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

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Carvana

Overall Rating

2.2

543 Customer Reviews

Summary

Carvana’s all-online used-car purchasing process allows you to choose a car online, get financing and have the car delivered directly to your home.

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Customer Reviews

2.2 Stars out of 543 Reviews
5 Star:19% 4 Star:3% 3 Star:6% 2 Star:11% 1 Star:58%
27% Recommend This Company
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Posted on Apr 25, 2018

Not a fan of Carvana

By Curtis J Harris, Georgia, Verified Reviewer

I contacted Carvana around March 25, 2018, and began the process to purchase a vehicle. I already had my financing in place with my credit union, so this should have been a very easy and seamless transaction.

I uploaded all of the required information and provided them with the check information to purchase the vehicle on March 28, 2018. I received a call from the client service representative, J.C., and was advised that everything was completed and I just needed to select a date for delivery. We agreed that Monday, April 2, would work for all parties.

I was extremely excited because it appeared that I would be getting the car that I wanted, along with the minimal hassle that they had promised. I received a call on the morning of delivery, April 2, and was advised by the Carvana rep that I, in fact, would not be receiving the vehicle, as promised. I was told that apparently the car had not been recycled enough to pass emissions! I was obviously upset and extremely perplexed! Why was I receiving this news on the actual day of delivery?!

I immediately contacted the corporate office to complain and was told that they simply did not know when the vehicle would actually be ready for delivery. Can you believe that? I was advised that someone would be reaching out to me very soon. I am not lying or exaggerating...over the course of the next six days, I did not receive a single phone call from any representative to update me on the status, or to even attempt to try to console or explain what was going on. I called them at least seven times! Every representative that I spoke with simply passed the buck and said someone would be getting back to me. This is no lie!

Finally, by April 8th, I'd had enough! I decided on April 10th to make the purchase of my Toyota Avalon Hybrid Premium at a local dealer, instead. Ironically, on the same day, I received a call from a Carvana rep indicating that the car could be delivered that evening. Of course, I told them to get lost!

Here is the crazy irony; not only was I going to purchase my vehicle, but my son and sister were both purchasing vehicles at the exact same time as I. No kidding! Needless to say, if my experience had gone well, I would have strongly encouraged my son and sister to follow in my footsteps and purchase from Carvana. Including all three purchases, they lost out on at least $110k in total sales, since my son purchased a 2016 Corvette and my sister purchased a 2015 Toyota Highlander. I purchased a 2015 Toyota Avalon Hybrid.

Needless to say, I would never do business with them again and will tell everyone I know about my experience. To paraphrase their corny commercial, "they did suck!"

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

Company Response from Carvana

May 1, 2018

Thank you for taking a moment to give us feedback about your experience. There is no excuse for what you experienced, and not indicative of the experience we want our customers to have. We discovered your Toyota Avalon needed a drive cycle on the day of delivery, but this should have been caught well beforehand, and for that, we would like to apologize. Knowing how important first impressions are, we understand you urging your family members to purchase locally, as well and hate to see how your Carvana experience went.

Given what you have experienced, we would like to mention that this situation is the exception and not the norm. That being said, we also truly value your feedback because it helps us keep tabs on what we are doing well and what we can improve upon. We are always here to support our customers and would be more than happy to provide you with a proper Carvana experience if you decide to give us another chance down the line. If you do, feel free to contact us at 1-800-333-4554. We look forward to rebuilding your trust in Carvana!

Helpful Review? 14 People Have Voted

Posted on Apr 27, 2018

Carvana unreliable

By Julie Morelli, Pennsylvania, Verified Reviewer

Three weeks ago I purchased a vehicle online from Carvana. The process was smooth until it was time for my delivery. One week before delivery, I was told my car would be delayed a week; I had already waited three weeks for the car.

I tried to find another car to purchase through their website because I was on a timeline and couldn't wait another week to receive my new car.

When I called back after spending hours looking for a car in my price range, I was told they would not honor the price that was listed because there was a glitch on their website.

