CarMax Of Rockville, Md. Don't Expect To Get Your Downpayment Back If You Return A Lemon Ripoff Rockville Maryland

Kathy,

You bought a high mileage used car for a very high price. A 3 year old car with 70k miles? That is well over 23,000 miles per year which is considered very high mileage.

A check engine light, minor fuel leaks, and worn spark plugs are all very minor, normal problems on a car of this type and mileage.

For that $2k down payment, you could have paid cash for a good used car from a private party. There are lots of good reliable used cars in that range.

You should always test drive a car for AT LEAST 30 minutes as this will give it ample time to warm up to operating temperature and then see what malfunctions.

many times these car lots will get a car in with a check engine light on, and they will just disconnect the battery for a while, which temporarily turns off the light when reconnected. Just long enough to get it off the lot in most cases.

CarMax is only in business because people allow them to be. They are in the high risk market, and know you are there because your options are limited. They hold the cards right from the start. And they know it.

So just don't go there. Buy a 10 year old car for cash, while you rebuild your credit and/or save money for a better car.

And, run fast anytime a dealer will not allow you to get an outside inspection. This is the first sign that they are hiding something.

Why did I buy a car with 70K miles on it? Because I am a single mom who was looking for inexpensive transportation. But that does not give anyone - CarMax or anyone else - to take advantage of a consumer - single mom or not.

CarMax puts themselves out there saying they do a 120-point inspection that guarantees they won't sell you a lemon- and yes, I said lemon The car I purchased from them had bad spark plugs, a falty fuel injection system and a host of other problems. Even the third-party mechanic CarMax contracted with to repair the vehicle told me it was a rolling disaster. That was when I decided to return the car.

I have a four-year-old son and his safety is paramount. CarMax does not car about safety, only cash.

I found a great car a Fitzgerald AutoMall nearby with 14K miles at a great price. I'm happy, but any chance I get I warn people about CarMax.

The CarFax reports they give customers show that their automobiles are dubious at best, as an attorney pointed out to me. Any used car dealer who does not allow a pre-purchase inspection by a third-party mechanic is a dealer worth walking away from.

Since no one else who reads this will likely say it, I will.

I applaud you for your honesty and straight-forward nature. It's a shame you left the car business, because it's folks like you (and I hope, myself) that bring a degree of legitimacy to it.

So again, well said, Paul.

Let me explain something here.

People don't buy cars.

What people REALLY want is reliable transportation.

They expect a vehicle to start and stay running. To get them back and forth to work. And, to do all of that without one problem after another.

If you can't deliver vehicles that work, and keep on working for at least the first full month, then what good are you?

I know, because I had a car business in a previous life.

I used to buy the bottom-of-the-barrel junkers that impound lots auctioned off each week.

I bought them for $200 to $500.

And, I sold them for a grand.

In between, my job was to go through the trash and try to turn them into reliable vehicles. I looked at what is likely to go wrong in the next 30 to 90 days. Then, I replaced anything that looked like it was about to fail.

When I sold the cars, I told people that they could probably expect 6 months of transportation from them.

You know what?

Some of those people came back, and brought friends and relatives.

Do you know why? Because their 6 month car stayed running much longer and didn't cost them an arm and a leg to do it.

In any business, your first goal is to deliver the best product that you can. To meet the expectations of your customers.

Now, if I was able to sell 30 of those trash cars each month, and make 10 grand in the process, then why the hell can't carmax do the same thing with a much better class of vehicle?

I'll tell you why.

Because my main goal was always to provide a product that would deliver what people really wanted.

Acceptable transportation.

At Carmax, they seem to have lost sight of that fact.

Well your first mistake was buying a Huyndai w/ 70k on it. Second, it is a general misconception that technicians have this all-knowing all-seeing crystal ball where they can determine any problem with a car. I hate to be the bearer of bad news but. Unless there is some type of malfunction indicator light on in your dash how would anyone know that there is a problem. Third at what point was the car due for a tune up? If it's not until 90k why would the techs even look, especially if the check engine light wasn't on.

What were you really expecting buying a car with 70k miles on it anyway. What you described are typical problems of a car that has 70k miles on it. Did you even give CarMax the chace to correct it. These were not major problems either. Maybe next time you should just buy a new car and call it a day, and hope it never needs maintenance.

Well your first mistake was buying a Huyndai w/ 70k on it. Second, it is a general misconception that technicians have this all-knowing all-seeing crystal ball where they can determine any problem with a car. I hate to be the bearer of bad news but. Unless there is some type of malfunction indicator light on in your dash how would anyone know that there is a problem. Third at what point was the car due for a tune up? If it's not until 90k why would the techs even look, especially if the check engine light wasn't on.

What were you really expecting buying a car with 70k miles on it anyway. What you described are typical problems of a car that has 70k miles on it. Did you even give CarMax the chace to correct it. These were not major problems either. Maybe next time you should just buy a new car and call it a day, and hope it never needs maintenance.

Well your first mistake was buying a Huyndai w/ 70k on it. Second, it is a general misconception that technicians have this all-knowing all-seeing crystal ball where they can determine any problem with a car. I hate to be the bearer of bad news but. Unless there is some type of malfunction indicator light on in your dash how would anyone know that there is a problem. Third at what point was the car due for a tune up? If it's not until 90k why would the techs even look, especially if the check engine light wasn't on.

What were you really expecting buying a car with 70k miles on it anyway. What you described are typical problems of a car that has 70k miles on it. Did you even give CarMax the chace to correct it. These were not major problems either. Maybe next time you should just buy a new car and call it a day, and hope it never needs maintenance.

Well your first mistake was buying a Huyndai w/ 70k on it. Second, it is a general misconception that technicians have this all-knowing all-seeing crystal ball where they can determine any problem with a car. I hate to be the bearer of bad news but. Unless there is some type of malfunction indicator light on in your dash how would anyone know that there is a problem. Third at what point was the car due for a tune up? If it's not until 90k why would the techs even look, especially if the check engine light wasn't on.

What were you really expecting buying a car with 70k miles on it anyway. What you described are typical problems of a car that has 70k miles on it. Did you even give CarMax the chace to correct it. These were not major problems either. Maybe next time you should just buy a new car and call it a day, and hope it never needs maintenance.