I've sold several cars at Carmax in Irvine. Generally, very smooth. Fair price and fast. No this time! Staff very confused about proper documentation for registration. At first told me to pay late fees. So I did. Manager said still can't buy. They told me register vehicle as PNO. So I did. Manager said had to wait until cleared in their system. Waited 2-3 days It to clear their system. Then today was told they can't but cars in PNO status. Ugh!!!!!!!! 2 trips to DMV Kiosk and 1 trip to DMV and about 3-4 wasted hours. Carmax get your act together!! read more

3.5 star rating really for the selling experience I recently had in the last week. I was surprised to find out that you can now easily generate a 7-day quote online and bring it to whatever Carmax of your liking. The price was higher than what Carvana quoted, and I have sold two other cars to Carmax in the past -- so I obviously decided to make an appt. to come in for a physical inspection to validate the quote during normal business hours. The Irvine location is now the closest to me, and I have been here several times in the past, and I have always had great service. I had no idea that their customer service would have taken such a nosedive since then, and I wish I would have looked at the reviews. But such is the customer service industry right now, huh? I scheduled an appt. on the Friday (9/3) night at 7:15pm before Labor Day and came in on time, prepared to sell my car (which is a lease with a maturation date of 9/15). The front desk looked confused when I walked in and asked what I was there for. I said I had an appt. to get the inspection and sell my car, and they both went, "Uhhhh..." looking around a little lost. I told them, "My name is right behind you on the board at 7:15pm." They pointed me in the direction of, I believe his name was Nick, who had long, dark hair, and tattoos. Nick (?) did not seem enthusiastic or willing to help that night. Maybe it was because it was close to closing-ish, or maybe because he eventually said there was a two hour wait in the business office because of how busy they are. It seemed almost like he did not even want the sale. He said it would take 30mins to do the inspection, but none of the banks would be open until the following Tuesday after Labor Day. UGH. I had no idea, and I wish there was some sort of heads up before I came in or I would have made more effort to come in during the day. I felt pressed for time because of the lease, and he didn't seem to care and said I could leave my car there over the weekend if I didn't want to drive it back (since I brought my friend to give me a ride back, anticipating my car being sold that night). I asked if they would accept liability if I left it, and he said, "No" and there would be a waiver I would have to sign. Um, nope! We waited 45+mins to get a call from Nick when the inspection was over, and they stayed true to their offer online. Nick told me the best chance I got in cutting out the wait time was to come back first thing on Tuesday 9/7. I said, "You open at 10am, right?," he says, "No, 9am." I repeat back to him what I need to do and when, and he agrees. He confirms another inspection would not need to take place. I go home and see online to see when they open on Tuesday, and it lists 10am. I try calling a bunch of times, and no one answers. I decide to go early anyway to avoid the rush. I show up at 8:50am Tuesday 9/7 and wait until 9am. I see a Carmax employee walking into the Service Dept. side door as I approach her, and she refuses to acknowledge me, seeming almost as she's trying to dodge me. I wonder if they're moral has dipped or if they've always been like this. I had to say, "Hello?? Does the Business Office open at 9am or 10am?" She doesn't even turn to face me and walks in, stating, "10am!" UGH AGAIN NICK. Luckily I brought a book and some stuff to do while I waited the extra hour, and thankfully I was the first in line at the Biz Office. Ashley Lukes is the rep who helped me with the actual sale, and I give her 5 stars -- she is their saving grace. Not only did she greet me right away, but she was friendly, and talked about all sorts of things while we waited on hold and processed the sale. She made the process simple and actually enjoyable from that point on. And Chase leasing company is apparently much easier to deal with versus others like Toyota, so thank goodness for 5 minute hold times! For that reason, I was teetering on the 3/4/5 star review. It's a toughie. I would come back, but would also keep in mind the crap you may have to go through. It's not the normal Carmax standards I remembered. read more