I will never attempt to buy from Carvana again.

Buyer beware!

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

Company Response from Carvana

Apr 28, 2018

We cannot thank you enough for bringing your Carvana experience to our attention. We would first like to apologize about the vehicle delay for the initial vehicle you wanted to purchase. Our goal is to provide a car-buying experience that is streamlined and hassle-free and is completely unlike any traditional dealership experience. We are so sorry for the delays that you experienced during your purchase with Carvana. We attempt to always offer delivery dates and times on our site that we are able to honor, but occasionally we will experience logistic transport delays in delivering our vehicles.

In regards to the technical glitches you were facing, we want to be as transparent as possible with our customers throughout their purchase. We are extremely sorry you experienced incorrect pricing initially and glad to see you started a purchase on another vehicle you'd like. We want nothing more than to turn your Carvana experience around moving forward, and cannot wait for you to finally receive your vehicle! Thank you again for your constructive feedback. Please contact one of our customer advocates with any additional questions or concerns at 1-800-333-4554. We appreciate your patience, thank you again Julie!

Helpful Review? 14 People Have Voted

Posted on Apr 28, 2018

Misrepresented car, poor attitude and no service

By Mark Puzzle, Wake Forest, NC, Verified Reviewer

I selected a low mileage car at nearly three years old. On the website, it looked clean, with a few "level 1 scratches," which I would consider normal. Providing the information to CARVANA online was tedious, and required proof of money (I was buying the car outright) at the time I selected the car. The car took a week to arrive, and I went to pick it up.

The car was in a very poor state. Every leather seat had surface damage, there were scratches along every door sill, there was damage along eight inches of the outer edge of every door, which had been spot painted without opening the door, so the door seal rubber had paint on it. There were two spots on the roof of about 1" each where the paint was completely removed. For a car at 33,000 miles it looked worse than my current car (which has done 160,000).

The person "helping" me just said, "do you want the car or not." No apology for wasting my time, no acknowledgment that there was a problem, and no service attitude.

Just a horrible experience. I went to a dealer and found a completely clean car, a year younger, at a much higher spec, for $1,500 more. I won't use Carvana again, so I went to delete my account, but there is no online mechanism to do that.

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

Company Response from Carvana

May 4, 2018

At Carvana, we want to make the process of purchasing a vehicle, a hassle-free experience. We apologize that the verification process seemed tedious, however, this is for both your security, as well as ours. In regards to the condition of the vehicle, all of our vehicles have a 360-degree tour that highlights both features and imperfections, as we want to make sure our customers know exactly what vehicle they are purchasing. Since our vehicles are used, there will be some standard wear associated with the vehicle. We sincerely apologize that this vehicle was not the perfect vehicle for you.

However, we are happy that you were still able to locate the vehicle that fits you best, even if it was not through Carvana. Thank you for reaching out to us with your experience, as we are heavily reviewing the vehicle that was delivered to you. We would also like to apologize for the lack of customer service you received. That is truly unacceptable, as we pride ourselves on the positive experience we'd like to have for all of our customers. If you would still like to have your account removed, please reach out to us at 800-333-4554 and one of our customer advocates would be able to assist you with this. Again, we would like to thank you for taking the time to leave this review.

Helpful Review? 16 People Have Voted

Posted on Apr 30, 2018

Won't help the helpless

By Nicole Cochran, Phoenix, AZ, Verified Reviewer

Carvana has royally screwed my entire life with my family. My husband of five years is the only one that is able to work, but they will not allow me to use his income and my credit. His credit got hit hard and is so low they want thousands of dollars down! My credit isn't so bad but I don't have income, but my husband makes enough money I can stay home and raise our family. They don't offer co-signing, this is not what I am trying to do, but seriously, I can't use income from my husband? We need a second vehicle because my family has a lot that needs to be done and most other places won't take our credit.

The one good thing about this place is they will take any credit, but you better have money to put down. I spent hours finding the right car and now all of that time was wasted because in the beginning it only asks for "annual income" not "only yours, no one else's, we don't care about your situation." I will forever warn people of this business!

