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

Worst experience ever! Bought this 2016 Lincoln MKS, on the day of delivery, there I was waiting for the car at 1 pm, but unfortunately, it did not happen, I end up getting it a week later after long phone calls and lots of waiting, and the only thing that they told me was that they had problems in the system. A week later finally got the car, so now I’ll have to wait for the permanent plates which I'm still waiting to happen. I’m really disappointed because I called them to see what was going on and they said that there was nothing they could do, that I would have to just wait for DMV to get my permanent plates. The problem is that the temp plates have already expired and I won't be able to drive the car anymore and that is a big negative hit on my business. Worst ever. Buy some place else. Not worth the headache...Looking for my legal rights.

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

I purchased a car through Carvana a Range Rover Evoque. After a few weeks, I started experiencing problems with the car. The car had hesitation issues which meant it would stop moving and go into neutral mode while making a very loud noise for a minute or 2 then start moving again. This issue happened 5 times over the first 3 months of me owning the car. I took the car to Land Rover garage 3 times and they changed sensors but it did not help. As I write this the car has been at the dealership for the past two weeks. The dealership is saying they cannot fix the car till they experience the problem but they do not have the manpower to drive the car for a long period of time. The car has stopped moving on the highway a few times and it could have ended with me and my children losing my life. Carvana has refused to swap the car for me saying it's a Land Rover problem. Land Rover has refused to take responsibility and asked me to take it back to Carvana. I am now terrified of driving the vehicle. Carvana has refused for me to return a vehicle that has serious safety issues. I will now be seeking legal help. This $30000 purchase has brought me so much pain. Do not use Carvana.

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

I decided to purchase my first vehicle from Carvana and against my better judgment after reading all the bad reviews everywhere except on their site, I still proceeded. My "quoted" approval price was easy to obtain, that was the only good part of my experience. The computer system had glitches in uploading my documents so I had to continuously resubmit them, my bank did not support the ACH system that they use so I had to obtain a cashier's check and send pictures to verify while I work all day mind you and with the constant threat of this "time frame" that they give you before you lose either the car or your delivery slot.

Once I got everything uploaded I was to now sign my documents online. As I read thru them I notice that the car online is a different color than what is stated on my contract. I wanted a black car but the one in my contract is red? So I call in from work and get the customized "we are sorry" speech that I am convinced they have a training class specifically for that, and the advocate tries to convince me to ignore this legal and binding document that I am signing because the car really is black, not red as it states?! With some back and forth I advise him I will not be signing and I chose a different car, which he swapped out causing my delivery timer to "reset".

All of these things were frustrating but not enough to make me back out on the deal so I move forward, get my delivery date set to pick the car up in Atlanta at the vending machine. I take a half a day off of work because it’s a 2-hour drive and I get a call with a voicemail stating that one of the trucks broke down and they can’t get the car to the vending machine in time! An hour before my pick up you just figure that out?!

So again I’m given the standard "I’m sorry we pride ourselves on good service to our customer service" lie and my date is then rescheduled to Saturday. Now I am angry as my sister graduates and her party was Saturday but now I have to go to Atlanta and pick up a car. Well, lo and behold, 2 hours before the Saturday pick up I again get left a voicemail that the car is not ready this time it’s because a new battery was put in that caused the computer to reset and wipe out the readings needed to perform the emissions test required here in Georgia. So the car has to be driven around adding miles until it can be read! At this point, I’m over Carvana and the advocate obviously was not prepared to handle someone who knew facts and how things work. I work in car insurance and you can’t pull the wool over my eyes. After 30 minutes she put me on the phone with a Supervisor who was no more helpful than her but did talk to me as if I was a preschool child she could calm down with a sweet voice.

None of the new delivery options they had worked for me. I already missed work, I wasn’t doing so again, and there was no way I was driving to Atlanta in the evening after work. So her solution was they will deliver the car on Monday morning. I am writing this review on Sunday and I will be back to update because I told her if it is not delivered they can keep the car and I will go to a dealer!

This change in dates yet again requires you to go back and re-sign your documents and upon doing so what do I find they have added an extra $500 to the sale price of the car. Carvana is worse than the shadiest of car dealers and they should be ashamed of the practices and tactics they use to scam people!

