My only objection is to the vending towers - which I find ugly. Skokie IL just allowed the construction of one right next to a forest preserve and right down the street from the Holocaust Museum. I understand that zoning would have allowed an even larger building on the site, but a stupid vertical parking lot kinda bugs me.
Ha! I made that same joke when I picked up my car. They Caravan guy made a slightly exasperated sound and said, “Everyone says that.”
I bought a vehicle on Carvana - the entire process couldn’t have been easier. They delivered the car in a week’s time, as promised. I also got the plates and registration within the timelines they mentioned.
Besides I got a hefty discount on an almost brand-new car too (it was the height of the pandemic). So yes I had a wonderful experience with Carvana. But this was in 11/2020 - been hearing bad news lately. Still, I believe they are very genuine and take the trouble to keep their customers happy.
I’m not sure if this would work in my car. There’s no free space for the little screen. It would have to go on top of something else (radio, vents, etc.) which I’m not sure would work, plus I need to use all of those other things.
It can go a lot of spots–I put on the A pillar (front left in a car). Also, I have a 2010 Dodge 1500 with 191k on it. Admittedly I’ve had it since new and have taken care of it, but (knock, knock) it’s doing great. Which is good since my F150 Lightning will be next year if I’m lucky. Have you had the AC diagnosed more than a leak test?
My niece has bought several cars from Carvana. She said it worked very well.
There are backup cameras that are mounted inside the rearview mirror (you replace your rearview mirror with the one with the backup screen in it). It is a normal rearview mirror until you put it in reverse, then a small screen comes on. One came stock in my 2010 Mercury Milan Hybrid, but they sell them aftermarket as well. So it can be done without interfering with anything on your dash.
The point is that even if you have to put a couple thousand into fixing the problems with your car (fix the air conditioning, add a backup camera, perhaps address the cosmetic damage), you might be better off than buying a new or used car. You said your car is a 2010 model with about 118,000 miles. Really, that’s not very old nor a huge number of miles these days.
Edited to add that twelve years old is just average today, so it’s not even exceptionally old.
Does anyone have early payment penalties anymore?
What car do you own? You might be a good detail and a reputable AC service from being ok…
I had a good experience with Shift.
Second, Prius command a price premium (largely deserved). You might look at the Chevy Volt. I never thought I would buy a Chevy, but the Volt is hella fun to drive and was significantly cheaper than a Prius a year ago when I got one for my son. My son is a little irritated at how much his mother and I “borrow” “his car.”
Thank you all for the helpful information. I’m filing it all away so I can hopefully make some wise decisions.
Since I started this, I think I should share more about the complicated mess that this whole situation is. I started out looking for a compact SUV with a lot of cargo space. I’m learning how to play the harp, and I would like to be able to get it out of the house so I can play it for other people. I’m not going to be ready to do that right away, but maybe by the end of the year.
What’s making this complicated is, I can fit a RAV4 or something similar into my budget, but I really want a hybrid, which costs more. I can probably do that in two or three years, but I don’t want to keep my car (2010 Ford Focus) for that long. So I could buy a cheaper car now, and trade it in in my dream car in a few years. I am looking at hybrids, but I haven’t found any used cars that are in my price range other than the Prius. I am open to any options now, but I really would like to be driving a newer car. But saving money is a very good thing, too. 
I would hope not, it every once in a while I hear a horror story about such things, usually associated with one of those “buy here, pay here” places.
There’s a Carvana vending machine in Westminster, near where I live. I’ve never used it, but I imagine you’d have to stand there all day, feeding quarters into it.
I’d also be nervous about picking a car from the top row. It would seem to have to fall a L-O-O-O-O-NG way to get to the tray at the bottom, and I don’t think that would do the car a whole lot of good.
Also, if a Prius is what you like, why would going somewhere else mean you’d have to get a Mustang?
Well, my plans for a new car have been put on hold for a few years until prices get sane again. I’d suggest that sucking it up and driving the ol’ rattletrap is much more economical (and if my car guy can keep a '99 Subaru going, you can deal with a Focus). Especially after you invent the Rooftop Harp Rack.
(I do have a friend who travels the country with his wife’s harp in the trunk… not sure what model he’s got)
Exactly.
That’s the vending machine I went to. They give you a gian coin to use, which they then give back as a souvenir. I asked if I could just use the coin again, another joke the guy there had probably heard a few too many times.
My car was on the top row. I kind of got the feeling they do that on purpose for people coming by on the schedule just so the music and light show can run a little longer.
When I try to use a vending machine, too often my Peanut M&Ms get stuck, and then I have to buy another one to try to knock the first one loose. I can’t do that with cars.
The Mustang is an option because it would be nice to have a fun car for a little while. I do need to make the switch to hybrid soon, but maybe not right away. I’ve seen some Priuses I liked on Carvana, and the Mustangs are at local dealers.
I am interested in what kind of car this is, but I have a feeling it’s probably too big for me. I can’t handle a larger car, because I don’t have depth perception. It would be a lot easier if I could just get a larger SUV.
I made this harp myself, so the roof rack is not an option. It needs to ride in style and comfort.
We sold a 2009 Prius to Carvana a couple of months ago and it was a great experience. They essentially worked exactly as advertised… we got an online quote, they came over when they said they would, gave the car a cursory look over, and handed us a check for the expected amount. Then they came in the middle of the night presumably with a truck and took it away; it was gone in the morning.
They gave us what I would have expected to get if I attempted to sell the car privately. Obviously with a lot less hassle. There are some other services that do this (Shift? CarMax?) but their quotes were laughably off. Like $1000 or $2000 versus the just under $8000 Carvana gave us. I guess if they’re vastly overpaying for cars it explains why they’re not doing so great. I’m not sure how this anecdote plays out for whoever is buying a Prius from Carvana. It feels like they’d have to sell it for a lot to make this work, but the market is so weird right now my ability to predict what’s sane or not is shot.
I was surprised by how little attention they paid to the car. I had marked that it had some dents and even a bit of rust in one location but that barely made a difference in the offer. And the guy didn’t spend any time inspecting it at all.
Looks like not anymore