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

Company Response from Carvana

May 4, 2018

Thank you Nicole for taking the time to reach out to us with your feedback. At this time, we do not offer cosigning as an option with our financing and all information must be under one person’s information. We do ask for annual income and not household income for this reason. We sincerely apologize for any confusion during the financing application and any stress this has caused you and your family. When purchasing a vehicle form Carvana, you do have the ability to purchase a vehicle using third party financing with your bank or credit union if you’d like to have a cosigner. If you are still in the market for that perfect vehicle, one of our customer advocates would be happy to walk you through our purchase process! Please feel free to contact us at 1-800-333-4554 with any additional questions you may have.

Helpful Review? 12 People Have Voted

Posted on May 6, 2018

Horrible customer service!

By Beth Pigott, Louisiana, Verified Reviewer

I started the buying process on 4/11/18 with a delivery date set for 4/28/18. The week of pick up I called and online chatted to confirm everything was on schedule; every agent said it was all good and the car would be there. I even received two text messages on two separate days. We planned to make the three-hour trip the night before and were on our way when I received a call saying it was "delayed." After pushing they informed me that car had never left Phoenix. WHAT? I called and communicated with several employees, and everyone said it was on schedule. This is unacceptable. BUT things happen for a reason. I ended up purchasing the same model car, a year newer and 5K less miles, and cheaper...and my experience there was AWESOME. Do NOT do business with Carvana!

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

Company Response from Carvana

May 11, 2018

Thank you for taking the time to reach out to Carvana and provide us with your candid feedback. Your experience was far less than stellar, and we sincerely apologize that Carvana did not work out. Currently, we have 60 markets throughout the U.S. and are able to deliver within each market’s radius. Before each vehicle is transported from one of our inspection centers, it goes through an additional quality inspection to be sure the vehicle is up to our standards and yours.

Additionally, the transport times need to line up so the vehicle can logistically reach the proper market on time. We are so sorry that this process was unsuccessful in your delivery. We realize Carvana dropped the ball during your car buying journey while you were en route to pick up your dream car. We’re so happy that you were able to find a new ride that met all of your requirements, even if it wasn’t here at Carvana. We really appreciate you taking the time to share your experience, as this is a learning opportunity for Carvana for additional improvements. If you choose to give Carvana another chance in the future, we would love the opportunity to restore your faith in our company.

Helpful Review? 11 People Have Voted

Posted on May 6, 2018

Horrible company

By Clint Knoppe, Farmington Hills, MI, Verified Reviewer

The only word to explain this experience is "unbelievable." I went through the process of finding and purchasing a car. Initially, the customer service was very friendly and upbeat, and it WAS a very easy selection process. After reviewing my credit, they told me to pick a date for drop off. A day later they called and said "we need proof of income," that wasn't a problem, and I emailed them the info, and then they called back and said, "sorry, there was a computer glitch, you don't need to send proof of income." When you're dealing with finances, in this area you need to be exact, there shouldn't be such a miscommunication when dealing with money. I thought this was a random human error; I didn't realize this was foreshadowing of things to come.

I read a few reviews and realized they're not too competent when it comes to their deliveries, so I thought it would be beneficial to fly down and pick it up from their vending machine and make a vacation out of it. So I set a pick-up date about a month out, from their Nashville, Tennesse location, waited for it to be confirmed, and then purchased an airline ticket from Michigan to Tennessee, took a week vacation off work, and RSVP'd hotel rooms to plan on visiting North Carolina on my drive back to Michigan.

Three days before my pickup date, I got a text saying "you're a car buying genius! Your Audi A3 will be ready for you on 5/3 at 10:00 am" and I felt great. Later that day at 7:01 pm (they close at 7:00 pm), I get an email saying "we have to reschedule your delivery date." Thinking it was another computer glitch (since I was picking it up, not getting it delivered), I didn't worry much but still called the company that was now closed.