Let me start off by saying this has to be the absolute worst car buying experience i've ever experienced in my life. I had an appointment for 8pm as I did the express checkout where you submit all the documents prior to get verified before you come in. This was a waste as I had to re do everything I did online in store. No one spoke to me until at least 9:30pm and only because I got up and asked when I would be next. Fast forward everything was already verified I had an issue with the sales rep Jose, all of my income and bank statements had already been verified. I had to wait almost 2 hours for this guy to go through every single transaction on my bank statements to try to tell me my income was less than it actually is. I only used one of my personal accounts but I told him I own a business and im self employed and make PLENTY of money far more than needed for the vehicle. He argued me for almost an hour tying to tell me they cant accept my business income which is unheard of since I am the sole owner of my home remodeling business and pay myself. He claimed the finance company would make an "acception" and do the deal. Finally around 11pm I got the Jeep and the purchase was done. Fast forward 2 weeks to now the same sales rep Jose is calling me saying the bank can't accept your bank statements from your business and we need to have you come back in to resubmit all the documents again like what? You can't be serious right now. So now im dealing with a situation where I have a car for almost 2 weeks and now they are trying to have me come back in to re do the deal absolutely unacceptable....Horrible Horrible place read more

Thank you CarMax for the smooth purchase of my car! Everything from the inspection to final paperwork & check from my car sale was super easy, efficient and relatively comparable to my KBB quote. Thank you tons Emily for all of your help!!! read more

CarMax - Used Car Dealers Near Me - Irvine, California

Long wait times and bad customer service. Came in to sell my 2020 Mazda yesterday. Over two hours later was finally seen. The person who handled my paperwork never handed me back my drivers license and I have called multiple times today. The phone either rings for 5 minutes and no one answers and am finally hung up on or put on hold for over 30 minutes. Another man came in while I was in the waiting room who left his cell phone in the car he had just sold and also was told wait would be over an hour. I thought this would be more convenient than selling private party but I was wrong. Will never use them again. read more

This is the place that you want to shop for your car, why is that ? Because they are serious about keeping you as return customers , they really value your business, and they help you all the way , even you're not satisfied with your purchase they take care of you, amazing people work here , from the top GM and operational manager, sales managers and sales staff all of them are so professional and courteous and friendly. we purchased over 15 to 20 cars from them over the last several years , some we had small and major problems with, they took care of it , they presented superior service than any other carmax or any other dealership. If you even are in Northern California, buy the car from these guys , it's worth it to work with this location of carmax and the of managers here then other places. Excellent service, excellent staff, excellent management. Thank you for your help and support read more

Rude & atrocious mannerism. I've purchased two vehicles from CarMax before, and have even driven 6hrs away not just for the car, but for the experience I've had. The sales associate J.R. Was rude, completely disrespectful of my time and my partners time Who I was Boasting to about CarMax. We come in, tell him we have a stock number, we're looking at one other car, this is last on our list to see. He said "well you're better off coming back with the trade in" (we explained it'll be out in a week currently getting its recall done at the dealership) We tell him we understand if someone else gets the car, we're mainly looking to seal the deal between the final count. He then leans back and points to the yard and says "it's somewhere over there in the corner" we ask for a test drive, send the email of insurance after rudely hearing him dismiss our interest. (Long day for everyone we'll let it be) He then mid conversation hops on the phone, placed on speaker and COMPLETELY ignores us and continues his conversation. At this rate we're over it and excuse our selves. Then to top it off, he then yells across the floor after we politely stood up and said "we'll be back another time, thank you" "HEY SIR WHERE ARE YOU GOING?" Seriously? You can actually be curious when we gave you all the answers to begin with. This level of service alone sent us back to the ACTUAL dealership which took less time and way better service. read more

Great experience with Alex. Definitely recommend going to him if you're in a bind and need a good deal on a nice car as quickly as possible. He completely went out of his way to help us out and made sure we got exactly what we wanted with a lower monthly payment than we expected to get! We left there happy and relieved with 0 stress. 10/10 experience. read more

This place is horrible they offered me $1000 for my car which I ended up trading in and getting $3000 for. Then there no haggle used car prices are ridiculously high. They had a Toyota Camry for $38000 and I ended up buying nearly identical one for $22000. I suggest going here if you want to get ripped off. read more

For selling the good is their onsite appraisal was transparent with all inspection points explained and price was good. The con is the wait time was too long even with appointment and on a weekday. Be prepared to spare 2 hours just for waiting plus the actual time for paperwork. It's a nice facility and people are friendly. read more

