Consumers Speak: Carmax Leaves Car Buyer Chapped
'Random' writes to tell us of his experiences with Carmax, the used car super lot (and not the lip gunk maker, despite our headline [but aren't we smart?]). Inside he explains how Carmax helped him turn a $5 used car into a $2,000 towing bill!
I completed a transaction with Carmax recently, where I both purchased a car from them and sold them my old car. The purchasing side went smoothly and I was happy enough with the price and the process in general. The selling did not go so smoothly.After the jump, something happens—something scummy.I had a 1989 Mazda 626 with 160,000 miles on it, not in great shape, but still running. I figured I would at least get a hundred or a couple hundred dollars for it, so I had them appraise it. When the appraisal was completed and I was offered a whopping $5 (yes, five dollars) for the car, I decided it would be worth it to investigate other options for selling this car.
I had already decided to purchase a car from them though, and the salesman was eager for me to drive it home that night, enough so that he offered to keep my old car on their lot for a few days if I drove the new car home that night, which I decided to do. It was at some point on the drive home that I realized that the appraiser had never returned to me the keys to the old car, which were the only copy in my possession. I figured they had some kind of system to deal with such things so I would just call them tomorrow.
Well for whatever reason I did not remember to call them about it, but I did return to the lot in a few days to pick up my old car. I sought out the salesman and explained the key situation to him, and he went in the back to look for it but shortly returned with nothing. We found the appraiser but he said he had returned the keys to me because "that's what he always does". They both went to the back and looked again but did not find them. I eventually spoke with a manager-type person, who assured me that the appraisers always return the keys posthaste and blah blah blah, basically implying that I must have had the keys in my possession and then lost them. But even though the $5 offer on my car had expired, he would be glad to still purchase the car from me, without a key, for $5. Disgusted and wanting this ugly affair to end, I went ahead and proceeded with the ridiculous processing necessary to collect my $5 and be on my way, free of any more responsibility for the old clunker (so I thought).Several months later, I received in the mail a certified letter from a township I had never been to, stating that I owed $35 for leaving my car parked for too long in the same area in a derelict condition. Confused, I inquired further and found out the old mazda had been stripped and abandoned in some town near the Carmax, and I was the last registered owner on file with the Secretary of State. I told them I had sold the car well before this incident, and they said if I could provide proof then they would pursue the matter with the new owner. I faxed them the bill of sale and did not hear from them again, though more recently I received a bill from what looks to be a collection agency for towing and storage fees in excess of $2000 for...you guessed it, a 1989 Mazda 626. I sent them the bill of sale as well and haven't heard from them since, either. I guess the moral of this story is DON'T SELL YOUR CAR TO CARMAX.
This is a test contextual ad for the SHOPPING category. It should appear on all SHOPPING entries, unless the subcategory has its own ad.
Post a comment
Comments:
.....I bought a car at Carmax a year and a half ago, and was pretty happy. The car (2001 Mazda Protege) has performed mighty well, except that I blew the factory speakers out. (too loud, mon, too loud!)
.....I found the car on the internet, was in and out of the dealership in less than an hour, done deal! I sold them my 19 year old Thunderbird, and didn't get but $50. But hey, the AC was shot, the ball joints were wobbling, it needed a new transmission, it was burning oil, and the master cylinder was leaking. Oh, and it had been wrecked and had frame damage. I was just happy I didn't have to PAY someone to take it!
.....Keep that bill of sale for a few years, though! Those tales above sound a little scary!
Years ago, when I was in college, I totalled the car I was driving. The title was actually in my parents name. Anyway, about a year later, my dad gets a notice from the city - our car has been towed, if we payed $200, we could come pick it up.
In other words, we could have gotten the presumably repaired car back for $200, after the insurance company paid us $6000 or so when they totalled it. Too bad I was completely broke at the time.
