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

I started the buying process on 4/11/18 with a delivery date set for 4/28/18. The week of pick up I called and online chatted to confirm everything was on schedule; every agent said it was all good and the car would be there. I even received two text messages on two separate days. We planned to make the three-hour trip the night before and were on our way when I received a call saying it was "delayed." After pushing they informed me that car had never left Phoenix. WHAT? I called and communicated with several employees, and everyone said it was on schedule. This is unacceptable. BUT things happen for a reason. I ended up purchasing the same model car, a year newer and 5K less miles, and cheaper...and my experience there was AWESOME. Do NOT do business with Carvana!

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

The only word to explain this experience is "unbelievable." I went through the process of finding and purchasing a car. Initially, the customer service was very friendly and upbeat, and it WAS a very easy selection process. After reviewing my credit, they told me to pick a date for drop off. A day later they called and said "we need proof of income," that wasn't a problem, and I emailed them the info, and then they called back and said, "sorry, there was a computer glitch, you don't need to send proof of income." When you're dealing with finances, in this area you need to be exact, there shouldn't be such a miscommunication when dealing with money. I thought this was a random human error; I didn't realize this was foreshadowing of things to come.

I read a few reviews and realized they're not too competent when it comes to their deliveries, so I thought it would be beneficial to fly down and pick it up from their vending machine and make a vacation out of it. So I set a pick-up date about a month out, from their Nashville, Tennesse location, waited for it to be confirmed, and then purchased an airline ticket from Michigan to Tennessee, took a week vacation off work, and RSVP'd hotel rooms to plan on visiting North Carolina on my drive back to Michigan.

Three days before my pickup date, I got a text saying "you're a car buying genius! Your Audi A3 will be ready for you on 5/3 at 10:00 am" and I felt great. Later that day at 7:01 pm (they close at 7:00 pm), I get an email saying "we have to reschedule your delivery date." Thinking it was another computer glitch (since I was picking it up, not getting it delivered), I didn't worry much but still called the company that was now closed.

The next day I get a voicemail from Madison saying they needed to reschedule. I call back almost immediately and I explain to Matt the situation, that I've already purchased an airline ticket and planned a vacation around this pickup (since it was obvious my home address is in a different state than the pickup location) and wanted to verify the voicemail wasn't a miscommunication, and he said he would see what he could do and get back to me.

About three hours later I call back to get an update and Mark says "Matt's really good at returning calls, even if he doesn't figure out a solution, he will still call you back," and I emphasized reservations are non refundable 24/48 hours for some ancillary RSVP's I've made, so don't leave me hanging. After 5 pm that day, I called back again and the result of an entire day of "figuring it out" was, "sorry." There was nothing they could do, they couldn't even give me an explanation. They just said they could deliver it to my house a week later. They wouldn't refund my airline ticket, wouldn't provide a loaner car and could offer absolutely NOTHING except saying "we're sorry." I was so aggravated with their inability to alleviate ANY type of frustration or offer any compensation whatsoever except a ridiculous apology without an explanation.

I don't blame the call center, they seemed like a bunch of children pretending to be adults, I blame the fact that this company obviously needs to develop their communication infrastructure, and adhere to the same deadlines as any company does, when if that's not possible, offer SOME type of compensation when they make a mistake. It is unacceptable to tell a customer two days before they are flying out to pick up a car from the company's location that it's not available, and then offer nothing except an apology?

So obviously I called and cancelled the purchase today, if this is the type of haphazard business practice followed, to a potentially new customer, what type of person would want to get into any type of long term contract with a company that doesn't understand deadlines or obligations? I should have used the dealership like any normal person.

Now I'm going to cancel my insurance, throw away this non-refundable one-way ticket to Nashville, and try to scrape together some impromptu vacation with my days off. This will go down as one of the worst experiences with any business ever.

These aren't impulse buys or frivolous purchases, they're CARS! Carvana treats it like you're buying a book from Amazon, lol. Actually, I wish they would treat customers the way Amazon does because Amazon will get you a book better than Carvana can get you a car.

And Carvana, if you are reading this, don't even put up a response, because all it will say is "sorry [but we're not going to do anything about it]." You need to allocate more resources for problem-solving instead of damage control.

