Carvana or CarMax Experience + Basics to Seek? (1 Viewer)

[SgnDen]

I'm looking with focused intent now...

2013-2015 LC or LX

I see one out on Carvana (LX) that's a 2014 w/ 86K miles for $42,600 black/black. I've never purchased from one of the now huge dealers. I'll ask em if I can determine if that's a good price or not, but how do I get a PPI done? Call shops in the area where it's located and hope they'll deal with it if I can get it to them?

I guess it'd be great if someone might give me some parameters so I can quickly react if I see a good one.

2013-2015
What's the "right" price range if it's got records? If not great records?
Re the Lexus - Do I want to wait for any particular trim level (e.g. Luxury)?
If mileage over 100K, I presume I need to watch for radiator/water pump/serpentine belt or count-on replacing as preventative measure?

Thanks for any advice. I don't want to just jump on the first one I see but haven't been looking long enough to know when to grab it...

 

[FerrisBueller]

Carvana is good to deal with. They have a 7-day no questions asked return policy. So you could get the inspection done once you get it, then return it if they find any problems. I bought my other car through Carvana and it was a very quick and pleasant experience.

I think they would also accommodate an inspection local to them if you set it up (e.g., during the time that you have a"hold" on the vehicle).

 

[SgnDen]

Carvana is good to deal with. They have a 7-day no questions asked return policy. So you could get the inspection done once you get it, then return it if they find any problems. I bought my other car through Carvana and it was a very quick and pleasant experience.

I think they would also accommodate an inspection local to them if you set it up (e.g., during the time that you have a"hold" on the vehicle).

Thanks. There seem to be a nice selection out there of the LX 570 from multiple sources. It just annoys me when I come-across the Land Cruisers that are so much more expensive than the Lexus. Oh well, end-of-life models will do that to the market I guess.

 

[teambell]

Thanks. There seem to be a nice selection out there of the LX 570 from multiple sources. It just annoys me when I come-across the Land Cruisers that are so much more expensive than the Lexus. Oh well, end-of-life models will do that to the market I guess.

The LC has almost always been more than the Lexus, independent of last production year. They make roughly 1/3 the number of LC each year compared to the LX570. Both are excellent!

 

[1world1love]

I'm looking with focused intent now...

2013-2015 LC or LX

I see one out on Carvana (LX) that's a 2014 w/ 86K miles for $42,600 black/black. I've never purchased from one of the now huge dealers. I'll ask em if I can determine if that's a good price or not, but how do I get a PPI done? Call shops in the area where it's located and hope they'll deal with it if I can get it to them?

I guess it'd be great if someone might give me some parameters so I can quickly react if I see a good one.

2013-2015
What's the "right" price range if it's got records? If not great records?
Re the Lexus - Do I want to wait for any particular trim level (e.g. Luxury)?
If mileage over 100K, I presume I need to watch for radiator/water pump/serpentine belt or count-on replacing as preventative measure?

Thanks for any advice. I don't want to just jump on the first one I see but haven't been looking long enough to know when to grab it...

Hey. Sorry, I meant to reply and apologize for my rant in your other thread. You know you better than anybody and I'm in no position to give advice....except for this:

I bought my LX from Carmax it and was about as painless as it could be. They let you reserve a car if. you see one that you are interested in. So if you find something, you can call and reserve it to hold it until you get a chance to go look at it. They do their own inspections and offer a 45 day warranty. Obviously they will want to upsell you on an extended, but they aren't pushy about it. They even provide a Carfax so you don't have to fool with ordering one (although you may still want to if it makes you feel better). I think they also allow a 24 hour test drive period, so you could take it and get it checked out.

To me, the best part was just being able to have them hold it for up to 7 days. For hard to find cars, that is a good deal.

I don't know much about Carvana, but I have heard very good things about them from friends.

 

[1world1love]

Hey. Sorry, I meant to reply and apologize for my rant in your other thread. You know you better than anybody and I'm in no position to give advice....except for this:

I bought my LX from Carmax it and was about as painless as it could be. They let you reserve a car if. you see one that you are interested in. So if you find something, you can call and reserve it to hold it until you get a chance to go look at it. They do their own inspections and offer a 45 day warranty. Obviously they will want to upsell you on an extended, but they aren't pushy about it. They even provide a Carfax so you don't have to fool with ordering one (although you may still want to if it makes you feel better). I think they also allow a 24 hour test drive period, so you could take it and get it checked out.

To me, the best part was just being able to have them hold it for up to 7 days. For hard to find cars, that is a good deal.

I don't know much about Carvana, but I have heard very good things about them from friends.

Sorry, one more quick thing since you will be looking to purchase quickly - go ahead and setup an account at Lexus:

My Lexus | Create Account

drivers.lexus.com

That way, you can easily plug in the VINs and see the prior service history (or lack thereof).

