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

OK. Here's the deal with Carvana.

I work at a collision repair facility, so I look at vehicles day in and day out. I'm going to know if something's been wrecked and I have a certified mechanic that is going to know if a vehicle has any mechanical defects.

I purchased a 2013 Toyota Rav 4 a couple of months ago. On the site, it listed a scratch on the hood and a few chips. I called about a million times prior to delivery to make sure everything was in order. Everyone was very helpful and friendly on the phone, and there was zero wait time. I even got a quote for trade in on my 2008 Toyota Avalon, and I am still wondering why they gave me so much money for it.

The vehicle arrived on time, and the delivery driver was awesome. She pulled it right off the truck and told me to take it for a test drive. While I was test driving it, she looked at my trade in. She even let me take my new delivery to my mechanic and put it on a lift right away. The oil was clean, new brakes on the front, new tires and under the hood was clean with no issues.

Now here's the part where people are knocking Carvana. The undercarriage rust. Yes, this vehicle did come from up north. It had more rust than the average vehicle in my area (Virginia). However, it is surface rust. It is on the bolts to the suspension and exhaust and a little on the exhaust pipe. Yes, the vehicle will continue to rust but it will no longer be exacerbated by northern driving conditions.

Was it a dealbreaker? Not for me. Nowhere bad enough to be an issue. When I got the vehicle off the lift, there were a few more scratches than noted in the online photos. A few light ones on the door (buffed out), deep one in liftgate and a couple deep ones on the front bumper. Interior was very clean except for front floor around mats which could have been detailed a little better. Also, the bumper had been replaced before, but all the other body lines on the car looked good (usually indicative of no prior body damage).

The VIN report on the vehicle listed no accidents (that doesn't mean there weren't any, just means none were reported) The delivery driver offered to waive the 100-day insurance deductible to get the scratches fixed that weren't noted online. Anywhere I wanted. They also paid my shop within a day of the claim, so Silverrock (the insurance claim company) was on top of things. Paperwork was easily taken care of at delivery. There were no hidden fees and it was so easy! The plates arrived earlier than expected in the mail. The car was about $900 less than cargurus.com (excellent deals) and about $1,000 less than NADA value.

So overall, the experience was great. If you are super picky and things like a little surface rust underneath and maybe a few extra scratches/dings bother you, maybe this isn't the place for you. If you do, just make sure you check out the vehicle thoroughly, because they probably do get their vehicles from auctions up north. For me, the high trade in value, zero hassle, and automatic paperwork was worth the less-than-perfect condition on the vehicle.

Bottom Line: Yes, I would recommend this to a friend

Since my first experience with Carvana a year and a half ago I know of and referred a total of five other individuals to Carvana. The experiences they had rated from good to great. The only problems ever experienced were delayed delivery, small discrepancies in listing online and actual car and quality of detailing. Their customer service is hands down fantastic. It's the only way, in my opinion, to buy a used car.

Their seven-day return policy is exactly as they state. One of the people I referred returned the first car. They delivered her second car and picked up the first one in the same transaction. It went smoothly and everyone I know who purchased is happy with their auto.

Bottom Line: Yes, I would recommend this to a friend

I recently purchased my second vehicle from Carvana, traded in my current vehicle both times. The number one best thing about Carvana is the ease of delivery/pick up, how fast it happens. Within an hour I sold my car, signed a few papers, and had a new one in my driveway. Super kind and helpful employees are also a plus, but communication can be frustrating. They ask that all your paperwork be submitted within 24 hours to hold your car, but when you work a full time job it can be difficult to do. But help is a call or chat away.

My only other complaint was my vehicle just wasn't spic and span clean as I would've hoped. Especially this windshield and windows were very smudged. As long as Carvana maintains their customer service and great prices, I will never go to a dealership again.

Bottom Line: Yes, I would recommend this to a friend

No one is perfect, nor is any entity. Humans will find the most common petty things to complain about, that's just the nature of people. Most of these comments were stupid. My personal experience so far with Carvana was pleasant. The whole process was good so far. I haven't had any major issues with my car, anyone could have easily experienced any of these issues at dealerships, and also gotten ripped off with extra dealer fees, so when someone finds anything or anyone on this earth that's perfect, please let me know because that's where I need to be...

Bottom Line: Yes, I would recommend this to a friend

I originally bought a 2016 GT, already paid my $15000 deposit. They called me before shipping and informed me that there was an issue with the car using oil and they would have to take it to the dealer for warranty. I could still purchase the car if I wanted but it may be a while before it is available. I declined due to not trusting anyone, of my own record. They were very nice and said the money would be back in my account within three days, due to the process, which I am familiar with. As disappointed as I was, I went back on the site and found another GT, within minutes, called them back and they reworked all the paperwork and had the new car ready in two days. They were there on time, and the car was as clean as it could be. No hassle, no BS, it has been a pleasure dealing with Carvana and its team.

