Similar car, different mileage, CarMax vs Enterprise

In the market for a used car now as my car was just totaled. Saw a 2019 Mitsubishi Mirage with 114k miles on it at CarMax.. Mileage is pretty high, but CarMax has the MaxCare plan which was good to me in the past when I bought a car from them. Thinking that the care plan would offset some concerns about reliability and high mileage. This car is for $11k, plus some more for the care plan. Carfax shows 2 previous owners, no accidents, owned in Maryland (near where I am).

Then, I went on Enterprise Car Sales to see what they had, and lo and behold, same make and model as the one that caught my eye at CarMax, but newer (2021 Mirage hatchback), and with only 51k miles on it! It's $12k plus fees. Only thing that stood out to me on the carfax for this one was "minor damage" reported a few months ago, before it was listed for sale. Was based in Texas which is a plus compared (less snow/salt damage).

I'm torn between the two of them. Taking both for test drives this weekend, but what does everyone think about buying a lower mileage, newer rental vehicle vs a higher mileage personally owned vehicle (with a carmax plan)? Am I dumb for considering buying a car with 114k miles on it for $11k? Or do people abuse rentals so much that the other one is also a bad deal? I really liked working with CarMax in the past, a lot more peace of mind, which is why I was leaning towards their car.

Posted Oct 10, 2025, 4:10 PM UTC

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