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Not sure about Vroom, but carmax actually performs proper car inspections before purchase. They are not moving fast and breaking things.

by avgDev 4y ago

reaperducer 4y ago
Not sure about Vroom, but carmax actually performs proper car inspections before purchase. Those CarMax inspections are so valuable that vultures patrol the parking lot, and if you leave without selling your car, they'll follow you home and make an offer on your car. It happened to me. CarMax said the car was worth $8,500. I wanted to bring in my other car for an evaluation to decide which one to sell. A guy followed me to the grocery store across the street, approached me in the parking lot and started his pitch with, "I'll give you a thousand dollars more than whatever CarMax offered you." I asked him if he wanted to look under the hood and take it for a test drive or anything, and he said he didn't need to, because CarMax had already done the hard work for him. (My life situation changed shortly thereafter and I didn't end up selling either car.)
- SilasX 4y ago
  Haha. In Austin I hear radio ads from a chain dealer (Henna) where they promise to pay you $500 more than whatever Carmax appraised your car at.
SoftTalker 4y ago
Is there any evidence of this? I assumed they buy cars at wholesale auctions, maybe wash/clean them, and put them on sale, like any used car dealer does. I have asked a couple of used car dealers (not CarMax specificially as there isn't one near here) if they do anything to these cars to prepare them for sale. They just laugh. The margins are not there to repair any problems, so what is the point of inspecting them?
- avgDev 4y ago
  Of course there is. I detailed cars at a dealership and my friend detailed cars at carmax when we were young. Used car dealers are bottom feeders in the car sales. They generally have crappier cars than big dealers. I'm sure there are exceptions. When I worked at one they did shady fixes and would never purchase car from one. CarMax performs multi point inspection. They have their own detailers, paint and repair shops. CarMax knows exactly what they are doing and their business model is sustainable. Purchasing cars ala carvana is insane. In the car groups people often talk about offloading cars with issues to carvana and them sending a tow truck to pick it up. Zero inspections.

Not sure about Vroom, but carmax actually performs proper car inspections before purchase. They are not moving fast and breaking things.

by avgDev 4y ago

Not sure about Vroom, but carmax actually performs proper car inspections before purchase. They are not moving fast and breaking things.

reaperducer 4y ago

Not sure about Vroom, but carmax actually performs proper car inspections before purchase. Those CarMax inspections are so valuable that vultures patrol the parking lot, and if you leave without selling your car, they'll follow you home and make an offer on your car. It happened to me. CarMax said the car was worth $8,500. I wanted to bring in my other car for an evaluation to decide which one to sell. A guy followed me to the grocery store across the street, approached me in the parking lot and started his pitch with, "I'll give you a thousand dollars more than whatever CarMax offered you." I asked him if he wanted to look under the hood and take it for a test drive or anything, and he said he didn't need to, because CarMax had already done the hard work for him. (My life situation changed shortly thereafter and I didn't end up selling either car.)

SilasX 4y ago
Haha. In Austin I hear radio ads from a chain dealer (Henna) where they promise to pay you $500 more than whatever Carmax appraised your car at.

SoftTalker 4y ago

Is there any evidence of this? I assumed they buy cars at wholesale auctions, maybe wash/clean them, and put them on sale, like any used car dealer does. I have asked a couple of used car dealers (not CarMax specificially as there isn't one near here) if they do anything to these cars to prepare them for sale. They just laugh. The margins are not there to repair any problems, so what is the point of inspecting them?

avgDev 4y ago
Of course there is. I detailed cars at a dealership and my friend detailed cars at carmax when we were young. Used car dealers are bottom feeders in the car sales. They generally have crappier cars than big dealers. I'm sure there are exceptions. When I worked at one they did shady fixes and would never purchase car from one. CarMax performs multi point inspection. They have their own detailers, paint and repair shops. CarMax knows exactly what they are doing and their business model is sustainable. Purchasing cars ala carvana is insane. In the car groups people often talk about offloading cars with issues to carvana and them sending a tow truck to pick it up. Zero inspections.