We purchased a 2010 Mercedes-Benz and was pleasantly surprised. Excellent experience. Steve Gibson was our sales consultant. Very knowledgeable and pleasant. A few minor touch ups taken care of by Mr Jose Chavez and we feel like we have a brand new car. Would highly recommend. read more

CarMax - Used Car Dealers Near Me - Irvine, California

We were getting a new minivan so I brought our 5 year old Toyota Sienna to Carmax to see what kind of offer they would give me. I was curious how their offer would compare to a trade-in from a new car dealer. I am not usually interested in the hassle of selling to a private party. Before they started the appraisal they told me their offer is a wholesale offer and would be lower than a private party sale and lower than a trade-in that a dealer would give me. I said fine, go ahead and appraise. It took them about 20 minutes to do the appraisal. Then they printed out the offer and told me I had 7 days to think about it. I took the offer home and compared it to what KBB thought the trade-in value should be. It was $1,500 higher than KBB quoted. When I went to get my new van I asked the dealer what they would give me for the Sienna. They offered me $6,000 LOWER than the Carmax offer. I showed them the Carmax offer and they said go sell it to them. We can't beat it. I went back to Carmax 4 days later and I had lost the printout with the original offer. They were very accommodating and printed a new one for me and bought the car. Took about 45 minutes. Every step of the way I kept thinking some kind of surprise hidden fee or change was about to happen. But everything went incredibly smoothly. Every employee I dealt with was very friendly and professional. read more

I've been looking for a specific car for a while but went to CarMax to look at others in my price range. I was helped by Bennett and firstly - what a nice guy! After 10 mins of looking he knew what I really wanted and we went inside to see if we could find it at another location as they didn't haven't any. Found the perfect car, had it shipped to Irvine and bought it the same week. Very smooth process. I see many complaints on here about low offers on your car but if you are realistic with what they'll offer you (it'll be well under kbb) then for me is was more about convenience in not having to mess with selling my old car. I also got the extended warranty on the new car which was surprisingly very reasonable. All in all - a great experience with Bennett and would recommend CarMax. read more

Sold my car here and had a great experience. I'd put off selling my car for 18 months because I thought it was going to be a nightmare. As it turns out, it was awesome. They gave me a very good price and they answered all my questions fully. Tips: Make an appointment. Weekdays are better. I went in on a Friday afternoon and it wasn't busy at all. Lots of nice people to help out. If you walk in on a weekend, expect it to be very busy. If you must go in on a weekend, try to make an appointment at least a week in advance and not the day before. I tried doing it the day before and there wasn't anything available. I know for a fact that Ron (middle aged gentleman) is a top notch guy. Request him if you are a little nervous about going. He is very knowledgeable, honest, and fair. DO not go in there with a Kelly Blue Book chip on your shoulder; the KBB prices are an extremely rough guideline at best. CarMax does extensive research to get their prices, and they don't make a ton on your car. If you have a ton of aftermarket accessories, they can't pay you much for them. Let's be honest though, did you really think those were going to maintain their value? I hope not. read more

Shout out to LIZA in the service department. She went above and beyond when I had to bring my vehicle in for my brakes. I highly recommend seeing her for anyone who needs service done at this location! Thank you Liza for all your help! read more

Purchased a vehicle at the end of May. The vehicle was filthy (literally black grime on upholstery and food stuck in cup holders and other compartments) but it was the make and model I was looking for and I was in a bind (my previous car was dying quickly and I have young children to drive around daily to various events and activities). The salesperson spoke with a manager and they agreed to reimburse me to get it detailed by a third party. They gave me some excuse about their regular detailer not being available. I purchased the vehicle, got it detailed, submitted the receipt... and nothing. Three emails later, they are ignoring the reimbursement request and I've received no check. read more

