Doug H

Duh. we are talking about 911 purchases here and I honestly cannot believe anyone seeking quality, high end sports cars shops Carmax for the good stuff. Sure, there are a lot of bottom feeders in the 997 market looking for great deal and etc, but those great deals almost always end up costing more in the long run than those higher priced, well sorted, premium cars at real/high end car lots.

I can think of a long laundry list of items that could be problematic or about to crater, but go unnoticed for 7 days . . . not to mention bore scoring and I wonder if the CarMax warranty would deny claim for bore scoring saying it was preexisting? Seem like we have heard this recently.
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dgoldenz

No, but I have bought from Carmax before.

Porsche is the highest up the car food chain that Carmax goes. If you brought a Ferrari/Lambo to them it would be sold wholesale, they won't retail it at the store. I drove a 997 base model with 21k miles on it at Carmax a couple weeks ago and the car was perfect as far as I could tell. No paint damage/rock chips, excellent shape, drove perfectly. It was overpriced IMO ($56k) but that's a different story. Perhaps you would enjoy my fun story of the Ferrari FF I just bought from a Ferrari dealer that was a CPO car but in such bad condition that they bought it back from me. There was an actual dent in the fender with paint damage (on a $28k paint option color) and the interior was ruined, literally could not be fixed at any price. That will be the last time I buy a car without seeing it in person first. Buying from a branded dealer guarantees you absolutely nothing.

I think you simply have the wrong perception of Carmax. I've looked at a number of Porsche's from there and they've all been in generally good to very good condition. Their 5-year warranty is better than Porsche's 2-year CPO warranty. Ask anyone that has ever had warranty claims with them, it is as easy as can be and repairs can be done at the Porsche dealer under the warranty. Where have you seen someone denied a warranty claim by Carmax for bore scoring that was "pre-existing"? Carmax sold the car and attached a warranty to it, they could not deny a claim for a "pre-existing" issue because they inspected the car and agreed to warranty its repairs.

Sylverlee

Reading through the fine print almost nothing is restricted from the coverage.

Petza914

Porsche isn't Ferrari or Lambo, or even Aston Martin for that matter. They've done a superb job and now manufacturing a lot of cars while still holding onto the mindset that the Porsche brand still equals some level of exclusivity, when in reality, it doesn't anymore. They've also done a great job at building cars that drive exceptionally well and why those of us here own the ones we do. But a Porsche is on par with a Range Rover, BMW, Mercedes, or Jaguar from a market stigma perspective and a notch lower than a Ferrari or Lambo. Because of this, Carmax deals in them, just like they do all the other cars of similar social stature. People see a Porsche and that badge, and think wow, but most of us here didn't buy our cars new and those people don't realize that they probably paid more for that new GMC Yukon or Honda Odyssey than we bought our 911s for. My brother Carmax 997.2 purchase was perfect. With some coaching, he was one of the 1-2% that got a post purchase inspect in that 7 day window and it saved him thousands out of his pocket vs buying the car somewhere else. Based on my limited experience with the couple of Porsche dealers I've dealt with, I'd actually prefer to buy one from Carmax, get is sorted in that first week, then never have it serviced outside of my own garage again. That plan is working very well for the vehicles that currently reside there, even though none were Carmax purchases - 997s, 914, 928 & BMW X5 were PP, Cayenne was specialty dealership. My 2001 GMC Sierra and 2004 Infiniti QX56 are the only vehicles I bought new - that was back in 2001 & 2004. Someday I'll buy another pickup - maybe a new Ram TRX or used Hennessey or Roush Raptor, but until then I don't see purchasing another new vehicle and will include Carmax in my search lists.

