I purchased a 2016 Ford Escape 2 years ago. When we took it for a test drive, it kept idling really low. The salesman told me it was a gas saving feature in that model, which sounded like a good idea. Unfortunately it was a lie just to sell the vehicle. As time went on, the car started stalling when idling. I brought it to my local mechanic where they performed a full diagnostic, and replaced a fuel intake valve and a throttle package. When it didn't solve the problem, and left them stumped, I decided to trade it in back to Carmax. They made me an online appraisal which seemed fair. When I brought it in, they reduced it by 3K because it was stalling. I explained the situation regarding the salesman, but they would accept no responsibility. I contacted the corporate office, but received a bunch of runaround redirection. I did this after researching and finding out that there is NO such gas saving feature in Ford cars. I was lied to and Carmax couldn't have cared less. read more

Absolutely terrible! I took my truck down to Carmax today to get an appraisal. I did a lot of research on Kelly Blue Book trade-in value, and other sites that consistently showed the trade-in value of being $8800-$9500. CarMax offered me $2,000! These guys are complete crooks! Do not sell your car or truck with these sheisters! read more

We had a really good experience today we came shopping for a used car for our college student. Immediately we were met with nice smiles by all the staff. Andrew Wit was the gentleman that assisted us. He gave us space answered all of our questions when we were ready to ask. We've never been to a CarMax before. Full disclosure we did not have a trade in so I don't know what that experience is like. The no-haggle was a great experience. There was a lot of stock on the lot which was nice that there were a lot of options in the price range that we were looking for. The approval & buying process was very quick. One of the easiest experiences I've ever had buying a car. Maybe they someday will partner with Costco and then we'd be in car buying heaven! read more

CarMax - Really good experience today we came shopping for a used car for our college student. Andrew Wit was the gentleman that assisted us. - Used Car Dealers Near Me - Escondido, California

Our 2nd trade in and purchase at CarMax. Bernie is our man. He has always treated us well and helped us pick out the best car that met our needs. I have always found their prices to be fair and reasonable given the condition of their inventory. You will not be disappointed! read more

I traded my newly purchased NX 200t Lexus into Escondido on the last day....for a larger SUV and had the best experience ever with Luiz!!! The whole transaction took less than a few hours and I was driving away with my dream car!!! Luiz even showed me what buttons were what on the console, how to open and close my car with my hand....I just noticed on my email he even got me set up with Sirius Trial radio! I don't even have to call them! I couldn't be more happier with the excellent customer service given to my husband and I. Luiz even helped us out with water for our dog!!! Will never forget and will always refer people to CarMax Escondido especially to Luiz! Thank you so much!!! read more

This was a great experience! From the sales person Daniel and his manager I was in my way in no time! The next day I noticed that the top of the Jeep was horribly scratched.... how the top was scratched I have no clue.....contacted Daniel he set me up with the service department....... I brought the Jeep down and told them about the emergency break issue. They had it for about a week ...... with updates daily on the service! I would personally like the whole team for going above and beyond my Jeep looks great! read more

Great customer service I was help right away and it was a smooth process the whole way. Sold my car got my check and left. Very easy read more

Kathy from the Kearny Mesa office hooked us up with Percy at the Escondido center and we test drove a 2010 Hyundai Elantra and purchased it. A great deal for a great car! Carmax has made auto purchases a joy. Easy breezy. Kathy and Adrian from the Kearny Mesa center did a great job helping us narrow down our choices to make our purchase. Kathy was an integral part dealing with text messages from me asking all kinds of questions and she was nothing but welcoming and patient. We love our car and Carmax too!!! read more

John Pollock helped me find my dream car. He took time to make sure I got exactly what I wanted. I am referring all my family and friends to him! Thank you so much John! Meghan read more

Purchased a Mazda 3 that needed engine repairs after driving it for 2 months. Max care coverage was denied due to "owners abuse" how can I possibly abuse a car engine in 2 months? I'm a college student working 2 full time jobs.. very disappointed with this company. read more

I got my truck appraised and they offered a great price. Bernie is awesome you should all seek him out if you're looking for a vehicle. Top notch all the way! read more

My first experience with carmax was spectacular in Kearny mesa was phenomenal. This location; not so much. Only can speak for service experience. They dropped the ball at least a dozen times & when I came in experience was worst. Unattentive, felt like no one wanted to actually do their job, constant lies, not even trying. Never going here again read more

