Appraisal wisdom / Anyone sold to Carmax?

[Thjerm]

Seeking collective wisdom of all you experts here. Anyone ever sold to Carmax? I've got an immaculate 2011 F10 5-series (528i, N52 six cylinder) one-owner no accidents/issues with 52,250 miles! (was train commuter mostly) Imperial blue over Gray leather car is a 9.9 / 10 Always garaged and fully documented dealership maintenance file with all new tires and battery 6 most ago. Cold weather, xenons, premium package, 8 speed auto, but no NAV.

Got a low 5 figure offer from Carmax but wondering if I try to sell myself could I get 15-20% more? Thinking CCA Roundel ad, targeting BMW local clubs and blogs asking $13,595 am I nuts? What do you Bimmer guys (and gals) think? Only selling to get pre-owned 7-series. Thanks very much for any thoughts!

[MarcoZandrini]

Go to the various used car websites and see what similar cars are going for. That’ll give you a rough estimate of the car’s value. Advertising it in the Roundel is good idea.

[White94RX]

Of course you're going to get more if you sell it yourself. Carmax is going to low-ball you because they're going to resell it, and they have to make a profit.

[Thjerm]

Thanks guys all good points. Carmax has lots of overhead costs...BUT they're looking for almost $5,000 profit. In IL private party deals under $15k pay flat $50 sales tax vs. a dealer around $900 so a good head start. Low mile 2011 528s are dealer advertised for $14-16K.

I'm guessing sellers should haggle down $500 - $1000 I'd be happy to clear $13k....whats weird is all websites NADA Edmunds etc. spit out low #s to help dealers justify trades but I've had buyers show up with these printouts trying to do better its maddening! I've got a perfect carfax, 1-owner no accidents, full dealer maintenance, new tires & battery, upgraded 18" wheels etc so trying to add this on top of their calculations is not easy.

[Matt Cramer]

Carmax won't pay as much as you'd get if you sold the car yourself, but the upside is that it's convenient and you'll have the car sold in a half-hour rather than spending hours putting it up for sale. For a car that's going to definitely be worth extra to the right person, I think you'll make significantly more selling it yourself. I would expect the split between what you could sell the car for and what Carmax will pay to be a bit smaller for a more commodity-like car (e.g. a four cylinder automatic Honda Accord with average mileage) than something with an enthusiast following, but I could be wrong.

[ross1]

If you don't want to bother with preparing the car for sale and or dealing with tire kickers, dreamers, scammers, lonely people and other assorted time wasters you'll likely encounter selling on your own then selling at wholesale is the way to go.
Carmax or any other dealer with overhead ain't gonna' pay top dollar so they can deal with all of the above plus any after sale problems that could arise. Dealers also have the advantage of being able to put folks who can't afford what they are buying behind the wheel so can extract a premium price you'll never see for that.
With all the specifics given about your particular car your post seems a thinly disguised FS post.
Add 10% to Carmax's offer (they buy smart) , post it on the interwebs along with Carmax's quote and you'll sell it quickly