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Colma, CA

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CarMax

3.3 (286 reviews)
Open • 9:00 am - 9:00 pm
Updated over 3 months ago

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CarFax of the vehicle they tried to sell me.

CarMax did not disclose car had stolen and damage history. I test drove an Acura TLX AWD, VIN 19UUB6F56PA005288. CarMax tried to charge a premium of $38,998. The retail value of that car is worth about $35K with a clean title and no damage. With a theft and accident history it is worth $4K-$5K less, so about $31K to $32K. I had pulled the CarFax just before I left the parking lot for my test drive. I decided to drive it anyway to see the actual condition. When I went back I asked to see the CarFax, but CarMax refused to provide it and instead gave me a proprietary report generated by CarMax. I looked through the vehicle history; there was no mention of the car having been stolen nor any accident damage. When I confronted the sales guy, he shade lighter in color and said nothing. DO NOT BUY CARS FROM CarMAX. DEMAND THE the CarFAX report. They will rip you off. I've included screen shots of the ad for the car and screenshot of the CarFax with the theft history. So, what was wrong with the car: 1) The late departures did not work; 2) For an 2023 Acura TLX w/ 17K miles it did not accelerate as well as the 2021 Acura TLX w/ 43K miles I was trying to replace. Each lane departure module costs $1,200, this one needed two.

I've been after my dream car since 2013, and thanks to Benjamin Barreto at CarMax, it's finally mine. Above and beyond doesn't even begin to cover it. I kept calling and staying in touch, and Benjamin was always ready with updates. When the car finally became available, I made the drive, and he was just as excited as I was. I've never met a salesman that invested and dedicated. The whole experience honestly felt like I was buying a car from a family member. I rarely leave reviews, but Benjamin is the guy to go to. And I'll say this. CarMax executives should seriously consider putting Benjamin in charge of training their sales reps on how to treat customers. I'm not joking. Someone should follow up with his past customers, and I'm confident they'd all say the same thing I am. Give this man a promotion. He's earned it.

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I'm here on Yelp to leave a review because I previously left one on Google, and they responded telling me to get in touch so they could resolve my issue. However, they only reply to reviews claiming they'll help just to *look* like they're going to help. In reality, they won't do anything they promise. Following that response--which you can see in the photo I posted here--I contacted them countless times, but to no avail. In short: the level of service you receive *before* you buy the car is one thing, but once you've made the purchase, everything changes.

False final approval email after final run of my credit.

I want to start this off with saying I am beyond a patient person & am normally very hard to make angry but this isn't right and needed to be said. First I called over the phone was approved for terms with 2 lenders after they pulled my credit. Drove to the serramonte location and test drove 3 cars, decided to take the 3rd one. They then decided to pull my credit again in order to finalize on the new car, I agreed and we moved on, they asked me to add the car to my insurance, I did so. They asked for every document you could think of front and back, I provided, then after receiving a "you're approved" email for what felt like the 3rd or 4th time, I submitted last of documents only to get a call from a manager there I believe named Hui stating that carmax can refuse the right to work with anyone and that they can't do business with me. They not only made me feel like less of a human after that call but they could have definitely let me know much much sooner if they weren't going to work with me. I will never entertain going to a carmax again & will never recommend it to anyone else. Wasted 150$ getting a car shipped there, 4 days of my time off work & damage to my credit after being told I was already approved several times.

Bottom edge of bumper with black paint
Scott I.

Why does CarMax insist on covering up body damage with flat black paint instead of actually fixing it? I saw a car I was interested in but immediately got turned off by the random strip of flat black paint. Not only does it make the car look goofy, but if they choose to cover up paint, what other damages are they covering up (mechanical, i.e.)

Receipt for my payment. Easy-peasy.

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3 years ago

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8 years ago

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6 years ago

Very nice and clean place. Fair price, love making business with them. Trading in car is so easy.

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4 years ago

I was put through the ringer because they don't know the DMV laws. Very frustrating. Don't use Serremonte CarMax.

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8 years ago

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CarMax Reviews in Other Languages

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Review Highlights - CarMax

“From the test drive to signing the final docs, I spent just a few hours there buying my car and there was zero haggling.”

