Carvana or CarMax? I bought from both. Which was better? | The Fixit Shed

[@JR-pr8jb]

Thanks. For every reported problem with Carvana/Carmax, there are likely thousands of nasty experiences with regular dealerships. That's based on working for several dealers. I will NEVER set foot in a dealership.

[@TheFixitShed]

Yes, I am not a fan of the whole car buying process. Even private sales have their issues. At Carmax, I probably overpaid a little, but I like being able to pick out the car online, see all the info about it, and even have it moved to my local carmax for me to check out. Carvana bringing the car right to my house was nice too, but their inability to accutately list vehicles was disappointing.

[@douglaswaite5691]

I purchased a car from Carvana and subsequently sold it to CarMax. I would never buy from Carvana again because Carvana could not provide the title several months after I sold the car to CarMax. Before that, Experian noticed that the mileage on my Title at the Massachusetts Registry of Motor Vehicles needed to be corrected. It took many telephone calls and many months to have this corrected.

[@TheFixitShed]

That is a terrible customer experience. Carvana is failing miserably.

[@swiftigoth]

Carvana: We do a 150 Pt inspection Consumer: Is it Four-Wheel Drive Carvana: That's Inspection point number 151

[@TheFixitShed]

LOL

[@aliviar9711]

Straight to the point and very informative! Thank you!

[@TheFixitShed]

Thank you! Glad you liked it

[@davidwinter2096]

Just bought minivan from Carvana and has AC problems and possibly transmission issues. Will find out tomorrow at mechanics whether these are major issues and have to return within 7 days.

[@TheFixitShed]

At least you have that 7 day window. Those are things they should pick up with their 150 point inspection.

[@operationbs7610]

Ive bought from both and i liked both experiences. Especially compared to a normal dealer lot.

[@TheFixitShed]

Glad they worked out for you!

[@franciscoortiz6980]

I have now purchased 3 cars on Carvana. you MUST inspect it with care. You have like 300 miles or 10 days to decide keep or get full refund. Carvana needs to do a better job on incoming inspection. They should know that many people sell their cars when they have problems.

[@TheFixitShed]

Agreed!

[@JGRosado95]

Good content! I enjoyed this. Very detailed. Thanks!

[@TheFixitShed]

Glad you liked it. Reports on Carvana just keep getting worse and worse. Stay away.

[@poorman68]

I'm currently in a 24hr test drive and tomorrow I will sign for it. I'm happy with the price (about 3k) overprice but they don't make a Lincoln MKC anymore and this one has 9,800 miles on her for $28K (MSRP $48K). I will purchase the warranty for $2K and brought my own financing at 5.85%. I paid $650 for shipping but was refunded because they listed it as blue but it's actually green. (It DOES look blue in the artificial indoor lighting they took the pictures in). It had a few minor dime size dings they offered to fix as well. Most importantly the process with the sales team at my location (Corpus Christi, TX) has been nothing short of spectacular.

[@TheFixitShed]

Good luck with your Lincoln MKC!

[@Lam-he6mj]

I have been shopping for a used Lexus LX 570. I have noticed recently that car max asking price is about the same as dealers. Car Max seems to be dropping their price some as the car market starts the crash.

[@TheFixitShed]

So it would seem. For a while it was hard to find good used cars. Carmax had some, and they were selling at a premium.

[@cedricsmith9209]

I had the exact same issue with carvana.

[@jimmbear3998]

Interesting video it’s be a very long time since I bought a used car but since new cars are like $35k+ considering one. My issue with places like Carvana/Carmax/and some used cars dealers is that the prices always seem so high, the cars I look at also seem to have high mileage. Auto Trader seems more reasonable than the other two. I don’t understand buying a few year old car with high mileage when I can get a brand new one for just a few thousand dollars more. 🤷🏻‍♂️

[@TheFixitShed]

Well, at the time I made this video I had been waiting a year for the new Ford Maverick I had ordered (and NEVER got even after waiting 2 years). New car lots were empty and used cars were selling at a premium because of it (worst time ever to buy any car). The Rav4 I got was 7 years old, but only had 23,000 miles on it. It was priced about $10k under new Rav4s (which you also couldn't get). High price for an older car, yes, but options were limited. They did make the process more bearable than any new or used car dealership I have been in. I do often by vehicles privately, but at the time you couldn't find anything on the used market under 100k miles that was priced reasonably. If I am going to be spending a lot on a car, I do like to go through a dealership so that I have some recourse should there be problems with the car. The 30 day test drive from carmax was appealing in that regard. You wont get that in a private deal.

[@sherita4404]

Hey what about the 7day return do both carvana and carmax offer that and the 100day policy that carvana offers is carmax the same?

[@TheFixitShed]

carvana has a 7 day return policy, carmax has a 30 day return policy. carvana has a 100 day warrantee, carmax has a 90 day warrantee.

