Going to Sell Our Car to CarMax

[TrvlBug]

Easy Peasy. We did not like the dealer's offer for a trade in (they gave us some great incentives on a new 2017) so decided to check out CarMax today and liked their offer. Will go back tomorrow to get our $ . In the past, we've donated cars that needed a tow, sold one on Craigslist, and traded in the last one. The $ we're leaving on the table by selling to CarMax vs. private sale through Craigslist is worth the convenience.

Picked up the new car today and DH is happy as this will be his first new car in many, many years. I always got the new car as he traveled a lot before retirement and the old one spent most of its time at the car park .

Curious as to what most folks here do...private sale would be my guess.

 

[GalaxyBoy]

I've sold two cars to CarMax - one in 1997 and another in 2005. However, earlier this year the dealer gave me a better offer. I recall being very satisfied with my earlier experiences.

 

[easysurfer]

Bought current car from CarMax. Trading in old car at CarMax. Very convenient.

 

[BigMoneyJim]

The $ we're leaving on the table by selling to CarMax vs. private sale through Craigslist is worth the convenience.

Agree. I bought my last two cars at CarMax and sold one there. I'm sure I could have done a little better on pricing going private sale, but nope, I'm good.

My mom recently bought then sold her car at CarMax.

In both our recent cases, we bought first then sold later; their buy & sell pricing aren't intertwined.

 

[Jerry1]

I hated selling cars. Mostly I've leased which helps to avoid that. The other ones were given to DD. I could see using something like CarMax if it was a big enough difference from the dealer trade-in. Though, I'd probably take a trade-in versus ever selling again. For me, it's that bad.

 

[FIREd]

I sold my last two cars to Carmax. I did not want to deal with private parties and we were not interested in a dealership trade-in. Their offer was very fair. In and out with a check in hand in less than 2 hours both times. They took care of all the paperwork with the DMV too.

 

[daylatedollarshort]

Our last car sale was to CarMax. We thought they had a fair offer and we were happy with their service. The car before that the dealer had a better offer but this last time CarMax was much more fair without all the little mind games. On our last sale, a salesman at the dealership made us a decent offer then lowered it when we were filling out the paperwork so we took the car to CarMax instead.

 

[FlaGator]

Sold a surplus car to them a few years ago. They paid more than I expected and didn't have the hassle of dealing with buyers, title work, etc.

 

[Texas Proud]

My last sell was not to Car Max even though they had a higher offer... the dealer was close enough and with the taxes saved I was within $100 or so...

My sister sold her last car to Car Max... many thousands more than the dealer's offer...

She is about to buy a new one and the Car Max offer was the best, but I am going to buy it from her for that price... so technically she is selling to me but Car Max determined the price...

 

[Just_Steve]

Curious as to what most folks here do...private sale would be my guess.

When I'm done with mine they usefully wind up in the junk yard.

 

[jazz4cash]

I like CarMax. DD bought car from them and it was as close as you can get to buying new but without the haggle. She even bought optional warranty that was accepted by the regular dealer. An independent auto buying service set up shop across the street with a huge banner "we pay more than CarMax" so we sold our extra car to them. They showed me the auction summary for our make/model and offered me $50 less cause the car was very clean even though tranny was slipping. Not sure if CM would've noticed the tranny.

 

[Blue Collar Guy]

Easy Peasy. We did not like the dealer's offer for a trade in (they gave us some great incentives on a new 2017) so decided to check out CarMax today and liked their offer. Will go back tomorrow to get our $ . In the past, we've donated cars that needed a tow, sold one on Craigslist, and traded in the last one. The $ we're leaving on the table by selling to CarMax vs. private sale through Craigslist is worth the convenience.

Picked up the new car today and DH is happy as this will be his first new car in many, many years. I always got the new car as he traveled a lot before retirement and the old one spent most of its time at the car park .

Curious as to what most folks here do...private sale would be my guess.

Just curious, what was the dealer offer and was was car max offer? thanks

 

[SheitlQueen]

When I'm done with mine they usefully wind up in the junk yard.

I'm the same way, by the time I've run up the miles on them they aren't worth anything. I did sell the last one to a neighbor to part out.

 

[Katsmeow]

A few years ago - 2011 - we sold a car to Carmax. We checked with a dealer and didn't get a good offer. The Carmax offer was much higher, actually. So, easy choice.

