JoeR
New Member
Try out the AAA car shopping thing on their website. It works the same as cars.com and sites like that. I used AAA's site and got a good internet deal through a dealer in Baltimore. Paid $2300.00 less than their lot sticker price.
Carmax...opinions?
- Thread starter Hessian
- Start date
Try out the AAA car shopping thing on their website. It works the same as cars.com and sites like that. I used AAA's site and got a good internet deal through a dealer in Baltimore. Paid $2300.00 less than their lot sticker price.
point taken *
..... but you think just because someone owns a car they take care of it :shrug:
*note to self, never buy from Enterprise near a military base
you want to discuss How I drive an M113 or an M151 .... or my Hummer in Korea
lucky_bee
RBF expert
point taken *
..... but you think just because someone owns a car they take care of it :shrug:
*note to self, never buy from Enterprise near a military base
you want to discuss How I drive an M113 or an M151 .... or my Hummer in Korea
Yea but my 'new to me' Honda was a private lease, through the Honda dealer, and I could see every maintenance and oil change stop and since they all seemed right on par, I could tell the person took typical decent care of the vehicle and I felt better. Buying any kind of used is touchy but I know my limits since I don't know cars so I need to stick with vehicles I can see proof of regular maintenance. I'm hoping next car will be brand new anyways. But I'm also hoping I won't have to get a 'next car' for several years.
H
Hodr
Guest
Just wanted to add my $0.02 as I have purchased new, used, and rentals on many occasions.
If you know the vehicle you want (not the make, but the actual model) and you are willing to do the legwork you should be able to do better new than CarMax, but using their price as a good starting point for haggling can be helpful.
If you don't want to take the time (even for a few thousand dollars, some people just will not haggle or shop around), CarMax is fair.
Also, for used cars, if you aren't mechanically inclined or live with/near someone who is, don't buy a used car from a person or small dealership. I always tell people who asked to purchase used from a large dealership that has an established warranty. If for no other reason than that you can take them to court if they screw you over. Yes, they are a bit more expensive, but detailed research and analysis has been done (easy to google) that shows cars bought from private owners who sell privately have more issues.
As for rental cars, it's easy. Don't buy a used "compact" or "sub compact" from a rental facility. If you stay away from their cheapest models you will get a vehicle that was likely only rented by families or companies. And the only "company" that I think is a bad renter is the military as they overwhelmingly employ young testoterone filled men who are practically encouraged to treat equipment roughly. And the military almost always rents the cheapest possible car.
If you know the vehicle you want (not the make, but the actual model) and you are willing to do the legwork you should be able to do better new than CarMax, but using their price as a good starting point for haggling can be helpful.
If you don't want to take the time (even for a few thousand dollars, some people just will not haggle or shop around), CarMax is fair.
Also, for used cars, if you aren't mechanically inclined or live with/near someone who is, don't buy a used car from a person or small dealership. I always tell people who asked to purchase used from a large dealership that has an established warranty. If for no other reason than that you can take them to court if they screw you over. Yes, they are a bit more expensive, but detailed research and analysis has been done (easy to google) that shows cars bought from private owners who sell privately have more issues.
As for rental cars, it's easy. Don't buy a used "compact" or "sub compact" from a rental facility. If you stay away from their cheapest models you will get a vehicle that was likely only rented by families or companies. And the only "company" that I think is a bad renter is the military as they overwhelmingly employ young testoterone filled men who are practically encouraged to treat equipment roughly. And the military almost always rents the cheapest possible car.
You mentioned a good point, RESEARCH the car online complaints, new cars won't show as much but, should there be plenty if there is some from a particular older car.
acommondisaster
Active Member
Unrelated - my husband's 2008 Hyundai Elantra just went over 365k miles. He's terrible about oil changes and maintenance. Car's probably been washed about 2 dozen times (which is about how many times I've driven it) and the only repair was a water pump a few months ago. He's thinking it might be time to start looking, so all this Carmax talk is interesting.
Hessian
Well-Known Member
Just drove home my 2011 Toyota Camry SE... it was a fleet vehicle in Massachusetts ...only 19880 miles on the OD.
Searched prices on like model for 250 miles-couldn't beat the #s. (from Carmax that is).
Probably could have run around for two more Saturdays and haggled to same me a few hundred but...that is just tiresome.
yeah, I think I would recommend the low pressure, straight out sale to others.
Searched prices on like model for 250 miles-couldn't beat the #s. (from Carmax that is).
Probably could have run around for two more Saturdays and haggled to same me a few hundred but...that is just tiresome.
yeah, I think I would recommend the low pressure, straight out sale to others.
Have not used CarMax, but know a few friends who have. The only recommendation they made was to go to the CarMax out by Dulles as they have the best selection (biggest). Not that they won't transfer cars, but...
Besides KBB, subscribe to consumer reports and get their car buying guide. In addition to unbiased ratings on vehicles, they explain how the price breaks down, where you can save money and will give you the "invoice" and dealer holdback amounts.
You should be able to get a vehicle at the invoice amount because the holdback still gives the dealer a profit. If you really want to squeeze a little more out of them, then ask for part of their holdback as well. It's also amazing what a few miles will do, for example, take a Toyota. The dealer in St. Mary's might have one price, Waldorf might be a bit lower and the best deal will come from somewhere closer to DC. Like any business, the more vehicles they sell, the lower the margin they can afford on each one. Any dealer can service your vehicle.
Besides KBB, subscribe to consumer reports and get their car buying guide. In addition to unbiased ratings on vehicles, they explain how the price breaks down, where you can save money and will give you the "invoice" and dealer holdback amounts.
You should be able to get a vehicle at the invoice amount because the holdback still gives the dealer a profit. If you really want to squeeze a little more out of them, then ask for part of their holdback as well. It's also amazing what a few miles will do, for example, take a Toyota. The dealer in St. Mary's might have one price, Waldorf might be a bit lower and the best deal will come from somewhere closer to DC. Like any business, the more vehicles they sell, the lower the margin they can afford on each one. Any dealer can service your vehicle.