This was my first time selling a car at carmax. I wanted to sell a 2001 corolla LE with 83600 miles and average condition. Kelley blue book had an instant cash offer $1246, the dealership that sold me the car in 2015 for $4500 only offered me $1500, and other dealers including a korean one and ones referred by Edmunds only offered $1500. However, carmax gave me $2000 no questions asked! The whole process took about 1.5 hours. Thanks to Ken for telling me to come in when it was less busy and Gina for making the title transfer so painless. Most appreciative to Raully for his kindness and efficiency in giving me my appraisal. He is amazing and I recommend asking for Raully. Tips: call when it's less busy. They give you 1 week to decide on their free appraisal offer. read more

Do yourself a favor and ask for Karen. She is wonderful, helpful, and really cares. The sales process went smoothly. They are a little overpriced though - I would recommend a regular dealer to be honest. There seems to be a pattern of not fixing minor blemishes and such on the body. The original car I looked at in AZ was kind of banged up and the employees gave me a whatever attitude. The car I bought when I came back to this store in CA all was fine except they didn't bother to fix a huge scratch on the back. Though they gave me a paper to bring for it to be fixed later. read more

Hands down five stars. I from now on will only go through carmax. ASK FOR CARSON! He's amazing. He's funny. He's understanding. So here's my carmax story: My little sister was looking for a car. It's her first one and my family is very particular what we're going to put the baby of the family in. She also has a hand set back so the steering on the car needed to be easy to turn and operate. We talked to Carson he literally showed us his two top picks that were what we asked for and within our price range. Test drove both of them and the second one was it. Real sweet when doing the paperwork on the computer and was just a real sweet guy. At the end of our visit, we traded my old car, got my little sister a car, and everyone left happy. Carson was with us by each step, explained everything, and literally took customer service to a whole new level. Literally amazing. Oh last little bit of how amazing he is, my mom has a full time job and went to carmax after work, I'm pregnant with swollen hurting feet, and my little sister is just lazy...he offered to drive us around in the golf cart. Literally amazing. read more

Thank you Rocio for your urgent and helpful rescue with my car keys. I really appreciate your attention to detail.

Irvine location. The purchase was fine with no issues ( 2020 Tucson.) Salesman was pleasant and the staff that followed up with all the paper work handled it professionally. Things went south when I noticed a tray cover in the cargo area that was missing. A simple small cover that when I pointed it out to the salesman he agreed it was missing and we both went back to the parts department. The individual in the service/parts department ( will not use his name) also agreed that the part was missing and that they would order it at no charge. After a approx a week Car Max called informing me that the part would be in that day or the next and would call me when it arrived. Ok, great. But after another week of no phone call back from Car Max, I called them asking where we were in the process of the part. A week later ( 3 weeks now) CarMax finally calls me back saying they could not only not get the part, but that in order to get the part it would require purchasing an entire assembly of parts as that item was not sold alone. So they were "exploring other options" to order the apart and would let me know when they found something. After hearing this and being jerked around for almost a month, I went online, found the part in 20 minutes from Hyundai itself ( not some parts house.) Ordered the part and had it in 4 days. Either the service department staff is incompetent or they just flat out lied to me. Hence the two star rating. read more

I actually had a very good "customer service" experience. I walked in to get my E350 appraised, the process was easy, my helper was very professional & courteous but not stuffy. The bad part is, is I'm often told that Carmax offers a more competitive appraisal on cars over dealership trade in value's. Well, this wasn't true at least in my case. They offered barely $500 more than what the dealership was going to offer me. I do realize at the time I write this that my car model is now 2 body styles old but it's still a wanted body style because I saw 3 E350's same year in other Carmaxs all going for $22-$24K and they offered me $18K??? I'm sorry that doesn't sound like the "They offer way more than the dealership" talk I've been hearing. Then there's always that "other" element & always have to be mindful of. Did they look at me & say, "This is a sucker"? I dressed appropriately, I"m not some young kid so I don't know why they came back so low. If they offer no haggle price then they would have listed my E350 for between $22,995 & $23,995. That would have been a $4000-$5000 profit easily for them. I would have been happy with $21K or even $20,500 but $18K is a low ball offer so don't always believe what you hear about their "extraordinary" offers. Don't get me wrong, it's a business they're there to make money & I'm all for that but I don't like to feel like I'm being suckered & that's what it felt like. read more

