CarMax?

[fordrodsteven]

SO... I sold my 1988 Reatta to CarMax because I could not find any buyers and I did not want to put a perfectly good car into a salvage yard. I would rather have sold it to someone for parts if they chose not to use it as a daily driver. CarMax, of course, gave me a mere pittance for the running, registered, roadworthy car. My question is... Does anyone know what CarMax does with these vehicles that they get for practically nothing?

[TexRiv_63]

They send them to a wholesaler like most dealers do with less than stellar trade-ins but they most likely still made a profit. I sold one car to them like that and still hurt from how bad they screwed me. IMO better to give the car to a charitable cause, they will wholesale it the same way but at least it helps the cause.

[Bill Stoneberg]

even with nice cars...

https://www.autotrader.com/car-news/i-took-my-aston-martin-carmax-appraisal-256539

 

[joe_padavano]

50 minutes ago, fordrodsteven said:

My question is... Does anyone know what CarMax does with these vehicles that they get for practically nothing?

 

It will likely go to auction and be bought by a salvage yard for scrap.

[fordrodsteven]

3 hours ago, joe_padavano said:

 

It will likely go to auction and be bought by a salvage yard for scrap.

Well that stinks!

[TerryB]

14 minutes ago, fordrodsteven said:

Well that stinks!

Think of it as a donor who will keep others on the road.  Ok, so that sounds grander than it really is but that’s how it goes in the world of autos.  It might wind up in Mexico, I saw lots of cars that could not make emissions in CA being enjoyed there.  When a car goes to a Mexican junk yard it’s really beyond use.

[Marty Roth]

Headed to Mexico?

We see dozens of 3-car-towbar hitch clunkers headed west across Louisiana's I-10, I-12, and I-20,

most likely headed to South Texas/Mexico to be pieced together for resale. The drivers travel north, typically in a small bus or large SUV, buy up a couple of dozen clunkers, get maybe 1/3 of them driveable, pull off any front and rear plastic bumper fascia, rig a tow bar, make up 3-car trains, and follow as a group to the border, generally driving 10-15 mph below the posted limits, accompanied by their bus/SUV carrying parts, tools, meals, etc.

[auburnseeker]

1 hour ago, TerryB said:

 It might wind up in Mexico, I saw lots of cars that could not make emissions in CA being enjoyed there

So we institute tough emissions standards and the guys next door laughs his head off and drives off into the sunset.  

[John_S_in_Penna]

6 minutes ago, auburnseeker said:

So we institute tough emissions standards and the guys next door laughs his head off and drives off into the sunset.  

 

It's a good thing that pollution can't blow across the border...

[auburnseeker]

That's the only thing they are trying to keep from coning across. 

[mercer09]

true- we pay a high avg for new cars to meet emissions and safety and the rest of the world laughs at us and pays far less............. we then breath their exhaust a week later.

 

good to be king for a day...........

[Paul Dobbin]

Don't forget the Buy Here/Pay Here car lots.  They buy them and keep them on payments until ready for the scrap yards.  Ever notice they all have a junk yard of spare parts behind the fence.

[Frank DuVal]

The largest group of used car auction houses are:

 

https://www.manheim.com

 

We have one locally and I have been there a few times with friends who are dealers. The vast majority of low end used cars that go through there now are bought by "Buy Here pay here" lots,  and foreigners. They even have shipping companies on site with prices for container loads going to various places around the word. Never seen a "junkyard" operator there, but they could have been.

 

These auctions go through thousands of cars a week.

 

Now I have also been to abandoned vehicle auctions and there are lots of "used parts emporium"  operators there.😁

 

Ah, CarMax, the last piece of Circuit City!😉