Mentioned in 4 reviews

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Green Light Auto Wholesale - As is from the lot ...

Green Light Auto Wholesale

(310 reviews)

Transparent on pricing. High quality vehicles. Easy buying experience…read more I just bought 3rd vehicle from Greenlight , same great experience as before.

The whole truth: I hate buying cars (especially used) and I kinda hate used-car salesmen. I shared…read morea house with one for six months and I genuinely think he was a sociopath: it's left a (psycological) scar. So I approach every interaction with his kind with extreme suspicion. That's how I felt driving up to SF to view a Nissan Leaf we liked the look of on their website. Green Light could not have been more of a breath of fresh air. We looked around the cars in the lot entirely unhassled by the sales team. No smell of sleaze as the sharks circle their prey. We had to go into the office to ask for the keys to looks inside the one we like, even then we were left completely alone to - y'know - make our own d*mn minds up. We took the car for a test drive ENTIRELY ON OUR OWN, no blather, no constant triangulation to find our pressure-points, weak-spots. We ended up waiting in their office for while (our fault, not theirs!) and we had nothing but a pleasant conversation with their sales guy about health insurance and weather and stuff. So we bought the car for a perfectly reasonable price. And it's been great. We were never treated with anything but total respect and courtesy. I can't say how utterly different this experience was to what I expected and it's like entering the garden of eden of car sales. It should always have been like this. You guys rock, hard.

SF Bay Motors

SF Bay Motors

(7 reviews)

Let me tell you how much I absolutely LOVE this place…read more From the quality of the cars to the customer service to the ACTUAL PERSON RUNNING THE PLACE - I have just recently purchased my second car through Wassim, and he made both experiences as easy as possible. All of the cars on his lot were beautiful and in great condition, so I can promise you that ANY time you decide to look around for cars, this HAS to be your first spot. With my most recent purchase, he was so very nice and welcoming in helping me figure out what car might be a better fit for me. I literally went around and tried to sit in every car on the lot. The best part, however, was when I really could not stay away from this ONE specific vehicle. Wassim offered to let me test drive it and see how the car would feel, and it just made me that much more excited for it. Once I had finally made the decision for a car, it just all fell into place because of how easy it is to speak to him. He was able to answer all my questions and concerns to the best of his knowledge. When he presented the information on the car, I appreciated his transparency when it came down to the carfax, the value of the car, and the pricing. He was just ready to help and prioritize me and my family's needs for this car. For anyone or everyone that reads this, i hope your experience is just as great as mine - they will take all the stress and worries you may have about making a decision. My overall experience was a 10/10, and I am beyond grateful. So thank you again, SF Bay Motors! See ya next time!

The number one thing they preach is that they finance everyone. Everyone gets approved. My brother…read morein law was sold a car and he has no license, ID, or insurance, but I was denied due to bad credit. Funny right. So be warned. Not everyone gets approved.

City Toyota  - Shop with the #1 Volume Toyota Dealership in San Francisco Bay Area and Northern California.

Based on 2023, 2024, and YTD 2025 sales.

City Toyota

(3.1k reviews)

Lawrence is an absolute standout! He is hardworking, personable, knowledgeable, and genuinely…read morecommitted to making the car-buying experience as smooth and enjoyable as possible. From the very beginning, Lawrence was incredibly kind and patient with all of our questions. He took the time to understand exactly what we were looking for in our RAV4 and went above and beyond to find us the color and specifications that made the most sense for us. We even drove about 40 minutes specifically to meet with him, and he immediately showed us why that decision was worth it. He was enthusiastic, professional, and clearly knew his stuff. What impressed us most was that Lawrence never pressured us or tried to sell us anything we didn't want or need. He listened, respected our preferences, and made us feel like we were working with someone who genuinely cared about finding the right vehicle for us. He has a natural ability to work with all different types of people, and you can tell he brings a lot of experience and genuine care to what he does. Even on the day of pickup, Lawrence was incredibly patient and understanding when we arrived about 30 minutes late. He continued to make the process feel easy and welcoming from start to finish. I cannot recommend Lawrence enough! If you're looking for someone who is knowledgeable, honest, patient, and truly cares about his customers, (ask for Lawrence). We're so grateful we had the opportunity to work with him and hope many others get the chance to experience the same exceptional service we did! We are happy with our purchase and can't wait for our lifelong roadtrips in it! THANK YOU Lawrence!