The next day I get a voicemail from Madison saying they needed to reschedule. I call back almost immediately and I explain to Matt the situation, that I've already purchased an airline ticket and planned a vacation around this pickup (since it was obvious my home address is in a different state than the pickup location) and wanted to verify the voicemail wasn't a miscommunication, and he said he would see what he could do and get back to me.

About three hours later I call back to get an update and Mark says "Matt's really good at returning calls, even if he doesn't figure out a solution, he will still call you back," and I emphasized reservations are non refundable 24/48 hours for some ancillary RSVP's I've made, so don't leave me hanging. After 5 pm that day, I called back again and the result of an entire day of "figuring it out" was, "sorry." There was nothing they could do, they couldn't even give me an explanation. They just said they could deliver it to my house a week later. They wouldn't refund my airline ticket, wouldn't provide a loaner car and could offer absolutely NOTHING except saying "we're sorry." I was so aggravated with their inability to alleviate ANY type of frustration or offer any compensation whatsoever except a ridiculous apology without an explanation.

I don't blame the call center, they seemed like a bunch of children pretending to be adults, I blame the fact that this company obviously needs to develop their communication infrastructure, and adhere to the same deadlines as any company does, when if that's not possible, offer SOME type of compensation when they make a mistake. It is unacceptable to tell a customer two days before they are flying out to pick up a car from the company's location that it's not available, and then offer nothing except an apology?

So obviously I called and cancelled the purchase today, if this is the type of haphazard business practice followed, to a potentially new customer, what type of person would want to get into any type of long term contract with a company that doesn't understand deadlines or obligations? I should have used the dealership like any normal person.

Now I'm going to cancel my insurance, throw away this non-refundable one-way ticket to Nashville, and try to scrape together some impromptu vacation with my days off. This will go down as one of the worst experiences with any business ever.

These aren't impulse buys or frivolous purchases, they're CARS! Carvana treats it like you're buying a book from Amazon, lol. Actually, I wish they would treat customers the way Amazon does because Amazon will get you a book better than Carvana can get you a car.

And Carvana, if you are reading this, don't even put up a response, because all it will say is "sorry [but we're not going to do anything about it]." You need to allocate more resources for problem-solving instead of damage control.

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

Company Response from Carvana

May 7, 2018

Thank you for taking the time to provide us with your genuine feedback. Our main goal is to provide our customers with a fun and stress-free car buying experience from start to finish, so we would like to apologize that we missed the mark and the opportunity to exceed your expectations. Even if things do not necessarily go as planned, we are always more than happy to support our customers and offer resolutions that are in your best interest.

That being said, we’re very sorry to hear that the delay of your A3 disrupted the plans you made with respect to the flight and hotel you booked. We can never anticipate transport deadlines, but we are always more than happy to help our customers in these instances. Upon reviewing your account, I do see that you spoke with us on 5/1 to discuss possible resolutions. We offered to reschedule your pickup appointment and also offered to compensate you for the flight that you booked. We’re very sorry if there was any miscommunication surrounding this.

Although you decided to cancel your purchase, thank you for giving Carvana a chance in the first place. Also, thank you again for writing to us in regards to your experience. It is very important for us to continue to examine our areas of improvement and this review will be invaluable to us as we steadily improve upon those processes. We would love to have you as a returning customer and gain your trust again with Carvana. If you have any additional questions or concerns that you’d like us to address, please feel free to call us at 800-333-4554.

Helpful Review? 20 People Have Voted

Posted on May 21, 2018

Bait and switched

By Juston Smith, Arlington, TX, Verified Reviewer

Carvana is known for giving you "terms" for every car on their website with just a soft credit pull. I did this process a few times. Before even taking this step, I did an online live chat and called in. I very clearly explained that I was self-employed and asked them how they handled income verification for self-employed people.

They told me they use either three months of bank statements OR the prior year's tax returns. In my case, I had both, so I didn't worry.

I kicked off the process of purchasing a 2015 Acura MDX. I sent in my tax return as was requested, and was then asked to send in three months worth of bank statements.

