Carvana Reviews - How It Works, Warranty, Financing, Returns

Though I really loved the car buying process and the price they gave me for my trade in, I purchased a Nissan Pathfinder from Carvana and after driving it for a few days, noticed the brakes locking up on making the car extremely unsafe to drive. It's in the shop right now and Carvana says that they'll pay for the repairs. However, the fact they sold me a car with an obviously defective brakes is of big concern to me and feel like I purchased a lemon rather than a peach.

Bottom Line: No, I would not recommend this to a friend

It started out great; easy platform, friendly advocates. Until the car was a lemon. I did the fly and drive from Tennesse to Michigan. Pickup went well. The car had an oil consumption issue not showing on the inspection or Carfax. After dealer testing suggestion is a $5,000 repair. I paid $13k and wanted to swap out a car. Carvana agreed but said they would only give me $9,000 or $4,000 less than I paid them a few days earlier.

Essentially they sold me a car with a bad engine and then wanted to stick their customer for the responsibility of the defect. What they did is prove the car they sold me for $13k was only worth $9k because of the defect they did not disclose. I went with Carvana because of the time savings. I have spent 20 hours dealing with this issue with Carvana, dealership, manufacturer and now the Silverlight warranty company. Carvana should have just swapped in a vehicle and taken the responsibility for the car they sold with a bad engine.

Amazingly, they still have not even sent me the title yet, so I could not even dump the car if I wanted to do so. The business model requires trust, and you cannot trust Carvana.

Bottom Line: No, I would not recommend this to a friend

They are shady after a week of waiting to get my delivery date. 2 days before set delivery I was informed the car had been sold to someone else. Still waiting to get my money back.

Bottom Line: No, I would not recommend this to a friend

First, the website and purchasing process was mostly simple and painless. I actually enjoyed it! However, after completely filling out the purchase form I was called and told that I needed to give my banking information over the phone (even though I already provided it on the purchase order form). I assumed it was a scam call so I called Carvana back and learned that it was indeed them. They explained that they needed it to verify my account balance, which I understand, but the level of risk associated with doing so is extremely high as a consumer. I called my bank to explain the situation (Bank of America) and the bank told me that what was being asked of me was unethical and risky.

They advised me not to do this. So I called to cancel my order and was told that I couldn't receive any written confirmation as to the cancellation of my order!!! So, now I have to go on faith that a 5-figure sum doesn't accidentally disappear out of my bank account. None of this "extra" info is specified in writing anywhere. It is only brought up after you have given them your bank account info on the website to purchase the car. It's like, “Oh hey, all of a sudden we need you do provide this”.

I can't say that the company isn't legitimate, because there are a lot of written articles about how they are legit, but how can they treat a customer this way BEFORE a purchase and how can I to have good faith in them after the purchase (during the trial period) that they will follow through on their promises? Have you ever purchased something online using a secure, encrypted payment system only to have the store call you and say “Please read me your banking routing number”. Anyone who goes through with this is just asking for your identity to be stolen. A company who doesn't have the foresight to see how unethical this is probably doesn't have enough ethics to provide a quality product anyway. I'd advise against purchasing a vehicle from Carvana based on my experience.

Bottom Line: No, I would not recommend this to a friend

And their stupid response is call to get "looked" at, we have a warranty, but they fail to tell you they won't cover anything. And you have to take off work, find a dealership with a shop, weeks spent of wasted time on a piece of junk that doesn't start half the time. And they are not a company you can go and speak with someone - they are nowhere other than online so call, hold for hours, get hung up on, that is how they do business because you have no dealership to go to and speak with a person. You get no help at all.

Bottom Line: No, I would not recommend this to a friend

I knew it was to good to be true. I got financed through Carvana. I picked the vehicle that I thought would work for me, and sent in all the information that Carvana would need to purchase the vehicle. Then, since no one had reached out to me, I decided to reach out them, but only to find out that I would have to have insurance on the vehicle that I'm test driving, and need have my down payment within 24 hours of delivery! I knew right then that it's a scam. Nowhere does it say this on their website, even when it congratulates you on purchasing the vehicle.

