Carvana

The next day, I noticed the car would shake when I would break at speeds while travelling over 40 mph. That was weird. I had already made an appointment with my mechanic for an inspection. He found about $1,500 worth of repairs that needed to be done...rotors, brake pads, gaskets, belts, etc. He added that it was a nice car but would be nicer when I got it fixed.... Ha, ha! So I immediately drove down to the Carvana authorized repair shop (in this case, a Pep Boys) and showed them the estimate. They made an appointment for me for 2 days later....the LAST day I had to return the car if I changed my mind, which concerned me. But I took the car back and was told they would call me. Not long after that, I got a text from SilverRock telling me that all the repairs were covered and I would owe nothing. I picked up the car the following Tuesday. The brakes were fine.

I love the car... It's beautiful and it seems to run well. I have heard stories of dirty cars but I have a feeling Carvana mostly sells them as they buy them and people don't tend to clean their cars much when they sell them, believing the buyer will do that. It's obvious that the 150-point inspection is sketchy at best. Per my mechanic, some repairs were done by Carvana pre-delivery....others were not. And I was sure to research the car online and not trust the Carfax. I only got a half tank of gas, like other people, which is kinda cheap. There was no problem with my registration.... My tags came in a timely manner, which was helpful. It is clear that Carvana can be a good choice when considering purchasing a car. But any negative customer reviews only serve to show they need to improve. I hope they do.

Aside from a few issues which I've detailed below, the vehicle I purchased was what I saw on the website. However, I think Carvana should definitely add a "Known Issues" section to every vehicle they sell, and really inspect their autos more carefully!

The website is somewhat misleading. On the listing page where you see all of the vehicles, many of them read "Free Shipping," but when you look at the details page it will read "$990 Shipping," or some other amount. It's easy to miss if you're not paying attention.

I initially started to purchase a Dodge crossover. All went well until the delivery day when I received a call from Carvana informing me that my delivery driver called off work that day; but that I could pick my vehicle up from the hub, which would've cost me money to take a rideshare. I later learned that, due to poor management locally, the delivery drivers were understaffed and overworked. Essentially, there were 4 drivers trying to do the work of 12!

After cancelling my initial vehicle I bought a 2019 Jeep Cherokee Overland which looked absolutely gorgeous in the pictures. When it arrived (two hours ahead of schedule, actually) I immediately noticed it was dirty, like it had been driven on a rainy day. I also noticed two spots of lime green paint on the leather driver seat! I can't imagine how it got there, but it definitely was NOT in the pictures on the website.

Dodge/Chrysler has a fairly common problem with their 8.4" Uconnect screens which causes the touchscreen layer to "de-laminate" creating a bubble. It looks like a poorly-installed screen protector but it's the factory screen. My Jeep has this issue but it was not listed anywhere on the website. My touchscreen still functions just fine but this issue can result in the screen being unusable, or even pushing buttons by itself!

During the initial purchase process on the website they required address verification, so I sent my most recent paystub and my lease agreement. At 11pm I received an email saying I had to provide a utility bill for more address verification, and it had to be provided by 4pm the following day or they would no longer hold my vehicle and someone else could buy it. Well, I don't receive utility bills in the mail because I pay everything online, and I couldn't explain it to any Carvana employee because no one works 24/7, and I work 7am to 3:30pm. So I basically had 0 time to sort this out. I raced home after work and sent a picture of a car loan invoice which they accepted, but it was a very annoying and stressful process.

Another problem I've noticed on the website, which I think hurts Carvana more than the consumer, is that the people who write the details about the vehicles aren't very accurate. You can look at two identical vehicles and one might list a VVT engine and the other doesn't; but they both come equipped with the same engine. Another example: the 2019 Jeep Cherokee has LED headlights, running lights and tail lights; but you wouldn't know it from reading Carvana's description. But that was an important feature for me.

What it comes down to is whether I would recommend Carvana to a friend, and I would absolutely; but I would give him a few pointers and things to watch out for.

I read about Carvana's 7-day return guarantee and the 100-day warranty. I decided I had nothing to lose by trying it at least once.