Some years ago I owned a Buick Reata. The car was no longer made but was a fairly unique car that some people really wanted. We went to one dealer and their offer was really low. Then, we went to another dealer where the salesman we were dealing with was super enthusiastic about the Reata. Knew about them and felt they could get a good price for it and offered us substantially more money for it. That really told me that not all dealers will pay the same price.

Next time I get a car I'll probably get 3 quotes - outright sale to a dealer, sale to Carmax and trade in to wherever I am getting my new car.

 

[dirt_dobber]

There is a local Chevy dealer here in Austin that matches the Carmax price and then kicks in an additional $500 - we have done that twice and both times hassle free!!!

 

[athena53]

Next time I get a car I'll probably get 3 quotes - outright sale to a dealer, sale to Carmax and trade in to wherever I am getting my new car.

I wouldn't trust the trade-in offer. Sometimes it's "bundled" in with a higher price on the car you're buying. I prefer to keep the two transactions separate.

I sold my car through a car broker who had a placard in the window of the car mechanic I use. Not the highest I could have gotten, I'm sure, but he paid cash, no hassle, and that was worth it to me. Then I had to figure out what the heck to do with 20 $100 bills. Typically I withdraw $200 in cash at a time and it last me for months. I gave them to the church treasurer as payment towards this year's pledge so it was properly documented for tax purposes.

Good to know about CarMax as an alternative. I live alone so don't want to be messing with Craigslist people, bad checks, etc.

 

[RunningBum]

I've sold a couple myself, and hated the experience, and didn't do that well with it either. It wasn't moving and I finally had to take a low offer. Last time I traded to the dealer after getting a price from CarMax. I was in Texas and you only pay sales tax on the new-tradein difference if you do it there. I'd probably do the same thing again, getting a price from CarMax first then talking to the dealer. I think the drawback to CarMax is that they mostly sell cars >$10K, so they probably aren't giving as good of prices on older cars. I could be wrong.

 

[retired1]

I sold 2 cars to Carmax. I like their process of providing a written details of the car and price they'll pay... no negotiation. However you may get a better price at a dealer. Looks like the regular dealers also buy used cars. I wasn't aware of that until after I had sold my cars. But you just can't beat the easiness of selling at carmax.

 

[ncbill]

Usually drive our vehicles until we give them away to a local charity.

Did sell one to Carmax when I thought the transmission was acting up, though that was probably biased from my research about that particular model year.

Carmax will also buy your leased vehicle and cut you a check if they value it above the residual set by the leasing company (e.g. if for some reason towards the end of the lease you have driven much less than the mileage allowed)

 

[omni550]

Just heard on the Clark Howard show today that prices of used cars will increase significantly in the next week or so due to Hurricane Harvey...as so many thousands of cars that were recently flooded will require replacement pronto.

Also, be very alert if buying a used car in the next year or so...as some unscrupulous people will likely be selling flooded cars on the used market. The flood damage they incurred may not show up on a CarFax report if no insurance claim is made.

omni

 

[Blue Collar Guy]

There is a local Chevy dealer here in Austin that matches the Carmax price and then kicks in an additional $500 - we have done that twice and both times hassle free!!!

Nice, I hope he opens a dealership in NYC. Thats an awesome deal,

 

[REWahoo]

Also, be very alert if buying a used car in the next year or so...as some unscrupulous people will likely be selling flooded cars on the used market. The flood damage they incurred may not show up on a CarFax report if no insurance claim is made.

+1

Be very suspicious of a really good deal on a used car in the coming months. Let your nose be your guide as it is very difficult to get rid of the smell resulting from a flooded interior. A bunch of these hanging from the rear-view mirror is a dead giveaway...

 

[Big_Hitter]

Just heard on the Clark Howard show today that prices of used cars will increase significantly in the next week or so due to Hurricane Harvey...as so many thousands of cars that were recently flooded will require replacement pronto.

over 500,000 cars totalled

 

[Lsbcal]

I wouldn't trust the trade-in offer. Sometimes it's "bundled" in with a higher price on the car you're buying. I prefer to keep the two transactions separate.
....

+1

Carmax sounds like a good option after one gets the best deal on a new car.

 

[MBAustin]

Have sold 2 cars in recent years. First one to CarMax - as others have said, good offer and no hassle transaction. Second one their offer was way lower than I expected, so I put a sign in the window and sold it within a few days. But the new owner didn't do the title transfer so there were a bunch of hassle factors down the road. Probably won't do a private sale again unless I personally know the buyer.