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

Carvana has been a nightmare to deal with when it came to being reimbursed for transportation costs. Long story short, I originally purchased a vehicle and wanted to exchange as soon as I received the vehicle. They were helpful with that but due to something happening with their delivery from Georgia, so I had to wait an additional 7 days, which totaled 14 days. I picked up the vehicle on 4/13/19 and asked to exchange it the same day. Had to wait for my vehicle to be delivered as well as exchange the paperwork which took no time. My new vehicle exchange was going to be done on 4/19/19 but due to delivery delay, I had to wait until 4/27/19 to pick up my new vehicle. Now the problem is, when you exchange, you cannot go over a certain amount of miles. So because on 4/23/19 I was scheduled to go to SC, I needed my vehicle. I alerted them about this after calling and speaking to 3 different reps to finally have a rep who was helpful. He stated they will put me into a rental car for my travel days but due to some unforeseen circumstances, I was not able to receive the rental. I let them know and they explained I could use Uber/Lyft. I asked for the allowed amount and they stated $150. So on 4/23/19, I used the ride share service 3 times that day and again on 4/27/19. My total cost was $135.40 and I received a confirmation on 4/30/19 from them stating they received my receipts and sending out a check for $160.

I have not received the check yet so I called them up on 5/28/19, spoke to a Justine or Joseline and asked to speak with a manager named Ryan. He was very rude and not sympathetic at all. He explained they sent out a $55 check which I still have not gotten and they rule is $40 a day. I was never explained that over the phone and was told I would receive a $160 check. It's very upsetting and disturbing that do not stand by there customer's as I have given them great reviews as far as getting my vehicle but they must work on better training on their customer advocates. I am out $85.40 because of miscommunication and never went on my trip. I really dislike dealing with UN-empathetic customer service reps and warn anyone who has to deal with them.

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

I bought a Mini Cooper S 6sp on 12/29/18. Upon taking delivery of the car and test driving it the clutch felt a little weird. I mentioned it to the delivery guy and but he didn't seem to be interested. I figured it was just a feeling unique to Mini as my manual cars have been a Mazda RX-7 and Mazda RX-8. Anyway to make a long story short I continued to drive the vehicle (and yes I know how to drive a manual as I was taught to drive on a manual and never replaced a clutch on my other 2 manuals with over 8 years of ownership) and fast forward a few months later I got up in the morning, got in the car and I could now feel the clutch slipping when I changed gears as the RPMs would rev up and then go down. It got to that point literally overnight.

I immediately took the vehicle to the Mini dealership and they said they need to replace the clutch and flywheel with a total cost for parts and labor of $3,842.22 + tax. I then called a good friend of mine who is a mechanic and knows my ability to drive a manual and told him this story and he said there is no way this happened on your watch. They sold you a car with a failing clutch. I then called Carvana and explained my situation and they said their warranty/guarantee is only for 90 days from delivery of the car and there is nothing they would do. I was also told that there is no way Carvana could have inspected this car properly and not have known of the issue with the clutch. I would hope that in reading this Carvana would step up and take some responsibility as this is not my fault but has now become my problem. If I do not hear from Carvana I will be calling my lawyer, BBB, and every other avenue and social media out I can find to get my situation in front of the person at Carvana that can make this situation right.

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

After not getting the vehicle I wanted because they waited until the vehicle was sold to test drive it to find out there was a serious problem, my car was delivered by someone who was not a notary in my state. So I had to take my time to get the paperwork notarized which was what they were supposed to do. Then they claim the DMV was delayed so one day before my temporary registration expires they tell me there is nothing they can do. So I am stuck with a car I’m paying for but can’t drive and their solution is to wait for the DMV!

I have never been treated with less respect of concern in my life. I bought this car as a surprise for my wife, thank you Carvana, you ruined it.

Please stay away from these jerks, great business model but they don’t have what it take to succeed.

I will NEVER use Carvana again and I will use my voice and social media to make sure anyone I know does NOT use them either!

