CarMax vs NW Motors
CarMax is a national used-car chain. NW Motors is one family-owned lot in Mundelein, in Lake County. This page sets side by side what each company publishes about itself — nothing more. Every CarMax fact below is quoted from a CarMax document, with a link and the date we read it; every NW Motors fact links to the page on this site that already states it. Where CarMax's published terms are longer or broader than ours, the row says so in plain words. We are not affiliated with CarMax. This page is not a price comparison — for a price on a specific car, ask both of us. Last checked: September 8, 2026.
Sources last checked September 8, 2026
NW Motors is an independent used-car dealership. We are not affiliated with, endorsed by, sponsored by, or authorized by CarMax. CarMax's name is used only to identify the dealership being compared, and it belongs to its owner. The information about CarMax on this page was taken from CarMax's public filings and website on the dates shown in each row and may have changed since — please check with them directly before you buy. Prices shown exclude tax, title, license, and our documentary fee of $324.24; a documentary fee is not an official fee and is not required by law. Financing is subject to credit approval. We do not offer guaranteed approval and we do not skip credit checks. Call or text (224) 243-7171 — se habla español.
Where each dealership operates
CarMax's annual report to the SEC for the fiscal year ended February 28, 2026 states: "As of February 28, 2026, we operated 256 used car stores in 110 U.S. television markets." The store-count-by-state table in the same filing lists 11 stores in Illinois. The filing does not say which cities those stores are in, and CarMax's Illinois store directory at carmax.com/stores/il did not return a readable page to us on 8 September 2026 — check it yourself. The same filing also states: "Upon request by a customer, we will transfer virtually any used vehicle in our inventory." These figures are as of the date of that filing.
Source: CarMax, Inc. Form 10-K, fiscal year ended February 28, 2026 (U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission) (as of February 28, 2026)
Read the source →One lot, at 2459 S IL Route 83, Mundelein, IL 60060, in Lake County. Open Mon–Fri 9–7 · Sat 9–6; closed Sunday. Everything we sell is parked at that address.
Where we already say this:
apps/storefront/src/lib/site/dealer-config.ts— the address and the open hours, rendered via resolveDealerConfig() and hoursSummary(locale) -- never hand-typed
What comes with the car
CarMax's quarterly report to the SEC for the quarter ended May 31, 2026 states: "As part of our customer service strategy, we guarantee the used vehicles we retail with a 30-day limited warranty. A vehicle in need of repair within this period will be repaired free of charge." Its annual report for the fiscal year ended February 28, 2026 says the same, and adds: "We stand behind every retail used vehicle we sell with our 10-day money-back guarantee and a 30-day limited warranty." Those filings do not describe which components the 30-day warranty covers. CarMax's published warranty term has changed within the past two years, so confirm the term in force with CarMax before you buy.
Source: CarMax, Inc. Form 10-Q, quarter ended May 31, 2026 (SEC); corroborated by its Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended February 28, 2026 — https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1170010/000117001026000021/kmx-20260228.htm (as of May 31, 2026)
Read the source →Three coverages come with every vehicle we sell, at no extra charge: a 7-day bumper-to-bumper warranty, a 3-day exchange, and 3-month / 3,000-mile powertrain coverage. Our own words on the limits: "The bumper-to-bumper part runs seven days. Not seven months." and "The powertrain part runs 3 months / 3,000 miles, and it covers the powertrain — not everything under the hood, and not wear items." Warranty work is done at our own service department in Mundelein. Whether anything is payable at drop-off is stated in the paperwork for your specific vehicle. Said plainly: CarMax's included warranty runs longer than our bumper-to-bumper coverage — 30 days against 7. Our longest included coverage, 3 months / 3,000 miles, is powertrain only, which is a narrower thing than a bumper-to-bumper warranty. We are not claiming to beat CarMax on warranty length.