 

[SgnDen]

Hey. Sorry, I meant to reply and apologize for my rant in your other thread. You know you better than anybody and I'm in no position to give advice....except for this:

I bought my LX from Carmax it and was about as painless as it could be. They let you reserve a car if. you see one that you are interested in. So if you find something, you can call and reserve it to hold it until you get a chance to go look at it. They do their own inspections and offer a 45 day warranty. Obviously they will want to upsell you on an extended, but they aren't pushy about it. They even provide a Carfax so you don't have to fool with ordering one (although you may still want to if it makes you feel better). I think they also allow a 24 hour test drive period, so you could take it and get it checked out.

To me, the best part was just being able to have them hold it for up to 7 days. For hard to find cars, that is a good deal.

I don't know much about Carvana, but I have heard very good things about them from friends.

No sweat, thanks for your thoughtfulness.

 

[linuxgod]

Unless you specifically want the Toyota Land Cruiser badge or don't want to be seen as owning a Lexus., if you don't have plans to modify your truck, I'd suggest an LX over an LC. As you've noticed they tend to be cheaper and yet they also will have more features than the LC.

However if you want to lift your truck or do other big mods, then I'd suggest looking for an LC.

 

[AverageJones]

Carmax is at least a physical store although a lot of their inventory comes from auction. Their wholesalers pretty much just hold up their hand and grab whatever comes up so they can hit the bar at noon. Carmax also has their own "bank" and do deals with Cap1 with recourse so loan to value isn't really an issue for them hence their pricing being a bit higher. They are basically the nations largest buy here pay here but do have cars for good credit peeps as well. Not a bad company, but you can get a better deal elsewhere. Carvana I would never buy from. Not that they are a bad company although I have heard mixed reviews. My issue is that if something goes wrong I can't drive up to the physical store and talk to an actual person. No repair facilities so who knows what chucklehead looked at the car before it was shipped out. Their return policy isn't as good as Carmax and if you have a loan on the vehicle you cannot return it at all.

No right or wrong way, just pros and cons to how you like to do business and how you feel the most comfortable. I'm spoiled with normal dealerships as I know and have worked with people with just about every manufacturer so whatever I want I just call that guy and get it handled. My C8 Vette will be here in a few more weeks and I didn't have to pay over MSRP like most people. Woot!

If ya want, pop me a message with the VIN and I can send ya over a Carfax, NADA, Black book, and MMR values for the vehicle.

 

[1world1love]

Carmax is at least a physical store although a lot of their inventory comes from auction. Their wholesalers pretty much just hold up their hand and grab whatever comes up so they can hit the bar at noon. Carmax also has their own "bank" and do deals with Cap1 with recourse so loan to value isn't really an issue for them hence their pricing being a bit higher. They are basically the nations largest buy here pay here but do have cars for good credit peeps as well. Not a bad company, but you can get a better deal elsewhere. Carvana I would never buy from. Not that they are a bad company although I have heard mixed reviews. My issue is that if something goes wrong I can't drive up to the physical store and talk to an actual person. No repair facilities so who knows what chucklehead looked at the car before it was shipped out. Their return policy isn't as good as Carmax and if you have a loan on the vehicle you cannot return it at all.

No right or wrong way, just pros and cons to how you like to do business and how you feel the most comfortable. I'm spoiled with normal dealerships as I know and have worked with people with just about every manufacturer so whatever I want I just call that guy and get it handled. My C8 Vette will be here in a few more weeks and I didn't have to pay over MSRP like most people. Woot!

If ya want, pop me a message with the VIN and I can send ya over a Carfax, NADA, Black book, and MMR values for the vehicle.

It’s true that some percentage of every used car dealers inventory comes from auction, and that may or may not be a negative as there may be a lot of reasons a car enters auction.

Carmax also buys a lot of cars locally. They don’t pay what they are worth but some people would rather not hassle with a private sale. This was the case with my truck. I was able to actually talk to the seller.

That’s just to say that I wouldn’t assume too much no matter where you buy from, which is why a Carfax and Lexus service records can be helpful. If it has been bought and serviced In Texas but shows up for sale in Seattle, you probably want to find out why.

 

[1world1love]

I'm looking with focused intent now...

2013-2015 LC or LX

I see one out on Carvana (LX) that's a 2014 w/ 86K miles for $42,600 black/black. I've never purchased from one of the now huge dealers. I'll ask em if I can determine if that's a good price or not, but how do I get a PPI done? Call shops in the area where it's located and hope they'll deal with it if I can get it to them?

I guess it'd be great if someone might give me some parameters so I can quickly react if I see a good one.

2013-2015
What's the "right" price range if it's got records? If not great records?
Re the Lexus - Do I want to wait for any particular trim level (e.g. Luxury)?
If mileage over 100K, I presume I need to watch for radiator/water pump/serpentine belt or count-on replacing as preventative measure?

Thanks for any advice. I don't want to just jump on the first one I see but haven't been looking long enough to know when to grab it...

Luckily, neither the LX or LC have more than one trim level, so you don’t need to worry about that. The LX did have a few options available but I am not sure what they were. I think there may have been a couple of wheel finishes and some other cosmetic things, but mostly they are all the same as far as features go.

You may also check with some Lexus dealers because they usually have the best stock.