Bottom Line: Yes, I would recommend this to a friend

After much research I purchased an Infiniti QX70 from Carvana. When the vehicle arrived, I was really excited, it was beautiful. The driver took the vehicle off of the trolley and advised me to do a ride around my neighborhood, which I did. I had no concerns, the vehicle ran really well. Before I sign the paperwork, I did a walk around the vehicle and noticed the one scratch that Carvana had noted on its website. It wasn't a very extreme scratch, and I was really okay with it, but I also noticed on the right side of the vehicle hairline scratches. My first thought was this vehicle have been in an accident, but I reviewed the Carfax report and the report indicated there were no accidents on the vehicle. I asked the driver about the scratches, and she offered to pay me $100. I asked her instead to take a picture of the scratches because I wanted Carfax to know that they had not said anything online about the scratches. The driver proceeded to take a picture and told me that Carfax to get back with me in a couple of days to let me know what they wanted to do. True to her word, Carfax notified me immediately within two days and told me to take the vehicle to a body shop to get it examined to see what the cost of the repairs was.

I took the vehicle to an Infiniti shop, who estimated that the vehicle has scratches and will cost about $3,000 to repair. While I was there, I also had them examine the vehicle to see if there were any mechanical issues going on and they told me that now the vehicle was in mint condition. Carfax received the estimate from the Infiniti dealership and approved the cost for repairs and recommended that I take my vehicle to a body shop.

I took the vehicle to the body shop, Carvana actually gave me 30 days to get the repairs done. Upon taking the vehicle to the body shop, they immediately informed me that the vehicle has been in a car accident. When I told him about the Carfax report, they told me that the vehicles which come from a rental place, do not have to report accidents as they fix the vehicles and themselves. I checked my Carfax report and it did state that my vehicle was from a Hertz Rental. The body shop immediately contacted Carvana and told them that the repairs will cost an estimate of $4,800 to repair, that there was overspray on the car patchwork to the bodywork just to make it look good enough to sell.

Carvana immediately approved the additional repairs to the vehicle, however, the gate of the vehicle, which just had overspray, they did not approve because they said it had no damage. According to the body shop, my vehicle now has two different color paints on it, you cannot see it from the eye as they matched very similar, but being a body shop individual, he noted the difference.

I'm now waiting to see if Carvana will pay for the cost of my rental vehicle as my car was in the shop for 10 days and the cost of the rental was $58 per day. I have to say the Carvana was quick to offer solutions and did not give me a hard time in fixing the repairs of the vehicle, minus not fixing the gate of the vehicle.

If you are planning to buy from Carvana, I just have two suggestions for you. Make sure you check the body of the vehicle before you purchase. If you notice any signs of damage, ask the driver to take a picture as once you have the vehicle, you're out of luck. If you notice any scratches on the vehicle that Carvana did not report on their website, make it known. The driver of the vehicle, when I reported the scratches offered me $100, a far cry from the $4,800 it cost to do the actual repair. Additionally, remember that if your vehicle comes from a rental car dealership that there is a high possibility that it could have been in an accident and they didn't report it, when they do their own repairs they do not report an accident. I will provide a follow-up to see if Carvana does pay for the cost of a rental. So, I'm happy, but also not happy with Carvana.

Bottom Line: Yes, I would recommend this to a friend

So far I have had a pleasant experience. I have had horror stories visiting used car dealerships and being there for hours where I almost gave up my vehicle search until I found Carvana. The website is user-friendly and the customer service is excellent. The only thing I must say is, you have to stay on top of them.

I was new to this and didn't know exactly how it worked. So once I found a vehicle I wanted, I clicked on start purchase and completed all the steps. I had a little glitch in the system, but that was easily resolved through their friendly customer service reps on their chat. I selected my delivery date, and I noticed that once I completed all the steps, I didn't receive a confirmation email or anything stating on what I had to do next. Thank god I contacted customer service to make sure I wasn't missing anything because when I spoke to a rep, I had to send in documentation and other things that I had sent incorrectly, but wasn't notified. The rep told me to do it as soon as possible because it can cause a delay. Thankfully I did, and everything worked out. Either way, I did have a delay in the delivery for other reasons, which I understand things happen.

Once I received my vehicle delivered to my home, the rep who brought it was very nice. I did realize a few scratches, especially on the inside back seats that didn't mention on the website, so I am upset about that. Other than that, I would say my experience has been pretty pleasant, and I love my car. After reading some reviews on here, I just hope I don't have any delays in receiving my registration.

Bottom Line: Yes, I would recommend this to a friend

I wanted to submit a review on the Carvana.com website but couldn't find a way to do it. They display reviews, but there was no way for me to participate, which I thought was a little weird.

I bought a very nice used 2015 Mitsubishi Outlander Sport.

The process was easy and fast. I like how you can do everything online. Very convenient.

