Car Buyers Consider Themselves Smart Shoppers, According to CarMax Survey

RICHMOND, Va. October 21, 2010; According to a recent telephone survey conducted for CarMax, Inc. , the nation's largest retailer of used cars, more Americans view themselves as a smart shopper when it comes to the car buying process.

Nearly sixty percent of Americans say smart shopper is the phrase that best describes them during the car buying process. The hagglers were a distant second at 13 percent, with data-crunchers following at 11 percent. However, parents are crunching the numbers a bit more; 17 percent of parents with children under 18 identified themselves as data-cruncher versus 8 percent of respondents with no young children.

"Lower price, less depreciation, and more options and features are just a few of the reasons buying a used car is a smart choice," said Troy Flaherty, Mid-Atlantic region vice president of purchasing. "At CarMax, customers get quality, selection and guarantees at a price that fits any budget; it's smart shopping done right."

The following are the results of the recent poll that asked adults: "Which of the following phrases would you use to best describe yourself during the car buying process?


Responses		Percent
Smart shopper		59%
Haggler		13%
Data-cruncher		11%
Worry-wart		7%
Impulse buyer		4%

The survey was conducted by Ipsos Public Affairs on behalf of CarMax. The national, random sample consisted of more than 1,000 U.S. adults who were interviewed by telephone during August 19 & August 22, 2010. Of those surveyed, 3 percent had no response.

Consumers can search thousands of quality used cars on carmax.com or visit their local CarMax store to browse a large selection of vehicles. Each vehicle is reconditioned, goes through a more than 125-point inspection for quality and comes with a free online Vehicle History Report. Consumers can search vehicles from 30 top brands by fuel economy and features, read customer reviews, review reliability ratings by J.D. Power and Associates and obtain safety ratings by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, all on carmax.com. All vehicles come with a five-day, money-back guarantee and a limited 30-day warranty (60-day in Conn.).

About CarMax

CarMax, a FORTUNE 500 company, and one of the FORTUNE 2010 "100 Best Companies to Work For," is the nation's largest retailer of used cars. Headquartered in Richmond, Va., we currently operate 103 used car superstores in 49 markets. The CarMax consumer offer is structured around four customer benefits: low, no-haggle prices; a broad selection; high quality vehicles; and customer-friendly service. During the fiscal year ended February 28, 2010, the company retailed 357,129 used vehicles and sold 197,382 wholesale vehicles at our in-store auctions. For more information, access the CarMax website at www.carmax.com.