I provided three months of business and personal bank statements and was then told that my income wasn't high enough to be approved through financing thru Carvana.

Which is absolute BS. I have consistently grossed over $60k since working for myself.

The most recent time I re-applied (because my income was higher this past month), I was told by an agent that they could only verify that I make $14,000 in a year and had to finance me based on that. Of course, this made the down payments on every single vehicle on the website unreasonably high. So high that it just wouldn't make sense to finance them. I could get a cash car for that amount.

Also, the second time I applied, I was told that 35% of whatever income they verify for self-employed people is shaved off for business expenses. Which is bogus. In my case, I am a web developer. My only overhead is the internet. Not to mention, they only mentioned this when denying me for the second time. I had never heard this from them before, despite having initiated financing applications twice in the past (the first being last summer, but I canceled the process in order to clean some things up on my credit).

Bait and switch with car dealerships is nothing new. The sad part is Carvana champions itself as the anti-car dealer. I even used to joke with their agents about wanting to be on a Carvana commercial one day.

Suffice it to say, there's no magic solution to getting a car. Particularly when financing. Carvana is no different than a brick and mortar dealership. The shady dealings are all the same. The only difference is Carvana does it all online.

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

Company Response from Carvana

May 21, 2018

Thank you Juston for taking the time to provide a thorough review of your experience using Carvana. Please know that at Carvana, we are trying to change the car buying experience to make it a positive process and we sincerely apologize that this was not the experience you received. After reviewing your account, all Underwriting policies and procedures were followed correctly.

Our customers do have the option to use third party financing for our vehicles if they would like a more comfortable range. We do still hope you are able to find that perfect vehicle, even if it is not from Carvana. If there is anything we can assist you with in the future or if you are interested in giving us another chance, please reach out to us at 800-333-4554.

Helpful Review? 13 People Have Voted

Posted on May 23, 2018

Experience with buying a car from Carvana

By Ashwath, San Diego, CA, Verified Reviewer

It was not a good experience with buying a car from Carvana. The point of inspection done by Carvana, which they claim, is not correct. The delivered car has no working instrument display. They claim the number of driven during sale, but there was no proof with odometer disabled. The delivery person revealed the offset by $10,000 miles from the sold value, which was revealed during the smog test (no proof). The tire pressure is low (not inspected) at the time of delivery. The window motors is not lubricated properly, and the rolling down is not smooth.

Overall, it was not a good experience, and I would not recommend Carvana as it is an additional hassle.

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

Company Response from Carvana

May 24, 2018

Ashwath, thank you for reaching out to us regarding your experience. We are disheartened to hear that you were unhappy with your vehicles appearance. We take our 150-point inspection very seriously, and the issue relating to your odometer is such a disappointment. We completely understand if this deterred your Carvana experience so far. We had the opportunity to take a look at your account and noticed that we are currently working with you to take care of the odometer mishap.

As far as the window motors and tire pressure is concerned, we truly apologize about this. We are glad you took advantage of the 7-day money back guarantee and have decided to keep the vehicle. However, you will be receiving a call from one of our Executive Resolution Specialists so we can discuss the next steps to fix the issues that you are currently experiencing. We want to thank you for choosing to trust our process and very much look forward to redeeming your faith in Carvana moving forward!

Helpful Review? 10 People Have Voted

Posted on May 26, 2018

Four-week nightmare

By Ramsey D., Austin, TX, Verified Reviewer

I tried to buy a car through Carvana which claims to be easy, but I spent hours on the phone trying to figure out what I needed to do to get the car delivered. Once I had a date set, I thought everything was going nicely. The day of delivery I got a call saying the car did not start and could not be delivered for a week. When the car did come, the tires were shredding on the front and completely bald on the back. The left reverse light didn't work nor did the Bluetooth and the car smelled like mold. I spent four weeks and hours of phone calls with Carvana only to realize I was better off walking into a dealership.

