it with DMV myself. And, they are not sure if there may be a fee involved and I will be responsible for the fee. This is extremely poor customer service.

We had a vehicle transferred to the Carmax in Gilbert, AZ. because we wanted specific features on the vehicle. When we went in for the test drive the moonroof was not functioning properly and 3 out of the four tires were full of gouges. We spoke to both the store manager and service manager who stated the tires met specs. We did let them know after our purchase that we would be contacting the corporate office. It was not until then that we were offered to purchase tires at your cost. We had already had an appointment paid in full with Big O Tires so we declined. I am very disappointed in the customer service and the quality of tires we were given.

Good Morning:

I am writing to you this email for I am due to pick up a used vehicle at Carmax on Saturday 05/21/2022, although I am very excited about this purchase, at the same time, I am a bit disturbed by the finance charges and the notoriously high APR of 26.66% Your company offered me the chance to finance and pay for my vehicle thru you (American Credit Acceptance), and I do appreciate that, but now what I am most disturbed by and, by the way, I have not signed off on the contract yet is the fact that I was never fully explained nor upfront told that at the end of my contract for paying for my vehicle that I will have paid for 1 car twice on a 72 month installment plan, this is unfair trading because I feel at paying $496.20 monthly for my vehicle as it states in the financial summary I received from Carmax, at the credit amount being financed of $17,808, roughly, should be satisfied in 3-4 years not 6 for I always set up Auto Pay so that my payments will always be paid on time when they become due. Since no one explained this to me so that I could decide if this is something I am willing to do, I feel I was purposedly defrauded, mislead, and had information purposedly withheld from me. I told the sales lady during the sale that I am very price conscience and I do not want to start out facing financial hardships by struggling with my budget. Even though a person may have challenging credit, that is no reason for them to be taken advantage of, because they are human just like anyone else. Now, since, I am thinking because of my credit score, there came along with you guys approving me, this higher than-average interest and definitely APR of 26.66% is why I was hit with a finance breakdown of my contract.. Here are the following things I would need for you to answer for me: These services--often called predatory lending--can put people such as myself with already challenging credit deeper in debt.

I do not want to be lured into the very bad deals such as this, called "predatory lending". I do understand this; lenders will exploit people with very high interest rates, excessive fees, and higher APR such as what I am looking at now in my case and I am very torn at this moment because in the end I will have paid for a used vehicle, not brand new, the amount financed to me twice, which will come roughly to $35,000, when the vehicle only cost $17,808, for I did the math for myself, since I am the one who's going to be responsible for paying off my vehicle. I am very upset that I was not fully explained this before we got to this point of my picking up my vehicle, along with the excitement, and then take a look at my financial summary for this vehicle, for I want to begin, and complete this journey, successfully. These typed lenders will make loans to people who often don't have a chance of repaying them, and I am not looking to be one of those people, I will pay off my vehicle, as I have done so with all of my previous vehicles, all the way up to my becoming the owner and title holder of said vehicle, as listed below.

Even though my monthly payment is still a bit higher than I would have liked it to be, but that is not really my focus, my focus is me trying to understand, why am I paying twice the same amount for 1 vehicle, it seems in this case, I should be picking up 2 vehicles instead of 1, can you explained this fact to me please, I don't understand the reasoning behind this status quo. Under the federal Truth in Lending Act, lenders must inform applicants in advance about all terms and costs of the loan, including the annual percentage rate (APR) and in my case this was not done, it was sprung on to me by surprise just before I am to pick up my vehicle, and not by the sales person during my sale, it was discovered by me, myself and I, when I begin to review my finance summary breakdown, only emailed to me by Carmax.

