I did it...Highlander 05..Bad Carmax Experience.

[awolff01]

Finally went in and bought a NEW Highlander Limited AWD - Loaded (w/o Nav or DVD).

I had been shopping for a USED SUV for the last 2-3 months..for my wife and our newborn (Safety was my top concern...since I had previously rolled over a Ford Explorer and I was lucky to be alive). Anyway...I was considering the usual suspects: Ford Explorer, GMC Envoy, Mitsu Endevaour, Pilot, Highlander, MDX, RX300. I was looking at USED vs NEW so I could potentially save 5K-10K.


Gmc Envoy - Bad general reviews....boat like ride. Eliminated.

Mdx - Too high. Too much $$$. Too pretty...Rather get Pilot instead for $$$$ less. Eliminated

Rx300 - (Wife's favorite) Bad Cargo Room, Way to Pretty, Too much $$$. Eliminated

Endevaour - High price for unproven performance, reliability. Bad sounding engine. Odd design. Eliminated.

Ford Explorer - Despite the great depreciation on a used one the engine was a lousy performer, The ride was very "boat" like. I was not impressed at all...Cheap looking. Very average and every tom, dick, and harry has one. Eliminated.

FX35 - Nice performance but very small and cramped on the inside. Eliminated.

Grand Cherokee - Chrysler low quality, low HP on V6, Brother has one. Eliminated.

Anyway...after analyzing all reviews and test drives I finally committed to getting a highlander. I wanted something nice that would impress people (i.e leather, 4wd, airbags, etc) So I decided on a USED Limited with Leather. The next question was where to get it from.

Using Edmunds, carpoint, and local dealers I realized that used Limited's where in short supply on the used car market. I was able to find 3 within a 250 mile radius of my house.


2004 Limited 13K - Classified Ad, Price $29K - Guy acted fishy. Worked for dealership as a service guy (Red Flags Came up)
2004 Limited 28K (With NAV) Dealer in TN - NAV was a big turnoff for me. It just added to the price and I am sure its expensive to fix. Guy was an !@#$%! did not want to play the haggle game. Wanted $30K for it.
2004 Limited 23K (Carmax.com) $29K + 150 transfer fee.


Even though I felt carmax was a ripoff I decided to transfer the vehicle anyway. They pride themselves on providing a 30 day bumper to bumper warranty and 5 day money back but charge on average about 1200-1500 premium for it. Why should I pay $1200 more for a Warranty when the Original Manufacturer's Warranty is still in effect? Since I had not too many choices on a used Highlander 04 limited I continued with Carmax.

Anyway, I decided to do the transfer and paid the 150.00. When I arrived at carmax to do the transfer the first thing they asked me was "How will you be paying for the car?" I responded "Via cash...I do not need any financing". They were surprised but insisted that I give them a credit application anyway. That infuriated me but since not too many highlanders where available I decided to continue on. I sat with the Carmax dealer as he started to ask me questions on my finances. With every question I got angrier and angrier....I did not see a purpose in going thru my personal information if I was not insterested in financing. I complained several times during the credit application but the Salesman insisted that it was the only way of getting my information into their system. I think what it boiled down to was that Carmax gets a % from the banks for every person they sign up for financing. So the salesperson was hoping for a few more commission $$$ (Little did he know that it would come back to bite him in the ass)

At one point the salesman asks me" How much are you putting as down payment?"

I responded "I told you...I am paying the whole thing in cash".

He says "Well...if you were financing how much would you put down?"


I said "I have no idea...what's typical?"

It was like comedy routine.

A few days later the salesman calls me back to set up an appointment to view the car. (Apparently they are so busy at Carmax selling cars that they need to make appointments). I told him to call me when the car arrives I'll take a look at it...and if I liked it I would leave a deposit and the next day come with a certified check...that way they'll have a chance to detail it. He responds.."No..I am sorry...At carmax we do not hold the cars...we do not accept deposits...if you want it you will have to buy it then or it might be sold". I was somewhat suprised and upset at this...but once again I said to myself "You have no choice this is the only Highlander limited for sale."

Anyway, the car took a few days to arrive and I went to take a look at it, drive it, and purchase it. The car had not even been cleaned. It had tar on the door, scratches, and chips. All easy things that could be easily repaired or hidden. But carmax are bunch of fools they kept telling me that they would only clean it after I purchased it (That's there process). I told them there is no way I will buy this car unless it was cleaned, buffed, and polished...they relented and took all the things I wanted fixed down on an official looking form which they made me sign.


On my way out the salesman says "Well you know...you have to take into account that this is a used car...normal wear and tear is expected". I replied "Look you are charging NEW car money for this and I was expecting this car to be in NEW condition not full of scratches, tar, and not even washed". I then said "Its not like I am getting a great deal..here...I can get a a brand new 05 with the same equipment for just $2500 more and 0 miles on it". The salesman shut-up as he knew I had reached the end of my patience. As I walked out the door I said to myself "That's it...screw CARMAX its a ripoff...I am buying a new one". I'll lose my 150 transfer but there is no way in hell I am giving these idiots my money.


I Went down to the local dealer...haggled for 15 minutes...and got Sonora Gold 05 Limited, Leather, Side Bags, 6CD changer, Towing Kit, Sunroof, Seat Heater for $31216. The salesman did not ask me one personal question...The deal was signed in 1/2 hour or so.


The moral of this story!!?? SCREW CARMAX!!!!!! THEY ARE A RIPOFF AND THEY HAVE THEIR PRIORITIES ALL SCREWED UP.

[cman2000]

glad you decided not to buy at carmax. I usually only go there to testdrive their cars, but i would never buy a car from them. yeah they have that "no-haggle" pricing, but it's so damn high, what's the point?

congrats on the new car. it sounds awesome

[2tacomas]

I totally agree on the Carmax issue- when I totalled my 1988 Toyota Pickup last year, I was originally going to buy a used Tacoma. I was looking for one w/ less than 30,000 miles and under 3 years old. I looked around everywhere and carmax was the only place that had the a Toyota certified model w/ the color and all of the options I wanted....it was 2 years old and had just over 30,000 miles on it. They wanted a crazy amount of money for it (well over blue book value- their justification for this was because the car was a Toyota Certified vehicle). I checked out a few local dealerships and found a brand new Tacoma w/ 0 miles on it that was exactly what I wanted and I paid only $1500 more (and that included an extended warranty) than carmax was demanding for the same truck. CARMAX SUCKS!!!

[reb]

I would have walked off as soon as they insisted on my financial information on a cash deal. With all the identity theft that is going on, I won't reveal that info without sufficient justification.