Carvana

Apparently there is one line of text on the request offer form page that omits the word trade-in under the loan/lease description popup. The higher-up customer service representative used this as their way out of not honoring all the advertisements we had received that in no way stated a lease could NOT be used for a trade-in. Since during the application process to get the offer of buying out our lease, I provided details that it was a lease, who owned the lease, the payoff amount and monthly payments, their system should've omitted the advertisements about the trade-in savings. They wouldn't offer any sort of compensation even though it was pretty clear false advertisement and a huge lack of clearly stating that leases are not acceptable trade-ins. They are apparently "working" on their system to not allow orders to go through like ours did if a lease is trying to be used as a trade-in.

Luckily we liked the used car we found, so we proceeded with the process and did two separate transactions. We were lucky enough to get things scheduled at the exact same date/time. We only had to go to their location once to complete the process. We were able to test drive the used vehicle before completing paperwork, just to make sure we were happy with it. Everything was smooth sailing from there, I think it only took about 30 minutes from start to finish (including the test drive)!

Overall we are happy with our 3 interactions with the Carvana buying and selling experience. We have recommended them to family and co-workers.

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 took it for a test drive. The car was clean and had been recently detailed. I took the car to the shop the next day and was happy to have a good inspection. The mechanics thought it was a great purchase and mentioned there were no issues. Lemon Squad was difficult to schedule an appointment with for the installation of my front license plate bracket. After about a week, I was able to book a weekend morning appointment. However, the employee actually came and installed the bracket onto my car without making any effort to notify me, which I did not appreciate.

My registration was a little delayed, however I still received all my documents about 3 weeks before my temporary plate was set to expire. I got my title in the mail. With the title receipt, I received a letter with a local license office phone number and instructions to call them. They had a service to mail license plates to Carvana customers, allowing you to not have to make the physical trip to the DMV. After a week of calling them and leaving messages to no avail, I went to the DMV to get my plates myself. That was really the only inconvenience. All in all, I am happy with my car. I read other peoples' reviews involving issues with their purchases, delays in delivery and delays in registration and was wary about my purchase, but I am happy that I didn't have those issues! This was the easiest vehicle purchase I have made.

When I arrived in Raleigh to pick up my vehicle, I was only there for about 30 minutes before I was on my way home. I signed a few documents, the associate looked over my trade-in to verify it was as described and I did the same to the new car. My only issue was that they described a minor scratch/scuff that I can't even tell is there, which is great, however there were 2 other areas I noticed imperfections. 1 area was where they removed the dealers decal from the original seller on the trunk. It's not scratched, it's just miscolored if you catch it in the right light. The other area is it the front bumper has a gouge underneath where it probably scraped the tow bed during transport. but hey, for the price and the interior being immaculate and looking brand new, I feel like I got quite a deal and saved a ton of time and aggravation with Carvana.

I see some people talking about bad experiences and I'm sure a lot of that has not only to do with your Carvana location but also what you're buying. I bought the current year's model with very low mileage so how bad of shape could it really be in? if you're buying something that's 7-10 years old and over 60k miles, anything could fail or need replacing at that age and mileage so you have to keep that in mind and I wouldn't blame Carvana for that. I had an overall great experience. Nothing like going to a dealership. The trade value was the trade value and the final purchase price was the final purchase price. The Carvana associate didn't try to sell me add-ons, have me look at other, more expensive vehicles, or any other dealership nonsense. He just wanted to finalize the paperwork and make sure I was happy and I really am. The text message updates and email alerts to keep the process moving along were great. Great experience and I'd do it over again and would recommend to my family and friends as well.

The logistics of this company are horrendous. I got 2 cars delivered and sent both back. First car was initially stated as "Have it by Wednesday". I could not do that and requested Friday. A full 48 hours later and they still could not get it to me. Email Friday morning stated it would not be delivered. Decided against it and picked another and again was slated for a Wednesday and again an email stating it would not be delivered. Again I sent this back. Was scheduled for a Friday pick up and they were a no call, no show. I called to have them arrange to pick up Saturday but they cannot take it. Will be a secondary company to take it within 48 hours from my street. It is a hassle. I'd say one missed appointment was OK but they have missed all 3.