I feel that I was taken advantage of by Carmax, and/or your company (lender) from this unfair and deceptive loan, just to earned a commission, to sale a vehicle by any means necessary. Yes, it is true that I need a vehicle but I should not have been sales pressured into the tactic that both sale persons and/or lenders use to get the unsuspecting customer to accept a bad deal. You have the legal right to know the amount of your monthly payment, the interest rate, how much time you have to pay back the loan and the total you’ll pay (including interest and fees) over the term of the loan. I am thinking even if I pay my loan off sooner, or make extra payments, the amount of total interest that I pay does not change. I well aware of the fact that dealers, finance companies alike will still "give you" a car loan if you have a poor credit score. And that's because they know they'll make tons of interest off of you, and this is where it is unfair, and wrong, maybe you do not think so, but what if you were sitting on the other side of the table like I am, I do think so and I care, because I want to be successful in paying for my vehicle, but not do so, at the cost of me not being able to eat, pay rent, etc.

Look, at the end of the day I know, that the lower my credit score, the more important it becomes to shop around and make sure I'm getting the best rate a finance company can offer me, is what you are offering me in this case, the best? Yes, I also know that I may have to pay a bit more than someone with a superior credit score, but I did not want to have to pay double the amount or pay the first rate somebody offers.

What affected your decision in my case to set me up for this high APR?

Why is your company charging a customer double price for 1 vehicle (It will be a used vehicle with 64,000 odometer mileage already, 2012 Hyundai Elantra GLS)?

I am asking your company for a complete overview of my forthcoming loan terms, including fees, charges, terms and conditions because none of this information was explained to me?

I have the legal right to know the amount of my monthly payment, of which that part, I do, but in lieu of that, my interest rate, how much time I have to pay back the loan, of which I also know its 72 months (including interest and fees) over the term of the loan.

When money is lent on a contract to receive not only the principal sum again, but also an increase by way of compensation for the use, the increase is called interest by those who think it is lawful, and usury by those who do not. If you could address my concerns, please, prior to my signing and picking up my vehicle in this case from Carmax, I will surely appreciate it. Thank you and have a great day!

I purchased an extended warranty for my Ford F-150 from Car Max in 2019. I took my car and n for warranty covered service regarding a major oil pan leak this week. I have gotten nothing but the run around from MaxCare. It is a $600 job and they tell me it must be inspected by them before the warranty work can be covered. The inspector from MaxCar has not shown up for two days while my car has set unserviced. I dropped it off on Monday and after repeated calls to Car Max and MaxCar they tell me it might be inspected on Friday. The warranty is worthless! Do not purchase the Car Max extended warranty, buy it from other sources. It will take weeks to get work covered even if it is minor.

On May 6th I took delivery of an F150 King Ranch Pickup at your Garland, TX location. After the test drive and we decided to purchase I noticed a screw in the Right rear tire. When I pointed this out to a sales manager name Neil, didn't catch his last name, he responded "so". When I ask if he was going to fix it he got belligerent and told us if we didn’t like it we could go somewhere else.

I might add that we were pre-approved for financing and were putting down a $25,000 down payment. We would have walked out if not for the intervention of another sales manager, Kurt Swanson who was an absolute joy to work with. Furthermore the young sales associate RC, again no last name, was great!

Regards,

William Palmer

Hi CarMax Representative Team,

I wanted to email about my horrible experience with CarMax, I bought a vehicle 2017 Mazda R6 Sport from the store this particular store:

6801 East Frontage Road

Merriam, KS 66204

I love my vehicle and bought the Max Care Warranty with it for an extra 5,000 dollars. I always recommend CarMax when anyone wants to buy a car. No gimmicks and you won't get ripped off is what I say. But I was wrong. This store did me wrong. My Car has had a Bluetooth issue after 1 year of driving. I was unable to bring it to a Car Max service shop because they were closed for Covid. Now that they are finally open, they refuse to believe my Bluetooth is an issue. It disconnects everyday. In a 15 minute drive multiple times my phone will disconnect. I understand that people have procedures, but I feel scammed and ripped off. My Transmission had a malfunction error and the Oil Pressure sensor was having an issue. The maintenance sign disappeared but the shop refused to work on it or change the part. I feel robbed of $5,000 by CarMax. I dropped my car off April 30th and it's been 6 days since, no work has been done on it and they informed me they will not work on it unless I pay for diagnosis which they think will not even find any issues. They want to charge me for diagnosis which I am okay with if my issue gets fixed but they don't want to fix my issue. It feels like they just want to take my money, I just don't understand why I paid $5,000 to be undermined and dismissed. I am extremely displeased with your service. In the future I will never recommend this company or buy a car from you. 