If you are looking to buy a new vehicle ask for micheal B. he went above and beyond to find a truck for us when he didn't really have to. He made sure we got what we wanted and was patient with us when we didn'thave all our stuff together on our end. He the best employee they have. Before I dove away he came running out to make sure I had a full tank of gas in my vehicle. That's service right there!! read more

This place has as far as I can tell, one pro and many cons. All of the cons kick in after the purchase. As others have reviewed, the service dept seems to make up rules to avoid covering things that they should. First off, the sales experience is better than most car buying as its no pressure and no haggling. The price is the price. Sales guy was pleasant and for the most part helpful. Now the fun part. The car I purchased had bad tires due to age. Since it was a sports car, the tires can still look great with good tread, but be hard as a rock. First drive on the freeway over 75 mph (I did say it was a sports car right), the car starts to shake, at 80 is shaking enough to force you to slow down. I've read enough stories about sports cars and old tires to know what is going on at this point. Quick trip to the tire store confirms the tires are 8.5 years old and DOA. Carmax's "policy" is 10 years and the "claim" they do a 125 point inspection on the car, tires being one of them and my car passed their detailed inspection. Funny how a real tire shop took one quick look and determined they were bad. So I start a 2 week nightmare trying to get new tires. In the end, I got nowhere and had to pay 2k (yes 2000 dollars) for new tires out of my own pocket. They claim they did nothing wrong, the car was perfectly safe to drive on the tires. Don't even know what to say, but if that's not irresponsible (and possible illegal), I don't know what is. Needless to say, once the new tires were installed, the problem when away. Check other reviews below and you'll find similar stories. You may get lucky and have no issues so if you like to roll the dice, buy from them, if not, look else where. read more

Walked in on a Wednesday afternoon and was able to look around at vehicles to test drive right away. Ray was very personable and accommodating and helped me on my car purchasing journey. I am very happy with my experience and look forward to returning. read more

Kathy is amazing she helping me with the purchase of a Toyota Corolla for my 16 year old daughter she made it super easy and made it such a great surprise for her. I can't say enough about my experience from the online prequalify to picking up my new car it was super easy! I will defiantly come back to purchase here for sure! read more

This place is unbelievable, brought my car to get appraised! Easy process! Took 20 minutes, good offer I will consider! Tony help me good guy!! Will recommend anyone for sure! read more

I was totally new to buying a car on my own and I'd never had a used car before- everyone said Go to CarMax! I got their app, super helpful, applied to get pre-approved, a nice lady, Julia, called me next morning, I bought a car from her next day! One year old BMW, only 7K miles, Julia even drove to LA that day to get it so I could have it right away! Such a professional and caring person- the whole experience was transparent, quick and simple. THANK YOU JULIA NEWBERN! read more

CarMax in Escondido is the best ever! We bought the extended warranty on my 2013 Ford Escape and it was the best decision ever!! This recent time in, I brought it for my Bluetooth having issues, skipping songs and shutting off, etc. Rick was so helpful!! Brought it in Tuesday and got it installed back in Friday. The quick turnaround was amazing. Rick and the radio vendor also helped by getting navigation installed for supper cheap. They really went the extra mile for my car which is so nice! I would strongly suggest buying and servicing your car here! I will certainly be back! read more

Well I walked in optimistic to finding a car and buy one, but no one wanted to help me they just watched me stand in front of them and said nothing, maybe cause I looked like I'm poor or something but besides that I took a look at some cars they had found one I liked but no one there wanted to help me so I left read more

Now that our family has thoroughly tested CarMax's 5 day return policy, transfer of vehicles & service policies we are happy with our van! We originally got a black van - got it home and it was leaking something. I brought it in to service and it was right away taken to Dodge to get it looked at. We received a loaner van to use while the one we bought was in the shop. Dodge found it was a seal that was leaking and repaired it. After using the loaner van that had automatic everything (doors windows seats) and rear AC I realized I needed a different van that was at another store. I got it transferred up to Escondido from Kearny Mesa and we test drove it and said Yeap! This is the one for us! The return/exchange was a very easy process! We did have a slight hiccup with the newer vehicles registration and Carmax was very helpful to us! After our experience we'll gladly go back to get future vehicles! read more

Excellent customer service. I sold them my car and they gave me a better price than anyone else

Just called expecting to be out on hold or transferred but Connor was able to answered every question that I had fully. I really felt like I was a priority to him. Thank you! read more

Yesterday I went in to get my car appraised to see where I stood with trading it in or having carmax buy it off of me. I was very nervous because I do not know much about the car buying and trading process. Aaron was the one who helped me and he is AMAZING!!! He had the patience to educate me on the whole process and what all of my options are. There was not any moment I felt pressured one way or another I really felt like he genuinely cared about my situation instead of pushing me into a deal I couldn't afford. I will definitely go back there again and highly recommend Aaron to help out. Honest customer service is so hard to find these days and he took what could have been a stressful situation and made it a peaceful one. read more

