CarMax: One And Done. Painless.

No fun, but a no-brainer.

My sister mentioned that both of my nieces and their husbands are looking for new cars.  Or new used cars.  They both need People Movers capable of ferrying children and/or dogs, luggage for treks to visit relatives, and the Mongolian Hordes that come with raising young children (soccer teams, etc.).  They don't care about cars.  They don't want to waste a lot of time shopping.  I suggested they to go to CarMax and buy a minivan.  Most minivans would do, Japanese or Korean preferred.

Two of my non-buff friends, looking for inexpensive and reliable transportation, bought used cars at CarMax.  Niether enjoyed shopping for cars (who does?).  One chose a Toyota Camry, about 3 years old, with average mileage.  The other chose a Pontiac Grand Am, rather old, with high mileage.  Both were delivered in fine condition and gave reliable service for years.  From what I can tell, CarMax does thorough inspection and reconditioning of its vehicles.  I looked for shortcuts, oversights, and misrepresentations and couldn't find any.

If your shopping habits are "grazer," buying a car at CarMax can consume the better part of an afternoon.  If you're very specific about what you want, you can do the deal in an hour or less from the time you arrive, including a test drive or two.  For those who just want transportation, and an inexpensive and reliable used car, it's hard to do better than CarMax.