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

Originally supposed to have delivery on 3/13, but I was called the day before saying that the rear window had been damaged and they needed to delay delivery in order to send it out to be repaired. Fine. Reschedule delivery for 3/27. I received a call earlier this week to say that the repair was on schedule and delivery was still showing as 3/27.

Got a call a little while ago (3/26) saying that the repair is not something they can do in house and that it will have to be sent out for repairs and they will need to postpone the delivery. This is the worst car buying experience I have ever had. I have already made a car payment on this car and I am paying for insurance. They told me two weeks ago that it was being sent out for repairs, yet they call me the day before delivery to tell me that they need to send it out for repairs? Does this car really even exist? Buy local. That's my advice.

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

Under the circumstances of the pandemic, it seemed to make sense to give Carvana a try. We found a 2017 Ford Escape for a little under $20K that would seem to fit us well and got a decent trade-in value offer for our old Honda CR-V. All seemed well until I tried to complete the transaction. We have the cash on hand and don't need financing, so I clicked on the cash option.

Next, it took me to a screen for extended warranties. We don't want one, but there was no option for that on the screen. The only two choices were a $950 upcharge for a 2-year warranty (with mileage limitations) or a $1000 upcharge for a 4-year warranty with a slightly higher mileage limit. I saw nothing about a mandatory extended warranty payment before this point, and especially since we were going to pay cash, I see no reason we should be forced to get one. (Apparently, they are not as transparent as they claim.) Nonetheless, I clicked on the 4-year option with the thought of worrying about it later.

Next it took me to a page where I was supposed to upload a copy of my the front and back of my driver's license, and that is where I just decided to give up on the whole thing. Using the scanner of our high-quality computer printer to capture the license image (looked perfectly legible to me) three times the website kept telling me the image wasn't good enough and I should try again. Having already wasted a half-hour on this one step and not knowing how many other tedious steps there were in the process, I just decided Carvana is not for me.

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

Total disaster from beginning to end. Don’t get fooled by their shiny vending machines. When it comes to the paperwork and customer service they are a horror. They lost the check that my lender sent to them. Obviously the onus was on me to go to the lender and ask to cut Carvana another check. Hours of time wasted with at least 6-7 of Carvana agents who are by the way confrontational with no sense of responsibility.

Another Carvana nightmare story: I originally purchased an extended warranty for the car I bought from Carvana from the company on the Carvana website (Silverrock). Then I changed my mind and canceled within the allowable period. It took Silverrock (3rd party insurance company) three weeks to issue a refund check (no problem, I understand), but instead of sending the check to me, they said they can only mail it to Carvana and Carvana then mails it to me?! I’ve been contacting Carvava numerous times for more than 10 days to follow up to no avail. Excuse after excuse. The person who originally enquired from Accounting is not working currently. She will follow up again whenever she is back to work?! We don’t wanna confuse Accounting by sending another email?! Seriously? You think people were born yesterday? They also steadfast refuse to send any confirmation email or any written acknowledgment as to where the whole process stands. I think they are gonna steal my $1100 (systematic robbery).

I will never do business with these charlatans again and will tell the same to anyone I know. In fact, I am filing a formal complaint with BBB and taking legal action as well.

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

Carvana's response reports a "rigorous 150-point inspection" but somehow checking for oil leaks isn't in there. I fully believe Carvana screwed up the drain plug and added silicone to hide a leak which ended up being the oil pan.

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

I ordered a 2018 Chevy Silverado for my husband because I am about to be on a deployment basically bouncing around for the next few weeks dealing with the current pandemic. He needed a more reliable vehicle and we were excited to have something hassle-free for a second it out crazy lives. Instead, we received a vehicle that was significantly more beat up than in the pictures so we decided to use the swapping option. This is where things got terrible. I picked a new pickup, everything was good to go, so I thought. They changed $400 for delivery of the new vehicle, fine whatever, but on top of that they just up and canceled my delivery because of a "mistake on their end" and refuse to work with me on getting the vehicle here in the day our contract listed. I leave in two days and will have to either pay out of pocket to travel home and take leave after work hours or have to cancel all together. The Carvana Executive Resolution Specialist Lisa from Tempe, AZ was rude when she reached out and unapologetic. Very disappointed and hope no one has to deal with the added stress my family is going through due to Carvana.

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

Do not buy a car from them! I spent almost $40,000 on a used Porsche Boxster. I had it for less than two months, and the driver’s door jam separated from the panel. This is all under their 100-day warranty. I took it to Porsche, and it ended up needing a new door panel, and would cost $3,500 to repair. They called in the repair (to try to get it covered), and of course Carvana said that this is cosmetic, and was not covered. Absolutely useless and I am beyond disappointed. I will never buy a car from them again, and I advise you to use a dealer, that will cover and actually back up the quality of their vehicles.

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

They delivered a wrecked car to me and I reported it once I realized the issue. They had me take it to a certified dealer. Then when it was ready to approve the fix on my car they denied it saying I never reported the issue in the first 7 days. I have did not have my $12K car for the first 6 weeks. Now I'm paying on a $12K car that is wrecked.