So now I'm going to have to change my bank account number first thing in the morning, it was a good thing I didn't request to take a day off from work. Oh and there was another thing that made me wonder, which was that they have an underwriter that will review my purchase. So that mean the down payment, monthly payment, and finance charges may not be what it says on the website! I am very disappointed, and told my friends and co worker about this website. It's a scam.

Bottom Line: No, I would not recommend this to a friend

Loved the idea of buying a car online without the hassles of visiting car lots. Plus you have 7 days to return vehicle if unsatisfied. I entered in my personal info so they could give me my APR finance rate and any down payment. There were a lot in my preferred price range with no money down. Score!

So I took about a week, reviewing hundreds of cars and settled on a 2014 Hyundai Sonata 2.0t for 16,500. Added the extended warranty and placed the order. The day before it was to arrive, Carvana contacted me and asked me to send them copies of my social security card front and back, which I did.

Then Danielle, a Carvana rep called me and said I must have mistyped my SS#. The last digit was off, so they ran a credit report on some other lady, and I would now need a down payment of $500. No problem, so I gave her my bank routing and account number for the transaction.

Danielle then congratulated me and told me to have proof of insurance and my license handy when car was delivered. Ok, I said. Then I asked her, "Well, listen Danielle since I am putting a down payment on the car now, what will that make my monthly installments? I'm sure it won't go down by much, but you know, a penny saved is a penny earned" - my exact words.

Danielle says, "Well, with the down payment and the APR of 7.76%, your payments will be $309 a month." That was higher than my original payment schedule. And the APR went up from 6.3% I did the math while on the phone with her, and they were trying to jack me for another $1000.

Two things:

1st. If I hadn't asked what my new monthly payments were going to be I would have never known they had adjusted the APR by one and a half basis points, until and only when I either got my first bill or if I caught it on the paper work when car was delivered.

2nd. And this is the worst. Their claim that I had mistyped my SS# was a downright lie. You see, I went to show my father the car on Carvana website this morning, but it wasn't showing the car as sale pending. So, I clicked on (my account) to see if everything was ok with the sale. It just showed my personal info, name, income, last 4 digits of social, etc. And guess what, the SS# was correct. This occurred before I was notified there was an issue with the SS#. I still have the screen up on my computer at work.

Look elsewhere for a car.

Bottom Line: No, I would not recommend this to a friend

The online shopping experience was so easy and convenient. I enjoyed browsing through their stock, and the way the vehicles are presented on their site is clear and concise. The best part of the process was the ease of financing. You enter in your basic information on their site, and can play around with numbers to see your payment right up front. Nothing is hidden. That's where the easy process ended.

Like so many other online service providers, at the point were it involves a human on the other end of the transaction, I didn't feel like anyone really owned my transaction. I was passed around to multiple people throughout the process, and hence, the level of customer service felt very disconnected, and too casual for a purchase like this. The car's engine light came on immediately, so after returning it (and going without a car for two inconvenient days), it was returned to me, and it turned out to be a minor issue. I also realized at signing, that at least half of the cars they sell are used rental cars. Run away! Mine turned out to be one of those as well, after digging up records. This became obvious after the cleaning fluids dried on the interior many weeks later, and all the stains one would expect in a rental came showing through. Right away, I also noticed that when it rains, the car ends up with an inordinate amount of moisture on the inside. I didn't realize it was a major problem until many months later, when I discovered that water is somehow entering the frame of the car, and pooling during heavy rains. When I called to try to resolve that issue, I was sent in circles, and finally promised a follow up by a manager, who then never called back. The spare key was also missing at purchase, so I had to take it to a dealership to have one made (even though they paid for it, it was still inconvenient). Finally, the manual was missing at purchase, and they told me they'd send one, but it never came. I made several calls to customer service, and every time was told that one would be on its way, but I never received it, or any follow up.

Clearly, Carvana has customer service issues. I wouldn't tell someone to NOT use them, but I wouldn't recommend them either. One should approach them with extreme caution. This has been a poor experience.

