My experience with Carmax has been just awful and I would NEVER recommend ANYONE buying a car from them. The sales person are incompetent and lack even the basic knowledge of the car. I recall one time when I stopped by my local Carmax and test drove Lexus LS 460. The Carmax sales person had ZERO idea about the car and yet told me that the some Lexus LS comes with v6. HMmmmm.. V6 Lexus LS? Even after I corrected the sale person, he insist that some Lexus LS comes with v6 motor and he has seen it at the dealership. So, incompetence + zero basic knowledge of the car = NEVER BUY A CAR FROM CARMAX

 

Isn't this contradictory? Carmax will not sell garbage yet they buy garbage ALL the time.. Interesting.. Yea. I would NEVER buy a car from CARMAX period.

 

It is not a contradiction. These garbage vehicles are sold in auction. The public will never see them unless they see them on these sketchy mom and pop shops.

 

^Not sure that's a great reason to call Carmax bad (not saying there aren't any). Just because a salesman didn't know what he was talking about, especially at a place where they don't specialize in a certain type of car, is more common than you would think. I've only met a handful of salesman who truly understand the cars they're selling. Also, they get a lot of junk in on trade and on occasion may sell a junker, but for them it's easier to just sell junk cars at auctions for smaller dealers to buy. It's a strategy most large dealerships abide by. Talking to the manager at my Lexus dealer, he said they almost never go to the auctions for this reason and that the used car supply is almost exclusively made up trade ins of customers they know.

OP, it sounds like you got screwed by several people (previous owner, carmax, your lexus dealer) but try reaching out to corporate and see what they say.

 

What is the exact nature of problem with the broken engine? Like is it seized? Threw a piston rod? Timing belt broke? I'd think complete engine swap with new one will cost almost 10K. Or try the luck at the wrecking yard. Or some times broken engine can be rebuilt without too much cost. I am most certain that car should've felt funny even when it was running. Unusual noise or rattle, or sluggishness, etc.

When my son was young his Subaru WRX engine oil pick up tube broke off causing oil starvation on a freeway. By the time he pulled over
the engine was a toast(seized) Luckily we found a new complete engine in a crate on eBay. When he replaced engine he put some some grades like reinforced oil pick up tube, water pump, larger intake cooler, turbo charger, etc. Total cost was just shy under 10K.

 

Dealers do the same. They take trade in regardless it's shape to sell their new vehicle. Good ones are picked and they sell them themselves. Rest are sent to auction.
You can buy at this auction but you have to have a related business like tire shop, garage, brake shop, etc. and pay a fee then you can bid on the auction. Once
bought an older Nissan SUV in need of specific parts through a friend who could go to the auction. After I took the parts I need, I passed it to salvage yard. They towed
it away, even paid me few bucks for it.

 

last thing,I believe Carmax had a class action suit against for misrepresentation of selling accident cars as clean title cars at their dealerships. In my sincere opinion, any company that misrepresents their products as clean title when they should or should have known the prior history, in my book, should never be in business; I digress.

 

Carmax is a business, they make money buying any car below auction price. They test the cars and if it doesnt pass inspection they run them through their private dealer only auctions. So they make money buying cheap, and they make more money selling that damaged car to dealers.

 

Have any of you guys seen this?
https://youtu.be/FvJCCoLoKRA
apparently Carmax offers warranties that cover virtually everything, and for that cheap for 6 years is a good deal I think. Also funny to see how crappy land rovers are plus they ship cars from whatever dealer to the one closest to you, is just get the warranty if I got a car from them as that's a great deal.

 

3rd party waranty is some times near useless when one tries use it. When choosing such warranty one must be very careful.
At least if I bought a used car, I 'd only choose CPO one.

 

OP, a few months ago, my engine made this insane mechanical laser machine gun shooting noise, found out my spark plug just happened to POP out too, crazy.

We still don't know what happened but paid $400 to get it threaded back.