I was in the need of a new car and I had been putting it off mainly because I didn't want to face the painful process of buying a used car: looking endless inventories, visiting lots of dealers and, more painfully, dealing and negotiating with dealer sellers. My previous purchases had not been pleasant at all, and I was not in the mood to start a new one. A friend of mine recommended Carvana since she had had a very good experience with them. I did a bit of research online about Carvana, and read some terrible reviews in certain venues (not in the Carvana website), so I was not completely sure about going this route. At the end, I decided to follow my friend's advice, mainly because Carvana offered a 7-day return policy (that no dealers offer), so I could always return the car if there were any issues.
I had a very clear idea of the car model I wanted, and even the color (it had to be RED). I checked the Carvana website every night, looking at possible options, and in more or less ten days, I saw exactly what I wanted. It had a much lower mileage than what I was aiming for (which was great), and the price was much lower than what I had seen at all the dealers for that model (and they had a higher mileage). I decided to buy it, with my mind set on returning it if there was the most minimal issue with the car. I went online and bought it on February 4. It took me around 30 minutes to fill all the paperwork, which was simple and easy to do.
I was using my own bank for financing, and Carvana needed to verify the information by phone, with me and a bank representative on the line. In the first try, Carvana was unable to get a bank representative on the line, however, they told me they would keep trying and call me back when they finally get someone on the line. 30 minutes later I got a call; the first bank representative refused to release any information and I had to ask for another representative that I know personally, who (luckily) collaborated. That was the only small issue I run into, and in fact it was not Carvana's fault, but my bank's. Those two phone calls were the only ones in which I had to talk to Carvana representatives, and I must say, they were amazingly attentive, helpful and nice.
I was told that two days later, on February 6, my car would be delivered to my home address between 11:00 AM and noon. In the meantime, I talked to my insurance company in order to cover the new car. On February 6 I received a call at 10:45 AM telling me the car was on its way, and at 11:15 it was delivered. Car was perfectly detailed inside and outside and exactly in the condition that was described (I was able to spot a couple of small chips, but nothing unreasonable that you wouldn't expect from a used car), the tank was full and the person who brought it (Erin) was as nice and polite as the two representatives I had talked on the phone. He gave me two sets of keys, I was able to do a 5 minutes test drive and then, after I decided to keep it, I signed the registration papers that Erin had brought with him. That same day, I took the car to my trusted mechanic, who performed a complete inspection of the car and told me that it was in mint condition, he was unable to find any issues that required attention.
Five weeks later I received my new plates and registration, no issues with that either (and this was a sticky point in many of the reviews I had read, that complained about delays in receiving the registration).
In sum, it has been the BEST experience I ever had buying a car. Carvana worked incredibly well for me; the fact that I knew exactly the car that I wanted might have contributed to my good experience, since it is one of the most popular cars in the US, so there were plenty to choose from in the inventory. I also knew exactly what type of background history I wanted in my car and Carvana provided that information in the Carfax history. The only "stress" I experienced was my own excitement the night before the car was delivered.
Finally, I would like to thank the two representatives that I talked on the phone, and Erin, who delivered the car, since they were professional, attentive and made the whole experience painless.
Bottom Line: Yes, I would recommend this to a friend
