Dorkiphus.net - Bad Carmax Experience

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Quote:

Originally Posted by smo (Post 335814)

I'm still dumbfounded that someone would purchase a Porsche from carmax. Not a 924 or 944, but a newer model.

Not sure how Carmax is at fault or to blame. They took it back it seems.

Not all Porsche owners are enthusiasts. I know one person who has a Cayman. She bought it because it was cute. It has only been driven briskly in typical female road rage fashion.

Carmax is a good fit for these types of people - not really sure what they want. The lots have a good variety of vehicles to pick and choose from.

I've dealt with Carmax a few times but have never followed through with a transaction. A few years ago they did offer my company $4,500 for a well worn 86 Chevy passenger van with 185,000 miles on it that smelled bad. We were going to jump at the offer but one of our foremen offered to buy it for the same price. Sold it to him.

I don't buy any car without my electronic paint gauge meter. The thing is amazing and a real truth teller. It also helps to have a really keen eye for differences in orange peel reflectance as well as a discerning sense of panel fitment variations. You should also look at the inner panels to ensure that the VIN code stickers have not been removed or painted over, to name but one.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mark in Baltimore (Post 335836)

Do you have something like this? http://www.amazon.com/QNix-CrashCheck-QuaNix-Accident-Tester/dp/B0048JEYPG/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=hi&qid=1288968055&sr=8-2
....or a fancier model?

Quote:

Originally Posted by AJ986S (Post 335837)

Do you have something like this? Amazon.com: QNix CrashCheck (QuaNix) Car Body Accident Paint Tester, Meter, Gauge: Home Improvement

....or a fancier model?

Hey, Tony,

I have something that looks similar to this:

http://www.cnrinch.com/coating-thick...uge-CM8825.jpg

It's not overly fancy, but it gets the job done. It works on steel and aluminum but not plastic. I'm not worried about bumper resprays.

I think it was a couple of hundred dollars. IIRC, the pro models sell for $600 and above.

on their purchase!

I'm certain that CARMAX dinged the owner of the Cayman they bought in from "for the paint". probably dropped their purchase price in the thousands!:roll:

Quote:

Originally Posted by FunkyJunk (Post 335638)

FYI for anyone looking for a Cayman S in the DC area:

I bought a 2006 CS from Carmax in Sterling, Virginia on Saturday and ended up returning it under their 5-day return policy yesterday. When cleaning it yesterday afternoon, I noticed overspray on the seal around the passenger window. That raised an eyebrow so I started looking around a bit more and found bad paintwork in a couple of places on the door and (get this) the protective film in front of the rear wheel well had been painted over.

So that's at least two body panels that had been resprayed. I was furious, so I took the car back to Carmax and returned it. The guy dealing with my return mentioned that the car had been repainted at their shop, but didn't divulge what damage they were trying to cover up. Needless to say, this was all way too much for me so I gave them the car back and had them do a refund. Thank God I found the evidence of the damage in time to do the return. :grrr:

In case they try to sell this car again, please note that it's a silver '06 Cayman S with PASM and Sport Chrono, with the following VIN:

WP0AB298X6U780447

The Carfax and Autocheck reports came back clean, by the way. I've learned a lesson - NEVER buy a car without a full PPI. The next car I buy, I will insist on this. I should have done so in this case and nearly paid the price for it.

Caveat emptor.

Went to Carmax because I saw an '05 BMW 545 that looked perfect for my nephew. Told him to clean up his car and headed to the Laurel Carmax. He sold his WRX to them for more than I expected...and the 545 is fantastic.

We did notice a bit of tranny "indecision" at 40 mph occasionally. Called them up and they sent it to BMW for repair and gave him a loaner.

Car is back and all is good. Transaction was great from beginning to end.

The Laurel store moves well over 1500 cars a month...I'm sure occasionally a lemon falls into the mix.

I have done PPIs on many cars from Carmax over the years. Some have been great cars, some not so great. The 5 day return policy should be more than enough time to find any major problems.

My sister-in-law bought a X3 from them about a year ago (in a hurry to buy a newer car, she skipped the ppi :grrr:). She took it back to them for some warranty work on the sun roof. After BMW told them that the entire sun roof cassette would need to be replaced, they bought the car back from her six weeks after the original transaction.

IT DOESN'T MATTER WHO YOU BUY THE CAR FROM..........GET A PPI DONE!!!!

I believe PaintRacer here is the paint shop boss at the Carmax in Sterling. He might be able to tell you what happened.

Quote:

Originally Posted by smo (Post 335814)

I'm still dumbfounded that someone would purchase a Porsche from carmax. Not a 924 or 944, but a newer model.

Not sure how Carmax is at fault or to blame. They took it back it seems.

I'm not sure that Carmax is any LESS reliable than, for example, buying from the used lot at a Porsche/Audi dealer. I once test drove an Audi S6 avant that was "CPO" on sale at Tysons Audi (HBL), and not only was it dirty, but it had a check-engine-light on, mismatched tires and a REALLY screwed up transmission (later confirmed by the actual buyer on local audi forum). A real travesty for a rare, performance Audi.

Theoretically, any business with a reputation to uphold should have reason to treat you fairly. Or not.