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

I really hate dealerships in that it takes forever to get from point A to point B. It should not take three hours to buy a car, especially if you have done all of the research on the vehicle that you are looking for as well as coming prepared with all of the necessary documentation necessary. We all know the "waiting game" is a car salesperson technique, but you would think this site would be different. Unfortunately, NO.

After they sent an invalid link to upload my documents and me fighting with trying to find the valid site to submit them, they canceled delivery and made an arbitrary delivery date in which I wasn't available. They couldn't coordinate with my immediate schedule and told me that the new delivery date was too far out so I would have to start the whole process over again. Are you kidding me? How is this taking longer than if I went to dealership? What exactly did I save?

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

I bought a car from Carvana and they gave me a Carfax showing me that the car was clear of accidents. Now I'm having all kinds of issue with the vehicle. Dealer confirms that the car was in a wreck and original parts have been replaced. I called Carvana to report the issues I'm having and the rude agent I spoke with told me that I'm on my own. What the heck!

WARNING: If you're going to buy a car from Carvana, get it inspected as soon as you get it.

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

Bright and shiny on a white truck, the car was unloaded as promised. Week one, no problems. I took the car on a highway trip and noticed a vibration when I reached 70 MPH, so I took it to my mechanic. The report came back that the car was out of alignment and the transmission was slipping, so I called Carvana and initiated a claim. I was told that since the car was still on the manufacturer's warranty, I had to take it to a dealership. After having to wait over 50 days for an appointment to have the transmission checked, I learned that it needed a new automatic clutch and, by the way, there had been a recall on the vehicle to replace the gas tank; five days in the shop without a car. A week or so later, I was having to tend to a tire pressure warning about low pressure. I filled the tires with air, and a week later the same warning appeared. I took the car to a tire repair facility and was told one of the tires had been patched and couldn't be patched again, so a new tire had to be purchased. Oh yes, the car only came with one key (as noted in the advertisement) but what wasn't disclosed is that a new key cost almost $200.

Carvana's business model seems to be to buy a car with little to no body damage, give it the best detail job ever so that it looks good, charge top dollar and do a cursory mechanical inspection and bet that nobody will return it within the seven-day guarantee period. And if I had read the critical reviews before buying the car, I probably never would had dealt with them.

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

I ordered a car from these guys for a Christmas gift for my wife. Was promised 12/24 delivery and confirmed twice. I was called on Christmas Eve and told it would be rescheduled for 12/28. Then I was called and was told it would be 12/31. I called to confirm that date and was told it was to be 1/2. Well, I told them to keep it! They don't make cars, they don't repair cars - all they do is transport cars, but it seems they are inept at doing that.

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

The process was a NIGHTMARE. The delivery man was lovely, even went out of the way to get a gift for my daughter as it was a Christmas present. Super sweet! The car was ok. HOWEVER, the process was full of miscommunication, and false information. I was told that I needed to create another account in my daughter's name if I wanted it to be in her name, so I did. Then they would not allow me access to "her" account. It all went downhill from there.

I was told there was no delivery fee, then was charged a delivery fee. Because I had proof, they had told me there was no fee, they did remove it, but I had to go through the process of several phone calls to get it done. I was promised return calls, which never happened. After countless calls and speaking to countless people and getting so frustrated it literally made me sick, I finally got the MULTIPLE situations resolved through a manager, or so I thought. Because of their mistake, I had to put the car in both of our names. They sent a new tag, which was supposed to be transferred. This cost me an additional $355. I had an email confirming that this would be reimbursed, but they said that applied to the "other" account.

Everyone I spoke with was very nice, but one mistake after the other and I was continually given conflicting information. Apologies and acknowledgments for mistakes, but it was completely unnecessarily stressful and cost me an additional $355. Plus another $90 to transfer, which they said they will refund the $90. However, after this review, that remains to be seen.

Someday, when they have been in business for a long period of time and have a system to train their staff so that they know what they are doing, it may be a great way to buy a car, but at this time it is not worth the stress. So much easier to just buy a car in person. Very, very disappointed. I would not recommend.

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

Very simple and easy to know your rate and to find a car. They do a soft inquiry on your credit so you know what you qualify for and down payment required. Steps were easy, and the website was easy to use. Uploading docs was a breeze. The agent who brought my car was very friendly and informative.

The day it was brought in it was raining so I didn't test drive it too much. The next day I could smell a burning smell with smoke coming off the turbo. So I called SilveRock because that shouldn't happen when I just got the car. They said to take it to a shop for inspection. I took it to the Hyundai auto shop. They verified there was a leak in the turbo, but since it was under warranty, they would just take care of it.

