Carmax

First of all, most of the 4 stars and below ratings for this Carmax are from people trying to sell their cars, this is about purchasing my 2^nd Carmax car.
The dealership itself is clean, everyone is very smiley and friendly, and the lot was well organized.
My first Carmax car came from the Naperville location last year. It was a 2011 Nissan Rogue and I LOVED her. Then two weeks ago, she got hit while parked and the frame got crumpled. Oh, and I’m eight months pregnant just to make things more interesting. State Farm insurance was amazing and gave me a very fair value for it, but because of my credit, financing, Maxcare, GAP insurance, etc. I owed an additional $ 4,000 over the value on it. THANK GOODNESS I PURCHASED THE GAP INSURANCE. It was an additional $ 599 BUT if I hadn’t bought it at the time when I purchased the Rogue, I would be owing 4k on a dead car!
So, it was time to buy a new car. Due to the nature of the situation (impending first child, unexpected total of beloved vehicle, working and going to school full time) I did not have any money saved for a new vehicle, so I would have to put $ 0 down. Ouch. .
I stepped into the Glencoe Carmax on a Tuesday afternoon after work and was immediately greeted by Durand Hodges, a very friendly man who was my new best friend for the coming week. We test drove many a SUV as I had done research and knew I wanted a larger (mid size) Korean Family friendly SUV (Hyundai Santa Fe or Kia Sorento). I knew what years I was interested in, what size engine, and what price range I was happy with. Durand worked exceptionally hard at getting me into the *right* car. They are paid regardless if I buy a Porshe or the family friendly SUV, so his patience, caring and knowledgeably stood out. We spent *a lot* of time together in the coming week, test driving cars, re-​test driving cars, transferring cars from other locations, etc. When it came time to run some numbers, Durand was very patient and the manager, Dawn, came to help out as well. My totaled car was still showing up on my credit, so it looked like I was trying to buy two cars on my income. Not cool. I asked my husband to co-​sign and he said yes, but the only time we could come back was Saturday evening. I had picked out a car from the lot on that Friday that would work for our growing family and was very nice, but did not feel like me. On Saturday morning, I checked Carmax’s website and found the PERFECT car. I put it on hold and Durand was ready for me at 1pm to test drive it. It was perfect and I decided I was going to buy it, but my husband needed to come in to co-​sign. Durand waited all day on Saturday after working very hard all week and closed the deal with us at 10pm on Saturday night when my husband and I could come back in around 8pm (they are only open till 9!). Also to Amy, the paperwork processor who stepped into help at the late hour get everything sorted. I had the exact car I wanted in a great situation that the Carmax team helped us with. I also purchased MaxCare AND GAP COVERAGE. If you are buying a car that is more than you can afford if it gets totaled, BUY GAP Insurance. It saved us! I just want to say «Thank you!» to the team at Glencoe Carmax and we will be back when we need a bigger ride!

BE AWARE! This Carmax runs your credit report when you simply offer them your license information claiming it is part of their process. We looked at a car said we weren’t sure and would get back to them about it. We emailed the salesman two days later indicating we were not interested in the car. We have received 4 loan letters in the mail since. We NEVER authorized/​signed a credit check or asked for them to secure a loan for us. We didn’t even know if we liked the car. Simply bad business. Managers not much help either. Be very careful about their practices.

Carlos Avila is a 5 star salesman. I felt comfortable working with him and he was not pushy. I got a fair deal for my trade-​in and a good deal on my new Subaru, which I am really enjoying. It took me a few months to find the right car, get my loan in place, and get a couple estimates on the car I traded in. What I found during that time was many other salesmen doing it wrong! There are many car salesmen who do not get it, however, Carlos does! Trust him with your next purchase, you will not be sorry! Thank you, Carlos!

We just bought ANOTHER car here! That makes three in a row. I don’t really know why you would go anywhere else to buy a used car. They’re awesome!

Tried to sell my car here. They low-​balled me on the price, and were very accusatory regarding my car’s history. They also said they would never sell my clean, low mileage car on their lot, and only put it up for auction. After declining their low offer, I took my car to the dealer who sold me the car. They really wanted my car for their lot, and they offered me 25% more than Carmax. I gladly accepted my dealer’s offer.