Buying a vehicle from CarMax was the easiest vehicle purchase I've ever made. Nathaniel was extremely helpful with a purchase of a Mazda SUV. My wife and I will definitely be back. read more

I'm in that early "lookie-loo" phase of my car-shopping, so I'm not ready to buy a car by any means. I headed out to CarMax to test drive two models that have caught my eye so far. I reserved one of the cars online and got a follow-up email from Jason Darner in sales. He was low-key and clearly understood I wasn't ready to buy. Today I went in to test drive the two cars I had in mind, and was helped by Cory Granath. Very low-key approach and was patient while I put two cars through their paces. No pressure, no BS. So far, so good. The true test will come when I'm ready to buy, and some of the one and two-star reviews are a good indicator that people have mixed experiences at CarMax. Can't say I'd have my car serviced there; one of the models I was looking at is an electric car, and I'd want a specialist working on it. I also wouldn't touch their "extended warranty" with a 10-ft. pole. All in all a good initial experience and I'll most likely be back to test-drive more cars before I make my final decision. Corey seemed to respect my opinion, which was cool. Most car salesman don't take a woman's opinion very seriously, so Corey's attitude was a refreshing change. Afterward I wandered the lot to my heart's content with no one bugging me, which was awesome. Some women like shoes; this woman happens to love cars, so spending time at CarMax was a great way to spend some time on a Sunday. Their low-key approach makes it even more enjoyable. Great place to browse, but I'm not too sure I'd want to buy. read more

I visit this carmax branch for trade-in my lease end vehicle. But, he looked like doesn't want to listen to my reason. I didn't get sticker and registration card from DMV. So, I ask search my VIN on DMV. However, he doesn't want it and just say "go to DMV and get registration". I already waited him for over 40 minutes. But, he only say "No". What's wrong I told him several times. But he only say "I'm busy. come back later". So I say " I'm not going to come back carmax". He is too unkindless. first time with CarMax in Torrance. That branch person is so kind and good feeling. But here is bad branch. read more

Great experience with CarMax. Cat is super awesome to work with at the Irvine location. Large selection of vehicles and they do not stay on their lot for long. We had a few vehicles slip away. read more

5 stars to sales rep Cat! She recognized my situation and provided fantastic customer service throughout the whole process. Overall I give this location a 2 star. Thursday, I saw a vehicle I was interested in purchasing (possibly trading my vehicle in but I was unsure as I love my current car and can afford to have two) the only issue was this location is 2.5 hours away from my home so unfortunately I had to take the latest appointment they offer which is 7:30pm I did call in advance to make sure this was enough time for the buying process. I pre qualified online as well as did an online appraisal for my vehicle. I show up 10 minutes early and was seated in the waiting area till 8:05 (waited 45 minutes). I started talking to a sales rep while another rep was appraising my trade. When it came time to make the deal I was told that my up to date payoff amount statement from my banks online portal was not sufficient and they needed verbal verification from the branch which at this point was closed. Time was now 10 minutes to closing and I was offered no alternative solution except to just come back another day earlier. I told them well I will just purchase the vehicle without the trade in but at this point they were closing. Maybe next time don't have potential customers wait 45 mins to be seen and then another 45 mins inspecting an appraisal? read more

Came here to sell my old Jeep Wrangler and got 1,500 more than the dealership would give me for it when i was buying a new car. the whole process took less that 1/2 hour. read more

Greg in the Service Department is just wonderful! So helpful and patient and took the time to listen and answer all my questions with great customer service! Thank you Greg! 2nd car bought from CarMax, always great service, period! read more