I came with a check in hand to purchase this vehicle and the store didn't have a legit inspection on this vehicle before selling it for me. There were obvious repairs needed.

I'm very disappointed. I am paying insurance for a vehicle I don't even have in my possession because it needs repairing. Why didn't you know this before you sold this vehicle to me? I've been a customer in Carmax in the past but now after this situation, I would need to rethink about future business and maybe this transaction since there's no ETA on when my vehicle will be ready. This was unbelievable. I've always thought CarMax was a greater dealer.

My name is Carolyn Thornton of Jackson, Mississippi. I purchased a 2020 Kia Soul from you in June 2021. I ordered from one of your dealership in Louisiana and was shipped to the Jackson, Mississippi location. My car has been sent to Kia dealership for repairs almost twice a month since my purchased. My car has an oil leak from an oil pan that has been glued and a shield underneath the car has ben tied with zip tiers to hold it up. When I purchased this car from you in good faith I thought it had been inspected when brought in from another state and before selling it to me. Plus this should have been recognized when they put new tires on it. I cannot get the Kia in Flowood, Mississippi, to repair it because they want me to get it to you to inspect and put me in another vehicle. Your service department will not contact me and I have left several messages with this concerned. Now its been reported that the Kias and Hyundia are catching on fire without any knowledge why. I'm so afraid my car is going to do the same thing without my knowledge and all I am asking to be replaced in a different automobile or repair this one to specification. I love the Kia Soul but now I'm afraid of it.

On Feb. 8, 2022 I purchase a 2022 Nissan Versa from Carmax in Kenner, LA.

After driving it for a few weeks I notice the oil light kept flicking on and off. i brought the car to Carmax on March 21 to have them look at it. They kept the car and send it to the Nissan dealers because I was informed that I can not drive it. Well a month later April 12 I was informed that the engine needs to be replace. I told the service manager I don't want the car. I prefer that they swap it out or give me another car at equal value. The car I purchase a practically brand new car still under warranty. The dealer has had the car more than me. I been to Carmax several times and no one seem to one to settle this matter. I even ask them to communicate with me which is not being done. I shouldn't have to go this ordeal. The car is a lemon. I do not want a car with a bag engine. I was told they were going to try and flush it out. That's not a guarantee that down the line it will work. I may settle for a new engine but I prefer a swap out. I appreciate your assistant.

I purchased the vehicle on January 13, 2022, and after 90 days per the contract signed with CarMax, it is out of compliance and I am currently driving without a California registration, title or plates. I am now late and will have to pay late fees to California DMV. I am getting the run around with no resolution.

From: Moi Magana

Sent: Tuesday, March 22, 2022 5:00 PM

To: Pamela Jacobsen

Cc: Cody M Schmidt ; 7281-BAK LBO

Subject: Registration VIN041683

Pamela,

Per our conversation this email is to serve as a follow up to your transaction. I have set a calendar reminder to do an inquiry on 4-6-22. I will follow up with you then. Your 90 days is on 4-14-22 so that gives me some time for any additional follow up with the processing center.

Thank you!

