First and foremost, CarMax sales managers are underpaid compared to the industry. Your base will be around 45k to 50k, bonuses around 20k. Total comp, less options, will more than likely be 55k to possibly 70k, 70k is a stretch. Compare that to the industry national average of all car sales managers which is 109k. Even their biggest competitors pay more, AutoNation on the low end base is 72k and a lot of their managers make over 100k regularly, Lithia Motors also 73k to 117k. So just be aware.
Micromanagement is the name of the game at CarMax. If you do not like a micromanaged environment then you will not like working here. Expect to be told step by step how to do your job and under no circumstances should you deviate from that, even if you are able to be more efficient and productive. Just don't.
There are a lot of politics in the store and company (these politics go to the highest levels too). Think of it as high school but with grown ups. I saw certain exceptional performing associates be targeted just because a member of management didn't like them. And on the other hand I saw lackluster associates move up the ladder because they sucked up to members of management yet should've never been considered. Either way, if you want a career here you MUST play the game. Do not rock the boat. Be a yes man/woman. Do not offer legit feedback unless it's positive. Do not expect to move up based on how well you perform or how well you lead. It's very political. The training, while the training is a huge focus here (pro), do not offer them feedback on it, even if they ask you to. If you give them any feedback on the training just tell them it's great the way it is. If you say anything other than how great it is they will interpret that as how much you hate it and want to do it your own way. There is also a ton of busy work. That is, assignments and tasks that have no added value to you or your sales team. Keep in mind there is always someone, whether it be senior store management, SDL's, corporate or regional personnel who are trying to "leave their mark" so there is constantly new tasks being thought up that in reality will impair your ability to be a successful sales manager. If you have bad senior's (store upper management) or bad regional level management you will not like it. I was fortunate enough to experience both. Some senior store managers are amazing people, managers who you can look up to and seek their guidance. Same with regional managers, some are incredible leaders and the type of people you strive to perform well for. Then you have the senior managers who are toxic, kill morale and make you want to just fly under the radar enough to get by. There are some regional managers who make you wonder how they ever got to that level, some have a chip on their shoulders so you have to be on the lookout.
