CarMax Makes Used Car Shopping Made Simple!

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Thank you to CarMax for sponsoring this post.

My husband and I have been talking about adding a second SUV to our family for several months now. My husband would like an SUV for the winter and I would love a newer SUV that can transport our family around. When it comes to buying cars we’re a used car family and put a lot of research behind which vehicle we’re going to get, like looking at lists of the best SUV’s for 2018. We need something that is spacious for our whole family, has 3 rows, good trunk space, and most importantly – 4 wheel drive for our snowy winters. I am the main person who drives our kids around between appointments, school, outings, grocery shopping, and whatever else we may be up to, but I need something that is safe, reliable, and big enough for our family of 5 with room to fit guests.

Since we’ve been talking about buying a second SUV I jumped at the chance to visit our local CarMax store when they invited me to come in. It’s been several years since we’ve bought a car and I remember the process to be long, pushy, and overwhelming. Dealerships taking your keys or license and not giving them back, multiple sales people and managers harassing you into buying a car, and so many other shady tactics, but after leaving our local CarMax store in Parker, Colorado all of those fears have changed for me. CarMax is the nation’s largest retailer of used cars with more than 190 stores in 41 states, and growing. They have 6 stores in Colorado and all of them have a variety of vehicles to meet your families needs. 

I visited their Parker, Colorado location and met with Tanya who was very helpful during my researching process. My husband and I are looking into purchasing a Ford Explorer, which CarMax has listed as their #1 best ranked SUV for 2018, which makes me feel much more confident in the Ford Explorer. I explained my families wants/needs to Tanya and she agreed that the Ford Explorer would be a great SUV for our family, but she also showed me a variety of other SUV’s that they had available from brands Dodge, Infinity, Acura, and more. Next we browsed their data base of vehicles and the Parker location had several on the lot for me to check out. One of the great things I learned about CarMax is that any interested buyer can walk onto their car lot and look at vehicles. They leave the vehicles unlocked so you can check them out on your own and when you’ve found one you love you can head inside and find a sales associate to help you. One of the great things I found about their lot is all the cars are grouped together so it makes browsing easy. SUV’s are together, cars, trucks, ect. You can walk down the row and all the type of vehicle you’re interested in are in one spot.

After we checked out the Ford Explorers on the lot Tanya explained to me that if they didn’t have an SUV at their location that I wanted that we could check out their nationwide inventory on carmax.com and request a transfer from another CarMax location across the country without any obligation to buy. Luckily they had a few that I liked and couldn’t wait to get home to show my husband. The Parker location typically has between 250-300 vehicles to choose from, but you can search their database of over 50,000 cars nationwide via the CarMax website or app. While you’re on the CarMax website you can also hold a vehicle for a test drive, schedule an appraisal, and even get pre-qualified for financing before visiting the store.

We wouldn’t be selling our current SUV, but if we did CarMax makes selling your car easy, by offering no-obligation fast, free appraisals good for seven days. They’ll buy your car, even if you don’t buy one from them. They buy all the cars, no matter the make, model or mileage, and will give you a real offer for your car, not just an estimate. CarMax stands behind every car to help you feel confident about your decision (with things like their 5-day money back guarantee, 30-day warranty, and that they provide free vehicle history reports on every car).

I loved that their sales consultants were all very friendly, not pushy, and I didn’t feel pressured to buy a car that day. I’ve experienced some very shady car salesmen and have even known a few, but CarMax was the total opposite from that. CarMax sales consultants receive the same commission for any car you buy, no matter its price, which frees them to focus on helping the customer find the perfect car for them. Because let’s be real, when you’re spending a lot of money on a vehicle for your family you want the process to be quick, stress free, and FUN.

Another favorite thing about CarMax? You aren’t dealing with a dozen different people. Your sales associate is with you from start to finish and they won’t be handing you off to multiple people to “finish the deal”. Their mission is one I can stand behind. Their mission has always been to make buying a used car easy, and they feel the same about financing. They’ll do their best to make the process as easy and painless as possible. Here’s what makes financing with them different:

• It’s quick: most decisions come back in minutes
• It’s transparent: if approved, choose the available offer that suits you best
• There are no obligations: – if you can find better financing elsewhere, you have three days to change it, penalty free
• They’re here for you: their friendly associates can help

At the end of your buying experience they present your new vehicle to you with a big yellow bow. Sounds pretty cool to me.

If you’re in the market for a new vehicle for your family check out your local CarMax!