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

I planned to purchase a used car and my 7-year-old wanted to purchase using Carvana. The vending machine was broken when we arrived around 6:30 and the car did not come out until 7:45 after their normally stated hours. They handed me the keys and walked off. They counted that as my first of the 7 days - after hours on a holiday weekend. Then the tire blew, there were many more scratches than represented and the headlights had a yellow chemical film etched into it, also not disclosed in the purchase description. The cheerful helpful person on the phone said to submit an email for approvals and that it should not be a problem since I am new in the car. That was day 6 and I was tempted to return the car but with her assurance and the insurance company Silver Rocks assurance that usually new in car individuals are taken care of I proceeded with having the repairs. I have now owned this car for 8 days and have not been able to drive it. They have refused to pay everything except a shampooing of carpets for a terrible must smell. If you have something wrong with your car at pick up, return it right away and don't bother with the insurance because they fix nothing and find loop holes to prevent their company from paying anything.

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

I like to do stuff online and after having dealt with some car dealerships and their empty promises, I believed that it is a good idea to try Carvana - well, I was wrong.

I used their app to search for cars and finding one I really liked was the easiest part. Trying to order it started a whole bunch of issues.

First the app stalled several times during the ordering process, so I had to reenter the same info over and over again. But somehow - and several hours later - I came to the final step "Place Order". I clicked on it and was returned to the home page without any confirmation...

Well, the vehicle showed the "purchase pending" label, so I was just a little bit disappointed but not worried...

A few hours later, still no email and nothing on my account - and the "purchase pending" label was also gone. A customer service representative told me that there are problems with the website and app and I should try to place the order again. Well, this time I didn't use the app but the website and the experience was much smoother, but a few hick-ups remained. But I made it again to the "Place Order" button and this time there was an order status dashboard.

Because I liked to finance the car with them, I uploaded all the documents required and answered all additional questions. Everything seemed fine...

A few hours later I got a call from a lady from the underwriter's department and she wanted to clarify a few things. She was very professional and friendly and I explained my somewhat unique situation to her. I run a company here in the US which has a lot of customers in Europe which pay me in Euros, while others pay in US$. I also have another company in Germany which also generates income - in Euros, as you can guess. A third form of income is salary in US$. My income before taxes which I had stated to Carvana was an underestimation of my actual income - just to be on the safe side. She thanked me for the explanations and said that everything is fine and asked just for some additional documents which I was happy to provide.

However, the website didn't let me upload these documents because it was stuck in a verification process which I already had completed 2 times. Another call to customer service - along with an approx 10-minute wait time - another very helpful customer service rep and the problem was solved. I uploaded the documents and they didn't show up. Uploading again solved this problem...

A little while later I got another call from the underwriter's department - this time it was a guy. He explained to me that they cannot accept any documents where the currency is not in US$ - everything needs to be converted to that. I replied, that I cannot do that, because some accounts are in Euros, while others are in US$ - just to make it easier for my customers. I also explained that they can easily convert Euros to US$ using a simple 1:1 ratio - which underestimates the true value. He just replied that they are not trained to do that, that Carvana is a US company and everything has to be in US$. From there the conversation rapidly went downward. Suddenly documents already accepted by his colleague were no longer useful, he just repeated the US$ requirement over and over again, without trying to work with me...He always complained that he cannot calculate my income, while totally ignoring the fact that all US$ positions nearly summed up to the number I had given, without even taking the approx 50000 Euros additional income into account. We went around that circle multiple times - he didn't, or didn't want to, understand.

After nearly 20 minutes of useless and very unpleasant conversation, I pulled the plug and requested to cancel my order. I also expressed my deep dissatisfaction with his service in particular and how Carvana treats its customers.

I cannot recommend Carvana at all!

While they want to look modern and up-to-date, they lack a lot of things. Starting with problems with their app and website, to unprofessional and somewhat rude customer service reps, while also missing transparent processes.

In today's world many companies - like mine - work worldwide and have to accept multiple currencies. Carvana is still stuck in the middle ages - for them only US$ have a meaning and nothing else exists in their bubble, which they are not willing to leave. Sad!

They just lost another customer!

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

First, STAY AWAY! My mother was in the market for a vehicle and she asked for my assistance. We saw Carvana’s commercial and thought that it would be a good experience.

