Carvana

Carvana

Carvana
3.3(2,254)

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Overall Rating3.3 out of 5
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About Carvana

Carvana is an online vehicle retailer that sells used cars, trucks and SUVs. Customers can browse its vast inventory, purchase a car with cash, receive financing or trade in their existing vehicles. Carvana certifies all of its vehicles and provides a guarantee for 100 days or 4,189 miles, whichever comes first. CarvanaCare and Carvana Gap Coverage provide additional protection against damage and theft.

Pros & Cons

Pros

  • Seven-day money-back guarantee
  • Convenient online process
  • Wide selection

Cons

  • No delivery to Alaska or Hawaii
  • No price negotiation

Bottom Line

Carvana provides a quick and simple online process for buying used cars. Customers can have their vehicles delivered or picked up. The company takes away the stress of visiting multiple dealerships.

Featured Reviews

Verified
Monrovia, IN

This was the easiest Vehicle Purchase I have ever made. The Web Site was easy to Use and filtering was simple. I enter the Year Range, Make, Body Style and Fuel Type and had a cho...

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Verified
Berlin, WI

... Carvana's on-line site was the most understandable and easiest to work with out of all of them I checked out. The filters available made it extremely easy to find what I was l...

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How does Carvana work?

Carvana is an online used car dealership that allows customers to buy, trade and sell used vehicles.

The vehicles Carvana sells come from several sources, including auctions, customers who trade in or sell their cars to the company and partnered dealerships. Carvana stores its cars at inspection centers across the country. When you purchase a vehicle, the company can ship it to you, or you can pick it up from one of its dozens of “Vending Machines” around the country.

Carvana conducts a 150-point inspection to ensure quality. The cars sold by the company have clean titles, no reported accidents, no frame damage and no fire or flood damage. Carvana backs each vehicle with a 100-day, 4,189-mile limited warranty.

Carvana delivery process

Carvana offers a touchless delivery process:

  1. Identity confirmation: The Carvana Advocate will ask you to send a selfie with your driver’s license to confirm your identity.
  2. Vehicle sanitation: The delivery person will unload the car; sanitize the keys, steering wheel and shifter; and leave your paperwork in the vehicle.
  3. Test drive: The delivery person will contact you to let you know the vehicle is ready for inspection and a test drive. They'll wait in their hauler while you confirm you want to go through with the purchase.
  4. Document signing: After your test drive, the Advocate will call you and walk you through the paperwork.
  5. Document submission: Once the paperwork is complete, you’ll leave it in an envelope for contactless pickup by the driver. You’ll also include your check and title to the vehicle you’re selling, if applicable, in the envelope.
  6. Purchase completion: The Carvana Advocate will review your paperwork from the hauler before leaving; if everything looks good, they’ll finalize the transaction.

If you prefer, you can pick up your car at one of 33 Carvana Vending Machines. A Carvana employee meets you at the pickup time to verify your license and insurance via a touchless process. You will receive a custom coin to insert into the vending machine. Once the vehicle is out of the vending machine, you take it for a test drive. If you're happy with it, you then sign the registration paperwork.

Selling a car to Carvana

Carvana has a straightforward process for selling a car. You start by providing the vehicle identification number (VIN) or license plate information and answering some questions about the vehicle. Carvana provides an offer that’s valid for seven days.

If you accept the offer, you have several options to hand over the car: Carvana can pick up your vehicle, or you can deliver the vehicle to Carvana yourself to a Vending Machine or hub.

  • Pickup: A Carvana Advocate will offer touchless pickup of your vehicle from your location. If you’re trading the vehicle for a different one from Carvana, it will be delivered to you at this time.
  • Drop-off: You can also arrange to meet an Advocate at a Carvana Car Vending Machine or logistics hub, where you can complete a touchless sales process. If you're purchasing another vehicle it'll be ready for you; otherwise Carvana offers to arrange a rideshare for customers within 50 miles of home.