My grandmother purchased a 1998 Chevrolet Malibu in August 2005. I had just graduated from High school getting ready to go off to college. The first day i had the car the engine light came on. I took back they said when they were inspecting the car the might have hit something. A week later my brake lights went out. I took it back they fixed it. Another week went by and the same brake light went out again. They said Malibu were known to have bad modules. So I asked why didin't they tell me that when we purchased the car. Another week went by and my car charger didnt work or my cigarette lighter. So i took it back they fixed it. In september of 2005 i ran into some trash cans not big ones but they city ones. My insurance people paid to get it fixed. But my brake light went out again that month so i took it back and they seen the dent in my car from the accident. they asked about it and i told them what happened.
so in october i was at this place i was in the parking lot tryin to leave and my car would not turn right. I was stuuck in the parking lot looking dumb. So i had to call a tow truck to tow the car to my grandmothers b/c i lived in another town that took $75. I called carmax theyn sent a tow truck to get the car. They said my rack-opion was shot but they were not fixing b/c it was on the right side of the car were the accident was... So i called my insurance the sent an adjustor he came and said that was not cause by hitting those small trash cans... I called carmax and let them know what the insurance adjustor said. But carmax said they wouldnt fix it. So my insurance adjustor had me take the car to a repair shop. the repair shop looked at the car and also said the accident did not cause the damage b/c the only way a rack-opion is damaged in an accident your car ran off the road into a ditch if the trash cans cause it i would have ran on top of them dragged them down the street and my tire would have fell off.
So... disputing with car max for amonth they wouldn'tfix it. I needed the car for school and i am single parent so i had to get my child back and forth to daycare me to school and work. In Novemberber i was preparing to get the car fixed my self. When the repair shop started taking the car apart the notice the rack-opion was been holded together by a metal object which turned out to be the piece thats used to close a fence. They also noticed the motor mount was shoot. i needed a new steering column and other things.
By this time i was heated so i called carmax they said they check the car out fully they did a full inspection and there was no way they missed all those things and they werwe not going to fix it. I had to kick out $1300 to get they car fixed only having the car for 2 months. So when i got the car fixed the airbags lights kept coming on i took to carmax they said something about the modules again and they would fix that this was late november i didn't get my car back until a week before Christmas. When i got the car back i was riding on the highway and it started to rain so i turned on the wind shield wipers they started going crqazy and one flew off the car i took it back they fixed it. Then in February the motor blew they fixed but it took them until early April to give me my car back by this time it was 2006. Then in may my starter and alternator went out. After all these events i just kept taking the car to the shop getting oilchanges and tuneups all the time. Now its March 2007 and the motor that they put in blews again and carmax said they cant fix it b/c i went over 6,000 miles and the year warranty now i'm fed up and i'm getting a lawyer!!
I have purchased 3 vehicles from CarMax in the past 7 years or so, from Ford, BMW and Toyota and have had absolutely no problems besides normal wear and tear. The sales persons have never been pushy, and i felt that i was treaded fairly trough all 3 of my experiences. I will continue to purchase vehicles from CarMax and will continue to recommend people to try CarMax.
I purchased my second car from CarMax 3 weeks ago. I took it in for wrranty work and they backed my 4Runner into a pillar. They wanted to send it to some repair shop not even listed with BBB and gave me the run around all day aboue what impact this will have to my car's inherent value. They write down trade ins for any prior damage but they want to tell me this doesn't devalue my car?? The entire lift gate is creased and I am shocked it didn't break the rear window. I am having a diminished value guy look at it after the repair is finished. I have a feeling this is just the beginning.
I had an old Chevy Impala station wagon (the Greg Brady-mobile!)that got traded in for something a little less, you know, ridiculous. It had 200,000 miles on it (although a souped up engine, and it could still crack 100 mph).
A few months later, we got a call that our car was abandoned and we owed a lot of $$$ for towing, storage, etc. The dealership squared it away and then explained to me what happened. Seems there's a type of person out there that will break into junk yards/salvage yards and steal beaters. Because it's not a person's vehicle, possession of this beater is not grand theft auto, but petty theft. The dealership made it sound like it's not an uncommon practice.
If you have the paperwork proving you sold the car, keep sending it in to any collection agency that contacts you, and ask to have your credit repaired and threaten big, whopping lawsuits if they don't do it and mail you proof.