At first, everything went smooth and we got the approval and everything else completed. They confirmed the delivery date of June 4, 2019 between 1-1:30 pm. The day before the delivery date, they called and said they had some logistic problems and the car won't be delivered for another ten days. We had already planned on taking our vacation with the new car and went ahead and booked our hotels. So, we got a rental because the hotel was not refundable. We cut our vacation short, by a week, so we could be home to receive the car on the 13th. Well, the day before they called and said the car delivery will once again have to be rescheduled. I started to throw a fit and talked with their corporate office. They offered me $100 for our troubles.

Well, the car was supposed to be delivered tomorrow on the 16th and once again they called and said they have to reschedule the delivery.

At this point, we had enough. We stressed our dissatisfaction and you could tell that the staff didn't give a crap one way or another. Their go-to thing to say was "ok, we can cancel your order."

We hung up and went to some dealerships and ended up buying a brand new truck.

When we called to cancel the car, the lady said "ok, I will cancel your order" and then hung up.

This company DEF needs to get their crap together. Their staff doesn't care and they’re so unprofessional. I would NEVER recommend them or give them a dime of my money. I will tell everyone I can to STAY AWAY from Carvana. Just a HORRIBLE experience overall.

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

Started to purchase a Cadillac. Noticed imperfections of the upholstery in the photos. The site listed no imperfections and passed their 150-point inspection. I notified Carvana of this and how their posted information was misleading. The Carvana Representative said she would notify her supervisor and have the information corrected...did not happen. This misinformation and unwillingness to do the right thing shows the poor integrity of the company and creates mistrust in their buying process. Buyer beware, Carvana, the seller, is only looking to take the money you work too hard for. Buyers deserve better than this company.

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

Too good to be true? Carvana is proving that theory as I type. The easy and user-friendly app had me boasting to friends about a car I bought online. Two days prior to my delivery I get an email asking me to call them to reschedule because the car had received damage while loading it on to a truck. They stated it would require repairs and would be several weeks and we're making sure this would still work for me. Why would I want a car that’s now been in an accident?

Back to the drawing board, I find a similar vehicle but it cost an additional $500 in delivery fees, the prior was free so I asked if Carvana could waive the charge and they refused but offered me a $250 credit towards it…gee, thanks. Two days before delivery I get another request to call and reschedule. Apparently this time the driver had gone over his DOT hours so it’d be another week. Upon my waiting period, I realize a discrepancy. The vehicle was listed as an LX but my own VIN check reported this was a base model with none of the features I was paying for. Carvana recognized their mistake when I called and said they’d correct it.

Back to the drawing board again…During my search, I locate the vehicle that I ordered originally with delivery available in 48 hours (I thought it was at the body shop?). I find the other vehicle still listed under the wrong model (corrected those typos though, right Carvana?). I FINALLY find another car and it’s due to be delivered within a few days. I leave work early to meet the driver and then my phone rings. He’s running late, the delivery truck broke down so he had to drive the car to me (and drive those miles up too). Upon inspection, I notice 1) There were two keys in a photo provided on the listed but I only got one, and 2) There was damage to the bumper that was not described on any photos provided. My delivery man took pictures and submitted the complaints on my behalf before taking off in my trade-in vehicle.

Two days later I get an email that I need to contact a body shop and submit a quote and they’ll "work with me" on what to do. Well, to replace the damaged bumper was $3000. I send the quote to Carvana, no response. Fearful my 7 days is nearing the end, I call. They haven’t finished reviewing and will let me know. The evening before my 7th day…they reject the quote and I need another one. I’ve taken time off work for a late delivery, I’ve taken time off work to get the damage assessed and now I need to do it again? To resolve the key issue, they told me to go to a dealership…an hour away, to wait an hour there to get a key, to drive an hour back! The dealership is only open M-F from 8-4 which means more time off work. I asked Carvana to send me the key they took the photo of instead. Their answer? "NO, go to the Dealership, SilverRock will pay for it." Neato Carvana, they going to pay me for the fuel, the mileage and 3 hours of missed work too? Doubtful. How can I get my car fixed when you deny the estimate? Are you going to reimburse me for my time off work to sit in a body shop to get that quote? And now another? DOUBT IT!

My 7 days have expired (conveniently for them). I can only imagine the sheer horror I will get to endure next when my registration doesn’t come in and I have to take MORE time off work because the car will be illegal to operate like other reviews have stated.

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