What a horrible experience!!! So we walked inside, and somehow "we sneak in" passed the front desk! It's really an excuse the girl upfront used for missing us. Anyway, we walk around and after a while we find the car we really want except no one wants to help me. After asking around I get redirected to a get on a waiting list where there are 5 other people ahead of us. Now I'm watching all these sales people walking around, chatting and joking around which makes me wonder why I have to wait on a waiting list. Anyway this guy ends up calling me after at least half hour (maybe more) and his name is Jeff. I tell him exactly I am at and he says he'll be right outside. I wait another 5 minutes no one comes! I go back inside to the girl up front she's like, "call him again" instead of trying to find him herself. I do call him but Jeff doesn't answer and never shows and no where to be found. The girl up front so coolly goes back to her little computer starts typing in stuff instead of really wanting to help me. The sad thing there I was there with my family including my 9 months old baby and I had cash in my pocket ready to buy a reliable car. The moral of story is that no one really cared. It looks like their employees aren't driven to do anything. Maybe it's because they don't make commission or good wages but whatever it is, it is a poor experience my family and I will never forget. I'm very disappointed and the management should really fix things there. read more

CarMax - Used Car Dealers Near Me - Irvine, California

I spent a considerable amount of time uploading all of the documents for an instant appraisal. I was told I would have to have a formal appraisal of the car and it would take 30 minutes. After one hour, I enquired about the status and found out the appraisal was done, but no one had picked up the paperwork. The appraisal was given to me and I agreed we would move forward. I was then informed it would be 45 minutes before someone would help me. I was given the reason that Carmax corporate would not give them the needed personnel. What should have taken no more than 1 hour ended up taking 2+ hours. Very frustrating experience. read more

Rick in the service department has excellent customer service and was very helpful in resolving my questions and issues.

Absolute waste of time. I came to this location twice trying to sell my car and the information they shared of what was needed from the DMV was inaccurate both times. Each visit, we didn't learn this until after 2 hours of waiting. Incompetent, so we will be going elsewhere. read more

Kinda wish half star reviews were a thing. I purchased a vehicle at Costa Mesa Carmax and had a positive experience with Balkar. He was very attentive even after purchase. I brought up a negative experience I had with Irvine carmax where he sent me for a car detailing and an issue with the tire pressure that couldn't be fixed day of purchase. I live in Laguna and closest dealer to me is Irvine . I called to schedule appointment to bring in my car but customer service in Irvine was unfortunately not the best. I spoke to service person and from the get go he was rude, inpatient and basically told me to go back to Costa mesa. I mentioned to him that I was trying to figure out if I even want to keep car since still under the 90 day warranty. I also purchased extended max care for the record. It just really sucks that people in the customer service industry don't understand a certain tone of voice is required. People are not buying $100 cars. No. Paying paying thousands so, treat us as such. I'm disappointed and will be driving to Costa Mesa just for this reason alone. Farther from me and more inconvenient but customer service is key. read more

Amazing again - sent my family down after I have used them for years and my family bought a new car last night in record time! Only thing was there was a screw in the tire they missed, but my son caught it and had it fixed. Great experience and thank you for the tank of gas! read more

Went by to complete the validation of an online appraisal. It took 3 attempts to get checked in but was assured that they finally got it set up. Got called up to the desk after 10 minutes because they wanted my payoff information and I politely explained that what I owed, or did not owe, was not necessary to establish a value. This was my first indication of a scam. After waiting 20-30 minutes they explained that they were unable to check me in and had not yet looked at my car. I asked for my keys back and left. When I got to my car it was clear based on the key tag on the front seat, and the fact that tailgate was unlocked, they had, in fact, been in my car. This was clearly a case where they wanted to lowball the "online appraisal" based on what I owed. Nobody likes being lied to. Buyer beware. read more

