CarMax Invites Customers to 'Do Donuts'

Jason R. Sakurai
by Jason R. Sakurai

CarMax has invited customers to ‘do donuts’ during their test drives, a promotion with Dunkin’ Donuts. For shoppers who take part in CarMax’s 24-hour test drives today through May 16th, they’ll receive a $10 Dunkin’ Donuts gift card.

What encouragement does the general public need to do donuts in CarMax vehicles? The vision of drivers fueled on sugar and caffeine hot lapping used cars is laughable but entirely possible.

“At CarMax, we believe the car-buying experience should be as enjoyable as possible,” said Sarah Lane, vice president, marketing at CarMax. “We want customers to experience a day in their life with their new ride. Since America Runs on Dunkin’, we know that includes a trip through the Dunkin’ drive-thru for their favorite order. Collaborating with Dunkin’ on “Doin’ Donuts” makes CarMax’s 24-Hour Test Drive experience that much sweeter.”

CarMax customers also receive a checklist of ideas of what to do with the vehicle for 24 hours. This includes taking your dog for a drive, packing the trunk to ensure things fit, and going through a drive-through to see if you have enough cupholders. No word on whether they ding you for pet hair, grass, or sprinkles found in the car upon its return from the test drive. Apparently, this was Dunkin’ Donuts’ thinking, too.

“You never know if a car is right for you until you’ve taken it through a Dunkin’ drive-thru,” said Dunkin’s Melanie Rabino. “Making sure your vehicle’s cup holders perform perfectly is the perfect test.”

The other type of donuts, the unsanctioned kind, were not mentioned by either CarMax nor Dunkin’. This promotion marks the second time in recent weeks where CarMax has amped up its media presence.

[Images: CarMax]

Jason R. Sakurai
Jason R. Sakurai

With a father who owned a dealership, I literally grew up in the business. After college, I worked for GM, Nissan and Mazda, writing articles for automotive enthusiast magazines as a side gig. I discovered you could make a living selling ad space at Four Wheeler magazine, before I moved on to selling TV for the National Hot Rod Association. After that, I started Roadhouse, a marketing, advertising and PR firm dedicated to the automotive, outdoor/apparel, and entertainment industries. Through the years, I continued writing, shooting, and editing. It keep things interesting.

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  • FormerFF They can keep the extra horsepower if they'll bring back the manual transmission.
  • Slavuta This car ran out of ideas
  • Fred All I got say is hold on to that steering wheel when the power comes on.
  • Fred Good opportunity to make a racing series for SUVs
  • Wjtinfwb Agree on Caddy interiors, except the Escalade, that looks the business. But the CT and XT ranges are bland, cheap and uninspiring. The exteriors could use some help as well. CT sedans look more like a Volvo or maybe Infiniti product than a high-end American car. Base powertrains leave a lot to be desired as well. CT5's base 2.0L 4 is rough, gravelly and not a very enthusiastic engine for a sport sedan. The V6 and V8 are astounding but drive the base price way up. The 2.0 is more acceptable in the smaller CT4 which is 12k less than the CT5 and the CT4 offers the 2.7L Colorado engine which should provide substantially more thrust than the 2.0 but may be even rougher. I've owned a couple Cadillac's in my life, neither were exceptional or left a longing for another one. Looks like the current lineup is more of the same.
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