2KHarrier

It comes down to convenience. When I sold that Veloster last year, it was only a few months old with 3300 miles on it. I listed it on CL and got no responses at all. Dropped the price and got no responses still.
So, I figured I would at least sell it to CarMax to unload it. The offer was within 190 dollars of what I owed on the car (16,900) and If I bought something else, they bumped the offer to 17,500.
Now, that could have been because they new they could sell the Hyundai quickly, or they already had a buyer lined up. Either way, it worked out for me just fine. My 2005 LS was listed at 19,000 and I put a couple thousand down on it, and was pleased as punch to get a super clean LS with a mere 49,000 miles on it.

sktn77a

iTrader: (2)

Just be warned that if you get a price from CarMax, it's good for 7 days. Anything beyond that and they drop the price 10-15%. Touch up the bigger scratches on the bumpers but I'd leave the rest.

SQLnovice

I think this is true in some cases as well. I had a 2011 Scion xB 8.0. I purchased it for $14k, drove it for 3 years, then went to carmax. They offered me $10500. For me, this was a good deal.
However, a lot of things to be considered. If you have the time, going the private seller's route is not a bad thing.

At the end of the day, "Is the extra juice worth the squeeze" and only you can answer that question.

Gville350

iTrader: (10)

At the very least I would grab a Lexus/Toyota paint touch-up "kit" and hit any of the major stuff, like the major scratches next to the wheel and anything else that is easily noticeable. All of the usual rock chips and minor stuff I'd not worry about; normal wear and tear. Also, CarMax will notice the wheel curb rash; you might also want to find a paint touch-up "kit" that closely matches your wheel's color and at least touch-up the rash. No need to "repair" the wheels.

I think CarMax tends to give you closer to fair market value because they are more likely to close a deal on another vehicle while there; which is where they make the "big bucks".