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

I'm a resident in Houston and I recently purchased a car through Carvana. This was my first time purchasing a car so I was very thorough with my contract and Carfax. I had it read over with my boyfriend who was co-signing with me. I sent it over to my mom to check over as well. It was a great deal, 2016 dodge challenger under 30,000 miles, no cosmetic imperfections for $20,700. The car was delivered to me at the beginning of July, and before I even got out to the car the gentleman who was dropping it off told me he had noticed some cosmetic issues. Then after doing a walkthrough, I noticed quite a bit more. I was told by the gentleman that the pictures would be submitted and to wait to hear from them about what could be done. I eventually was informed to take it to a body shop and get an estimate. That was done. Then I was told to wait for confirmation for the repairs to be approved. As the car was listed with no imperfection I was highly motivated to think they would not refuse the repairs.

While waiting for the approval I noticed the car had a coolant leak. I informed Carvana and was again told to get an estimate then submit it and wait for the approval. However, the car still had a couple of months of the manufacturer's warranty on it so I just had it repaired under that. That was 2 days without my car, and a couple of weeks pass and I was still waiting for approval for the cosmetic issues. I eventually called them and found it they had been approved I just hadn't been made aware. I was supposed to receive a text message, however, I didn't get it. I can understand technology mistakes happen sometimes though. I was finally able to take the car to the body shop on August 5th. That following Friday, August 9th, my repair advisor called me to inform me that the team had removed the bumper to get to some repair areas and noticed quite a bit of hidden damage. I had them stop repairs and contacted Carvana. Since finding the hidden damages I have spent over 5 hours on the phone with them. Multiple 24 hour approval days and found out the car had $13,000 of damage between the cosmetics and the hidden repair. $10,000 of it being hidden under the bumper and lights and grill being glued together as well as the reinforcement bar being dented in multiple areas. I asked to return the car and pick out another one of equal value, with my personal understanding that they sold me a car with extreme damages and was concerned that there are other hidden damages. They have refused to honor my original terms, now requiring a $6000 down payment and a 24 percent interest rate compared to my original 0 down and 12ish percent interest rate. When I asked why I could not have the original terms they said because they no longer offer co-signing and they would not transfer the terms to a different car, even though had the car I had originally chosen not been damaged I would have the car with those terms still.

So now my credit has been dinged twice due to the hard pull required to get my terms original and then dinged when I opened the loan, same for my boyfriend. On top of that I am without a car and unable to go somewhere else without paying extra due to my lowered credit score. Not to mention I just went through a whole buying process then the process of dealing with the repairs and now I am having to deal with trying to get the first months payment back, which can't be done until they have the car in the possession, which can't be done until the repairs are done.

I am unable to understand how they could do this to a customer who has done nothing wrong, I have been nothing but polite on the phone despite my growing frustration and I have been patient and in constant contact with them regarding everything. They sold me a car that should never have been listed, then refuse to honor the same interest and 0 down even for a car at the same price, and refuse to let my boyfriend co-sign with me when it was allowed a month ago.

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

I purchased a 2017 Nissan Armada from Carvana with a clean Carfax. After 6 months paint started flaking from the back bumper. Imagine my surprise when a local body tech told me it had been repaired and repainted and repainted poorly. When I contact Carvana they finally admitted they had "refurbished" the back bumper. Refurbish/Repair - same thing in my book and should have been disclosed to Carfax. Of course Carvana told me to take a hike - so $1700 later I have a repainted bumper with a lifetime warranty on the paint job - something Carvana's cheapo shop evidently didnt do. So - don't trust the Carfax on a Carvana car.

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

One star is even too much for Carvana. Carvana sells damaged cars that aren’t reported to which means Carvana buys that kind cars, fixes and paints them, then installs aftermarket parts on in. This is my experience with Carvana. They’ll show you a Carfax, don’t believe what they tell you. When you get the car you got 7 days for a full refund go to a certified dealership to check the car. And after 7 days no way to get your refund. My car was hit from the front and rear. They put on aftermarket bumpers and transmission.

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

They sell you junk and promise the moon, total scum, not worth your hard-earned money, go to a dealership or a private seller where you can actually see the car in person before buying.

This company needs to be sued out of business, just a bunch of trash cars that I wouldn't doubt came from the floods in Texas. Just garbage, stay far away from the cars they offer!

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

Do NOT, I repeat, DO NOT DO THIS. If you have a trade-in, they are unable to pay your lien holder immediately. I had a trade-in two months ago and they never paid off my car. I didn’t find out until missed payments were on my credit report. I called to get this straightened out and they had the audacity to tell me to pay both loans until they figure it out. This was the absolute WORST idea I ever thought of doing. Please do not give these people your time, money, or your car! I will do whatever it takes to make sure people don’t get sucked into this.

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

Carvana does not live up to their claims. Please read to be aware of what you’re getting into.

I will say that the application and buying process was very easy. However, from form to delivery is a different story.

They promise next day or 2-day delivery and this could not be further from the truth. A few days after I placed my order online and had confirmed pickup for the car. I received a phone call from a rep as well as an email that I needed to fill out 2 more forms within the hour if I wanted to get my car on the delivery date. I dropped everything that I was doing during work that day to get this done. A few hours later they called me back and told me that I needed to fill out another form (which they hadn’t told me about on the first call), but since it was past their "deadline," my delivery had been delayed a few days. I filled out the form and rescheduled for the following weekend.

The next week the day before my "guaranteed pickup" I received another email stating that my scheduled appointment to pick up the car had once been delayed again. And they automatically rebooked me for a day that didn’t work for my schedule. I called once again to reschedule for the following week.

