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

The Good: Customer service, before I got the car and during the 7-day trial was great and friendly, gladly answering any questions. It was to easy to finance the car, see rates, find a car I love and get it delivered to my front door. After the hassle of looking and dealing with dodgy salespeople at local dealerships, I found this all a great relief.

The Bad: The system seems kind of glitchy. I had to sign the papers online about six times, including once after I got the car, which I signed before delivery online and in person so that could use a little tweaking. I took the car to a certified mechanic and found the oil was dirty and low (hadn't been changed in a long time) and there was evidence of small fender benders none of which was pointed out. However, the car was super clean and had no structural damage. I expected there would probably be something of the like with mileage as it seemed a dealership car and they often just fix rather than report. It was a good price and had no structural damage, so I was fine with that. My only concern was possibly something they should have pointed out. However, that is why you should take a car to a mechanic for a PPI.

The Ugly: The registration and plates are where things get ugly. On 12/9/2018 my 7-day guarantee ended. On 1/4/19 I received an email stating they needed more info from my insurance. I missed the email so they called me 1/07/19, so I replied right away giving them more info and requesting estimated date I could expect the plate and registration as I am just a bit worried as temp expires soon (expiration 01/17/19). I was told:

"At the moment we do not have an estimated time that your registration will be completed...If you have not received your registration on the date that your temporary tag expires, please give us a call at 800-333-4554 and our team will look into it for you!"

So I waited for a bit and on 01/14/19 I get a bit nervous and contact them again and I am told it's being worked on. I was advised after explaining my worries this by Danielle (1/14/2019, 11:34:50 AM):

"I completely understand, at this point, we are at the mercy of DMV timelines, however, we certainly do not want you to be without transportation. Try and see if the DMV is able to issue you a new temporary plate and if they are not, please contact us and we will work with you to find the best solution, we want to ensure you are taken care of."

So I contact the DMV and explain only to be told my car is not in the system and it's all up to the dealership, sorry. So about 28 minutes later I am back chatting with Carvana. I am then told by Savannah (1/14/2019, 12:14:03 PM):

"The registration has arrived at the DMV for completion and is typically completed in 4 days. It is possible it will get there the day of/after your temporary plates expire."

And then again by Savannah (1/14/2019, 12:14:33 PM):

"I would recommend chatting in day they expire if you have no received them and we can check the status and address the situation from there!"

So the day they expire comes and I am very concerned being my only vehicle. So I stop in chat again, they will check and email me later, and this is what I get:

"I did hear back from our registration team. As of right now the DMV has provided us with an Estimated Completion Date of 1/25/19.

Once completed they will send your permanent plates overnight via FedEx. We apologize for any inconvenience, they stated there was a delay due to proof of insurance missing the required info needed to begin registration process."

So even though I had only delayed them three days I wouldn't be getting my registration until about nine days after my plates expired. And if I don't get them before work, that's me having to drive a car with no plates and no registration, not even a pink slip. So I called, briefed the gentleman on the other end, who told me to try the DMV, though it's up to their discretion on whether they will help me or not. Explained further...He didn't offer any other solutions or ideas. So I said, "So you are pretty much telling me I am on my own right?" He replied "Yeah, sorry pretty much." That was it.

So yeah, I am so happy I paid them to take care of this and this is the help I get. Needless to say, if I get a ticket I do whatever I can legally do to address this issue. So thanks, Carvana.

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

I tried to get my automobiles value and was constantly kicked off the site after I gave them my info. I never did get my value, but they got all of my information. What a mistake. Buyer beware!

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

First, I visited with Nashville Carvana just to learn about the process and get more comfortable with this new process. They were polite and knowledgeable. Days later I found a 2018 Rav4 online that I wanted to buy. I was previously told at my Nashville visit and calls to customer service that there were no delivery or transportation charges when I made a purchase.

When I started the purchase, a $199 charge for transportation was added. This was a (Carfax) Florida car and I live in Nashville and Carvana has a location in Georgia. So why did you add this $199 transportation charge? All the other Rav4 cars were listed with no transportation charges coming from the same area.

When I inquired, Customer service said it was because it had to travel 2,000 miles from New Jersey. WHAT?

I ask Nashville Carvana and they had no Idea why the charge was made.

Also, It took about 6 hours of calls and holds and return calls to get a hold of anyone in customer service.

I know they will return your money before the seventh day, but not getting the truth on the front end makes me walk away. I told the Nashville office I would take the car if they would remove the $199 transportation charge from Florida. They told me to call customer service again...I just said no thank you and left. I will buy somewhere else, these people are not consistent.