Customer: Pamela Jacobsen

VIN: WA1CFAFP0FA041683

Moi Magana

Business Office Manager

[protected] ext. 3008

Find me on Teams

7281 - Bakersfield

On February 12th, 2021, I purchased a motor vehicle (Lexus RX350, AWD 2017, BXY3637 VIN # 2T2BZMCA4HC064856) from your CarMax dealership at 3751 E Valley Rd, Renton, WA-98057. At the time of purchase I was shown the Auto check report that does not show any accidents on the vehicle. Unfortunately, I was misled and given the wrong vehicle history/report, hiding 2 minor and 1 moderate accident (total 3) which is a major safety concern. I found this shocking on receiving the Carfax report and Kelly Blue Book report from another dealership today. My family and I feel violated by this fraudulent activity.

I bought this car for my infant (9-month-old) and family’s safety which concerns me and can’t be compromised. I have tried to reach out to the car dealer manager (Pete) only to be immensely disappointed with the poor customer service.

On 3/15 I found an SUV online that was perfect for what I was looking for. I live in Las Vegas and car was located in Tennessee. Good news is for $1,599 I could have it shipped to my local car max. So I proceeded to reserve it. I immediately got a notification saying YOU CALLED DIBS. We’re processing your shipping request and contact you soon. I received a text saying I would receive a call shortly to follow up on my transfer reservation. I received a call about 5 minutes later from Cody. We spoke about the process and I proceeded to complete the purchase. I even purchased the 5 year 100k warranty with a $300 deductible since it seemed like a good deal at about $1,300. So I asked how long would it take to ship he said 2 to 3 weeks. So I proceeded to finalize everything. I told him I was preapproved with my credit union he said we don’t have to deal with that until the car actually arrives. We finalize the transaction and I ask him for his phone number so I can call him directly to get updates on the ETA on the vehicle. He didn’t have a direct number but sent me an email so I can email him. So 2 days pass and I email him on 3/17 and ask for an update on the shipping. I received no reply. I didn’t think much of it since that was ST. Patricks day and maybe he was off for the day or rest of the week. Friday then Monday came nothing. So I call in today 3/22 to find out the status and was told that the car is not available and is being held for someone else. WHAT? How is this even possible I spoke to Cody I have the screen shot of the reservation. The rep proceeded to tell me there’s nothing he can do and if the current reservation falls through they will call me. I CALLED BACK TWO HOURS LATER and spoke to a nice lady around Noon today about my predicament and was told she would get someone to call me about it. It was Noon my time and you close at 6pm my time. In that 6 hours not a returned call on my issue. Maybe tomorrow? Your employee literally F***ed up and did not reserve/transfer the car like I asked. My follow up email on 3/17 I have no doubt Cody received it and realized he messed up and did not reserve the car like he was suppose to. Maybe he’s new? After I called carmax and was told I had no reservation and that’s that the rep wouldn’t transfer me to a manager or supervisor Instead he said he would escalate my case to someone and they would call me to be honest I just felt like I was being pawned off and they wanted to get off the phone with me. I waited 2 hours and my gut said nothing was going to happen and you will wait for a call that will never come. So a few hours later I called the corporate number where my issue and account was written down and I was told my issue was going to be sent to the correct department and they would call me. I said thank you but can you cancel the other request I have? I spoke to someone a few hours ago and I didn’t want my same issue sent to two different people. She said oh there is no other case on your file. So the old I’ll have my manager call you line was complete B.S. I’m speechless at this point. The little you care is very telling and I’m disgusted in the treatment I have received. You sell lots of cars and I’m only one so the company and world will go on with or without me. I just think you should know how low the quality of your staff and process is to your consumers.

I purchased the mazda 5/21 and had numerous problems. I took it in telling them it knocks at high speed on freeway. I have told them numerous times i am having to fill it full of antifreeze. In august 2021 they obviously knew they were putting a band aid on it and changed the thermostat and filled it full of antifreeze. I still keep telling them i was having to add it all the time and there was no leak. Feb 2022 i have a 20K car sitting in my parking space with a blown head gasket. My first car and last from them. They wont even return my calls. I am devastated and have no idea what to do.