Worked with Shane to sell my 2009 Chevy Suburban that we rarely drove. Appraisal took less than 30 minutes. Came back with an offer that was more than expected. 20 minutes in the business office and SOLD!!! Very professional and organized. Will definitely come here the next time I'm looking for a car. read more

I bought a 2012 Ford Explorer in November of 2016 which means that I've had it for a year and a half. During that time it has been at the dealer TWICE for a new transmission and once for the turbo boost despite passing CarMax's multi-point inspection. Luckily, I bought the extended warranty otherwise I would've not been able to afford the repairs. I can't sell it because I'm upside down and the CarFax report shows that the car has had transmission problems so no one wants to buy the car. I contacted the general manager at CarMax of Irvine and the coward hasn't bothered to call back. Will never recommend or use them again. You are better off buying a certified preowned car from a reputable company. read more

This place sucks. Lowballs you on selling your car. The cars they sell are overpriced. I will never go back to this hole again.

I went to Allen GMC in Laguna Niguel to try to purchase a new Denali and turn in my old 2011 Denali XL. They offered me $8000 for it. I took it to CarMax and they gave me $12000! Definately get a quote from CarMax before you trade in your old car to a dealership. read more

Cristina S. was hands down phenomenal with her service. Very friendly and helpful, She went out of her way to provide me with the advice and knowledge for my car buying experience. And with that being said, her experience in the business really shows because she definitely knows what she's talking about. I would recommend and hope that the next customer gets the opportunity to go through the process with her because she will make the process so much more easy and smooth. Those who do will certainly be a more than satisfied customer. Also her coworker Emily there was amazing as well. They will both look out for you read more

I just bought my car today and I love it so much. Christina was the one who helped my father and I today. She was so sweet and patient with us so we really just appreciate her with everything she did! Overall, everyone was nice and we had a great experience. read more

The car selling experience was smooth and hassle free. Although it took some time waiting due to large number of customers, CarMax gave me a very good offer. Ms Morris noticed my custom license plate holder and had it taken off from the car so I can keep it. This is great customer service! read more

If i could give this place no stars oh believe me i would.. I came to Carmax in 07 in need of a car being 18 at the time i really didn't have any credit what so ever so my mother ended up signing for a 2002 KIA Biggest mistake of my life as it happens to be sitting in my garage with a broken down engine. When i received the car a month later after buying my KIA the problems started to rise.. i took in in for a cylinder repair that Carmax when buying the extended warranty on had told me was covered ended up not being covered. I forked out 250 to fix that. I had mentioned to them that when i turn on my ac my car shakes a lot and sounds like a air plan they in turn said nothing was wrong with it and lead me on my way. problem after problem ever since i bought this car, thinking that it was fully inspected turns out my car was a car that looked like it was smashed in BEFORE Carmax got a hold of it. after a month with no car and going back to Carmax because they said they would buy my car off me (they only were going to give me 500 for something they sold me for 14,000 eff them!) and on top of that wouldn't finance me unless i pulled 8000 out my a**. I left upset obviously, i live in corona and work in Irvine. I needed a car. So AS OF TODAY, i wish Carmax hell and i hope they get sued up the ass and people start realizing that whatever car company's auction off this is what Carmax gets, regardless if its working of not. The mechanics aren't even certified!!! But today I went to Toyota of orange and they paid off the 3900 i had left on my KIA told me never to trust Carmax with anything because they are full of thefts and liars and to come to them. I walked out with a 2005 Scion ct with a 7 year warranty (didn't have to buy a extender!) and I'm as happy as can be! not to mention my credit is horrid ( ALMOST 600...:\ ) and they did everything in their power to get me into this car without having a co-signer which with carmax they wanted 8000 without one!! THANK YOU TOYOTA OF ORANGE, CARMAX YOU WILL GO DOWN. If you want a reliable car do NOT go to Carmax. I'm just saying. If your interested on the person who helped me get into a GREAT car feel free to e-mail me. read more

