Although they pride themselves on identifying blemishes, dents, and dings as part of a "transparent" car buying process, Carvana does not report "surface" rust because it's not a safety issue. You should go into your purchase wary of any car that comes out of the North (snow/salt) and be fully prepared to have a mechanic put the car on a lift to check for rust on the chassis. I did exactly that and promptly arranged to have the car picked up as a result.
I contacted customer service team, and they told me that there are two types of rust, which is insultingly false.
Direct quote from Carvana:
"There are two types of rust: embedded and surface rust. We do not sell any vehicles with embedded rust as it damages the integrity of the vehicle. Surface rust does not damage the vehicle, and so we do not notate it on our site. Embedded rust occurs when it has advanced beyond the surface level and begins to compromise the strength of the metal."
I have three problems with this.
1. "Surface" rust with time will always become "embedded" rust, even when removed from the conditions that create it (i.e. Carvana is happy to sell you a car with pre-cancer, not cancer). The consumer takes the hit on both the increased cost of future repairs when, for example, a bolt breaks off and the mechanic has to re-thread the component and/or replace the component, and a plummeting resale value.
2. Carvana notates the blemishes that you'll see, even though they aren't a safety issue. But they won't note the rust that you can't readily see, even though isn't an immediate safety issue, either.
3. With the amount of rust on this car, Kelley Blue Book would consider it fair to poor condition. Carvana is charging no-haggle prices that equate with good/excellent condition, which require "little to no rust" or "rust-free" respectively. I was open to keeping the car, but not at the amount I paid for it. Although I asked, Carvana offered no alternative to sending the car back.
I was excited about Carvana and super disappointed when I sent the car back. Since Carvana doesn't notate rust, I did not feel that I could trust them enough to purchase another vehicle from them. I would HIGHLY advise that Carvana start noting rust, just like they do with other blemishes that aren't immediate safety issues.
Regarding their customer service, the car was delivery was rescheduled to a later delivery date because of their error, but picked up in a timely manner, and everyone I dealt with was pleasant.
However, service ultimately can't make up for the fact that they don't live to their own standards by providing a transparent buying experience.
Bottom Line: No, I would not recommend this to a friend
Company Response from Carvana
Apr 25, 2017
Thank you for providing us with your feedback regarding your recent Carvana purchase. As a growing company, our customers’ feedback is very important to us. It allows us to continue improving our customer experiences moving forward. As you mentioned, transparency is of the utmost importance to us, especially in regards to the condition of our vehicles. We sincerely apologize that you were disappointed with the condition of your car. Carvana currently makes a distinction between surface rust and embedded rust, but we continually assess our process, and your feedback has been shared with all the necessary departments. You raise a valid point about notating cosmetic imperfections, even when they do not affect the safety of your vehicle and will review that possibility.
We want to apologize again for the disappointing experience, and we are glad that you were able to utilize the 7-day money back to return the vehicle. If we can do anything else to assist you in the future, please do not hesitate to reach out to us at 1-800-333-4554.
