Asking for my spousal unit - he’s nervous about buying a car this way, but he’s found several that he’s really interested in. So I told him I’d ask my Doper associates about their or their friends’ experiences with the company.
Thanks!
Have he tried looking for what he wants through Gubagoo.com? My roommate WFH for them and from what I’ve seen her do working with buyers, compared to my hideous experiences with CarMax, that might be worth trying. He knows what he wants, right?
I don’t have any experience except with CarMax and just the sound of their name makes me want to run screaming from the room.
May the force be with him 
Carvana has car vending machines. If you want a car from one of those you better bring a lot of quarters.
- It doesn’t take Canadian quarters.
- It doesn’t give back change.
- If the machine jams and you try to shake it loose, there is a good chance the building will fall on you.
Comedians, the lot of ya!!!
I did a search and wound up on the BBB site, where the company gets a whopping 1.64 out of 5 stars. Biggest complaint seems to be that it takes for-freekin’-ever to get title and registrations issues resolved, followed by high dissatisfaction with customer service over the phone. Even the one positive review I read mentioned the long wait to get tags and title. Since we played that game before with a brick-and-mortar dealer (who ended up in jail) I think our decision has been made.
Especially since spousal unit is looking for a higher-end vehicle that seems to be hard to find locally. Thanks for the giggles!
I purchased a late model Toyota Avalon through Carvana recently. I was pretty happy with the experience. The car had a few scratches and blemishes in the finish, and a mechanical issue, but Carvana’s warranty company SilverRock took care of them pretty painlessly. They didn’t fix ALL the scratches and blemishes, but the worst of them.
I did use Carvana’s financing as it was competitive with all other options, and the financing approval and actual purchase was quick and easy. They delivered the car to my home.
Short version: I would do it again.
I don’t know about buying through them, but they are making very generous offers for used cars. I got a quote for my 2013 vehicle that was almost what I paid for it 2 years ago.
I try.
Yikes. Back away, slowly. Consumer Reports is also good but damn hard to access without actually subscribing. I used to just bop down to my library to consult their hard copies but now, for obvious reasons, I’m almost ready to pony up fir a subscription.
Which specific Caddie/features is he pining for?
The CTS coupe with all the toys - 2013/14 models. Coupes are hard to find, and he refuses to consider the sedan. I hate coupes, but it won’t be my car, so whatever…
I went and looked at pictures on the web-pretty car. I understand wanting a coupe-I had one for 3 weeks (Honda Civic Spirts coupe, all the whiz bang features, very low mileage, lived its life in Arizona, in a garage, pearl white). Had it for all of 3 weeks before a cretin wiped into it parked and totaled it. I hadn’t even gotten plates on it yet. I looked for another coupe for months, finally gave up and got a perfectly adequate sedan. Boring. The coupes are nice once you no longer have to put kids in and out of car seats in the back seat. The one door is bigger and just easier to get in and out of. Plus, the coupe just is sportier. I get it. I wish him luck. Patience is useful too.
Disregard.
We almost bought a car from them but when it got to financing their rates were crazy high. Went with car max instead and got the same type of car for the same price, good financing deal and no hassles. Clearly people’s experience with carmax can vary.
I’m kind of tempted to buy a car from Carvana just to see the vending machine thing.
My daughter bought a car from Carvana last year. I strongly advised her to get it checked out by a mechanic (they have a one-week return window), but I don’t think she did. Anyway, she’s happy with the car and hasn’t had any problems with it. I have to admit it’s a pretty nice car.
No matter what their policy is a state’s Lemon Law may over-ride it. That’s not the same as a return, but it does obligate them to correct problems with a car and usually requiring a replacement after a certain number of repairs or amount of cost.
Did she have any issues getting the title or registration? That seemed to be the biggest complaint on the BBB site.
Nope, no issues with that as far as I know.
Don’t know about everywhere, but in August, for my running, mostly fine but a little wear 2007 Mini Cooper S with only 68K miles? They offered my $100. There aren’t any zeroes I forgot to type. $100.
I bought a car on Carvana in January. It was a great experience, very easy and I was able to get the exact car I wanted in the color I wanted, a 2018 model with 10K miles on it.
I did all the paperwork online. I had the option of picking it up from a car vending machine about 30 miles away or getting it delivered for free. I chose the free delivery. They brought it over on a carrier truck and we finished the paperwork. The woman that delivered it waited in the truck while I test drove it -It was a cold and rainy day, I offered to let her wait inside my house and have a cup of coffee, there were other people at home, but she declined. It must be policy.
I was happy with the car and for me the extensive selection was the best feature of Carvana and the reason I went with them. I did not have to make any of the compromises I associate with purchasing a used car. I got a late model, low mileage Jeep in the make model, style and color I wanted, and the color was not a common one.
I only had one frustration. I was buying the car outright - I did not need financing. But I could not get around giving them my income info. I called them and they confirmed I couldn’t bypass it. I did not want to deal any financing offers because I don’t finance depreciating assets. At their suggestion I just put in a ridiculously low annual income which let me effectively bypass the financing offers .
My first 3 cars were coupes (went to four door when I had a kid). One thing that people that don’t regularly spend time on two door cars tend not to know is that because the doors are longer, it’s considerably harder to get in and out in a tight parking spot since you can’t open the doors very far.