 

[82SC]

I just bought one thru carmax

I got a pretty good deal 17LC200 108k miles. White. Looked 95% new. Minor scratches. 55k
Carmax has upped their game to a 30day no questions asked return. 1500mile limit.
One of the rear screens is ghosting so they are currently working on repairing it under their 90 day warranty.
I listed missing parts like rear screen covers. Wireless headphones. White liner for the cool box.
they ordered all of the pieces for me.
So I’d say carmax is pretty straight forward. I probably paid 1-2k more then if I really scoured the internet and bought from some independent car dealership in another state and would have had to deal with shipping etc.
but I think the corporate structure of CM the employee don’t have that slimey wheeling dealing feel of used car lots.
And the the warranty issues and parts are being handled in a very straightforward way.
Plus one other advantage is the reserve a car.
my car got listed at 1am and I was able to reserve it immediately. Because it would have sold that next morning. I reserved it so quick the sales people had no idea there was a LC on their lot until I told him.

 

[linuxgod]

Been following this to see what experiences folks have had. We're looking for a small car for my daughter to learn on and my wife to use around the city. The LC is great, but narrow streets, alleys, parking lots, etc are not the best for a 15yr old to start on. Pretty much decided we'd end up using either Carmax or Carvana for this one as the premium over haggling at a dealer is just the cost of not having to sit in a dealership for 6 hours during COVID.

 

[CharlieS]

We have had good luck with Volvos for safe cars for young drivers.

 

[luke27617]

One key points. Get CarFax report. Not to just look for accident history but more where the car has spent its live. I never buy used cars from salt belt.

 

[linuxgod]

Thanks. Trying not to hijack the thread... I think my wife is looking for something small like a Mini for city driving. Or possibly a low mileage Leaf. I have some vehicle opinions but ultimately she'll get to decide since I won't really drive it. Anything more than city driving will still be in the LC. Right now aside from long road trips we put maybe 4-5k miles on the LC now, so this will end up being a low mileage use case

 

[1world1love]

Yeah, again, I cannot speak to others experiences, but it is hard to imagine a more frictionless process than we had at Carmax. The truck was posted, I called and reserved it, scheduled a test drive, contacted the PO, stopped by the bank to pickup a cashiers check, and picked up the car. The picking up the car part was the most time consuming, mainly because they go over all of the details of the sale and all of the fine print. I appreciated that they do this, but it adds about 30 minutes to the process.

I did appreciate that the salesperson was willing to contact the PO on my behalf which they were a little iffy about at first.

Buying a used car is always a crapshoot whether its a dealer or private sale. Good judgment, due diligence, and a little luck is always advised.

My completely unsolicited advice for a runabout vehicle for the wife and kids - Subaru Forrester or Crosstrek. All the safety features that are extra on others come standard on all Subarus, which makes it easier to find suitable vehicles. They are all offroad capable from the factory so are pretty robust, and a great value.

 

[TheIcemanCometh]

I bought my LC via CarMax a year ago (2015, 35k miles, $55). First used vehicle for me. Shipped from Tx to Oootah at their expense cause the first person I dealt with pooched things. Overall, it was a good experience as they dealt with several issues post purchase. They even extended the warranty under covid. Toyota did one under warranty. I wish I would have known about the air filter door issue as mine was busted. My only complaint is that one can not take it to their mechanic a head of time. I would not hesitate to recommend them.

 

[grinchy]

My main like for carmax is that they have lots of comparable models available. When we got the minivan we just went to their store and drove every minivan made back to back. Very informative and made selecting the right minivan for our family easy. I would have bought from them with no concern, but I was able to find an in state private sale for much less, which only cost me a $30 airfare and 8 hour drive home.

I also sold them a car that wasnt generating local private sale interest, a fully restored, manual converted gen2 rx7 Convertible. sadly it had a branded title. It would have been perfect for bring a trailer, but I hadn’t heard of that site yet.

 

[linuxgod]

FYI for the OP, we did Carvana recently. My wife got a 2017 mini cooper for using in the city. We had a few shipping delays which added ~5 days, and I had to actually call to speak to a human being in order to link my payment account and get both my wife and me on the title together but otherwise it was relatively painless. Only issue was the car arrived with a crack in the windshield, but the delivery driver started the replacement process and the glass shop will be out next week to take care of it.

Carvana has a 7 day return policy, so I have plans to take it to the local Mini dealership later this week to get a PPI done. I think it still has a few months of the original warranty on it anyway, but Carvana gives you a 100 day/4k mile warranty as well and I figured so long as I'm within the 7 day return window if anything is found they will likely want to take care of it rather than take the car back anyway.

About the only issue with the return policy I think is if you use outside secured financing it may present an issue with your bank; however we used Lightstream which did a 2.49% 3 year used car loan as *unsecured*, which means they just deposited cash in my account and the title gets issued right to us like we paid cash. Carvana wanted 4.49% financing, which I laughed at given our credit scores are 818 out of 850.

FWIW I think we paid the market rate for the vehicle. I'm sure I could've saved $500, maybe a bit more, by haggling at the local dealer, but there seems to be a limited pool of late model mini coopers in british racing green and between COVID and my disdain for sitting in a dealership for 8 hours it was worth the $.