Temptation: Carmax Cayman For Little Over Thirty Grand

"Reborn Pyrrhic" (pyrrhic) 06/07/2014 at 17:55 • Filed to: Carmax, used car, Porsche, Cayman, extended warranty

3

12

I am returning to the US in November after three years in Germany, and I am already looking for a car. Of course I am prowling the Carmax website, not only because they have lots of pictures of their cars but because they have that !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! .

!!! UNKNOWN CONTENT TYPE !!!

This is one of them, and at a great price: !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! . The car is a former dealership car, so I imagine it had a few dozen (or hundred) drivers in its 47,000 mile life, and also has a more alarming "accident or vehicle damage" in its Auto Check vehicle report. The report states that "accidents or damage events are a result of vehicle collisions or other non-collision incidents such as vandalism or theft".

A vehicle like this I would only buy after an extensive test drive to ascertain that the car either was not in a crash, or that the accident was a mild one, to make sure the frame is straight. Does Carmax even allow you to drive one of their cars to a third party inspector, say a Porsche specialist, to get an independent evaluation of the car? If they do, I would get the car seen by someone other than Carmax before purchase. I would also buy the approximately $3,000 extended warranty for peace of mind, and enjoy a Cayman for less than $35,000.

Alternatively I could get t !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! , with 34,000 miles, with no accidents, then buy an extended warranty from a place like !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! , or from my bank, !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! , and hope that they cover every thing like the Carmax one does. (Well, I wouldn't really hope they do: I would ask questions and read fine prints before buying the warranty)

Edit: how about !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! for five bucks less than 27 grand?

Seems like there are a lot of Caymans around the $30,000 price point. The crashed car from Carmax might be a gamble, but I would never buy a crashed car just for the Carmax extended warranty. A quick search of Auto Trader shows a lot of these cars around the 30 grand mark:

!!! UNKNOWN CONTENT TYPE !!!

Tom McParland > Reborn Pyrrhic 06/07/2014 at 18:00

4

Your conundrum is why I am working on a post called "CarMax- Not Always the Best Deal"

DoctorNine > Reborn Pyrrhic 06/07/2014 at 18:00

1

Never buy a recently unbent Porsche.

Reborn Pyrrhic > Tom McParland 06/07/2014 at 18:03

2

Yep, looking at their prices I see their premium "no haggle" price means it's a freshened up used car, a used car dealership that looks like a new car dealer, and less headaches due to the fixed prices. Read my edit and see that digging through Auto Trader I found better deals on Caymans for the same price, but without accidents.

Reborn Pyrrhic > DoctorNine 06/07/2014 at 18:06

1

This car would need extensive inspection before purchase. Like the Auto Check report says, the incidents this car went through could range from vandalism to theft to moderate accidents. No real way to know unless Carmax has paperwork to prove that the incident was the car getting keyed, a broken window, or what not. I do however imagine they cannot and will not divulge the car history even if they know it (most likely they really don't).

For Sweden > Tom McParland 06/07/2014 at 18:31

0

Even if the Cayman wasn't wrecked, it isn't a very complicated car; the CarMax markup + extended warranty isn't worth it. It's just not unreliable enough.

Demand less reliability from your CarMax vehicles!

JayZAyEighty thinks C4+3=C7 > Reborn Pyrrhic 06/07/2014 at 19:31

0

I'd probably pick up a nice MkIV Supra TT for that money while I still could and ride an appreciation curve, but the Cayman is beginning to seem like a damned good value for a fantastic newer, balanced sports car wearing a venerated badge. By the way, if you're in the DC area, feel free to shoot me an email at nickdezarn@hotmail.com. We have a huge email group and there will probably be a meetup this summer.

Reborn Pyrrhic > JayZAyEighty thinks C4+3=C7 06/07/2014 at 19:49

0

I am in Germany right now, but moving back to the US later this year, will be living in Newport News. But I am sending you an email anyway. I'll also forward it to my brother, he lives in Alexandria and drives an E30 vert.

JayZAyEighty thinks C4+3=C7 > Reborn Pyrrhic 06/07/2014 at 19:57

0

Awesome, thank you! I managed to forget the Germany part in under 30 seconds, haha. I live in Alexandria as well, and it's pretty rare to see an E30 convertible that is actually driving.

Tom McParland > For Sweden 06/07/2014 at 20:50

0

Exactly!

PardonMyFlemish16 > Reborn Pyrrhic 06/08/2014 at 10:11

0

Base Cayman is not bad but if you are going to cash in on Porsche depreciation you might as well get the S.

Reborn Pyrrhic > PardonMyFlemish16 06/08/2014 at 15:02

0

Yes, especially at that price.

Arrivederci > Tom McParland 06/11/2014 at 16:40

0

CarMax is NOT the best deal - their no haggle pricing isn't that great, and you can find similar models at other dealerships for better prices without much effort. Their benefit is the process of buying a car is straightforward and they offer that great warranty too. That said, if saving cash is your goal, buy private party from an individual listing on the PCA page.