May 9,2021 Terrible customer service in over all at this location carmax superstore in Irvine. Asked to speak to the managers Did not get to see or speak to the management team. I tried to contact them through the phone because I live 25 miles away, for the entire week, yes ! For the entire week, I was on hold over 25 minutes every time I called them, got tired of waiting. So I drove to them for 2 times back and forth still didn't get the problem solve. They kept telling me the top manager wasn't in today. And they told me they will get back to me on Monday. Is because the Top managers will be in. The hold issues was, they false advertising in the car that I bought. Supposedly has Apple car play in it. But later find out is not. I try to have them to install but they refuse they told me to go have it install instead. But no more then $300.00 I know it cost more then $300. I told the customer service person name Ed you guy false advertising the car so I just need you guy to solve the problem. Please.!! So let see on Monday he Supposedly going to give me a call around 3pm. I hope it won't get any worse then this. Thank you for taking time to look in to my comments. For more information please do not hesitate to contact me. 714-591-7193 Sincerely. Sen P. read more

CarMax - Used Car Dealers Near Me - Irvine, California

We had a very good experience with CarMax in Irvine CA. We had originally submitted a quote request with AutoNation. I made an appointment with them, brought the car up so they could take a look at it and the sales representative said they would give us $6,000 for the vehicle. Since I didn't have the title available, I drove the car back home and made an appointment for a couple of days later. When we brought it up again, another associate evaluated the car and told us it wasn't worth $6,000 and that they would give us $4,500. It was very frustrating and disappointing, we definitely felt like we were being scammed. So we brought the car home (again) and went on-line and got a quote from CarMax for $5,800. We made an appointment, drove the car up today and within an hour, they honored their on-line quote and gave us a check. The experience with CarMax was completely different from Auto Nation and we walked away satisfied. read more

I've sold my car at CarMax several times and prices have always been competitive. Of course, I can get a bit more if I list it myself but CarMax makes it very simple and easy so it is worth it for me. The prices also beat any car dealer's offer. The reason for 4 stars instead of 5 is I got an online offer from CarMax for my last car and they made it seem like I can just show up, have the car inspected then redeem the offer but it took almost 2 hours to process, longer than my previous experience so I'm not sure the purpose for the online offer. read more

The service here is always amazing! Super responsive and reliable. When I first got my car their was a little ding on the side door. Nothing major but I mentioned it and they said they'd be in touch. A week later I had some troubling matters at work and at home so when they reached out I never responded. Then some time later they reached out again to make sure the matter got dealt with. I honestly had forgotten about it but they didn't! Anyways, long story short I came in today and had it fixed so fast! Patrick M. Helped me and was so friendly. So happy I can rely on carmax! 10/10! read more

They take forever the waste your time. Bought a car from them and they're acting like they did us a favor. The salesman was nice and everybody else was a bunch of jerks read more

Some months after buying my car, I became aware through my car being broken into, that my back up fob has a physical key inside the fob that should, but does not, unlock my car door. I had incident where I had to have my car towed to toyota, and since I was there, I asked them to please make me another copy because the one I got and paid for was defective and nonfunctional. I went to get the key and they wanted to charge me. And I said it should be no charge, because I paid for it when I bought the car, and it wasn't working, so it had to be replaced. They said I should deal with Carmax and not them. So I called carmax. Their response was because it had been over a year, I should have realized it earlier, and would not pay for the replacement cost of $112.45. They gave me a faulty key to begin with, and should honor replacing it since I paid for it. Their attitude was very self serving and lacked integrity. read more

All the staff is friendly and very knowledgeable, DUY LEE was such a pleasure to work with! Bought the truck of my dreams over the holiday weekend thanks to team work at Carmax Irvine! read more

CarMax - Used Car Dealers Near Me - Irvine, California

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Just because I checked for better offers multiple times, this store simply denied to honor a valid online offer. A reminder was sent to me today that my offer is expiring in 2 days. If that offer is not valid, then why I was given a reminder! If you honor only a latest online offer, then you should restrict customers from trying again once an offer is in the valid period. My higher offer is valid till July 1, '23 and still car max allowed me to keep checking for new offers, without any warning that it will override the previous offer. There are other online tools which restrict users to check if there is already a valid offer in place. The appraiser in this location simply do not want to do business it seems, not friendly. You can say no and still be friendly. Business Office staff was friendly and tried to help with my situation. Overall wasted an hour and half to see a lower amount than my car's worth which they offered and had validity. KBB assessed $3k more than carmax, still I went for it, poor choice made. read more

