CarMax ??

A lot of people like it. Around here, they are so busy sometimes there is a waiting line for salespeople to get to the customers. I've never bought a car there though.

there? Thanks.

They're excellent. As far as I'm concerned, if you're buyng used, it's the best way to go if there's one near by. (Most people don't live near a Carmax, though.) The prices aren't negotiable but are fair. Absolute minimum of hassle and games. They don't sell beaters to customers (they wholesale their beater trade-ins out to other used car brokers); they only sell cars they've checked out carefully and believe are in great shape. I bought a 2000 Mitsu Eclipse for my daughter. No problems at all. They have a large inventory at their big dealerships, which gives you a great opportunity to compare and test drive different models to determine what you want. You can buy and try the car out for a few days, and if you or your mechanic finds a problem and don't want to bother having them fix it, or just decide you want something else, you return it and just pay a mileage charge. Very fair. That's the key to Carmax. Instead of an adversarial buyer-vs.-seller arrangement, they try hard to make it win-win. No, I don't work for them!

Most Carmaxes just sell used cars. But one Carmax in Kenosha, Wisconsin, is a new car dealer for Toyotas, as well. You couldn't get (high-demand) Priuses there, last winter, but you could get every other new Toyota model at a great price. After my experience buying used, I drove past several new car Toyota dealers to get to the Kenosha Carmax and bought an '04 Camry there last winter. Also a great experience. Their Camry prices were comparable to the Internet quotes I got from Toyota dealers. They made the best offer on my trade-in, even though it was a beat-up minivan I bet they wholesaled out for only a little more than what they paid me.

I paid cash and didn't finance either of these cars, so I can't comment on financing there.

You can check out their inventory including models, options, and prices at their carmax.com website, linking to the dealer near you. Be advised though that the inventory can be a day or two old, so if there's one particular car on the lot your heart is set on, it may not still be there, so you'd best call ahead before going to be sure it's still there. (Part of their secret is they turn inventory over quickly.) They'll also pull cars for you from other Carmaxes nearby for free or even around the country for what it costs to transport them.

Another thing you need to know: they won't "hold" a car for you, and don't take credit cards even for a deposit as other dealers do. Personal checks are okay if your bank is open so they can verify that the check is good. So bring your checkbook, and if you're trading in, bring your title and all registered owners with you, because if you like a used car, you want to buy it right away. If they put it back on the lot, it may be gone before you get back with your checkbook.