Scheduling the delivery was a breeze, although it would take a couple of weeks to have the car transported from the opposite side of the USA; unlike buying from an in-person dealership where you drive it right off the lot. That felt like a fair tradeoff because I didn't have to spend an entire day (stretching into an eternity) negotiating with salesmen and finance managers. The delivery charge was shown right on the Carvana vehicle page-- no hidden numbers or surprises there.

When my car arrived, there were a few things that worried me which were not mentioned in the ad or flagged by the Carvana pre-sale inspections. It had an oil leak, scratches on the front bumper, and rotted/cracked tires. I felt my heart drop because I'd paid a fair price for a car in excellent condition, and it arrived with some potentially serious issues. I was already feeling like I'd made a huge mistake.

Just about that time, I logged back into my Carvana account and it was like they'd read my mind! My new-purchase dashboard popped up and Carvana prompted me to let them know right away about any and all concerns. I didn't need to chase them down to hold them accountable-- they initiated contact with me to make sure everything was in the condition I expected. I went over the car with a fine-tooth comb and my phone camera, then made an exhaustive list of any flaws and concerns. Aside from the oil leak, bad tires and bumper scratches, the rest of the car was great. The oil leak could've been something serious, or it could've been just a bad gasket seal. I wouldn't know until a mechanic looked at it.

TIP: try to schedule your car delivery for a Sunday or Monday, so that the area mechanics are open and you can get your car scheduled for diagnostics before the 7-day return period is up! The repair authorizations can take Silver Rock 24-48 hours, so bear that in mind and let your mechanic know about the time constraint involved. You just need to have all the info from the mechanic regarding what's needed so that you CAN send back the car if it turns out that it has showstopper-type issues that can't be repaired. You'll want the reassurance that any issues the mechanic finds will be covered for repair before you make the decision to keep the vehicle. They don't need to actually FIX the car within the 7-day probation period, they just need to acknowledge the issues and authorize the repairs before the period expires.

Carvana sent me their list of Silver Rock authorized mechanics in the area (all top-rated, reputable mechanics), and my local VW dealer was on there. I made an appointment with the dealership's service department, then took in my Beetle. (Silver Rock covers the $175 diagnostic fee for the first hour, and if more time is needed, the mechanic just needs to call Silver Rock to get the authorization before moving ahead-- basically, everything was free for me.)

The service department representative took my list of concerns and looked at all of those issues-- then, THEY added some things that THEY wanted to handle while they had my Bug. The service department sent me the rundown of repairs needed by email (the car needed: a new gasket seal to fix the oil leak, new tires, replacement lug nut covers on a few tires, PLUS an alignment I didn't realize was off). It was really helpful for me that they communicated everything first by email because I'm partially deaf, although I never mentioned that to them. They also called me to answer any questions and to make sure they hadn't missed anything that worried me.

Here's where it gets good, though: after running through the repairs needed with me, the service department representative from the dealership called Silver Rock DIRECTLY to discuss what the car needed. Then, they coordinated with Silver Rock to get EVERYTHING covered under the warranty. E-V-E-R-Y-T-H-I-N-G. I was expecting to fight tooth and nail to get the car restored to 100%, but I didn't have to do ANYTHING except make that initial list and leave my car with the mechanics. It didn't cost me a penny!

That's how the Silver Rock warranty works-- they have their authorized mechanics that they trust and listen to... and Silver Rock doesn't try to weasel out of repairing anything. They fixed it ALL. Every last thing was covered. My car is basically NEW again... it's a 2017 VW Beetle with very low miles and it zips around like a dream. VW doesn't even make Beetles anymore-- so to have one this perfect, it's amazing!

I would buy from Carvana again in a heartbeat. I was so nervous about this first purchase... it felt like a gamble until I'd been through the entire process and realized how EASY and fair it really is. The process doesn't feel at all like a gamble anymore. Now I know that anything that isn't noted on the vehicle page WILL be fixed, and it's way easier-- I mean WAY, WAY easier-- than buying from a local dealer and negotiating with THEM to fix things they didn't mention. Carvana makes car-buying as low-stress as possible-- and did I mention that I have THE car I wanted (even though they're discontinued by VW), and it's super low-mileage, and everything on it is like-new? Anything that wasn't like-new when it arrived is DEFINITELY like-new now!

