Quote:
Originally Posted by bvanlieu
I got a chuckle out of the 335d nugget. If it was stated to avoid due to overly complicated and fragile emissions, we all nod in unison.
The fuel mileage it returns (even with emissions, better without) is fan-freaking-tastic for what it is: a car that pulls like a V8, 2000 RPM at 80 MPH all while returning 35 MPG...yup, its a keeper.
Yes its a bit of a masochistic model 
Efthreeoh, no Carmax fan? No judgement just curious. Not every one can Demuro a car there, but they seem to be popular with folks wanting a no BS experience. Their used pricing is higher then private party, but not bad compared to dealers from the searches I have run as comps (which is not very often I admit, but occasionally
- b |
I bought my Z4 from CarMax. Paid about $3K too much. It's a rare car and not plentiful to find, so at the time I bought (Dec. 2015) it was what appeared to be the lowest mileage Coupe on the market that was somewhat close to me. I was willing to pay a bit over what KBB/Edmunds evaluated the price should be. I had to pay a non-refundable $350 to have it moved from Ohio to Virginia for me to look at it. That was about the same as a plane ticket and hotel stay for me to get to Ohio. So I already was $350 in the hole if I didn't like it. I trusted CarMax to be what it advertises to be, which is highly capable to evaluate a good car from a bad one, and truthful. I found them to be, with my car at least, not to be honest and expert in evaluating cars. I've posted this a few times before. They missed/did the following:
- Missed a crease in the front left fender above the headlight (they did fix that via PDR)
- Missed a low coolant level in the radiator (the low coolant light came on the 2nd day I owned it)
- Missed or hid the fact the car had a noisy throwout bearing. They argued this to the point that I spent more time arguing with them vs. the time I would spend repairing it DIY.
- Missed a mouse nest in the intake box, which had half of the engine airfilter clogged up
- Missed an almost fully-clogged cabin airfilter
- Installed or missed the fact that the battery was under sized (case-wise) and it did not clamp into place using the OE battery fastening system. Also, the battery box divider was installed incorrectly, and the battery vent (which every modern BMW has) was not installed
- Changed the oil but used the wrong aftermarket oil filter. I had to then assume they did not use the correct spec oil.
For those reasons, I think they are as much BS as any other used car dealer. They do not negotiate price based on their supposed expert car evaluation and honesty. They make it an easy purchase process, much like a new-car purchase experience (if you don't negotiate price), so people who want an easy purchase experience (and get taken advantage of) they are great. Then CarMax covers its ass by expecting the buyer to purchase additional warranty to cover shit its
experts miss.
For me, never again. If they did this on my car, I can only assume they do it on other cars as well.
That's just one-half of the story. I'll not go into the post-purchase inspection (within the CarMax 5-day return policy) I went through with the local BMW dealer. I'll delve into that if you want.