Where we already say this:
apps/storefront/src/app/(site)/warranty/WarrantyView.tsx— the three coverages, their self-stated limits, where warranty work is done, and that every vehicle includes all three while the Buyers Guide governs the specific car
Returning the car after you buy it
CarMax's quarterly report for the quarter ended May 31, 2026 states: "As part of our customer service strategy, we guarantee the retail vehicles we sell with a 10-day money-back guarantee." The same term appears in its annual report for the fiscal year ended February 28, 2026. Those filings do not set out the conditions of the guarantee — ask CarMax for the terms that would apply to your purchase.
Source: CarMax, Inc. Form 10-Q, quarter ended May 31, 2026 (SEC); corroborated by its Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended February 28, 2026 (as of May 31, 2026)
Read the source →Every vehicle includes a 3-day exchange, at no extra charge. We do not paraphrase the exchange terms on a web page: what it allows and how you use it is stated in the documents you sign for your specific car. Call (224) 243-7171 and we will read you the actual terms — before you buy, ideally. Said plainly: CarMax's published return window is longer than our exchange window — 10 days against 3.
Where we already say this:
apps/storefront/src/app/(site)/warranty/WarrantyView.tsx— the 3-day exchange and the refusal to paraphrase its terms; the exchange as one of the three included coverages
How the price is set
CarMax's annual report for the fiscal year ended February 28, 2026 describes fixed, no-haggle pricing, with each part of the deal priced separately: "Customers can accept or decline any individual element of the offer without affecting the price or terms of any other component of the offer." CarMax's own page about document and processing fees did not return a readable page to us on 8 September 2026, so we state nothing about what a CarMax store adds to the price — ask them directly.
Source: CarMax, Inc. Form 10-K, fiscal year ended February 28, 2026 (SEC) (as of February 28, 2026)
Read the source →Our price is not negotiated up or down at the desk: "The price you see is the price on the windshield." The only charge we add is our documentary fee of $324.24, plus tax, title and license. Illinois caps documentary fees and adjusts that cap every January; the figure above is the amount we charge, not the cap. A documentary fee is not an official fee and is not required by law.
Where we already say this:
apps/storefront/src/components/vdp/VdpContent.tsx— the windshield-price stance and the doc fee as the only add-onapps/storefront/src/lib/site/dealer-facts.ts— the doc fee amount, always rendered through docFee(locale) — never hand-typed
BBB accreditation status
The Better Business Bureau's profile for CarMax, Inc. (Richmond, VA) shows a BBB rating of A+ and states: "CarMax , Inc. is NOT a BBB Accredited Business." The BBB profiles for its two Illinois stores say the same in their own words: "CarMax Superstore-Schaumburg is NOT a BBB Accredited Business." and "CarMax Superstore-Naperville is NOT a BBB Accredited Business." Both stores are rated A+ too. All three profiles read on bbb.org on 8 September 2026 — each one is linked below.
Source: Better Business Bureau profile, CarMax, Inc. (Richmond, VA), read 8 September 2026 (as of September 8, 2026)
Read the source →Source: Better Business Bureau profile, CarMax Superstore-Schaumburg (Schaumburg, IL), read 8 September 2026 (as of September 8, 2026)
Read the source →Source: Better Business Bureau profile, CarMax Superstore-Naperville (Naperville, IL), read 8 September 2026 (as of September 8, 2026)
Read the source →The Better Business Bureau's profile for our dealership at 2459 S IL Route 83, Mundelein (https://www.bbb.org/us/il/mundelein/profile/used-car-dealers/northwest-motors-inc-0654-1000049923) shows a BBB rating of A+ and "BBB Accredited Since: 5/16/2025". Read on bbb.org on 8 September 2026. Both businesses carry the same A+ letter grade. BBB Accreditation is a separate status that a business applies for and pays for; it is not a higher rating, and BBB states that customer reviews are not used in calculating the letter grade.
Where we already say this:
apps/storefront/src/lib/site/dealer-facts.ts— the BBB_ACCREDITATION constant -- accreditation status, letter grade, accredited-since date and as-of date, owner-confirmed 2026-09-08
Questions about anything on this page?
Call, text, or come see a car in person — we would rather answer it directly than have you guess.