I am getting a Toyota 4-Runner, and my local dealer had a hold up, the problem is that I already…read moresold my car. Looking online I saw that City Toyota had the exact car I wanted so I emailed them, finally someone got back to me and all they said is "Good news, It's still available", I spent 20 years in the auto industry and expected someone to reach out and try to sell me a car, I had to call to initiate contact with the salesperson. He said "I think it's still available?" I said, YOU THINK? I explained that I just sold my car and won't get the check until they send the payoff to the credit union and get the title released (standard procedure), I have all the docs showing this. I can write a partial hold check and put the rest on credit card, and cash. The remainder I was going to finance, which I would have gladly done an online credit application and even a deposit if necessary. The salesperson was over his head and said he had to talk to the manager (he should have just gave the manager the phone), the salesperson said we can only do $3000 on a credit card and hold a check for 5 days (it will take 7 to 10 days). I said I am going to finance the rest (I have A+ credit)... The salesperson was quiet, I said OK, I guess that's it, he said thanks for calling. I wasn't calling for the hell of it, I was trying to buy a car, willing to do an online application, whatever they needed, man oh man! I was willing to Uber from San Jose in the morning and buy the car (because this was early evening at this point), I guess business is so good it either falls in their lap or they just don't care. The car is OVER $60,000 +fees!!!!!!!! No one tried to assist me, no one tried to earn my business, they couldn't be bothered. I sincerely need to get a car and obviously they didn't need to sell one. The salesperson sounded new, the manager who sincerely should be in charge obviously didn't want to be bothered. Any decent manager would have taken control to assit the salesperson and the customer. 1 star is 1 star to many! I'd actually like to thank them, a Toyota dealer in San Jose, got one in last night and I bought it. I used City Toyota's price for an even better deal! lol (see attached pic).

BuySide Auto - 2018 Audi S4

BuySide Auto

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SoMa

The best car buying experience I have ever had by far! Entire process from initial contact to…read morereceiving my car was frictionless and effortless. Excellent communication, service, and timely replies. I received a significant discount on the OTD price, even when including the BuySide Auto fee. On top of that, I NEVER had to step into a dealership, talk to a salesperson directly, spend hours playing the "let me ask my manager" game, or have to talk to a Finance manager and repeatedly say NO to unnecessary options. All communication was easily done through email and text, although phone and in-person contact was also available. Process starts with completing a convenient online request. From there, Kim contacted me to fully understand my wishlist, range of optional requirements, and any non-negotiables. After reaching out to their dealer network, within a day she provided a list of potential matches with estimated OTD prices, which included some in SoCal available for transfer to the Bay Area and cars still in production with estimated availability dates. I had a lot of questions and some requests and Kim was very responsive and instrumental in relaying them to the dealer and advocating for me. Even my request to remove all dealer installed options was negotiated by Kim and granted by the dealer with no hassle on my end. I paid the BuySide Auto fee to reserve the car for purchase and when the car was available I opted to pickup at their office in SF. Home delivery to SF is also currently no charge, while delivery outside of the city is available with a modest fee. Upon first contact, I asked if weekend pickup or delivery was available, since their normal hours are on weekdays. Kim made note of it and remembered my preference even after the sale was completed. Chris was able to make himself available for Saturday pickup! We took a walk around the car took a look inside. We spent no more than 10 minutes reviewing and signing paperwork, received my keys, and I was off with my brand new car! Both Kim and Chris were great to work with and I have no hesitation in working with them again for future car purchases.

Chris was an excellent resource and provided me with too shelf service in buying a new Mini. Super…read morepatient, very responsive and provided a seamless experience. Absolutely worth it.

CarMax - carbuyers - Updated October 2026

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