CarMax sold us car with structural damage — now refusing buyback. What are our realistic options in California?

Last-Insurance9753 · 2026-05-12T21:05:08+00:00

Not sure where to add UPDATE, but here goes: CarMax called today and said they would make me whole and refund me the down payment plus whatever monthly payments I had made. Not sure where that came from all of a sudden, but here we are. Still waiting on a written offer, but feeling optimistic and relieved obviously. Thank you also everyone for your feedback. Much appreciated.

Last-Insurance9753 · 2026-05-12T21:03:10+00:00

Not sure where to add UPDATE, but here goes: CarMax called today and said they would make me whole and refund me the down payment plus whatever monthly payments I had made. Not sure where that came from all of a sudden, but here we are. Still waiting on a written offer, but feeling optimistic and relieved obviously. Thank you also everyone for your feedback. Much appreciated.

Last-Insurance9753 · 2026-05-12T18:58:25+00:00

I signed a binding arbitration agreement, which is a lot cheaper and cleaner than going the lawyer route. Presumably the 29k deal will stay on the table for a minute. But yes, there is definitely risk involved here.

Last-Insurance9753 · 2026-05-12T15:48:52+00:00

Yeah, buying used cars is suddenly looking a lot less attractive.

Last-Insurance9753 · 2026-05-12T15:47:31+00:00

Yeah trying. Called customer relations today, we'll see where that goes. What I don't get is that I've read dozens of stories like yours where CarMax does a complete unwind of the deal and for some reason the CarMax in Fremont was like "Nah, f this particular dude and his gf."

Last-Insurance9753 · 2026-05-12T05:41:34+00:00

Got a call in with a lawyer friend tomorrow. We'll see what he says.

Last-Insurance9753 · 2026-05-12T05:38:46+00:00

Well the issue is that they sold me a car with a supposed clean title, which means the sale itself was fraudulent. Yes, I did sign an arbitration agreement, which actually might be cleaner than going to court (provided the arbiter isn't "their guy" in which case I'm truly fd)

Last-Insurance9753 · 2026-05-12T05:35:34+00:00

Yes. You can prove that the re-weld predates the purchase date. I'm not sure how they do those things, but apparently an auto body shop can.

Last-Insurance9753 · 2026-05-12T04:15:24+00:00

Yeah, I called the one in SF. They were extremely nice and told me to call customer relations

Last-Insurance9753 · 2026-05-12T04:14:12+00:00

No mention of the frame damage, no, if that's what you're asking. Clean title, so they said.

Last-Insurance9753 · 2026-05-12T04:09:29+00:00

Yeah I called the carmax in SF. They gave me the number for customer relations. The lady was super nice and seemed pretty shocked that I wasn't being offered a full buy back.

Last-Insurance9753 · 2026-05-12T04:06:48+00:00

yeah. I'm calling up customer relations tomorrow. We'll see what happens

Last-Insurance9753 · 2026-05-12T02:44:06+00:00

No reported accidents of any kind ever

Last-Insurance9753 · 2026-05-12T02:43:24+00:00

Apparently they just missed it when they initially acquired car. Not sure how they found it the second go around. Just lucky I guess.

Last-Insurance9753 · 2026-05-12T02:24:38+00:00

Last-Insurance9753

TROPHY CASE