I called Carvana to see if I can get some sort of credit because since the bad turbo was missed the price should reflect that. The price on the website did not indicate any problem with the turbo. The agent said he would not be able to give me any sort of credit because I didn't have to pay out of pocket for repairs. My time to me is of value. I was without for a couple of days even though I just bought the car. I wanted the car, so I accepted it and got it repaired when other customers probably wouldn't even hesitate to send it back for another one.

The whole experience was great before broken turbo ordeal. I would recommend Carvana but only when they are able to adjust the price or give credit to cars that have issues not stated in the online car viewer.

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

I bought a car from Carvana and it was delivered right before Christmas. I've had the car for about 5 weeks, with most of them - the car being in the shop. The first was with a leak and water flooding the driver side - this was taken care of through 5 out of my 7-day money-back period. Since the issue was resolved, I had assumed it was smooth sailing from there! However, a few days later, another issue popped up. My car would making huge clunking sounds in the engine area if I drove over 60 mph. Turns out it was a missing bracket from the engine area - another week towards finding the issue and ordering the part. Now, the third issue. I got up for work and went to turn on my car. Car was completely dead - I couldn't even jump it to get it to restart. The towing company couldn't jump it to get it to restart. Turns out to be a defective TCU unit and the car being worked on for two weeks and counting.

I've reached out to find out my options for support in situations such as this ("We work harder than hard to make our customers happy") - and I was told that I would have to continue to pay monthly (and possibly out of pocket) for a car that I am unable to drive.

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

I attempted to buy a car from Carvana. Went through all of the steps, did all the legwork. Got my insurance changed, financing taking care of, downpayment authorized, etc. Even after the car was advertised as free delivery but then they said they had to charge me $199 and there was no way they could remove that charge. And "what's the big deal, it'll be rolled into the financing." One manager even had the nerve to tell me that it wasn't a delivery charge, it was a transport charge. Really?!

Well, they agreed to and promised me 2-day delivery but once they received the check from the bank, that changed. They said the car had a dead battery and they couldn't deliver it for over a week. Again, really?! A week to replace a battery? I don't think so! Once they realized I was not happy, all of a sudden, there was nobody available to speak to me! They would reach out to me in 24 to 48 hours. Ya, I don't think so! What, just long enough to cash the check? I canceled the check and the order! Too many lies! Do yourself a favor, go spend a couple of hours at a dealership for your next car purchase, way easier!

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

Purchased my vehicle in May of 2019.

Temporary plate expired after its 30 days.

Called multiple times to check on reg. process, and no one could give me a solid answer or an update.

I called today to ask where my registration was, and I received the following statement..."We're not really sure where your registration is or how long it's going to take, my hands are kind of tied on this issue...We can't help you right now."

How am I supposed to drive back and forth to work (my own business) every day without a valid registration? Now I'm screwed, and no one can give me an update. At this rate, I'm going to return my car.

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

Roughly three months ago, I purchased a car from Carvana - a 2016 Nissan Altima and I'm already experiencing major mechanical issues, starting with the breaks - keep in mind, the vehicle was advertised with "new brakes". False! Within two weeks, I visited a SilverRock repair shop as instructed by Carvana and was advised that the brakes were new, but very cheap and were unfit for a Nissan Altima. Carvana stated that nothing could be done since the brakes were "actually" new while SilverRock sarcastically recommended I drive and wear them down until they stop squealing! Seriously?! Then my tires...Bad enough they came mismatched (which I kindly decided to overlook), but they're constantly losing air! THEN MY A/C STOPPED WORKING! It's like a bad dream turned into a nightmare! It's freaking June! JUNE! It's disgustingly hot, and guess who doesn't care? Carvana. I called to them complain and get some sort of resolution about the fact that my 3-YEAR-OLD VEHICLE has a dysfunctional compressor, but since I didn't purchase Carvana Care (which I was never prompted to on the website as they claim) and since I'm past the 4,189 miles warranty (less than 100 days though), there's "nothing [they] can do." My A/C was never particularly cold anyway; now I know why! I feel as though I am due some sort of complimentary repair despite their B.S. terms.

Carvana has been so rude, sarcastic, and shady since things starting going wrong, it's the least they can do to redeem themselves as a reputable seller. I will never refer anyone to Carvana otherwise, and I plan to seek legal aid regarding this matter because there's just no way that a 2016 Nissan Altima (a practically new vehicle) with such low mileage could pass an 150-point inspection with cheap breaks and failing A/C, and there's certainly no way Carvana will get away with blatantly not giving a crap about it! Just today, a Carvava rep even laughed at me over the phone as I expressed my discontent with my experience! Terrible customer service, terrible repair department, terrible business!!! Unless you want a car that'll conveniently start to fall when Carvana needs it to, I recommend going to a REAL DEALERSHIP! Otherwise, just get a cash car off Craigslist! At least if you buy a crappy car that way, you likely won't have to pay a note on it TOO!

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