Do not get their warrantee. Took our vehicle is due to a issue and they charged us the 500$ deductible. 2 weeks later returned because the issue wasn't fixed and they are charging us another 500$. They will screw you over. read more

Beware!! I was so happy to buy a 2 year old Kia sportage from car max in Irvine . I was informed by the salesman that they do a 125 point check on all their cars . I was informed my car was clean and it had one owner ...so I paid cash for it and trusted this well known reputable company !! Day 2 my car started smoking really bad .i took it back and they couldn't find anything wrong ?? Hmmm it continued to smoke and started to hesitate when I would drive up hills. I took it back again and again nothing was wrong ...I took it to Irvine Kia dealer and they looked under the engine and it was full of oil sludge .see pictures . I was informed it needed a new engine !! I only had it 2 months!! 125 point check really?? I got my money back. They should of never put a unsafe car on the lot like that.!! Do not trust Irvine car max !! They just want to move the cars in and out!! Management is bad there I had to deal with Corp office . There was also a big scratch on my car they denied ... after they washed it and brought it back to me . Never again will I buy from CarMax . I asked for service records and they whited out the person that did the service on my car before they could release the records to me they said due to privacy ... very shady read more

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Wow! Talk about great service and care! Winston, Marlie, Marcadeline, Bob, Jason and the Black guy who does the appraisals... EXCELLENT!!!! I went to the CarMax in Irvine...ZERO customer attention. Came to the CarMax in Costa Mesa...Treated like royalty...what is that about. I had 2 cars transferred and was kept abreast of them when they arrived and when I could test drive. I had my car appraised. Got great feedback on getting into another car and here I am today. A happy Carmax customer. The business office personnel are also very much on point. I only have 2 issues. The paperwork process is overwhelming and time consuming.Never spent that much time in my life going through paperwork for a car. The cost of the warranties are really high. They are worth it...but really high. read more

Brought my car in on a Friday to have it appraised. They appraised it within 40 minutes and came back with a wonderful price in spite of the old condition of the car. I sold the car to my dealership for the appraised price; the dealership said they wouldn't have been able to match said price. Carmax really helped me out with the appraisal! read more

Deshonae helped me get into the car that I really wanted, she was very thorough and helpful. It was such a smooth process, I left in one car and left in a better one within 4 hours..away to go CarMax read more

STAY AWAY FROM JUDE KAUFMAN!!!!! I went in Saturday (3/3/18) with the intention to buy my own car for the first time, and he refused to let me test drive without proof of insurance.... I asked him why do I need insurance on a car that I do not own and he said "that's our policy" which is absolutely ridiculous because how can I purchase an insurance policy for a car that I haven't even test driven yet!? I felt so pressured and this was my first time going through this process so I started calling several insurance companies to get a policy, and once I did he said I still couldn't test drive because I didn't have proof of residence and proof of income even though I brought him letters with my new address and more than a months worth of pay stubs. He even asked me "What will you be using to make the down payment?" And I said "Either cash or debit, but can I test drive the car first??" And he said to get the insurance first... I asked him again why he is making me get insurance for the car if I'm not 100% settled on buying that car yet and he didn't know what to say. I asked him "So if I want to test drive 2 or 3 different vehicles I need to get 2 or 3 different insurance policies for each car?" And he said "Well yeah that's the "catch 22"." Then he said that because my "lack" of proof of residence and income they did not have proof that I was "even able to buy the car" so at that point I came to my senses and walked out. I immediately called to cancel the insurance policy that he pressured me into purchasing to cancel the $203 that they charged me. I called the following day to ask what their policy is to test drive a car and they told me "All you need is a valid license" and I asked "what about proof of insurance for the exact vehicle I want to test?" And the man to told me "No you only need proof of insurance if you are going to buy the car." I still can't get over how I was treated by him, I have never heard of a policy that requires you to buy insurance for a car that you don't even own yet. As far as Carmax, this was my first experience with them but if I DO decide to try them again I will stay far away from JUDE KAUFMAN as possible, and I urge anyone else who visits to stay away from him as well. read more

