Hey guys and gals the time has come for me to purchase my Z, im looking for an 04/05 enth model. And my question is would you guys shop from carmax or have you and what was it like doing business with them. Also, the reason I am thinking of dealing with Carmax is there are only 2 Nissan dealers within a 40 mile radius and 1 never carries them while the other one overprices used Z's imo. Carmax is an option because I like the idea that I can have the car transfered to the dealer near my house and being Nationwide gives me a much greater chance of finding a PPW or DB thats reasonably priced and in a decent condition. Thanks

Eddie

 

i have heard plenty of people say they liked buying from carmax. they make it pretty easy and "hassle free". imo carmax is a little pricey when compared to other used car dealerships. bottom line...if its a good deal - its a good deal. do your research and know what you should be paying.

 

Carmax=devlil=ftl

 

+1, thats where i bought my z. They didnt tell me the transmission was replaced 218 miles or so before i bought it. Car also had body work done to it. They buy cars from auctions and sell them blindly. Dont even bother trusting their carfax guarantee, its total bs as well.

 

Just like all car dealers do.

And if you know that, then I guess you understnd why thye had no way of knowing that the tranny had been replaced 218 miles earlier.

bill

 

But, they have the knowledge/resources to figure that out after they take possesion and before they sell. They grilled me on my trade ins condition.

Carmax isnt supposed to be like a typical dealer,they say that in their ads yet theyre the same.

 

they screwed up a listing and sold me an base which they told me was an enthusiast. they took the car back and sold me what i wanted. fortunately they have a large selection. point out any flaws in the car before you buy it and they will take care of it. for instance, any wheel damage, tint damage, license plate holes, were all taken care of for free before i bought the car. 04.5 for 24k with 7k miles on it about 2 years ago.

 

dont trust carfax.

my old car had been in 5 accidents, and carfax didnt pick up ONE.
i was going to buy a z from some guy a few weeks ago, and the carfax came out clean, but i took it to a nissan dealership just in case, and they found out it had been crashed in the front and back.

best thing to do is have a dealership look at it.

 

You put your money down, and roll the dice. Any dealer. Any seller.

 

And I'm sure you didn't mislead them in any way!

But most of the cars they buy weren't direct trade-ins. They often have no way of knowing the history. Like you said: "They buy cars from auctions and sell them blindly."

Like any other dealer.

bill

 

CarFax does NOT report accidents, unless its total/salvage. They don't list accident data as being included in their reports.

CarFax reports data from publinc datbases, such as title, registrations, safety inspections, and the appropriate mileage at each of those events.

The DO report totl/salvage accidents, because they involve the issuance of a different title (salvage), or a title transfer (scrap).

"CARFAX Vehicle History Reports™ provide information that can impact a consumer's decision about a used car or truck. A CARFAX Report may include :


Title information, including salvaged or junked titles
Flood damage history
Total loss accident history
Odometer readings
Lemon history
State emissions inspection results
Number of owners
Service records
Lien activity, and/or
Vehicle use (taxi, rental, lease, etc.) "


http://www.carfax.com/about/car_history/hcabout.cfm

bill

 

There is no bullet proof dealer in buying a used car. If you see a car you like insist it be checked out by a mechanic you pay & trust. If the seller, whoever it is, won't let you take the car for an inspection walk away regardless of price.

 

I bought my 2006 DB Touring Z from them 8 months ago. Deal was straight up, they sold me the car 3k less than the local dealerships wanted for it, and they gave me 2k more on my trade in than the local dealership was willing to give me. ($500 over KBB value)

5k better deal than local. Can't beat that. No haggling necessary. And they had a crapload of Z's to choose from new & used.

Plus you don't have to buy from them to sell them your car. They will give you cash/quote on your car without purchasing.

 

Most dealers have access to national data base to see what work has been done to a car.

Carmax is expensive - you can get a better deal from a dealer. No haggle pricing provides a false sense of security.

 

NO dealership has shown me any different. Its all about da dough!

 

you work there or sumthin?

I told them 100% of what i knew from my ownership.

 

Look, guys. Yu need to understand that cars are just a commodity to a dealer. Rarely do they know any history or background about the car. More than likely, they bought it from another dealer, an auction, or a wholesaler.

Actually, a large proportion of late model used cars are "off-lease", purchased from big finance companies like Ford Credit, GMAC Finance, etc. Dealers buy them 20, 30 50, even hundreds at a time. This is definitely CarMax's primary source. They often never even see them till their delivered to the lot.


Even if it was a direct trade-in, very few sellers are going to list all of the negatives about their car. How many individuals do you think are going to tell the dealership... "oh...by the way, it burns a wuart of oil every 200 miles, it overheats after about 20 minutes of driving, and the engine caught fire about a year ago, but my 12 year old son rewired it."

Get real. Individual sellers want to get top dollar, just like dealers.

Unless you actually know the previous owner, and have first ahnd knowledge of teh cars history, buying any used car is crapshoot. And if you're buying a high-perfromance sports, the odds of buying a problem increases.

Caveat emptor.

bill

 

Got mine at Carmax with 3,600 miles ... $3K under blue book value. No Haggle price.

 

Thanks everyone for their input and some of you guys are right a dealer is well just that, they dont really care about the history of the car like the buyer would. I guess I will just have to keep an eye out and shop around, I guess a drive is in my near future just to find a good z but I know it will be worth it. Thanks again

 

I bought my 2005 roadster a few weeks ago from carmax. The process was quick, painless, and I'm very satisfied! I had to have mine transferred because I'm in the same situation you are in. I took about 5 days to get here. The car was in mint condition and is exactly what I was looking for. I spent about 1 hour at the dealership doing paper work, which is nothing compared to the 7-10 hours I've spent in the past! Just do your research before you buy and even if you pay to have the car transferred, you're not obligated to buy it. So look it over before you agree to signing papers. Also, I have a friend that works for the nissan dealership where I live, and he advised me to buy an '05 or newer. The '04s had some front end trouble and Nissan corrected it in 2005. Good luck