Carvana prices

The amount you spend on Carvana primarily depends on the cost of the car you purchase — vehicles listed on Carvana at the time of publishing range from $7,990 to $212,999. Carvana allows you to search and filter available vehicles by total price and monthly payment.

You can get free delivery with many vehicles as long as you live within the free delivery area; others have a nonrefundable delivery fee, which ranges from $190 to $599.

Carvana offers its own financing and accepts third-party financing and cash.

Carvana FAQ

Is Carvana a good way to buy a car?

Carvana provides an easy-to-use online platform for car shoppers. The company is a good option if you prefer a quick process that doesn’t involve visiting several dealerships.

Can you negotiate price with Carvana?

Carvana doesn’t participate in price negotiation. The company states its cars are priced as competitively as possible.

Can I finance my Carvana purchase with a credit union or bank?

You can finance your used car purchase through a bank or credit union. It’s a good idea to receive preapproval with your lender before starting the buying process.

Can I still get financing from Carvana if I have bad credit?

Carvana states it makes an effort to work with any level of credit. The only requirements are being 18 or over, making $4,000 annually and having no active bankruptcies.

Where are Carvana car Vending Machines located?

Carvana has Vending Machines in 20 states and says it is planning to expand to other states in the future. It has Vending Machines in the following states:

  • Alabama
  • Arizona
  • California
  • Florida
  • Georgia
  • Illinois
  • Indiana
  • Kentucky
  • Maryland
  • Michigan
  • Missouri
  • Nevada
  • North Carolina
  • Ohio
  • Oklahoma
  • Pennsylvania
  • Tennessee
  • Texas
  • Utah
  • Virginia
Does Carvana sell new cars?

No, Carvana sells used cars that have gone through its 150-point inspection.

Is Carvana legit?

Carvana can be an excellent choice if you want to avoid visiting multiple dealerships or haggling over price. The company's online listings make the process straightforward and quick. Carvana provides delivery and pickup options, and it offers financing options for nearly anyone. We recommend Carvana as a simple option for used-car shopping with a money-back guarantee.

Carvana Reviews

ConsumerAffairs has collected 2,254 reviews and 238 ratings.

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Page 1 Reviews 0 - 5
Customer ServiceSales & MarketingPriceStaff

Reviewed May 18, 2023

After a great experience selling our lease to Carvana, we checked with them on our other leased vehicle and were quite surprised by the great offer we received. At $4k over the lease payoff, we couldn't pass the offer up. We ended up finding a used vehicle with low miles and a fair price. After securing funds for the used vehicle from a local credit union, we proceeded to accept the offer on our lease and do a "trade" for the used vehicle. Unfortunately, after we completed the order we received a call that stated they couldn't accept a lease as a trade-in. This meant we'd have to do two separate transactions and be charged by our state additional sales tax. During the entire offer and order process, we were constantly shown in green boxes advertisements of saving additional money by trading vs just selling our lease. The offer results page and email included this advertisement as well.

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.

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    Reviewed March 10, 2023

    I had to find a way to purchase a car without actually going out to a car shop or meet with total strangers and also be able to have the car brought to me. Carvana seemed to fit the bill. I found a beautiful 2018 Hyundai Santa Fe and since my previous car was also a Santa Fe, I was happy to find one in my price range that wasn't as old as some. The purchase procedure was easy with no hassles. The delivery was delayed by one week and the waiting was tough, as well as having to pay for insurance without having the car. But it was delivered on time and the driver was great. Took it for a spin around my neighborhood and was pretty pleased. The car was clean inside and out so I signed the papers and the driver told me if I changed my mind I had the 7 days to decide.

    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.

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    Verified purchase

    Reviewed Oct. 29, 2022

    Pros:
    The website looks great and it's very user-friendly.
    They are the "Amazon" of car dealerships. You can find anything, in any trim level, year model, mileage, etc.
    The delivery was smooth and easy and the delivery driver was very professional and friendly.

    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!

    Cons:

    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.

    Conclusion:

    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.

