Buying from Carmax or Dealer?

Question

Is there any difference or benefit from buying directly off a dealer or going through Carmax to purchase a vehicle?

I want an 07 Nissan Altima, a lot of people say try Carmax, do they have cheaper deals or something?

Answer 1

For that particular car, there really shouldn't be much of a difference.  You can negotiate with the dealer.  Carmax prices are fixed, if I remember right.

Answer 2

If you do your research and know what the car you are paying is worth, a dealer will be a better bet.

CarMax is low pressure, but you could go to any dealer and offer the same amount and get the same deal.  

Answer 3

For a used car that new, your best bet is to get a Certified Used Car from a Nissan dealer. Sure, it may cost more than Carmax but you do get the balance of Nissan's 84 month/100,000 mile warranty from the date the car was first sold new. So you'll have a lot of carefree driving.

CarMax is a great place to buy a used car. They have a no-haggle, best price policy which is usually a bit lower than a new car dealer. And they go through their cars very thoroughly before they put them out for sale.

But paying a little more for a certified Altima and getting the balance of an 84 month/100,000 warranty is well worth the extra cost.

Answer 4

At a dealer, it depends upon the dealer and if you know what a car is worth.  If you don't do your research and know what it is worth you can be taken for a ride (might pay more than you should).

At CarMax you can review prices ahead of time on the internet.  The only negotiating might be what they give you for a trade in.  I bought a 2001 Pathfinder with 99,000 miles on it from CarMax in 2004 and it was half the price of an essentially identical new 2004.  Because of the miles in was in their ValueMax classification.  But it is still looking good and serving me well.

Answer 5

Carmax IS a dealer. They are the king of "buy low, sell high".