I love Carmax twice I have gotten a better deal on a trade in because I already had an appraisal. I was all set to leave the dealership when I showed them what carmax offered me which was 4000 more than what the dealership was offering. I will always recommend Carmax. I am sorry I didn't sell to Carmax but I had to what was right at the time. I have not purchased a car from Carmax yet but if they are this good on appraisals I imagine they are very fair for car sales as well Highly recommend. read more

Their offer on my car was so low and I was just a big waste of time I need a fighting a guy who beats their offers all the time and I would highly suggest going to him his number is 619-331-3553. Don't waste your time here because an hour and 20 minutes later just to find out they were 2 1/2 thousand dollars below trade in fair condition on Kelley Blue Book read more

Rick in the service department is the man! He was clear, communicative, friendly, and professional. Thanks again Rick!

Don was AMAZING! This process was so smooth and easy. I am extremely happy with the customer service and my new car.

DO NOT TAKE YOUR CAR TO CARMAX, they have damaged my car, and they have deleted all records of me complaining within my warranty that the car was not working, it has broken down on me several times and has left me stranded several times because they damaged my car and covered it up. THEY ARE LIERS. They do not care about their customers and all they want is money just like every company. The car does not start and is sitting in my drive way, which means I can't go to college or work. This is costing me money and making it so that I can not get my education and keeping me from moving to my new home. DO NOT BUY A CAR AT CARMAX read more

CarMax - Carmax broke her - Used Car Dealers Near Me - Escondido, California

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I wanted to test drive a 435i, and Omar helped me out. It was hassle free, super easy, and super friendly service. I was behind the wheel driving, approximately 5 minutes after my arrival. Omar was very relaxed and knowledgeable, unlike dealerships, they're not pressuring their customers to leave with a car. It was a great experience, and it put a smile on my face to know that not every dealership wants to rip you off. THANKS OMAR! read more

Carmax is ok. I see what they are trying to do and it kinda works. This review is more about our sales person Percy. He was horrible. Rude. Refused to call us back & insisted on texting. Who does business via text? Especially when a customer calls. Then he kept giving us incorrect information. We ended up shipping the car to their other location because we hated working with him and for some reason the manager wouldn't give us another sales person. read more

Buying a car from here was easy like making top ramen. I wish every dealerships was like this. After taking it home & enjoying our new vehicle, our vehicle didn't come with a tire compressor sealant kit which was standard for our vehicle since it didn't come with a spare tire. I called them about it & they ordered a new one for us for free since it was supposed to come with it in the first place. They also said they will give me a call once it comes in. The reason why I'm giving 4 stars, they never called me. When I was going through the manual trying to get know our new car, I remembered about the tire compressor sealant kit. I remembered it after a month or so. I called & the person who I spoke to says it was there for a while. So, 4 stars for the lack of customer service of not letting me know. BTW we're enjoying our new EV! read more

This review is for Ryan Cunningham at your Escondido location. He was friendly and professional and stayed with me while I had to wait. I am grateful he was my salesperson! read more

I have purchased 3 cars with car max and sold 2. When I bought my convertable, I was worried about eh electronic top, so I purchase the warranty. Boy am I glad I did! While the convertable top has been fine, I have had some other issues with the car. I called the service department to make an appointment. They took my car, had the rental car company pick me up, paid for the service the rental car and could not have been nicer. Unfortunately, my have has been in 3 times for engine trouble. Each and every time, Tanya and the entire staff has been professional, kind and caring. I would give more stars if that was an option. Car trouble is never fun, but the crew at the Escondido CarMax have been super. I wouldn't consider going anywhere else... read more

Shout out to CarMax, my salesman in Costa Mesa, Ray and the Sales Manager in Escondido, Tim. I bought this beauty as my retirement gift to myself. I was a little reluctant because I really was looking for a F250. The salesman and My girlfriend convinced me to take advantage of their "drive it for 5 days and if you don't love it bring it back" policy. Well today I took her back, even though I didn't really want to, but a F250 would fit my needs better. Took it back to the Car Max in Escondido, a few signatures and no hassles or pressure and they took her back. Great customer service at both the Costa Mesa store where I picked her up and my local store in Escondido. Hopefully they can find a F250 diesel crew cab in my price range so I can get it from them. #carmax #excellentcustomerservice read more