Floyd540

This has become an interesting thread with some facts and interesting stories. My other comments are way up the postings somewhere. But the Z4 roadster I bought from them was the only one available in the country with the 6 speed, sport suspension,etc,etc and it has been and still is perfect. Anyway, to clear up a point about Carmax and their buying your car/trade in policy. Firstly, they are not like any other dealer you have witnessed. (good thing). They sell cars that have a high standard, age, low to mid milage, no paint repair work etc. They go to the high end auctions and buy the best ones and will not be outbid. In order to pick those cars, they have in house appraisers who are sharp and know their stuff. They are aware that a lot of people have cars that they would like to trade in ,just like traditional dealers. However with the one price plan that Carmax uses, this trade-in thing would gum up the system. What they offer is to buy your car just for your convenience . Since they already have the appraisel expertise in-house, they will review your car and offer cash. The offer will be a low wholesale number and not what you might expect from a standard wheeler-dealer car store. The cars they buy from individual's will not be placed on their lots but will go on the truck back to the auction for sale to another dealer. I went with a friend who had a very nice BMW 5 series and he had them look at it to see they would give him any kind of a deal. Their appraisers were very professional and judged the car an excellent example however they found it had paint work and a few other microscopic issues alone with high milage. The paint work was a total suprise to the owner and I could not see it until they pointed it out. They recommended the car be sold by the owner as their offer was going to be unacceptable for such a nice car. They offered a low wholesale amount and it was not taken.
The point is some people may think that the cars that people "dump" at Carmax are the ones on their lot for sale. Could not be farther from the truth. They will buy your car, but it will be gone on the transport tomorrow for auction to someone else and may show up at "Crazy Lou's Used Car lot- no down payment-E Z credit"

sandwedge

So again, will they take the car back unconditionally of course excluding collision damage with the Carmax buyer being at fault? And is there a mileage limit?

But back to my original question that hasn't been answered yet. I haven't read the Carmax contract but if a PPI during the 7 day grace period discovers bore scoring on a 997 that requires an engine rebuild or replacement, would they just take the car back with a full refund, no questions asked or is there easily missed fine print in their contract allowing them wiggle room to get out of such a loss scenario?

dgoldenz

Call them yourself and ask, I don't work for Carmax. If they sold you a car with engine damage, they should be obligated to fix it under the 90-day warranty or take the car back within the 7-day return period.

Upscale Audio

Yea I don't get why people don't believe it. The fact that they will take back a car within 7 days allows them to sell a TON more cars. I gave them a check for $87k for that simple reason. I read the contract. They make it simple because they are a huge company and one refund doesn't even show up as a blip on their radar.

I would assume they sell bad cars as much as I would assume a branded Porsche dealership sells good cars. Using either assumption is foolhardy. And this discussion about what happens if you get a car with bore scoring. Really? You think a Porsche dealership selling a 997 is going to check that as a matter of inspection? Of course not. My 997 purchase from a Porsche dealership was not good. Thank God I had a Fidelity warranty.

To the salesman...it's just a car. They usually know little even about where it came from.

voiceprint1

so did the OP even buy the carmax car?

obobser

I felt weird as well buying from Carmax, but I pulled the trigger and bought at 2012 997.2 4GTS with 19,000 miles and was perfect inside and out....and priced $10,000 under market. They listed it as an S so they didn’t know what they had and I acted fast. There was a special at the time that reduced asking price by $1,000 if you financed through them and made at least one payment before paying it off or refinancing...so there’s that.

They paid for 4 new Michelin Pilot Sport 4S tires with installation as well as alignment and road force balance done by my local Porsche dealer. I paid for all new TPMS’s as battery life was less then 6 months on the 8 year old car.

Their warranty was 90 days and I declined the extended service warranty as my dealer gave the car annual checkup and oil/filter change and gave me a thorough look through of the car during my 7 day return policy. I also had an independent do a detailed PPI and it came back with flying colors, so I’m confident I got a great car in perfect condition at a great price with CarMax. I did my research on the car by contacting the local dealer of the previous owner and purchased a CarFax as well as I didn’t trust the history report CarMax gave me, but they matched perfectly.

I had the car three stage color corrected, ppf installed, and ceramic coating applied and it turns heads everywhere I go. Overly happy with my purchase experience at CarMax!

In front of my dealer after new tires!!

Floyd540

Congrats on a great find! A perfect example of a dedicated search and making great decisions and not being afraid of a perfect car that was deemed a perfect car by people who know. The Carmax guys new that they bought a great car and the dealer and your PPI just confirmed it. Go drive it!

chekraze

wow nice find! May I ask what they mispriced it at?

Upscale Audio

Yea....inquiring minds want to know. BEAUTIFUL car.

Balr14

The cars I have purchased from CarMax were trade-ins. CarFax usually shows some evidence that a car came from an auction. Most of my family members buy used vehicles from CarMax and I have observed several instances where they have incorrectly priced a more uncommon model. But even if you point out the error, the local Carmax office can't change it... I don't think their system allows it. I'm guessing they priced that GTS about $6k too low. That also means whoever traded that car in probably got a lot less for it.

Sylverlee

I was able to snag my GTS for under market. With factory aero kit and the bucket seats. Seemed like a no brainer.