I had a great experience buying recently from John Patterson at the Glencoe Carmax.
He was kind and helpful both before and during my appointment with him, doing a great job of communicating just the right amount to let me know that he was available but not hassling me with a million calls and emails, a la every dealership I reached out to.
He had cars brought over from the Hillside location in advance for me to test, was ready right away when I arrived, was welcoming to the family members I had with me, and offered assistance when I asked but also privacy and space when I was making some considerations.
My family has purchased vehicles from other Carmax locations a few times previously, as well a from many dealerships in the area (a big family who loves cars!), so had many points of reference and were also really pleased with John and the buying experience.
Finally, I have always lived in very dense urban areas so, despite being nearly 30 years old, have never owned a car. Also unlike some local dealers, I felt like John didn’t treat me like a first-​time fool but instead like the smart person who did her homework that I am.
My husband will be in the market for a car in the next year or two and John at Carmax will be the first call we make!

Scheduled an 11am appraisal and still waiting 15min later for them even to begin. Don’t know why they bother with making appointments when in actuality it is first come first served. If I had known that I would have come earlier so that I can get on with my day. Be ready to be shuttled to a cubical and left there without even an offer of water. So after 35min they finally started the appraisal. I had gotten up after 20min to ask how long the wait would be. While I was waiting for the appraisal to be completed I heard the sales guys imitating my question and laughing. I was sitting in a cubicle less than 10ft from them. Finally out of there at 12:10. Website says 20min for an appraisal and they said 30min. Which either way would be much shorter than how long I was there. Save your time and go to another location — even with the drive it will be worth it. I’ve had excellent service at other locations.

I took my car in for the manufacturer’s recommended Service A which is essentially an oil change and checking fluid levels. The dealer price for this service is $ 249.00 and CarMax was charging $ 98.00. I made an appointment for 8 am on a Friday. The check in process was fast and efficient and everyone working there could not have been friendlier. I observed the service manager personally communicating with each person who was waiting for updates about their car in a very professional and caring way. He told me that they did not have the oil filter in stock for my car (even thought they thought they did) and that he already sent someone to pick one up and that it was being installed. For the extra time needed $ 50.00 was taken off of my service charge. I ended up getting my Service A and a car wash for ¼ of the dealer price. I would recommend the service department at the Glencoe CarMax over any dealer or car repair shop, hands down.

I bought my first car from Carmax about 3 weeks ago. Honestly, I did not know I was going to end up buying a car there since I have heard mixed reviews. I talked to a salesperson named Carlos Avila. Carlos did all thay he could to make it easy for my family and I to walk away being new car owners. Carlos gave us an honest price and all the details other salespeople fail to tell. I am real happy with my new car. I would go back to Carmax to see Carlos and purchase my next car!

Came in to sell my moms car today and had a really good experience. The car sales person, Valentin, was really hospitable and enjoyed chatting with him while we waited. He was really informative about the process and clear. Great job!

I brought in my 04 Hyundai Elantra GT (it hat 95,000) miles on it. I worked with John B. who was great! He gave me an extremely reasonable quote that was more than double what was offered to me at the dealership I purchased the car from. Then I checked out with Eliot who was just as fantastic! The whole experience was better than I could imagine. I was offered more money than I expected, everyone was a joy to work with, and it was fast and painless. I highly recommend working with this Carmax!

I went to get an appraisal today, it came $ 6k lower than the market value! Their rep Joel, first tried to impress me with their «honesty» labeled on the flyers, then to convince me how hard it would be for a woman to sell without them, if at all possible. Really?! Unless you are desperate, do not sell here! Also, send your husband, obviously women in this country are still being undermined.

I bought my first Carmax vehicle in (approx?) 2000. It was a 98 Toyota Corolla. My parents still have that car and it is running pretty well! I actually used this original car when my current car was in the shop recently and it was reliable in getting me to and from work! I had been entertaining buying a new car for about 6 months. My friend, this last Spring, bought a car from Winston in Glencoe. I went with her (fellow Unilocaler Sarah-​jayne M.) The experience brought back all the memories as to why Carmax is different: no games, no pressure –just good customer service! When I saw the 2013 Toyota Prius that I had been wanting (black exterior with black leatherette interior), it had 13 views! I knew I had to jump on this if I wanted to score this car! I saw the same car in IN a few weeks earlier and it was sold in two days! I called right away and spoke to Carlos Avila. I was so relieved to find out that they could transfer the car to IL (it was in WI) so I could see it and drive it before fully committing to the purchase. The whole process was super easy. My phone call was Saturday and the car was ready on Monday! I «met» my car on Tuesday and it was love at first sight! (ha ha) Seriously, I really love this car and am so happy with the entire process and my purchase. I cannot say enough good things about the Glencoe Carmax –between my friend’s recent purchase and mine. I had finance /​documentation guy Will and he was super nice as well. I’m already talking to my dad and trying to convince him to replace the 98 Corolla and buy a solid used vehicle at Carmax! I would highly recommend Carmax to friends and family!