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

Company Response from Carvana

May 29, 2018

We would like to sincerely apologize for the poor Carvana experience you had. We understand how disheartening it can be to find out you won’t be getting the vehicle as planned, and further disappointment for the issues it arrived with. It is completely unacceptable that the vehicle arrived to you in that condition, and we are extremely sorry for this. Our vehicles go through a 150-point inspection before it is transported to you, however, the condition the tires were delivered in is not per our standards.

We do see that our Repair Team was in communication with you to replace all four tires, repair the blue tooth, and offer reimbursement for a full interior detail. We understand that you decided not to move forward with Carvana and are glad to see that you utilized your 7-day money back guarantee. We appreciate your patience throughout your purchase and would like to bring you back as a returning customer in the future to regain your trust. We thank you for bringing this to our attention so we can take this specific feedback to our logistics team and inspection centers for accountability.

Helpful Review? 14 People Have Voted

Posted on May 27, 2018

Never again. Horrible service, threats and lies

By Michael S., Aurora, CO, Verified Reviewer

A couple years ago I bought a car in Minnesota, and brought it back to Colorado. It didn't pass emissions here. So I needed to do a trade and get a vehicle I can drive. I found the perfect car on the site, did the credit check, trade info, down payment, signed the paperwork, sent the pics and documents requested. Then, this morning, I get an email at 8:12 AM, while at work, on a Wednesday. Best part of the email? Well, it opened with platitudes about how they hope the process has been good so far. Then DEMAND that I contact them by 9:00 AM, again during the workday, or the deal will fall through. Hmmm. Sketchy much? And they want my money and for me to trust them? Hmmm...no.

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

Company Response from Carvana

May 29, 2018

Thank you for taking the time to provide us with your sincere feedback. We are so sorry to hear that there has been miscommunication in regards to our trade-in process. We were not able to accept your trade due to it not passing emissions and a current title error. Our customer advocates were just reaching out to make sure that you were aware and wanted to know how you would like to proceed!

We apologize if we reached you at a time that was not convenient and hope that we can still find a car that works best for you! If you have any additional concerns or questions, we would love nothing more than to help! Please contact us at 800-333-4554 at your earliest convenience.

Helpful Review? 10 People Have Voted

Posted on May 31, 2018

Car quality

By Oleg K., Fort Lauderdale, FL, Verified Reviewer

I bought a car from these people, a 2015 blue Acura TLX. The car driver side was repainted, the bumper had signs of removal, and it was not installed correctly. They didn't tell me that the car was repainted. And they said it's normal when you're buying a used car. I exchanged a car for a different one, a 2015 white Acura TLX, only to find out later that the second car was repainted too, with clear signs of mismatching panels, and the colors are off. Paint on door handles, dirt under clear coat.

These people buy cars as cheap as possible, and they do know exactly what's wrong, but they don't tell you anything. These crooks charge full retail price for the car that been in some kind of accident, not reported, but eh who'd you repaint bumper, rear quarter panel, rear bumper and door handles? It's clear that car was in some kind of accident, which was not reported to police, that's why Carfax doesn't show anything.

I am really disappointed in these liars. I will be talking to a lawyer about this. They're supposed to disclose things like that.

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

Company Response from Carvana

May 31, 2018

We truly thank you for taking the time to leave this review and apologize for the condition of your vehicle. We completely understand your frustrations regarding these cosmetic concerns. Please keep in mind that all of our vehicles are used vehicles, so there will be standard wear associated with them. We try to be as transparent as possible by notating the most prominent features and imperfections, as well as providing the CarFax.

In rare cases when needed, our dedicated repair ream will review cosmetic concerns to determine if they are indeed below our standards. We do stand behind our vehicles, as well as want to do right by our customers, which is why we offer a complimentary 100-day limited warranty with every vehicle. We reviewed your account and these concerns were not brought to our attention. We would be happy to discuss this further with you if you would contact us at 800-333-4554. Thank you for feedback and we hope regardless that you are still enjoying your vehicle!

Helpful Review? 10 People Have Voted
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