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    Reviewed Oct. 28, 2022

    Very happy with my Carvana experience. I did have a few hiccups purchasing the vehicle online as they do not have the capability of gifting it to someone else or having another family member pay for it. However, the customer service team stayed on top of this and helped me resolve this within 2 days. My delivery was on time and all my documents (license, insurance, banking info) were verified beforehand. The Carvana rep I spoke to over the phone mentioned I would need to register the car myself, however the Carvana rep (Micah) who delivered the car to me said that they would do it for me. He said they do the registration for everyone, that I would just need to get the license plates myself when I received my titling receipt. He was knowledgeable and answered all my questions. The car was delivered with half a tank of gas, which I was told is policy. He told me about the warranty and 7-day return policy.

    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.

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    Verified purchase
    Price

    Reviewed Sept. 26, 2022

    I had a great experience with Carvana in Raleigh. The value for my trade-in was better than what most dealerships were offering and much closer to the blue book value. I needed a 4-door car so I started shopping and dealerships were adding almost 6k to the MSRP just because of the market. I found this year's model Altima with only 1500 miles on it for about 7k less than the dealership so I thought I'd take a chance on the 7 day return policy. The process was smooth, and uploading documents only took about 40 minutes of my time over a couple days of stepping through the process.

    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.

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    Reviewed Sept. 16, 2023

    Hit the easy button! We entered the license plate and description of the car and received a quote in minutes. Loading the documents that are needed (title, license, etc.) was simple. The email updates throughout the process were very informative and simplistic. Dropping off the car was OK, the building needs more signage. Beyond that, the check in process was quick and thorough. You do sign a Power of Attorney for just the title transfer, which was different. But that is similar to a real-estate transaction. Received my check that matched the quote, a copy of the bill of sale and was off. Again, hit the easy button!

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    Staff

    Reviewed Sept. 16, 2023

    I was in an emergency situation where I had to sell my car in order to pay for repairs on another car our household had. Not only did Carvana give me a very fair offer on my car (compared to a used car lot), but the ease of making an appointment and the process was super simple. The gentleman that came by the house was very friendly and knowledgeable and was at my house no more than 30 minutes (I did have everything ready for his arrival). My car was picked up within a few hours after that and by that night, the payment had been automatically deposited into my bank account. Not only would I recommend, but I would also definitely consider using them again if necessary.

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    Customer ServiceSales & MarketingPriceStaff

    Reviewed Sept. 16, 2023

    The positives: Easy trade in with a fair price. The employees who did deliver were pleasant and helpful. Negatives: Shipping costs are quite expensive and nonrefundable. You can get cars near you for free but really limits the available cars to choose from. Several cars were improperly advertised which cost me 599$ for shipping for a car I would not have chosen had I known. Another car I was looking at stated "black" when actually "imperial blue".

    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.

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    Carvana
    Response from Carvana

    We sincerely apologize that you did not have the stress-free experience we strive to provide every customer. We take your feedback very seriously and will ensure it is passed on to the proper department. Our team of dedicated advocates is always here to answer any of your questions, so please don’t hesitate to reach out via our chat service 24/7.

    Staff

    Reviewed Sept. 16, 2023

    I was so worried about doing this online but wow it was so smooth. I will be doing it every time. It was so fast. The driver was gone in 15 minutes. All I did was sign four papers and had my check at the last one

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    Customer Service

    Reviewed Sept. 15, 2023

    We got an offer from Carvana before going to a dealer to purchase a new vehicle. The dealer offered us $5,200 less than the Carvana offer and told us there was no way they could even close to that offer. We left and decided to see if the Carvana offer was real. It was! We supplied a little information and 30 minutes later we got a reply that it was approved. We dropped the car off the next day. It took about 20 minutes and we walked out with our check. We bought the car we wanted with the extra $5,200. Carvana made the transaction easy and hassle free. Just be honest with them about the condition and details of your vehicle and you can sell your vehicle quickly for a great price.

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    Carvana Company Information

    Company Name:
    Carvana
    Website:
    www.carvana.com