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

Getting a price for a Nissan Leaf 2013 - very low with no place to show a new set of batteries. Then checking the sale price of the same car, same year, same color, with higher mileage. It was 125% more in sales price. Wow, what a rip off! Very very poor. I called and waited in a line of 80 callers led to take it or leave it.

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

Carvana was the only place I could find the car I wanted so I thought I’d give it a go. I figured the 7-day test drive would be a worry-free way to go. I was so wrong.

I brought a beautiful 2013 beetle convertible TDI. Exactly the car I wanted. The VW service advisors told me that was one of the years to go with so I thought I had made a good choice. Within two days, I had a check engine light. The remainder of my "7-day test drive" the car spend having work done at the dealership. I did get a two-day extension (somehow a manager was never available to speak to me) because if I was given any longer my registration would come too late. Not true. I asked if Carvana could pick the car up at VW and end the deal. They said it has to be a residence. Basically, I was stuck with a questionable vehicle.

I got it back after my two-day extension only to have it not start due to a dead battery a few days later. Fine. I bought a new battery. Four days later, another check engine light. Back to the dealership. Today, another three days later the light pops back on. Thankfully I am still covered under the 100 days service agreement but is ridiculous. I’ve had the car four weeks now and will be making a dealership visit every one of those weeks.

Was this car even mechanically checked?

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

I am a current customer of Carvana and had purchased a vehicle in the summer of 2018. I went to purchase another vehicle today and they were the most unorganized and terribly placating group without any explanation of the steps that they "so-called" need to put you through. They approved it but needed to do an "identity verification" quiz. After leaving me on hold for 15 minutes I was told that the quiz timed out and they could not do it again, this was the same with the chat representative. I canceled the order out of frustration and they still wanted to hassle me to do so. I am going to work with a dealer. Good luck to those who are braver than me. They suck in my opinion!

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

Attempting to purchase a car through Carvana was the worst decision I've ever made. I placed an order for a vehicle on January 12th and it was estimated that I would receive my preview between the 17th and the 24th of January. On the 24th I still did not receive the preview so I contacted someone and I was told I'd get an update on the next day (no one ever contacted me either). And basically no one there could provide me any information at this point and I was out of a car. So I waited because I was absolutely in love with the car (which was advertised as an automatic 2012 Jeep Patriot). Today (2/1/19) I finally got the preview only to find out it was a manual. They falsely advertised it as an automatic and I can't drive a manual so the car I was in love with and depending on would not work for me and I still didn't have a car at this point. When I contacted Carvana, all they did was confirm it was a manual and told me to try finding something else. Needless to say, they didn't have anything else in my price range that would work for what I wanted and did not do anything to fix their mistake. I would not recommend nor buy a car from Carvana, they are completely useless.

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

I bought a car from Carvana and it was delivered right before Christmas. I've had the car for about 5 weeks, with most of them - the car being in the shop. The first was with a leak and water flooding the driver side - this was taken care of through 5 out of my 7-day money-back period. Since the issue was resolved, I had assumed it was smooth sailing from there! However, a few days later, another issue popped up. My car would making huge clunking sounds in the engine area if I drove over 60 mph. Turns out it was a missing bracket from the engine area - another week towards finding the issue and ordering the part. Now, the third issue. I got up for work and went to turn on my car. Car was completely dead - I couldn't even jump it to get it to restart. The towing company couldn't jump it to get it to restart. Turns out to be a defective TCU unit and the car being worked on for two weeks and counting.

I've reached out to find out my options for support in situations such as this ("We work harder than hard to make our customers happy") - and I was told that I would have to continue to pay monthly (and possibly out of pocket) for a car that I am unable to drive.

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

I went through the process of paperwork and getting 3rd party financing for a car that I really had my mind set on. I received a signed Retail Purchase Agreement and was about to sign the paperwork through my bank when I received a call from an underwriter at Carvana. He stated the car was actually purchased by someone else and they unlocked the car by mistake.

I had reserved this car, but without hesitation, they removed the lock and deleted my paperwork and moved on. they did say "Sorry for the trouble, go to our site and find another car, we have many more."

Before this fiasco, I talked to three separate reps regarding this particular car within 24 hours of reserving the car. No one mentioned any issues leading up to an hour from finalizing the deal and getting the car shipped. I am very disappointed, this should never happen to any customer. The $500 they offered me for compensation was actually an insult.

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

Awful experience. Financing done, all paperwork in. Two weeks later I still don’t have my car. They keep saying it’s delayed. If they deliver by the latest BS date that they gave it will be a month from approval to receiving the car. Stay away from this place by all means. All the CS reps lie like they don’t care what happens. I have good credit too, just thought it would be nice to not have to fight with a dealership. But, at least the dealerships give you your car after the fight is done. This place makes me think I need an attorney.

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