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

Carvana is known for giving you "terms" for every car on their website with just a soft credit pull. I did this process a few times. Before even taking this step, I did an online live chat and called in. I very clearly explained that I was self-employed and asked them how they handled income verification for self-employed people.

They told me they use either three months of bank statements OR the prior year's tax returns. In my case, I had both, so I didn't worry.

I kicked off the process of purchasing a 2015 Acura MDX. I sent in my tax return as was requested, and was then asked to send in three months worth of bank statements.

I provided three months of business and personal bank statements and was then told that my income wasn't high enough to be approved through financing thru Carvana.

Which is absolute BS. I have consistently grossed over $60k since working for myself.

The most recent time I re-applied (because my income was higher this past month), I was told by an agent that they could only verify that I make $14,000 in a year and had to finance me based on that. Of course, this made the down payments on every single vehicle on the website unreasonably high. So high that it just wouldn't make sense to finance them. I could get a cash car for that amount.

Also, the second time I applied, I was told that 35% of whatever income they verify for self-employed people is shaved off for business expenses. Which is bogus. In my case, I am a web developer. My only overhead is the internet. Not to mention, they only mentioned this when denying me for the second time. I had never heard this from them before, despite having initiated financing applications twice in the past (the first being last summer, but I canceled the process in order to clean some things up on my credit).

Bait and switch with car dealerships is nothing new. The sad part is Carvana champions itself as the anti-car dealer. I even used to joke with their agents about wanting to be on a Carvana commercial one day.

Suffice it to say, there's no magic solution to getting a car. Particularly when financing. Carvana is no different than a brick and mortar dealership. The shady dealings are all the same. The only difference is Carvana does it all online.

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

It was not a good experience with buying a car from Carvana. The point of inspection done by Carvana, which they claim, is not correct. The delivered car has no working instrument display. They claim the number of driven during sale, but there was no proof with odometer disabled. The delivery person revealed the offset by $10,000 miles from the sold value, which was revealed during the smog test (no proof). The tire pressure is low (not inspected) at the time of delivery. The window motors is not lubricated properly, and the rolling down is not smooth.

Overall, it was not a good experience, and I would not recommend Carvana as it is an additional hassle.

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

I tried to buy a car through Carvana which claims to be easy, but I spent hours on the phone trying to figure out what I needed to do to get the car delivered. Once I had a date set, I thought everything was going nicely. The day of delivery I got a call saying the car did not start and could not be delivered for a week. When the car did come, the tires were shredding on the front and completely bald on the back. The left reverse light didn't work nor did the Bluetooth and the car smelled like mold. I spent four weeks and hours of phone calls with Carvana only to realize I was better off walking into a dealership.

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

A couple years ago I bought a car in Minnesota, and brought it back to Colorado. It didn't pass emissions here. So I needed to do a trade and get a vehicle I can drive. I found the perfect car on the site, did the credit check, trade info, down payment, signed the paperwork, sent the pics and documents requested. Then, this morning, I get an email at 8:12 AM, while at work, on a Wednesday. Best part of the email? Well, it opened with platitudes about how they hope the process has been good so far. Then DEMAND that I contact them by 9:00 AM, again during the workday, or the deal will fall through. Hmmm. Sketchy much? And they want my money and for me to trust them? Hmmm...no.

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

I bought a car from these people, a 2015 blue Acura TLX. The car driver side was repainted, the bumper had signs of removal, and it was not installed correctly. They didn't tell me that the car was repainted. And they said it's normal when you're buying a used car. I exchanged a car for a different one, a 2015 white Acura TLX, only to find out later that the second car was repainted too, with clear signs of mismatching panels, and the colors are off. Paint on door handles, dirt under clear coat.

These people buy cars as cheap as possible, and they do know exactly what's wrong, but they don't tell you anything. These crooks charge full retail price for the car that been in some kind of accident, not reported, but eh who'd you repaint bumper, rear quarter panel, rear bumper and door handles? It's clear that car was in some kind of accident, which was not reported to police, that's why Carfax doesn't show anything.

I am really disappointed in these liars. I will be talking to a lawyer about this. They're supposed to disclose things like that.

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

Awful experience. They just can't seem to get my registration correct! It has been months! I think I'm being scammed at this point. Pathetic, incompetent people that work for this company.

