CarMax Algonquin

“Seriously could not thank this Carmax enough for such a wonderful experience! I was very stressed out and nervous in regards to getting my new car (plus added stress with a disappointing dog grooming appointed T^T), and Joanne and Israel were WONDERFUL. They helped me understand how things would go with the car and payment/credit and trade in with my old Ford Escape. And even when I needed both my parents to come for the old Ford Escape title, they were more than happy to hold the car for me until that following Monday so that we could continue the process. Rick ended up helping us on Monday and was very kind and (as it seemed to me at least haha) excited to sell me the car. I am SO SO happy with my Kona and haven't had an issue with her yet. Would definitely go back again for a future car!”

“My fiancé had a terrible experience at CarMax. He was buying a $42,000 car with an $18,000 down payment and has excellent credit. He originally wanted to put the car under his company, but they said they couldn’t. So he agreed to finance it personally instead. We were almost finished with all the paperwork when manager Carl came over and said he would help get it under the company. After waiting another half hour, Carl came back and said they couldn’t finance the car at all because it might be used for business. Even after my fiancé explained several times that it would only be for personal use, they refused. Extremely unprofessional and inconsistent. Total waste of time. Would not recommend this CarMax location at all.”

“We worked with Ali Shazan selling our 90 year old mom’s car. She is no longer able to drive. Ali was wonderful. He was very compassionate to the emotional situation. He was attentive to our mom from the moment he called her name. He made the experience so much easier. He was very professional yet caring and was exceptional to work with. Carmax you are lucky to have Ali working for you.”

“Bought a 2023 Ford Maverick from this CarMax over a year ago. Immediately after purchasing the car, I noticed that all four tires were at 4/32 tread, had a little dry rot, and the windshield had a crack. I contacted CarMax the next day to let them know about the issues. I was told the tires were fine, but they would get back to me about what they would do. Fast forward 10 days to my final day to return the car—I still hadn’t heard anything from CarMax. I went back in and told them I wanted to return the car. At that point, they decided to replace all four tires and gave me credit at Safelite in Elgin to have the windshield replaced. Fast forward another two weeks: I called to make an appointment with Safelite and was told CarMax never contacted them or set anything up, so I would have to pay out of pocket. Moral of the story: make sure everything on your car is perfect before your 10-day return period is up. If not, any prior fixes or repairs you have set up may never be completed. Great salesman, but absolutely awful customer service once you're past the return window.”

“I recently purchased a vehicle from CarMax in February, and my experience has been extremely frustrating from the start. Right after buying the car, the window frame came off the vehicle. I had to bring it back immediately so they could order a part and fix it. Just two days later, the car started making a strange noise, so I had to bring it back again. Instead of properly handling it in-house from the beginning, they told me to take it to another shop for diagnosis. I ended up going to an Audi dealership, where they identified two issues. CarMax then decided to take the car back to fix those issues themselves, which raised the question of why that wasn’t done from the start. When I picked up the vehicle, I noticed damage to the back of the car—it looked like someone had backed it into something which resulted in the bumper being cracked, dented, and scratched. This was never disclosed to me. If I hadn’t noticed it myself, it likely would not have been fixed at all. I had to bring the car back yet again so they could send it to a body shop. Then, on the way to return it, the check engine light came on. At this point, the car had three different mechanical issues, a cosmetic issue, plus the undisclosed cosmetic damage caused by them, with a total of five instances. The biggest issue is that the car has spent more time in the shop than in my possession. I’ve barely been able to drive a vehicle I just purchased and have been in multiple rentals instead. When I spoke to management, I was told it’s a used car, which was used to justify the situation. While used cars may have issues over time, a vehicle should not have multiple problems within the first 30 days, especially from a company that promotes thorough inspections. Originally, when I called they were unwilling to extend my warranty and used the fact that it is a used vehicle as justification. However, when my fiancé went inside the location, they changed their position and agreed to extend the warranty by two weeks. To make matters worse, after being told my warranty would be extended, I went to pick up the vehicle again - only to find another large scratch on the side of the door that was not there previously. This is yet another instance of damage occurring while the car was in their care without any communication or accountability. So, I then had to get back into a rental and wait 2 more additional days for them to fix that. After noticing the new scratch on the side door, management only offered to extend the warranty by one additional day. This inconsistency and lack of accountability has been extremely frustrating. I was then contacted and informed that they had identified a third scratch and will buff it out along with the second scratch. However, after returning home with my vehicle, I now see a fourth dent and additional scratch that were not previously present. I have no idea what is happening while the vehicle is in their possession and this is truly unacceptable and unbelievable. I have been working with management at the Algonquin location, while the repairs are being handled at the Schaumburg location. Overall, this experience has been way more than disappointing and extremely stressful. I would not recommend CarMax and would not purchase from them again.”