Sold my car on Carmax

[veeman]

I've been scouring the Autotrader Ads for about a year for a replacement Infiniti for my current Infiniti.  Everything too expensive.  With the recent gas price hike, prices started eventually falling for gas guzzler SUVs.  Current Infiniti started getting finicky with starting.  Battery fine but every few days wouldn't start for a few minutes.  Probably a simple fix (I don't know) but rather than get a diagnostic and fix decided now was a good time to jump on a newer certified model.  Current one is a 2013 QX56 model with 157 thousand miles.  Bought a 2018 model (now called QX80) with 31 thousand miles on the odometer.  The price of the car I bought had decreased by $5 thousand dollars from one month ago. I pick up my new car in a few days.  I put a deposit on it. 

The salesman offered me $7 thousand for my old Infiniti and told me they can't match Carvana or Carmax and to check with them as well as Vroom. So inputting some information about the car and it's condition on their websites, Vroom offered me $7826 (they would come get it), Carvana offered me $9537 (they would come get it), and Carmax offered me $10,000 but I would have to bring it to them.

So I brought the car to Carmax this evening and it was an interesting experience.  Person at the greeter desk didn't ask for my name.  Just my "offer code".  Asked for the keys and told to sit in their waiting "room" which was just a cordoned off area in the center of the warehouse.  Each individual chair separated from the next chair by about 6 feet.  I guess super CDC compliant.  I'm the only one sitting in their waiting area, in a cordoned off center of a warehouse, with the periphery of the warehouse surrounded by cubicles with desks and computers where the Carmax staff sit.  I wanted to explain the dent in the bumper etc to the Carmax staff but no opportunity to do so.  20 minutes later a Carmax person comes and hands me back my keys and an offer letter.  Told to go the business counter.  The offer letter is for the same amount as initially offered.  I go to the business counter and the person tells me to drive my car to the service bay with my driver's side window half open.  Odd request I thought.  When I drive in, he looks at the odometer reading, jots it down, and asks for my keys.  He puts the keys in a cupholder which he hung off the side of my half open window.  I fill out some paperwork at his desk, he hand's me a banker's draft (similar to a bank cheque) for $10 thousand dollars, and hands me my plates.  Tells me I'm all done.  I guess no handshake. I take an Uber home. 

The most sterile impersonal experience and yet the most money saved and most efficient. 

[veeman]

I also find it interesting that the salesman at the dealership himself told me to check out Carvana, Carmax, and Vroom as they would give me better deals for my old car.  Maybe they don't make any money on older cars with high mileage as they go straight to auction? 

[AutobahnSHO]

CarMax usually didn't sell cars that old generally until the market went crazy. But they're selling 9 year old cars for $15k+, I was looking yesterday.

[veeman]

You're right.  Saw similar vintage, same make and model, cars on Carmax and Carvana listed for over 20 thousand dollars. Less than 100,000 miles on them but still. 

[AutobahnSHO]

I used to buy ten year old cars in the $5k or under range.

I guess that's what we get when people finally wake up to new car costs.

[dazzleman]

I've been scouring the Autotrader Ads for about a year for a replacement Infiniti for my current Infiniti.  Everything too expensive.  With the recent gas price hike, prices started eventually falling for gas guzzler SUVs.  Current Infiniti started getting finicky with starting.  Battery fine but every few days wouldn't start for a few minutes.  Probably a simple fix (I don't know) but rather than get a diagnostic and fix decided now was a good time to jump on a newer certified model.  Current one is a 2013 QX56 model with 157 thousand miles.  Bought a 2018 model (now called QX80) with 31 thousand miles on the odometer.  The price of the car I bought had decreased by $5 thousand dollars from one month ago. I pick up my new car in a few days.  I put a deposit on it. 

The salesman offered me $7 thousand for my old Infiniti and told me they can't match Carvana or Carmax and to check with them as well as Vroom. So inputting some information about the car and it's condition on their websites, Vroom offered me $7826 (they would come get it), Carvana offered me $9537 (they would come get it), and Carmax offered me $10,000 but I would have to bring it to them.

So I brought the car to Carmax this evening and it was an interesting experience.  Person at the greeter desk didn't ask for my name.  Just my "offer code".  Asked for the keys and told to sit in their waiting "room" which was just a cordoned off area in the center of the warehouse.  Each individual chair separated from the next chair by about 6 feet.  I guess super CDC compliant.  I'm the only one sitting in their waiting area, in a cordoned off center of a warehouse, with the periphery of the warehouse surrounded by cubicles with desks and computers where the Carmax staff sit.  I wanted to explain the dent in the bumper etc to the Carmax staff but no opportunity to do so.  20 minutes later a Carmax person comes and hands me back my keys and an offer letter.  Told to go the business counter.  The offer letter is for the same amount as initially offered.  I go to the business counter and the person tells me to drive my car to the service bay with my driver's side window half open.  Odd request I thought.  When I drive in, he looks at the odometer reading, jots it down, and asks for my keys.  He puts the keys in a cupholder which he hung off the side of my half open window.  I fill out some paperwork at his desk, he hand's me a banker's draft (similar to a bank cheque) for $10 thousand dollars, and hands me my plates.  Tells me I'm all done.  I guess no handshake. I take an Uber home. 

The most sterile impersonal experience and yet the most money saved and most efficient.

That is pretty sterile and impersonal but money speaks louder.  Sounds like a good price.

[CaminoRacer]

That is pretty sterile and impersonal but money speaks louder.  Sounds like a good price.

At a car dealership, I'd usually prefer impersonal. Too many "personal" interactions at dealerships are scams to get you to buy and pay more...

At other places/stores I don't mind personal interaction.

[AutobahnSHO]

At a car dealership, I'd usually prefer impersonal. Too many "personal" interactions at dealerships are scams to get you to buy and pay more...

At other places/stores I don't mind personal interaction.

+1

It's all a process to dupe the customer most dealerships.

[Laconian]

I hate the personal touch of car shopping. Maybe it's different for Audis but all the times I've bought I've had to keep my wits about me. Even the Acura salesman was scuzzy.

[SJ_GTI]

I almost sold my car to Carmax a few years ago (was considering getting a Chevy SS when they had that crazy 20% off sale). My experience back then was pretty much the same as yours. Very impersonal (which I appreciated) and professional, no pressure whatsoever.

If/when I get my next car I'll get an appraisal from Carmax again. Its a good baseline to judge whether a dealers trade in off is worthwhile or not.

[Soup DeVille]

I hate the personal touch of car shopping. Maybe it's different for Audis but all the times I've bought I've had to keep my wits about me. Even the Acura salesman was scuzzy.

Try shopping for an RV sometime. They all went to the Eugene Levy Wagon Queen School of Salesmanship.

[Laconian]

LOL

[CaminoRacer]

Try shopping for an RV sometime. They all went to the Eugene Levy Wagon Queen School of Salesmanship.

Oh that's a fun scene to replay after watching all of Schitt's Creek recently.