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

Nightmare is a gentle term to use for our experience with Carvana, which still continues! When the car was received, the dashboard VIN had been removed. An oil receipt was in the car, and just out of curiosity, we called that dealer. The mileage was about 100,000 miles more than what the odometer read! It appears Carvana turned it back. There are numerous other problems, however, the ongoing one is that after four months, they will not provide the title and registration. I have exhausted my allowable temporary trip permits and can no longer drive "my" car because I can't get plates. Now my livelihood is affected, and I am unable to provide an income.

There seems to be no end to the go around. Why should they care? They have my money!

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

Don’t do it! Go to a regular dealership, worst experience ever!

I bought a van who’s battery died both with only 16,000 miles on them and of course, it was the 8 days, so the 7-day return didn’t apply. Then they just disclosed after the dealership brought up that the van door was a different color and had been replaced. They had done work to it that wasn’t up to par and now my van has been stuck in a body shop that they said they would pay for, and trying to get them to actually pay for it is a nightmare. Do not buy a car from this company! I mean, I have cried so much, I am a mom to three boys and this is so unacceptable.

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

Do not buy from them. Until you buy, they talk nicely. You want your car value to just fell down to $2K in a days then you can buy from them.

From: PS

Date: Mon, Sep 17, 2018 at 1:53 PM

Subject: Re: Carvana - Purchase Update

To: Carvana Customer Advocate

I think Carvana is fraudulent from the day one I purchased my car and everytime a new reason is given.

I purchased the car for $11.8K value without other fees and while trading in less than 3 months, the value is down to $8K. The reason given is system error on your side with incorrect VIN number, two cars with same dodge dart. blah blah...

I will check to find a legal way to scrap this out. In the meantime, you guys can take my car back, or I am not gonna pay my EMI's until I have a correct trade in value as last week.

Why the heck your trade team did verify my License, Bank account etc., without checking the VIN number or other information...You have your own system errors and keep creating the worst experience in buying from Carvana.

I will post the same in social media as well and other places too.

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

First I’d like to start by saying if you look at the reviews on Carvana's website, they are all great for the most part. Then when I read these reviews, I was like, ahh, these are the true Carvana reviews.

My father and I found a car we liked and went through the online process and found that user-friendly and pleasant. Then the terror began. They wanted us to call and verify our down payment was available in the bank. So we 3-way called the bank and verified funds set up delivery. They said they will deliver the car and remove money. Simple enough.

They then quoted us on the phone one payment amount then changed the amount because they had erased our entered information and entered their own. Then they added gap insurance and quoted us a crazy high number that I said can’t be right. "Oh yea, sorry Mr. Johnson, we will get it right." Ok great. The car is delivered, nice driver. We assume all was done.

Nope. I start receiving threatening emails demanding we wire payment, send a cashier's check, etc. We were told they auto withdrawal from the account. They then call and say we entered the wrong account number. However, wait a minute, we never entered an account number, it was done on the phone that they verified funds on. They treated us like we were trying not to pay because of their incompetence. I’m like sure, I’ll wire money, what are you gonna do for our inconvenience? Well, I got my answer when one employee hung up on us.

So we wired the money and they are still calling and threatening. I guess eventually they will figure out it was paid. I would just pay off remaining loan amount to avoid them making money on interest but was advised by there employee that they don’t care, they don’t handle the loans, they just sell cars. I wish I had sent it back, but my father does like the car, which was slightly overpriced. This is the last car anyone in my family buys from Carvana. As others have said, once the sale is made, you got what you got, no help from them afterward.

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

Let me begin by stating that I did not purchase. Every single vehicle in which I was interested had a "Pending" flag. This was out of 77 vehicles.

Additionally, the company lowballs your trade. Mine was a third of the Blue Book. Finally, your information is not safe and can not or will not be deleted from their site. The reps tell you that they are "required by law to maintain your information for 25 months since you have begun or completed an application." When I explained that I had done neither, the representative became less than pleasant.

In short, if you this place has terrible customer service, questionable ethics and you would be wise to reconsider purchasing from them IN SPITE of the catchy commercials and glitzy vending machines.

Terrible, terrible experience and I didn’t even purchase. I hate to think what the entire experience is like.

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

It seems like a great idea. But I like to have a feel for a car. Who wouldn't when you're paying $31,000 for it. So the first and second were not what I wanted. I ordered one more but had to drive to pick it up. I told them I would pass the 400-mile mark, which meant I'll have to pay $1 per mile. The gave me an extra 100 miles to go pick up. I picked up the car and didn't like it, so I tried to give it back but they said you must keep it. I tell them you said 7-day guarantee. Nope, if you don't like the first two, you have to keep the second one. I feel so cheated. It's best to just go to a dealership. You can look at how many you want and decided which one is for you.