[@sherita4404]

@@TheFixitShed 😊

[@chargerman165]

Never bought from Carvana and never will because of hearing things like this but have both bought from and sold to CarMax. Every experience with CarMax had been amazing. So if you could say to Carvana hey I want to buy a vehicle and go ahead and take it but it will take three weeks or a week for me to pay you and no that won’t happen they want their money then and should refund money NOW. One of the vehicles I bought from CarMax years ago was a Jeep Grand Cherokee and within the 30 days noticed it had a front marker bulb out. The bulb was less than $2 and it took them 4 hours to replace. They had to remove the whole front bumper plus gave me a loaner to drive. I went to the mall and shopped and while I was their I called back and asked if while they had bumper off would they replace the other side and I would pay them. They said no problem and it would be done for free. Kept it 5 years and in 2016 bought a new vehicle and gave Jeep to my oldest daughter and it is still on the road today. Since I have only bought new vehicles but if ever buy another preowned will go to CarMax. Great video.

[@TheFixitShed]

Yeah, like I said, I probably won't. To be fair, for most of the week that they had my money, I had their car. They picked the car up on a Friday and the money was in my account Monday morning. I was pleased that it was 100% refunded and I didn't have to fight over shipping fees, which they say are not refundable. Both returns were their fault (listing and logistical errors) so they should return 100% but I was anticipating having an issue. So pleasantly surprised.

[@TheFixitShed]

I also sold my Kia Soul to Carmax a year ago, and agree it was a good experience!

[@chargerman165]

@@TheFixitShed yes 100% was good and being their issue they should have. Thanks for your response.

[@samkitty5894]

CarMax is high maintenance high overhead type company. Their cars are overpriced. So much so, in some cases one can buy a brand new car for the same price CarMax charges for ones 2-3 years old with 60,000 or more miles on them. I speak from personal experience. You can shop online at any regular dealer if you don't want to go in. Make them an offer. Most probably won't want to deal with you this way, but, some will. Remember, they want your money. They know you have choices.

[@donniedarko979]

You can't replace single tires on AWD.

[@TheFixitShed]

Correct

[@poorman68]

@@TheFixitShedWhy? I've never heard of that and thanks for sharing

[@TheFixitShed]

@@poorman68 This article has a good/thorough explanation: www.tirerack.com/upgrade-garage/do-all-4-tires-need-to-match-on-an-allwheel-drive-or-fourwheel-drive-vehicle . This excerpt from the article is a brief answer to your question: Four-wheel drive and all-wheel drive vehicles are equipped with additional differentials and/or viscous couplings that are designed to allow momentary differences in wheel speeds when the vehicle turns a corner or temporarily spins a tire. However, if the differentials or viscous couplings are forced to operate 100% of the time because of mismatched tires, they will experience excessive heat and unwarranted wear until they fail.

[@donniedarko979]

@@TheFixitShed I've replaced a set of 4 twice over last 12 years but I still recommend AWD. I can do a long conversation on AWD but in a nutshell the stability and control is indescribable. Big chain car repair stores are a rip off on flat repair. Location matters but it ain't limited to 2" down the middle. Find a true mechanic (ma and pa) or learn to repair tires yourself. Buy AWD, learn to repair tires. 2 sets later I learn my lesson.

[@RepairGang]

I heard carvana stocks are down bad

[@TheFixitShed]

Yeah, they are not doing well. Car prices are up and down and all over the place.

[@AmazingVidsXXX]

That's what they get for playing with ppl titles and overpricing cars 😂💯

[@WrestlingErnestHemingway]

@@TheFixitShed they are doing fine considering ALL their PROFITS are all about selling loans ONLY. Carvana is in the LOAN SELLING BUSINESS & NOT even car selling business. The car selling is their front. They make all their profits on loans ONLY and they make NOTHING On the car sales. So yeah, SHADY business big time.

[@C.Dupree]

Thanks for sharing

[@TheFixitShed]

Thanks for watching!

[@AgentXXeyes]

Will they pick up your old vehicle for trade in?

[@TheFixitShed]

Not sure if you mean Carvana or Carmax. Carvana's business model is they come to you. If you sell your car (or trade in) to them, they should come and get it. I did not do this with them, so not 100% sure, but I believe they would. For Carmax, I believe you have to take it to them. I sold a car to Carmax a couple of years ago, and we have a local dealership, so I took it there.

[@cdogg46]

yes

[@truckerkevthepaidtourist]

Very cool I keep reading all these nightmares online about people buying a carvana At standing behind their warranty putting other crap on the cars someone bought a brand new vehicle and it had crappy tires that weren't even the right size and they wouldn't do nothing about it. Luckily for her she had seven days to return the thing back to carvana and say that's it done goodbye

[@TheFixitShed]

Yeah, Carvana definitely has some issues

[@larrys9879]

My experience with Carmax. They apparently do inspect their cars and make any necessary repairs. Their 30 day return policy is unique in the industry. That is a positive reason to do business with them. The negative aspects, based on my experience, they significantly overprice their cars and significantly undervalue vehicles customers are offering for trade. In most cases a better deal, IMO, could be made at a franchised auto dealership. Carmax famous no negotiation on price policy, IMO, seemingly benefits them more so than the customer.

[@TheFixitShed]

Definitely some plusses and minuses. It is a completely different experience from buying from a traditional dealer. Thanks for sharing your experience!