I guess the whole point of this review is to say this: check over the car's details on the Carvana listing page. Make notes about ALL of the flaws they mention there-- because anything above or beyond those flaws WILL be fixed by Carvana. They make the whole process painless, and they aren't trying to pull any "fast ones". I guess I've never actually seen any car dealer this transparent or fair... so I wasn't ready for them to be so amazing.

I had a delivery date that was moved back a few days to a Saturday, which was perfect for my schedule and better than the original date during the work week. The entire process is documented through texts and emails. I thought this was perfect to keep the consumer in the loop at all times. When the car finally arrived, the driver was just amazing. I saw my beautiful Silver Ice Metallic Camaro Convertible being rolled off of the flatbed truck. I have a Quality Assurance background and it’s my job to find defects and opportunities along with what works well. I looked over the vehicle very closely. Remember earlier I said there was one paint chip noted?

Well I found scratches, a medium paint scuff and mark on the front bumper, paint chips on the hood and sides, and some other minor cosmetic issues. This is where I could have three my hands up and said bring it back I don’t want it. Instead I calmly went over the vehicle with the Carvana driver and we both took photos and wrote down the opportunities. He assured me that these thing would be fixed and that I’d receive an email with approvals. After reading horrible reviews I was uncertain I wanted to continue but I did receive a text and email noting my concerns within a day. It was long before I received the approval to have the issues fixed at an approved body shop. I am feeling better about this already but haven’t had the car fixed yet as it’s only been a week since I received the approval for repairs.

The driver noted that the issues more than likely occurred during transit from MO to Philly. This would be an opportunity for Carvan to explore in order to avoid having to pay for preventable repairs. Although there were cosmetic issues with the car I am still way happy with how the process of buying the car, the engagement that is provided for us the customer, and the level of care and concern Carvana has given to me about the car that arrived not as originally and completely listed on the selling site. I will update this review if I have any issues with the fixing of the minor cosmetic issues but overall I am completely satisfied with the high level of engagement that Carvana provided to me. I like companies that truly care about their customers experience. Carvana will be talked about for years to come with my friends and family. Thank you for making this Gulf War Veteran. Very happy by putting him into his dream car!

And think about it, when you're buying a car so we online all of those things are incredibly important because you want to have trust in the person you're dealing with and you want to be able to clearly see where there's a ding on the car or where there's any kind of damage no matter how small and Carvana makes it very easy to see even to the smallest little scratch. They also provide the Carfax report, they provide a limited warranty and they will give you a 7-day return policy no questions asked to make sure you like your car once you get it.

Additionally, their financing process is so fluid and flexible that you may have picked a car, have approved financing and everything is set except for signing contracts, and you change your mind -- they'll seamlessly switch to your new choice and start pricing it out and giving you new terms --- it's amazing and I felt kind of bad for them because I switched cars three times. But this flexibility allowed me the time and space and support to really find what I wanted before I was stuck in the process of buying it. After you've gone through that process they tell you what document you'll need to provide, like proof of insurance for example, And they'll send you the paperwork by a DocuSign. They communicate with you by text or through their great app which you can download from your App store, and you set up your delivery day.

When I read reviews of Carvana other people said the same glowing things that I've said but a couple of people mentioned that everything was very smooth except the delivery got screwed up, not that it went wrong just that it was late. And that's the only thing that happened with mine as well. I don't know if it's different if you go to a vending machine because I had that option, but in my case my initial delivery date that I had chosen got delayed by about 4 days, and then the day of my delivery it got delayed about 4 hours but it showed up on time in great shape and the driver was super nice. And the best thing of all is that they take care of all your DMV paperwork registration, getting your plates, paying the tax all that for you so you don't have to go see your crazy DMV person. Overall I would highly recommend.

The last associate I spoke with said he would e-mail or call when he knew when the vehicle would be picked up, but that never happened. I received a text out of the blue more than 24 hours after my "pick-up" window on a Sunday at 10:48 PM asking the latest they could call me to pick up the vehicle. At no point did Carvana go out of their way to help me--it was just my situation to deal with and figure out where to store the vehicle they purchased in the city of Chicago. I wouldn't recommend doing business with them, as they will not try to help you if anything goes wrong.