Been at CarMax for about 5 years now. And for the recent times I've been in for service, Rick has been amazing! He's gone Above and beyond to help me out and always keeping me informed about everything on my car. Such a good employee and has a great attitude every single time. Thank you Rick!!! read more

First time used car buyer (at CarMax) and I can say with all honesty, this was by far the best car buying experience I've ever had. :) My Sales-Lady, Carol was just awesome. No pressure, no hassles, fun person to talk to. If your thinking about buying a super nice, gently used car and are not looking forward to the run-around, go by and ask for Carol. Only negative, I bought her favorite car on the lot, so she was sad to see it go. Don't worry Carol, we'll take good care of her for you! :) read more

There are two parts to this review: selling a car to CarMax and buying a car with them. The selling a car part was easy- I sold a 08 Mazda 3 with some dings and small dents and 80K miles. They offered me $7,000 for it. I know I could have gotten more if I sold it to a private party, but the convenience factor outweighed posting pictures on CL or AutoTrader and haggling/dealing with people. So, that part of the transaction went well. I would give it a 3 or 4 - but my rating is for the overall transaction. The second part of this review is buying a car through CarMax. We bought a 2010 Audi A4 Avant- the price was right on point with the others we were looking at at Audi dealerships and CarMax offered us a good interest rate, so we thought 'what the hell'. My biggest complaint is with CarMax's "125 point inspection" or whatever the sales gimmick is to convince you nothing is wrong with the car. They state that every car goes through a rigorous inspection and if anything major is wrong with it, they will not sell the car and it will go to auction because they have "the highest of standards with the inventory that gets put on their lots". BIG BS! The only saving grace is that they offer a '5 day money back guarantee'- If you do buy a car with CarMax take it to a mechanic ASAP! Have them review the car and make a list of any and ALL issues with it. Then take it back to CarMax and make them fix it, under the 5 day guarantee. That way you have noted the issue as a problem in case they arise again and you have leverage to hand them back the keys if they do not fix all the issues and fix them properly! I've had the car for 2 1/2 months and I've already made them fix: the power steering hose (Audi dealer had to fix) and the rotors were never turned/replaced by CarMax when they put new brake pads on (Audi dealership also recommended that they replace the rotors since they measured too thin and could not be turned). The biggest issue is the oil consumption - I know what you are thinking, "it's an Audi!"- I have taken it to the Audi dealership for a 2 part consumption test. The first part they replaced seals to fix the problem. Since that failed, the second part is to replace the pistons and piston rings. Audi is currently working on the car and just told me that before CarMax sold me the car, CarMax brought the car in to the dealership for a 'checkup' and the Audi dealership stated this as an issue that they should fix. BUT CarMax never fixed it- they sold the car on their lot with this known issue anyway. Now, If a car has an issue where there is any engine work needed, I would consider that a MAJOR issue and the car should not have been sold on CarMax's lot. The certified inspection certificate is a generic photocopied piece of paper they put in every car they are selling - it means nothing to them. read more

I think the no haggle price is great however it's not so good when you were trading in your car. I have a 2014 Toyota and they took it in for appraisal. Before going and I looked at my bluebook value under trade in fair condition it was about 14,500. I would've taken that amount because I understand they have to make money. Well about 45 minutes later they came in with an offer at 10,500 and they were selling the same car on their lot for 17995. I was astounded. I did a search on Google for beatcarmax offers and landed on beatcarmaxoffers,com. I called them 619 331 3553 and someone came to me and within 20 minutes beat their offer significantly and I was very pleased so I would suggest not going to them for selling a car. It's a lot of time wasted. I can't believe I actually thought they were going to give me a fair trade in value read more

Let me start by saying, as a woman, a woman who knows nothing about cars other than to put gas in and to be consistent with my oil changes, when my check engine light came on I immediately felt uneasy. I called CarMax & had the pleasure of speaking with Andrew, he was able to set me with an appointment. I make it to my appointment and was so kindly greeted by Mr. Rick. 3 words for Rick, "Amazing Customer Service". Rick ensured me everything would be taken care of, broke everything down for me to understand and he would call me with any updates regarding my vehicle. He did just that. Every step of the way, with every update, I received the most friendly phone call from Rick and it made me feel so much better than before I walked in there. Rick made sure not only my car was taken care of, but I too was also taken care of. He made sure I was able to get into a rental (even with my crazy work schedule) and made sure my car was fixed in a timely manner. I truly appreciate Rick and his kind heart. And my car rides like brand new with no check engine light. Thanks Rick! read more