Bottom Line: No, I would not recommend this to a friend

I purchased a 2017 Toyota 4 Runner. I received a call 30 minutes before delivery to inform me that they just noticed (while detailing the vehicle) that the back bumper/rear door was damaged in transport. When I asked who handles their quality control, they couldn't give me an answer. The customer service rep told me that they would take it to the Toyota dealership that was right next door to their facility, and that customer service rep would contact me the following Monday to let me know the status of the vehicle. No one ever called me. I called Carvana four times the following week to try to find out what the extent of the damages were to the car. I also wanted to see pictures of the damages. We made a new delivery date for the following Friday.

On the morning of the 2nd delivery, I received another call from Carvana 30 minutes before the delivery time to let me know that the car was going to be late due to a clip on the front bumper that was not attached. The customer service rep said he would have to go to the Toyota dealership to have the clip attached correctly...I called Carvana and spoke to another customer service rep about this, and also to inquire about the damage that was done during transport. He told me he would inquire about it and get back to me...he never called me back.

The following week I called four times trying to find out about the car and the damage and the delivery. The car was delivered on January 18th. I had the car inspected by a mechanic on January the 22nd. The first words the mechanic said to me were "Did you know this car has been in a wreck?" I told the mechanic that Carvana said it had been damaged in transport, the mechanic told me that it was more than damaged. It had been in a wreck. He could see the damage under the rear bumper. He said the back door and bumper had ether been replaced or repaired, and the rear tail lights were replaced with used tail lights that didn't match the head lights.

When my husband and I called Carvana to let them know what the mechanic said, the supervisor gave us the run around...We never received pictures of the damages, we never received papers on the extent of the damages, so needles to say we are returning the car tomorrow, and we will be waiting for our full refund. Carvana sucks. They are no better than used car salesman selling cars to unsuspecting customers. If I could give zero stars, I would...buyer beware. If you buy a car from this company, make sure you take it to a reputable mechanic for a thorough inspection.

Bottom Line: No, I would not recommend this to a friend

Where do I start? How about that I know 2 people that bought a car from Carvana and didn't have to go through the ringer like I did. So I'm only 20 years old and I make well over 50k a year. I work 3 jobs and I'm a full time student; online. So like anyone else, I picked a car and started the process. I submitted all documents as asked. Once I submitted all required forms I received a phone call from Carvana. The lady on the call told me that they verified my insurance and my license, however, they couldn't verify my income. I was taken back by the statement. What do you mean you can't verify? You have 2 check stubs as asked. She told me she needed to call an office phone. I told her my supervisor doesn't have an office phone, he's mobile. He travels from store to store and has a company cellular phone. She said we have to speak with him on an office phone.

So at that point I was like, I'm guessing she went deaf when I said he has a company cell phone. He doesn't work in a direct office​. After I got that through, I had to get her to understand that my company is very confidential when it comes to pay. She was not hearing it. She basically tried to tell me what is done, as if she works there. Hmph! Anyway, so she took down his name and number. She called him on a Sunday when no one for our company is working. However, she was able to reach him, keeping in mind it is a company cell phone which he's able to use at anytime. So she was able to verify the information that was needed. Hours later I gave a call back to get an update and the lady says we have to verify your employment. Again, I'm confused. I ask didn't my Manager do that? She basically says that his verification wasn't good enough.

At the moment I was so over Carvana. I called them back and just cancelled the purchase because I didn't expect such a big hassle. I was telling so many of my peers and family about Carvana they was considering it. Unfortunately, I will not let them have to go through the same. I'll tell them it's easier to use a local dealership. For anyone reading this I suggest you use a local dealership.

Bottom Line: No, I would not recommend this to a friend

I too was excited by how "easy" the Carvana process seemed. The cars seemed lower, not sitting in the dealership, knowing outright what the terms were awesome! But no, they will ask you for piece of paper work after piece of paper work. Photo copies are a no-go, you have to take PICTURES of things they need and then they will want to call your bank with your info and your social to verify your down payment which is odd.

A pay stub request will turn in to a bank statement request and then multiple bank statements. If you don't have your actual social security card, order it before you start. AND if your Drivers License expires within 2 months, you have to renew it first. You will receive multiple emails from multiple people saying different things and your terms will probably change. Do yourself a favor, YES, dealerships suck but you leave with your car, and you have somewhere to go if something goes wrong. You are either approved immediately or you will get the run around. Once they ask you for the first document, just run.

Bottom Line: No, I would not recommend this to a friend