Another week rolls around and once again, the day before pickup they delay once again. From 2 days turning into 3 weeks from the final straw was enough for me, I called and canceled my order and rightfully so. The customer service was awful and not transparent. I would never recommend anyone to buy from here as it made me reschedule plans and jump through numerous hassling hoops all for nothing.

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

I have been buying used cars for over 50 years. I thought I would give you a try because I trusted your 150-point inspection. I took it to a dealer for a pre-purchase inspection expecting that it would pass with flying colors. The dealer found that the front end (both fenders, bumper, and hood) had been re-painted indicating it had been damaged or in an accident. The dealer estimated that cars that have been in accidents are worth 10-30% less. They also found that it was missing 2 panels underneath the car, the front rotors and brakes were rusted from sitting for a long time, and a number of codes had not been cleared from the computer. When I called to go over this I was told I could return the car but you would not negotiate the price. This business model does not work for me because I had spent time, energy, and money for the inspection to determine if the car was really worth $4-5k above its KBB value. You were not even willing to return the money I had spent on the inspection when it is obvious you had done a poor job inspecting the car. Worst of all, no one apologized to me for your mistakes and its impact on me!

The other thing that really bothers me is that even though I have called 3 times about returning the car and have a scheduled pick-up date, your website shows that I am keeping it and I have zero trust in you right now.

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

I bought my Volvo on July 5th, paid cash. It’s September 9th and I still can’t drive it! No title, no paperwork. I am not so sure it’s not stolen. No one will call me back! 17 calls into it! My bank has contacted me.

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

Unfortunately, nothing about this experience has been stress or hassle-free. The first truck we picked was dirty when we picked it up (large black handprint on the side panel of the door, covered in bugs across the mirrors and front of the truck, crumbs and dirt on the seats, and a large wet stain on the passenger side), when we test drove it the truck pulled hard to the right. We explained our concerns and we were assured that we could get an estimate for repairs (assuming it was the alignment) and Carvana would send a mobile detailer out. Sounded easy so we accepted the vehicle.

After a day of driving it and realizing the time it would take us to be able to get an estimate, wait for it to be approved and the truck has to be taken in for repairs, we decided to pick another vehicle. No big deal. So I thought. The new truck was delivered a few days later. I immediately noticed the tread on the tires was extremely low and there was a large white scratch on the upper and lower bumper of the truck. As soon as I saw it, Derek, the gentlemen who delivered the truck, said my manager Luis already approved to have that scrape repaired. Awesome! And he said it would be easy to set up a claim to get the tires replaced since they were so bad. Again, having the time to do these things is hard for us right now with it being our busy season with work and the kids starting their football season.

I looked online to see if there was another truck so we could try this again. There was nothing available that was similar. I felt assured that these things would be taken care of so I was just going to follow the instructions I was given to get these two things remedied. Not only did Carvana deny the repair on the bumper but I was given the run-around. Derek gave me his direct line and after leaving several voicemails, and calling Carvana to check on it for me, I was told that Luis had no clue about approving the damage and I also could not speak directly to him. After 5 days I was finally able to get ahold of Derek who finally got an approval for the scratch to be repaired. In the meantime, I had gone to my tire shop twice for him to get the information Silver Rock was asking for on the claim for my tires. After I had left for the second time Silver Rock then had asked for photos. I did not have time to go back to the tire shop for the third time since I had already taken time off of work to do so the other two times. I personally called Silver Rock asking for what pictures were needed. The lady I spoke to told me she needed pictures of the chunks missing for the sidewalls, the VIN on the truck as well as the odometer reading. I sent the photos in immediately. The next day, which is today, I called Silver Rock to get an update on the claim. They are now requesting me to go back to the tire shop because now they need pictures of the tread depth. I have ZERO time to go back to the tire shop for the third time. I already had to take my truck in to get an estimate on the bumper repair and now have to figure out a time to take it back for the actual repair.

I called several times within my 7 days and was reassured all the way around that this will be an "easy" process. I am driving with tires that have tread depths of 3/32 and 4/32 and chunks missing from the sidewalls. So unsafe for myself and my family! This has been the most miserable, stressful, time-consuming vehicle purchase ever. I trusted Carvana and I was greatly disappointed.

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

Three reps told me 3 different things. Wasted my day and had a pull on my CREDIT FOR NO REASON! Only to again be told something different. If I could give a negative star, I would! I hate when companies wait until the last minute to tell you fine details. If they would have been upfront I could have not wasted my time...

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

I will start off by saying yes, the car search and initial purchase experience was easy and almost relaxing compared to the stress of having to go to a dealership and fight tooth and nail for a good deal. But that is where the good experience stops.

Completing all the paperwork becomes quite time-consuming. And the whole time you are filling out the forms you watch the timer tick down saying "complete now for guaranteed delivery." After rushing thru I was guaranteed delivery on a Tuesday (7 days away). The first bummer. Monday, the day before pickup, I received a phone call from a rep that the delivery truck never showed to pick up the car. Quite a head-scratcher. So the next delivery date will be the following Tuesday. The rep 100% guaranteed me this date the car will be there. 6 days later again another phone call. Right away I could tell by the rep's tone of voice it was more bad news. Again I’m told the delivery truck just never showed up and my car was sitting in Cleveland. Well, that’s a shocker because originally I was told the vehicle was coming from Indiana. I tell the rep I can’t wait 7 more days. I need this car and I will be away the next week. All he says is I don’t know what to tell you. You can cancel the order.

I almost feel like the vehicle I ordered didn’t exist. There is no way Carvana wouldn’t be able to get the car to me, especially if coming from Cleveland, which is only 7 hours from my house in over 14 days. It’s truly a shame because buying online seemed like a great change from traditional options but don’t fall for it. I also think Carvana needs to look up the definition of guaranteed.

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