A woman went to Carmax to test drive and purchase a Chevrolet Camaro. Four hours later, she was still there.
Now she's fuming.
TikTok creator Koty (@kotygracie) posted a video about the situation over the weekend. In the video, she explains that she spent four hours at Carmax waiting on paperwork and documentation.
“I’m sitting here thinking that I’m about to walk out of this door with these keys in my hand any second now,” she says. “And then [the saleswoman] goes over to verify our paperwork and I need additional documents. Documents that I don’t have. Documents that I don’t even know how to get.”
Koty was exasperated by this point.
“So now I’m sitting here eating my McDonald’s because I haven’t eaten anything all day,” she says. “And I’m [mad] because I just waited four hours. My mom is about to come and try to be my cosigner instead so that I don’t need those documents. But, dog, I’m really aggravated right now. Hopefully I still get the car today.”
In an update, Koty reveals that she did not in fact leave with the blue Camaro of her dreams after four hours. She says that she was still waiting six-and-a-half hours later.
"If I walk out this [expletive] today with a blue Camaro, it's going to make it all worth it," she says.
Based on a subsequent posts, she appears to have finally (finally) secured the Camaro.
"I got my new car and she is so pretty! I love her so much," she says in one.
Why Did It Take So Long To Buy A Car At Carmax?
In the comments section of the video, several viewers questioned why it would take so long for Koty to purchase a car at Carmax.
“Good credit is the key to getting your own loan,” said one. “Getting your own loan takes less than an hour.” Koty replied that she has a 740 credit score, which is considered “very good,” according to Experian.
A second person said, “I bought a vehicle from Carmax. I did everything online and was at the dealership for 10 minutes.”
“I’m 39 and for the last five plus vehicles I’ve not been asked to provide any documentation,” a third person said. “They ran my credit and we signed a couple of things and we’re out the door.”
What Factors Can Make It Take Longer To Buy A Car?
A Reddit user posted to r/carmax two years ago to ask why shopping at Carmax can take anywhere from a few minutes to several hours. It can depend on your credit, whether you've bought a car there (or anywhere else) before, how much and whether you're financing, and if you've recently moved.
“As someone who’s bought five plus cars from Carmax over the years and used to work in sales there, it fully depends on how busy the store is when they come in,” one commenter wrote. “As well as how difficult the approval process is for the customer.”
The commenter continued, “Some customers are approved quickly with no additional documents needed. Some need many documents that can take a while to get together and must be reviewed and approved by the business office before the purchase can be completed.”
A second commenter agreed. “A good sales consultant can finalize in like 40-50 minutes if the business office isn’t busy,” they wrote. “If you go during rush hour or on a Saturday, don’t expect to be out immediately.”
In general, Carmax asks for a valid driver’s license, proof of insurance, proof of income, proof of residence, address verification, and verified contact information.
Motor1 contacted Koty and Carmax via email for comment. We'll update this article if either replies.
