Make Shopping for a Used Car Simple with CarMax

This post is brought to you by CarMax. All opinions are my own.

Between the two of us, Justin and I have purchased and traded in a lot of cars. We’ve had all kinds of vehicles and switched them for all different reasons, but one thing has been consistent with each experience- going to a traditional car dealership is kind of the worst.

I hate how the sales people always have to go to the “back office” several times and keep coming back with different numbers- which end up being yet a different number once they add in all the fees they forgot to mention when you made the deal. I hate how they take your keys as soon as you walk in so that you can’t leave until they’ve had the chance to try to convince you not to. I have always wished that shopping for cars was more like shopping for groceries- you find what you need, you compare a few choices, you look at a price tag and you make a purchase. Well, at CarMax, that’s actually how it works!

CarMax is the nation’s largest retailer of used cars with more than 190 stores in 41 states- and I’m not surprised. Having gotten a preview of what the CarMax experience is like, there’s no way I’m ever going back to traditional car shopping.

My keys weren’t held hostage {I got them back as soon as the appraisal was over, which took under 15 minutes}, the person I was working with listened to what I wanted instead of trying to push their overstocked vehicles onto me, and I knew the price I’d have to pay immediately because each car not only has a set price, but a sheet on the window telling you what you’d expect to pay monthly based on the loan you’re approved for. There was so much transparency at every step of the process, it was exactly what I’ve been looking for.

One of the reasons that we’ve typically stuck to dealerships {aside from not knowing how great CarMax is} was because we always assumed it’d be easier to get exactly what we wanted there. Turns out, that’s not necessarily the case. There are 3 CarMax locations in Las Vegas, and the one I went to has about 350 vehicles in stock at any given time. However, they will bring in a vehicle that you’re interested in from another location- even out of state- with no obligation to buy it.

I put this to the test when I asked for a specific type of vehicle to look at. I love my car, but it’s not the best road trip car, so I wanted to see what they had that was better. I gave lots of specific requirements: under $40,000, no older than 2013, preferable third row seating but not strictly required, and more. We pulled up a search that included a lot of options, and the representative listened to what I was looking for and helping me narrow down which ones to look at. Here’s what we checked out:

Chevrolet Surburban 1500 Premier: The thing that sold me on this car? The air conditioned seats! We live in Vegas so our road trips all include at least two hours of desert driving, so having those cool seats would be amazing. It also had a great sound system, a heated steering wheel, air in the rear seats, and third row seating for a bigger group. This particular one was a 2017 and was the most expensive one on our list at $40,998.

2015 Ford Expedition King Ranch: One of my favorite things about this one was that the third row had power seats that you could easily lift up or put down. My only experience with third row seating has been with seats that manually lift up or down and this was SO much more convenient! This vehicle was listed at just $32,998.

2017 Chrysler Pacifica Touring: This one was a lot of car for a little money. It’s literally only a year old and has only 11,000 miles, but is priced at just $23,998. Not bad at all for a car with 3^rd row seating, both a middle row and back row that fold down. And it gets decent gas mileage, too!

2013 Dodge Durango Crew: This car was absolutely huge, and would be so comfortable for even really long road trips! It has heaters on the front seats, air for the rear seats, and even rear seat heaters! It even has a sunroof so you can really enjoy the open road. This vehicle was listed at $23,998.

2015 Mercedes-Benz ML350: I had never heard of this car before, mostly because I assumed a Mercedes would always be out of my price range. Well this vehicle was listed at just $29.998! It is a very nice looking car and includes something that makes for the ultimate family road trip car- screens in the headrests! Not a make it or break it feature on a car, but definitely one that makes road trips with kids easier.

Still not sure what vehicle you’re looking for? CarMax also has a great website full of resources to help you decide what the right car is for you. You can find the articles here!

Whether you’re looking to add a car, replace a car, or even just sell a car, I highly recommend looking for a CarMax in your area. They make it so easy to work through the entire process- you can even use their app to hold a vehicle for a test drive, schedule an appraisal, and even get pre-qualified for a loan before you even step foot in the store. There is no easier way to shop for a car and it’s the only place I’ll be car shopping from now on! Check here to find a location near you.