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

First, I spent nearly 2 hours on the phone with one of Carvana's "customer advocates". Half the time I spent on hold while the "advocate" was on hold with my bank to get information I already provided in the paperwork I sent.

After that draining wait, the advocate said everything was all set and went through. He confirmed the car's delivery. However, 12 days later and it's the scheduled delivery time, but no car.

After waiting on hold for 40 minutes, the advocate told me that an "underwriter" went in and unapproved me for the vehicle. An underwriter that had nothing to do with my account or ever spoke with me. The advocate said there was no reason for the underwriter to do this and that it was an error on Carvana's part.

The car I researched, reserved, and put on my loan application, was pending for another person to buy it. The worst part is instead of Carvana reaching out and admitting to the other customer it was already reserved, they told me there was nothing they could do. Which is ridiculous because the other person hadn't even filled out the paperwork or decided yet if they actually wanted the car.

The sale could have easily been stopped by Carvana. They claimed it wasn't possible to do that in their system. This is inaccurate due to the fact that an employee literally just did it to me. So now they can't stop a sale, which isn't even confirmed yet, when some random underwriter stopped my sale that was officially approved?

I requested to speak to a manager, but it's nearly impossible. The advocate said her manager wasn't available. Which made no sense to me since the advocate kept putting me on hold because she said she needed to ask the exact same manager I wanted to speak to.

IN SHORT: if any mistake happens on their end, you'll be screwed in terms of getting any decent customer service. And if something is slightly unique or different about your paperwork, get ready to spend over an hour on the phone.

I spent almost 2 weeks excited and waiting for a car that was taken from me only a few days after I was approved. There was no reasoning, no attempt by Carvana to make it right, and I was never contacted that my car wasn't ever going to show up. I never write reviews, good or bad, but I did for the first time because that's how bad my experience with Carvana was.

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

Absolutely horrendous experience trying to get the car registered and the customer service is absolutely terrible. I've spent hours and hours on hold or waiting in their webchat. They consistently do not directly answer questions or provide solutions and then just leave the webchat. I purchased the car and had it delivered in NM but needed to register in California. When I bought the car they told me I would have to drive to California for a smog inspection when things re-open (due to COVID). When receiving the car, I was told I would also need a VIN inspection but that I could do that in NM. After attempting to do that at the local motor vehicles department, I was told I also had to do it in CA. Since I had to go for the smog test anyway, I was OK with that and planned to make the drive (10 hours each way) once the services opened. I started getting tons of emails every day from Carvana about potential fees and fines if I didn't get the registration documents. It took hours on hold and multiple web chat sessions for them to acknowledge and confirm that I could wait until the DMV was open in California.

As soon as it did reopen, I drove to California and completed the inspections. According to the website, the smog test could be scanned and uploaded and they needed the original copy of the VIN inspection mailed. I did both and I sent the VIN inspection using the prepaid envelope they sent. The VIN inspection has been lost in the mail for weeks and they have no tracking information on the label they sent. The customer service keeps blaming me for not recording the tracking number. Now I am going to have to drive back to California for another VIN inspection. But the worst part is their customer service continually provides wrong or inconsistent information, makes you wait in very long queues, and does not acknowledge your issues or complaints. I suspect it's semi-automated even once you get past the part that is openly automated because they often just repeat the same few lines even when you ask for more details or explain something further. I would strongly suggest avoiding this company!

Length of Use: Less than 3 months

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

I've gotten a couple of text messages and emails from Carvana saying the re-scheduled delivery is on time and I should have my ID and insurance card ready for the delivery. BUT THEN...I get a call from them and guess what? The car is still in New Jersey. I am in California. The text messages and emails were obviously sent without anyone actually confirming them.

The breakdown:

Delivery attempt #1 - Carvana fail.

Delivery attempt #2 - Carvana fail.

Delivery attempt #3 - I would be an idiot to allow this to continue.

As stated previously; I wish I had never started this deal with Carvana.

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

Carvana has a slick buying experience and delivery to your home. Plus a 7-day guarantee. All this is great if the car in their touted technically superior pictures is accurate. Plus their inspection process and informing you of defects 100% accurately. Many are happy. Mine was a complete disaster. Pictures showed a show-room high shine and listed as 3 minor imperfections - which I agree were minor on the car. However, Carvana did not inform that the hood, 2 fenders, and 2 doors had been repaired and repainted - poorly. Plus the bumper was missing a huge piece and had a 5″ tear. Oh, and 20+ other imperfections. Paint over-spray all over the car. I had two separate body shops validate and estimated $7K to repair and repaint.

Customer service is a joke. Once you have the car delivered and file a complaint, you will sit on hold for hours and advocates are powerless robots on the other end. I tried to work with Carvana. I uploaded 70+ pictures, 3-word documents explaining and the two body shop estimates. Promised 3 times a leader/manager would call back - nothing. No apology at all. Buck up and try a local dealer. You can view online, haggle online, and go drive/see the car. Plus an actual human to discuss any issues. Plus still waiting for Carvana to return my funds - they said maybe in 15 days! They delivered the car on a Saturday and removed funds on the following Monday.

Length of Use: 3–6 months

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