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

If you live outside the footprint of Carvana and have to pay the $399 delivery fee, it is just not worth the risk. Their "transparency" will only tell you about a couple of exterior imperfections, just multiply that by 5, and you'll have an accurate number. Their showroom lighting is very misleading - get your car out in the sun, that is after you take a filthy car down to be washed, and you'll see everything. And in the case of my vehicle, the rims had been curb rashed, look closely in the photos...

The delivery took 25 days, so plan on that too, and be wary that the delivery company may damage your vehicle loading and unloading.

Couple other little things - no floor mats, the interior hadn't even been wiped down, and the key fobs needed batteries replaced.

Bottom line is, they purchase lease vehicles at auction, the more abused these vehicles can be, the cheaper they can get them, and turn them around at retail. Pretty sneaky.

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

I bought a car with them and it was easy enough. The day it was supposed to be delivered, I received a call at 8:30 stating the driving called out and that this car isn't in their territory so they won't be able to deliver it for another 7-10 business days.

I tried to call back and I got a rep's voicemail. I left a message and said I'm available anytime. They never called me back, so I called the 800 number, and the rep told me that the location doesn't deliver to my house, it should have been the Boston location. I replied, "so they lied to me about someone calling out." They just aren't coming because it was brought to the wrong facility. They said no they didn't lie, someone did call out. I explained then shouldn't it be the next day. Why are we bumping me 10 days out when I was scheduled before everyone after me? I told them they had until Wednesday (which was two days away) to deliver or I'm canceling. Surprise, surprise - they were able to deliver.

When I got the car the top rail was severely dented during offloading. I would now have to set up to get that fixed free of charge but still on my own time. I had the car for a day and then called and said I didn't like the car and with all the issues I don't want to do business with them again. They said they'll call the Connecticut office to schedule a pick up. I let them know that's the incorrect office, the Boston office is in my territory (I figured they would know this and not the customer).

They removed the car in three days. They said I would see my money back in my bank account in 5-7 business days. It has now been 17 days with no money back into my account. I called today and they said it got stuck in the transfer and never made it. I asked if I never called you would have just kept my money. They said no, you would have gotten your money. No idea how they figured that. I also asked how often does this happen. They said not often. I said it's weird that $13,000 just gets stuck, is it perhaps that someone forgot to do it. They said no. I told them I caught them lying before to me. They said it would be two business days. I said if it's not there in two days I'm calling back and then they'll hear from my lawyer.

They are crooks and liars.

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

Do not use Carvana!

A car dealership is like a luxury vacation in Tahiti compared to Carvana.

Here’s what went down.

I’ve been looking for the right car for over a month. I created an account on Carvana and FINALLY found the car for me! I started the process, input all my info and everything looked okay. That was yesterday. Today, I get an email that my delivery is delayed. I called them and they tell me the phone number on my account doesn’t match what’s on the credit report, and that I have to get the alert on my Experian account removed. Okay, I start looking for information on how to contact Experian, and all I can find are automated system numbers.

I call them to find out if there’s another way to handle and the guy I spoke to said “Oh it’s all cleared up, I’ve got your number changed in the system, and you’re good to go. Your car will be delivered Tuesday.”

Haha, what a joke!

I then received an email stating my delivery would AGAIN be delayed. I called for the third time before noon. The young lady I spoke to said the underwriter had created a help ticket to get my phone # fixed, that she would call IT and call me back at noon.


Guess what? No call. SURPRISE! I called them, was transferred to the underwriter, whose name I believe is Cara. Cara told me the ONLY way I can get the car is to call Experian and get the phone number changed, they can’t change anything on their side, and she gave me the phone number. I called the number. It's a credit card company, not Experian.

I called back and canceled my order. I have health issues and stress extremely exacerbates my condition. I’d rather have another person puke in my mouth than deal with this C word. Their people lied, gave bad information, and all they can do is say “I’m so sorry you had a bad experience.” Stop being sorry and fix the problems.

Also, please do NOT reply to this with “Oh we’re so sorry, that’s not how Carvana does business” because I’ve found many similar reviews. Why doesn't Carvana train their people to do business properly? How about listening to the recordings and seeing how much they lie?

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