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

So I bought a 2017 Jaguar XE 35T from Carvana with only 5k miles on it. I paid a little more than it was worth but the ease of ordering online made it worth it for me. So after multiple transfer issues with the vehicle, I was finally able to pick it up in Cleveland. I was really happy with the car until I took it to my car detailing guy. Post detailing, he let me know that this vehicle was in an accident and that both the front end and rear end of the vehicle had been replaced. To make matters worse, the paint job on the front end was done completely wrong and it would have problems going forward. To say I was a little pissed off at this point would have been an understatement.

So how did Carvana supply me with a clean Carfax report, and this vehicle made it through their 150-point inspection without them knowing that this vehicle has been in an accident? It just isn't possible, right? Well come to find out Carvana is the one that replaced the rear bumper on this car but claims to not know anything about the front of the vehicle. So you mean to tell me that this car was in their body shop and they couldn't spot a reworked front end but my detail guy could? So I pulled the Carfax report on the Jaguar and sure enough it had been in an accident. I immediately called Carvana and was told that they didn't have a record of an accident on this vehicle but they would look into it.

A day later I received a call stating that they would either cut me a check for $2800 or take $500 off another car on the website. I thought long and hard about taking that $2800 until I had the Jaguar appraised at a local dealership and found out that it was only worth $26000 and I paid $35,000. I immediately demanded my money back. They actually asked me to drive the vehicle all the way back to Cleveland. That wasn't going to happen.

Eventually, they agreed to pick the vehicle up at my house. Now here is where stage two sets in. I find out that Carvana never returned my plates to the NY State DMV. I have had the Jag for a month so now I get to re-insure my trade in, backdate it to 9/1/2018 and pay a DMV fine. You see, in NY state you cannot take a vehicle off of your insurance plan until you turn in the plates. They typically have a couple week's grace period, but after that they fine you $8 a day. So I am currently holding insurance on a vehicle that I traded into Carvana, a vehicle sent back to Carvana along with the two vehicles that my wife and I are currently driving.

To make matters worse I just found out that Bridgecrest sent my first car payment back to Carvana instead of sending it back to me. So currently I am waiting around for nearly $6k in checks from Carvana and I am out the money I spent on detailing this wrecked vehicle, the WeatherTech mats I purchased for it, the trip I had to take to Cleveland to pick up the vehicle in the first place, and all this money I am spending to insure vehicles that are not in my possession.

So yeah, I don't think I will be doing business with Carvana again. On a side note, Jakob (not sure how to spell his name) has been really nice on the phone and has been going the extra mile in trying to track down the checks they are supposed to be sending me. I have probably spent 50 hours on the phone with Carvana, my lawyer, and Bridgecrest. Not the best way to be spending my time.

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

Carvana has not delivered vehicles as presented online. The first vehicle that I purchased was marketed as an AWD vehicle, but after it was delivered and further research, it was only FWD. I called and explained the situation and was told it should be AWD, but they would follow up with a different Team. I was contacted back and told that the vehicle was only FWD and they apologized. They stated I could return or get $250. AWD cost more than this and I selected to return. I selected a new vehicle on a Monday, and then received an email on Thursday that the vehicle has a mechanical malfunction and need to reschedule the delivery. Since they sent an email and did not call, I called them to find out the keys had been lost. In addition, it would take another week to get the keys replaced. Disappointed in my experience, I asked the time frame in which I could get back my car that I traded in. The agent could not locate my car and stated she would follow up with me by the end of the day. However, no one ever called and followed up. I am still waiting to find my car.

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

So I bought into the process of this place. Easy, online, no pesky sales people - you are in charge and it all should go seamlessly, right? Ehhh hold up.

So I'll be the first to say that initially, everything was great. I found the car that I wanted, signed all the docs online, and got my financing squared away with my bank. They initially stated they had to work with a 3rd party to get the car delivered as I live in Maine, which was fine. We had it all scheduled, and then we hit a small bump - the battery apparently was dead and delayed the delivery. They replaced it, and then offered to actually deliver it with a Carvana truck as opposed to the 3rd party...we'd just have to drive an hour south. I was perfectly fine with that. Car pickup was great, everything as described, no hang-ups. But wait for it...it gets juicy.

Upon pickup, the guy had me take some docs saying that they had to be notarized and signed in order for registration to be squared away for Maine. Seemed odd to me, considering that I could easily knock this out at my town office in 5-10 minutes, but fine - you guys are the experts. I do as requested and wait for 3 weeks. Nothing.

My temp tag is for Georgia as that is where Carvana runs its processing and has its used dealer license at as far as states. I have roughly a week left on my temp tag. Carvana sends me a text stating a new form is being FedEx'd for registration - uh what?! They apparently sat on the last form forever and then got to me stating the previous one was not valid for whatever reason. OK, so new form signed, notarized, and sent off.

I call them up - the rep states it'll get submitted and if any road bumps hit in the next week, a new temp tag can be sent. OK great.

Fast forward to a few days before expiration, and I have no plates. I call and they state that they CAN'T (YES, can't) issue new temp tags since I'm not a resident of Georgia, and can't issue a Maine temp tag as they don't have a used dealer license here. So, here I am with my new car, but no way to drive it legally because tags can't be extended and plates are not here.