I had a great experience selling with Carmax. I walked in Sunday morning without an appointment and was helped immediately by staff. It took 15 minutes for the person to assess the car and I was given an offer. The offer was higher than what they quoted me online so I was even more excited. I went over to Bidlanes next street over to get a quote as well as Vroom online and they were $2-$3k less than what Carmax offered. Bidlane also was surprised Carmax offered so much more and commented it could be a mistake! I raced home and took all my documents to Carmax and sold my car same day :) read more

Better than going to a regular dealership at least, but DO NOT leave anything in your car if you're selling it or trading it because they will not call later to tell you that you've left anything. Even though they have all you're info... You have to call them, and most likely they've already thrown away your items. Changed to 4 stars because the person I worked with walked the lot to find my item! read more

Irene was awesome. We had the best experience ever and so fast to get our car. So happy with our mini and I couldn't ask for better customer service. No pressures. No haggles. Fair price. Thank you. read more

CarMax - Our new Mini - Used Car Dealers Near Me - Irvine, California

I bought a Jeep Cherokee from Steve . He said car was perfect and had no problems . Long story short . Jeep had a cracked window and wheel clock spring wasn't working , jeep needed alignment also pulled to the right really bad . The jeep was not safe to leave the lot and Steve let me drive off . The keep smelled like smoke . I took jeep back to get fixed and they said the cracked window meets there standards and didn't want to fix the vehicle . Definitely the worst place to buy a car. read more

CarMax - Used Car Dealers Near Me - Irvine, California

No haggle and they have higher prices than most for used cars but who else gives you 24hr test drives and 30 days to return the car? Great selection and if they don't have what you're looking for they can get cars from other locations for you! read more

CarMax - Used Car Dealers Near Me - Irvine, California

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We had a great car buying experience with CarMax. I was really excited to find the exact car we were looking for, but it was at another (far) location. I called and spoke with Emani, who helped us easily process a free vehicle transfer to Irvine. It only took a couple days for the car to arrive. Once there, our sales rep, David, was very friendly and made the extra effort to take care of us during our visit. The entire process was very effortless. Pricing was also very fair, especially considering the demand for pre-owned cars right now. Overall we've had great experiences selling and, for the first time buying, with CarMax and I highly recommend this location. read more

Patrick has been so helpful! He's gone over and above for me! When my car was getting work done, he'd call me everyday with an update, just so I knew what was going on even if there was nothing to report. He had me in a loaner car and every time he'd call me he made sure I was comfortable in the loaner or if I needed a new one. I never felt ignored. He is very attentive and quick to respond! I called him up with a concern I had and he called me back immediately and got me in and out as quick as possible! Always made sure I felt I was priority #1! Thank you Patrick for the amazing service!! read more

I do like CarMax website although now days you can do about the same with auto trader and most dealerships have pretty competitive pricing due too this new thing called the internet lol I used CarMax reserve function on the website to request a test drive. I received 2 phone calls and a text reminder which I confirmed the day of the appointment. We arrive at 5:15 on time pull into the dedicated parking for appointments and call the phone number on the sign expecting they will give some direction. But they say I'm not in the system and ask me to come into the info desk Neither my name or the car exist despite the confirmation text on the day of my appointment. Don't be surprised if they sell the car you have reserved. More disappointing is how rude that was. All they had to do is call me let me know the car had sold CarMax you guys have lost my business and my trust and wasted my time. Don't offer service that you don't stand behind read more

CarMax - Reserved test drive - Used Car Dealers Near Me - Irvine, California

I sold them an older car and they gave me a decent price, exactly what they had offered me online. The process was quick and simple, and everyone was friendly and helpful. read more

REVIEW for SELLING experience: I submitted an online appraisal and received a very competitive offer when compared to CARVANA and dealerships for trade-ins. It was actually hard to believe and thought CARMAX would change their price after I come in to their location and they perform their inspection. However, on the day my online appraisal was about to expire, I came in and they honored their online offer even after their inspection. My car was dirty due to the recent rain and my corgi's hair is very noticeable in the trunk ( I had a hatchback). Angela was very helpful and friendly despite how busy they were. I had to wait a couple of hours until it was my turn to process my car, I just left to get something to eat and burn some time until I got a phone call that it was my turn. The whole process was pleasant and I would not hesitate to use CARMAX again over their competitors. Thank you again Angela. read more