The rep who delivered the car was very nice and provided good customer service.

A few disappointments:

1. They don't give you as a spare key. I wish I had inquired about that earlier. I think it should be standard to give the buyer two keys, so you have a spare.

2. The rep made a point to address the fact that it was not noted online in the description that there were a few minor interior stains. She said someone would contact me about either doing another cleaning/detailing or giving me some sort of credit for it, but I never heard from anyone. Other than that, the car was in good condition in appearance.

3. On the 8th day, my car wouldn't start and eventually figured out it was a dead battery. Batteries aren't included in the warranty, so I had to spend money I didn't have on buying a new battery. I find that very frustrating. I would think they would put in a new battery before selling a car with high mileage. Once again, I wish I had thought to inquire about that before my purchase. It was also very frustrating that it happened the day after the 7-day trial was up.

4. I think a copy of the state inspection should be provided to the customer. I have inquired about this and was told my "local hub" would contact me about it, but they haven't. I would think this could be easily done. Since they do the registration for you (a very nice part of buying through Carvana!), I would think the car would have already passed in inspection before the sale and they could just email me a copy. So far, that has not happened.

Other than what I listed above, I found the process much easier and faster than other dealerships. I would probably do it again, but ask more questions and do a little more research before making the commitment next time. And other than the car battery problem, I do like the car, and it is driving well so far.

Bottom Line: Yes, I would recommend this to a friend

I have been in search for a newer van for my family and came across Carvana. I was just browsing and noticed they had a seven-day return policy if you were not satisfied with your purchase, which had me immediately interested. I selected a 2017 KIA SEDONA LX with 70,000+ miles on it. A lot of their vehicle selection was used as car rentals prior, so many of the vehicles are in a-OK condition.

You upload your docs: income verification and your driver license picture. EASY PEASY! They do a soft pull on your credit and have a software that lets you know how much you put down and how much you will pay monthly based on your APR. I have fair credit (which is considered challenged at a lot of brand name dealerships) - Carvana works with you and their loan company (Bridgecrest) will let you know how much you are paying up front, in smaller print of course, but the numbers are presented to you more than once.

Two days before delivery I found a vehicle with lower mileage (45,000 miles) and a nicer interior - I requested they change it to the new vehicle and they did no questions asked. Unfortunately, the original delivery date was pushed back one day - which was honestly no problem. The Carvana advocate was at my residence 15 minutes before delivery time and called me right away. I test drove the car for a full 15 minutes and came back and agreed to the purchase. She had all the paperwork ready for me and CarFax, Vehicle Registration info, and all the add'l paperwork that I had signed via DocuSign. Again, your final price and loan info is presented to you so it's fairly clear what you are paying at the end.

I took the car to the official Kia dealership to have it looked at and they let me know that there are no major mechanical issues and that several things such as battery, air filter, tire tread (2-3 yrs left) need to be changed within the next year to 1 and 1/2 years. Pretty common wear and tear with a used car. They did not include the floor mats as stated and I informed Carvana - they will be crediting me and refunding me for new floormats up to $250. I signed up at Bridgecrest to set up my payments since I hear many iffy things about them - it's probably best you pay a few days early since I've seen reviews about them repossessing vehicles even at one day late in payment.

So far I am happy with my purchase! I love my new van - thanks again Carvana.

Bottom Line: Yes, I would recommend this to a friend

They minimize scratches on cars on the website, usually there are more scratches on the car than was stated. Apart from that, everything else was good. The car runs well and it’s easy to buy a car. You don’t feel pressured.

Bottom Line: Yes, I would recommend this to a friend

My experience was darn near flawless and I recommend them to anyone I can. In fact, I am seeing a LOT more Carvana license plate holders in my city over the past year or two. In December of 2018, I purchased a 2017 Chevy Sonic and everything went very smoothly. I chose what I wanted online, delivery was on time and the delivery driver was knowledgeable and answered all my questions. I took it for a quick test drive, had a total of 7 days to get it checked out, and kept it afterwards. It is a good car and most important to me I had a week to get the car checked out. Before going to Carvana I went to 2 different local dealers, they treated me as if I would steal the vehicle when I asked if I could take it to get a pre-purchase inspection. I am a middle-aged, single woman, not a criminal. Fed up, I went online to Carvana and had a good experience.

Registration was completed well ahead of running into any registration issues, plates were mailed to me in a very timely manner. Terms and everything were very clear and in black and white. I honestly don't understand why there are so many bad reviews here. It is possible Carvana could now be expanding far too quickly and don't have enough well-trained staff, it could be possible the complaining customers did not perform their own due diligence, or it could be a very bad combination of both.

Again, my experience was darn near flawless and I highly recommend Carvana to those who are willing to perform due diligence, get the vehicle checked out, read the contracts, ask questions, etc.

Bottom Line: Yes, I would recommend this to a friend