But not to worry, they said they can get me a rental car with Enterprise. Wait...are you serious? So now I need to take time off to go get the rental, have a hold on my bank card as a deposit, and be exposed to additional liabilities as insurance coverage is limited with rental cars (and no, they won't pay for additional insurance on the rental)? Yep, that was their solution.

So overall, the only way I can see going through Carvana as being a good experience is if you live in Georgia. Then, if some insane thing happens in the registration process, you can at least get temp tags extended. Anywhere else, JUST GO LOCAL. If I had known this purchase would be this much of a headache for something as simple as getting plates for the vehicle, which literally takes 5-10 minutes at my local town office, I would have. But then again, you'd think a company would have a handle on its operations to do this easy task, right?

In the meantime...my new car is sitting in the driveway, not legally drivable, and I'm waiting for Enterprise to pick me up.

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

Yes, it was easy to purchase the car and even make my first payment. No big deal. I did my financing through Carvana, which included the plates for my car. I officially bought this car the beginning of August and now...well, here I am on October 19th at 9 pm CST, typing this review because my temporary tags expire tomorrow and I still do not have my permanent ones, which Carvana support had repeatedly told me that they would arrive by the 18th.

Keep in mind that I have called numerous time within those two months asking about my tag and kept getting told that it was "in process." I even called three days ago wanting to know the status and was once again told "in progress." I asked this guy what day the plates were filed for and he said that it was not done until October 8th! TWO MONTHS. They held on to the paperwork for me to get my tags for two months. One customer rep tried to tell me that the driver who delivered my car to me had just sat on my paperwork and that was why they waited so long to file because the driver hadn't turned it in.

I asked the rep what would happen if the 20th comes around and I still do not have my plates and he said they could put it in the system to extend the tag date so if my husband or myself got pulled over then the cops could see it in the system. It sounded like a load of crap to me and getting a ticket is not something I want to play around with.

Here is the best part. Here it is October 19th and at 7:14 pm Carvana finally calls me back to tell me the way they plan to resolve this issue. They decided to schedule me a rental car for two days only covering Saturday and Sunday, but then told me that the office to get my tags shipped overnight would not be open until MONDAY. Which means I would not even receive them until Tuesday. So I guess I would just go without a car for two days because that is feasible right (insert eye roll).

Not only that, I would have to pay the deposit for the rental car (way to add insult to injury). I tried to explain to her that tomorrow morning (Saturday, October 20th) my husband will be getting up at 4 am to drive to work an hour away from home and that this was the only car we have. She said he technically cannot drive with those temporary tags tomorrow. I responded with Enterprise doesn't open at 4 am so she then asked me if he could just go there on his lunch break or if I could just take an Uber. I live in a small country town about 30 minutes away from an Enterprise. I'm sure they would want me to pay for my Uber too...if I could even get one. I guess Carvana doesn't care that I also have children...let's load them up to go get a rental and pay even more money that I don't have for someone else's mistake. While we are at it, let me just see if my husband can take off for two days (at a job he just got, hence why we bought the car in the first place) on the two days the car rental isn't covered for while we wait for our tags.

Key points:

*They sat on the paperwork for my plates for my car for TWO MONTHS before filing for it.

*They gave me the run around multiple times when I called in regards to my tags.

*They want to make it right by scheduling me a rental car that would cost me more money and create even more stress for this already messed up situation that they created.

*The same woman that told me that the plates were officially no good tomorrow wants my husband to drive to work and then on his lunch break go pick up the rental an hour away one way. As someone who works in insurance...getting a ticket is not a good idea, your insurance rates will go up for three years and chances are, based on my recent experience with Carvana customer service, I would probably be paying the ticket and the increase in insurance fees for sure because it is clear that they will not take care of their customers when they make a mistake.

AND this is the best they could do.

Do yourself a favor...just go to the dealership. Be firm about what you want and read your contract thoroughly to make sure they don't sneak anything into your contract. Check how many payments for what amount each payment is, check your interest rate and amount financed, check to make sure your payment will be with who they told you it would be, and just read the list of fees to make sure you aren't paying for extras you don't want. Simple as that, and many car dealers give you the plates right then and there. PLUS, IF something went wrong, they would be more likely to help you and try really hard to make it right!

Carvana, you could have been great, but your customer service sucks!

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

I purchased two vehicles from Carvana a year ago. A 2014 Chevrolet Camaro and a 2014 Ford Fiesta. Both cars had a clean vehicle history report. But after owning my Camaro for a couple weeks, I realized overspray all over the black grille. So I looked closer and found painter's tape stuck under the car still and more overspray inside the gas door. So it had the front end and the rear quarter panel repainted at the least. Assuming it was in a wreck. And with the tape still being stuck up under the car, it couldn't have been there for long. Carvana had to be the ones who repaired it and never reported it to vehicle history report somehow. I am very disappointed. And the interior had a lot of scratches that weren't shown in the pictures online. Also, the car only had 24,000 miles on it when I purchased it. Luckily I was able to give rid of the car.

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