I want to say that we worked with a gentleman named PT. He was so helpful and kind. He helped us and gave us some good information. He was very patient and told us what we needed to do. I feel that PT should be employee of the month if you have that there. He really cared and it showed. Please tell him that we appreciated his help. If we could tell him this we would love to. Thank You,PT for your valuable information. Kathryn Purdy read more

"Very poor customer service! When I asked to see the available SUV cars, the first staff member was initially polite and directed me to the lot, suggesting I explore and return if I found any that interested me. He also mentioned that if I wanted to see the interiors, I could come back and ask for assistance. Later, when I returned and requested to see the inside of one of the cars, I was informed that they had only one person available to help and that I needed to check-in and wait. I patiently waited for 30 minutes, but when I approached them again to inquire about seeing the interior, they repeated that they still had just one person available who was currently busy. This experience was incredibly frustrating and highlighted the extremely poor customer service. It's astounding that a dealership with numerous cars for sale would have only one person assigned to show them to customers read more

My thanks to Diana and Mitchell at the Irvine location. I was interested in selling one of my used vehicles that I no longer needed, and quickly & easily obtained an online Offer. The CarMax website allowed me to set up an in person appointment the next morning for my vehicle to be inspected for condition. My first contact at CarMax Irvine was Diana, who greeted me and pulled up the Offer I had received online. She explained the procedure for the vehicle inspection, and how the sale would be completed, if I accepted the offer. The inspection took about 30 minutes, and then Diana brought me back to her desk to hand me a written offer, which was the same as the online offer. I considered it very fair, and accepted it. I called my wife to come over, as she was jointly on title with me. She and my son came over, and then Mitchell created all of the necessary paperwork at his desk for the sale. We reviewed it on his large computer screen, approved it as accurate, and then we signed the sales documents. Mitchell explained every document, and even prepared and filed with the CA DMV the release of liability form on our behalf. He reminded us that once we got home with the sales check ( a bank draft), to be sure to cancel the auto insurance on the vehicle (to save money), and even reminded us to cancel a Toll Roads Account on the vehicle. After everything was signed, Mitchell had the CarMax Business Office (right next to his desk) issue the check (bank draft) to my wife & myself. We signed the Certificate of Title transferring the vehicle to CarMax, and handed over the keys, the vehicle, and the vehicle Registration, and walked out of CarMax with our check. (By the way, I had also gotten offers on the vehicle from Carvana, and from Tustin Toyota, but the CarMax offer was a bit higher than either, but more importantly, CarMax set up the inspection & payment procedure for the very next day, while the other places had a delay of weeks). At CarMax, the entire procedure, from the time I drove onto the lot, until the time I drove off with the sales check, took just over 1 1/2 hours. Very efficient & well managed. Thanks again, Diana & Mitchell, and everyone else at CarMax Irvine who were friendly and knowledgeable and efficient, and made our experience there pleasant and successful. I give Diana, Mitchell, and CarMax Irvine a 5 Star (out of 5) rating. read more

We took our vehicle (a 2012 Mercedes) to CarMax to get it appraised and see what they would give us for it (in case it didn't sell). As you can see in the photo, they offered us $11,000, even tho it's all in good condition and the blue book value is $16-19,000. We sold it on our own, 3days later, for full asking price to the very first person who test drove it. The asking price was in the Blue book value I noted earlier here. So, yes, A LOT MORE $$$. Plus, the sales guy at Irvine Car Max told us that car Max would only make $200 off the car selling it at auction. Riiiight. We aren't idiots, we saw two similar cars on the Car Max Lot (a lower model but 3 yrs newer and 30k fewer miles) for $28,000, so between that and blue book, we knew it wasn't worth $11,000. It's worth fielding a few texts from scammers and stuff to sell it ON YOUR OWN! read more

CarMax - Used Car Dealers Near Me - Irvine, California

I was looking to sell my car. I went online and answered a few questions about my car and got a conditional offer good for 7 days. I made a same day appointment to bring my car in to complete the transaction. After inspecting my car, they honored the online quote which was significantly higher than the Kelly Bluebook value. I left there with a check in my hands. The whole process went smoothly; it took about 2 hours but that's because they were busy. Everyone there was very nice and professional. read more