Decided to try it out to sell my car. Looked at KBB for trade in value which said $ 6,300 ($ 7,500 to sell privately) and Edmund said $ 6,600. Carmax offered $ 5,000. Too low for me so I started gathering my things to leave. That’s when the sales guy would not let up and kept asking me what else I was going to do to sell it. He tried to convince me that there would be no way I could sell it on my own (despite him lauding that the car was in awesome shape). He said I wouldn’t get a better deal anywhere else. He said he was sure I’d be back and that I should just sell it on the spot.
I feel like part of the vague appraisal process at Carmax involves checking a box that reads «female» that knocks a few hundred dollars off their determined price. I understand that the price they offer is final. What I don’t understand is why this guy, Jim Prevost to be specific, seemed to think I was some kind of idiot. Not impressed with the process at all. I felt that him trying to place doubt in me selling my car elsewhere was completely unprofessional and uncalled for. He ruined what would have been an okay experience despite not getting the value I wanted on my car. Even if I did decide to use Carmax, I’d go to a different location.

They give very reasonable prices for the cars if you wanna sell to them, even tho my car had some damage they still gave me a better price than any dealership
highly recommend to sell to them A+++++
Transaction was fast and smooth, customer service was great.

Hands down the best, low-​stress car shopping experience in the Chicagoland area. If possible, call ahead and request Keith Tennyson. Dude is easy-​going and he knows his stuff.

Ooookay people. I have spent the past two weeks (nearly full time) car shopping. This is the only review I will write about my car shopping experience.
Here’s what happened.
Initially I found the car I wanted at Carmax, so I emailed about it. To be honest I had emailed about 15 other guys also, and many became pushy, fast. Eww.
And then there was Keith Tennyson from Carmax. He was not at all pushy, and thats the reason I decided to make the drive from Logan to Glencoe. On the phone, Keith seemed like a good dude. Turns out homeboy’s a young father of two, he’s very organized, honest, and he knows his stuff. There were also two intern-​types there with us whom Keith was training, throughout the process. Kinda cute.
Turned out that Carmax had the exact color I wanted at a different store, so Keith (tho he would surely have loved to seal the deal on the spot) arranged the black one to be shipped out to Glencoe for no charge.
As luck would have it, it was Carmax’s «Trade In Value» that killed my deal – I would have loved to buy the car from Keith, but $ 9K for my trade? I got $ 1.5K more for it at another dealer (and was offered $ 11.5K at a third shop).
But of the 10 sales guys I worked with throughout this process, Keith Tennyson at Carmax is the best by far. I’d go to Carmax in a heartbeat for my next car, so long as Keith is still there (and the guy who values trade-​ins isn’t…)

Everything was explained very well and in even better detail when I asked questions. I highly recommend requesting Durand to help you, too, if you decide to use Carmax. He was very professional and kind and also made us laugh. He was patient as I made my decisions about things.
We did we have to wait a while for someone to help us with the final paperwork. (It was explained that at night and in the winter they have less staff working.)
29 days after I purchased the vehicle, I was hit and the car was totaled. State Farm paid me a total loss for the market value of the car which was $ 1803 less than what Carmax sold it to me for. (Historically, State Farm has always overpaid me for totaled cars; they paid me more years after owning them than what I originally purchased it for.)
I asked both the Glencoe location and customer service/​HQ in Virginia if they’d be willing to give me any credit off on my next car that I wanted to purchase through them via Durand (he’s seriously so awesome), but they were unwilling to compensate me anything.
I’m sorry to see Durand lose my family’s business (we’ve purchased 4 cars from them in 2 years) but their no haggle/​rip off/​no belief in customer loyalty, etc. has left me very bitter. I will no longer recommend Carmax like I used to.

We had two cars to sell for the estate of a family member. CarMax to the rescue.
All CarMax staff were helpful … special shout out to Gandi (Gardi). Can’t quite remember the name of the woman at the counter who gave exceptional service. A very caring person.
End result was a fair price for the two cars, including one that was not in driveable condition and had to be towed to CarMax.

Carmax is good for one thing… looking at and driving cars that you will buy from private parties or dealers.
Keep up the good work Carmax!