To bad I can't give a negative star or I would Carmax Irvine is great when you are paying them money, it's getting a refund out of them that is a nightmare. My 2017 Ford Expedition was totaled in an accident in August 2019. in getting a refund on the extended warranty has been a nightmare. Sandra D Franco assistant business office manager has made false representations regarding the calculation off my refund. the difference in the amount paid and the amount due to me is hundreds of dollars. I am left with no recourse other than filing a complaint with the State insurance commission or Small Claims court . II purchased a replacement car at Carmax Torrance.Sa. chased a replacement car at Carmax Torrance.put Sa. I have had at least 6 emails to SandrA D Franco. considering that she is a member of management in the business I would never go to Carmax Irvine again loss of hour of time trying to get my money and wasted hours with emails. tried to contact the General several times to no avail. read more

After going from dealer to dealer in the Irvine/Tustin area CarMax was wonderful. I didn't feel too pressured, obviously they want the business but they actually act like it! They were very helpful and I ended up purchasing a car I didn't even select on my own. Best case scenario: sell your old car privately and buy from CarMax! They seem to stiff you a bit from Blue Book, but their prices are really nice. My car needed some work so I brought it in after I had it for a week and they coordinated wtih my insurance company to get me a loaner. My only complaint is that my car had only been on the lot for a couple of days and must have gone through inspections when it was received and when it was purchased. The first week I had the car the 'Low Tire Pressure Gauge' light came on and when I picked it up they had advised it was a glitch in the computer. My light came on again a month later and the tire ended up blowing on my way to the dealer and caused $2000 worth of body damage to the car. I know I should have stopped for air, but hey I live 10 miles away. Seems like they should have realized something was faulty with the tire... read more

My wife sold her car to CarMax, which offered the highest dealer price in OC and San Diego counties. We didn't buy a car from them, but they still honored the quote they provided (which was good for 7 days). If you are in the market for buying/selling a call, we recommend taking your car here to get a quote of your current car. The quote can give you leverage with other dealerships. The staff here is very friendly and not pushy or overly salesy. We found the retail prices a little higher then other delearships, which is why it receives a 4 star review. read more

This was the best coustomer service ive recieved in a long time. Ive had a harder time at the grocery store! Gentelman named Rauly was so patient with me and helpful in this process. He answered all my questions and walked me right through the whole way problem free. Im telling all my friends. Thank you Carmax Irvine and thank you Rauly for your excellent service. I love my car. read more

This Carmax is AWESOME! I was given thorough information on how to execute an appraisal and was treated wonderfully by the woman named Karen in the front! Awesome service. Thank you Karen! read more

My son (aged 18) was in the market for his first car (well, the first car he was buying on his own). He made an appointment with Keith down at CarMax Irvine and we went down to meet with him. Keith was great to work with. He was patient (even though my son wasn't 100% sure about what sort of car he wanted). We test drove 4 cars and in spite of initially thinking he wanted a 'muscle car', my son ended up buying a 2017 Honda Civic that he is very happy with. Thanks so much Keith, for making my son's first car buying experience a great one! Jen Eller read more

For years, my dad, a Carmax enthusiast, would peruse showrooms and roam open lots comparing sticker price and special features. After purchasing our more recent vehicles from the Irvine location, my husband and I now consider ourselves Carmax enthusiasts as well. If you're in the market for a car, you'd might be interested in a Carmax buying/ trade-in experience. . What we liked: a diverse inventory of domestic, imports, hybrids, etc.; a haggle free policy; friendly, non aggressive sales approach; and efficient operations from paperwork to service. What we learned: be an educated shopper and get pricing info online on the make and model that you're interested in. Also, check the Carmax website for inventory updates. read more