A woman who bought a 2014 Subaru from CarMax nine months ago is having issues with the car now. She is blaming the dealership for those issues.
Creator Twig (@heyitstwig25) decided to signal-boost her complaint on TikTok with a few different videos. The original, which went up on Saturday, has more than 131,000 views as of Sunday. A similar follow-up video got more than 16,000 views in a slightly shorter timespan.
“Hey, Carmax, let’s talk about how you sold me a 2014 Subaru for $15,000 less than nine months ago, and now it’s already undriveable and needing a new transmission and a new engine,” she begins her complaint. “And I’m honestly kind of thinking that this doesn’t feel like bad luck on my part, but negligence on yours.”
Twig continues, “I know I’m not the only person who’s driven a car off of your lot and had this happen less than a year after purchase, so it makes me wonder if you guys actually did your 125-point engine check before you sold me this car.”
The TikToker alleges that “as reputable as [CarMax] claim to be,” she says it’s “kind of ironic” that the car they sold her stopped working after having it for less than a year.
She then threatens to weaponize her social media holdings—she has about 60,000 followers on TikTok—saying, “Now I’m really hoping that you’ll make this right, but if you don’t, I have no issue continuing to go public until this blows the [expletive] up.”
Twig says she’s tried to reach CarMax via multiple channels without a response.
What is this 125-point engine check she speaks of?
In an article on the CarMax site titled “How CarMax Cars Reach the Lot,” the company asserts that its auto technicians “perform a 125+ point inspection process on each vehicle. A small sample of our inspection includes checking engine components and associated systems for proper operation, leaks, abnormal noises, corrosion, bad connections, or excessive wear.
“We spend hours replacing parts, fixing major dents or scratches, and detailing to make every car feel like new,” it continues. “Once a vehicle completes this process, it’s officially CarMax Certified, which means it meets or exceeds our high standards for quality.”
But a Redditor on the r/carmax forum contended, “I bought a vehicle that I had test driven & found multiple issues after purchase that are making me really question their inspection process, as I had it shipped to a location near me, which meant it should have been inspected twice?”
That led one to respond, “I also purchased a car for them and found many issues after purchase- window chips, dents, scrapes, etc. But almost more concerning was that there were many areas not cleaned. I even found several items that belonged to the previous owner. It led me to believe that 1. The prior owner didn’t take good care of the car and 2. Carmax didn’t do a thorough inspection or cleaning. I returned the car within the 30-day window and received a refund.”
Viewers line up against her
In Twig’s apparent bid for online support, she found a number of people who thought she was in the wrong.
“Girl 9 months is way to long to blame the dealer,” one noted.
“PLEASE CARMAX DONT GIVE HER MONEY BACK,” another wrote.
“Yea, especially the way she ended the video,” someone else responded. “She felt entitled. Nobody is gonna be on her side.”
“The car is 11 years old at this point and you’ve had it nine months already,” someone else pointed out. “Even with multipoint inspections, failures can happen at any time.”
Finally, someone else predicted, “How much y’all want to bet she’s going to start a go fund me/ask for donations lol.”
@heyitstwig25 @CarMax #nightmare ♬ original sound – heyitstwig
The Daily Dot has reached out to the creator via Instagram and TikTok direct message and to CarMax via email.
Update April 11, 2025:
In a direct message to the Daily Dot, Twig, who says she and her family have been Carmax customers for 20 years, says she is glad her video went viral.
“This is not just happening to me. It’s happening to countless other Carmax customers,” she said. “I hope my post gets their attention and they reach out in good faith to make this right.”
She continued, “Anybody should be able to buy a car from anyone and not have to replace the entire transmission and engine within the first nine months.”
In an email to the Daily Dot, CarMax confirmed it is indeed looking into the matter.
“Customer service is CarMax’s top priority, and we are actively reaching out to the customer to see how we can best assist,” a spokesperson said in a statement.
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