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

My wife bought a car a few weeks ago. When the car was delivered before it was even unloaded off the truck, I noticed the tires needed to be replaced. The salesperson stated he will send her a certificate for a replacement set. I explained we had just put a new set on her trade. Je made a joke and asked if I knew a tire shop that will swap them. I said yes let's go. He laughed it off. Well, he did send a certificate (the extended warranty she purchased). Well, she set up an appointment...

Guess what tires are not covered?

She was promised new tires, she should get new tires.

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

Attempted to purchase a 2018 Ford Explorer, which was listed as having two very minor chips on each side. When the vehicle arrived I noticed about two dozen more chips with several of them being far more severe than the two advertised on the site. The entire hood was scratched from what looked like a poor attempt of buffing out scratches prior to sale. The delivery driver took photos and said normally the customer service department will review and issue a repair order for me to take it in and have it corrected. I agreed to keep the vehicle pending what the service department offered since the driver said my trade would be kept local and could be returned the next day. When customer service got back to me that afternoon they said the damage to the vehicle was "normal wear and tear." I requested my vehicle be returned the next day which they said was impossible since it was already three hours away. In the end, I had to drive three hours to get my car back after just being told a whole bunch of false statements in order to try to get me to complete a transaction that was not as advertised.

I would never recommend using this service as you truly can’t trust that you are going to get what is being advertised. I ended up buying from a traditional dealership for $3k less with the same miles and a better options package.

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

I bought a car through Carvana about 2 months ago and I have had problems with the brakes making noise every time I stop. I took it in to a dealer and was told that the bottom of my car is rusted and corroded. All four tires need brakes, rotors, and calipers because it is unsafe to drive with the calipers being froze. I reached out to Silver Rock and I was told that they don't cover cosmetic work like rust and corrosion. So I spoke to a supervisor at Silver Rock and was told that Carvana would need to fix that because being that I only had the car 2 months, there was no way the rust and corrosion accumulated during that time and it had to be there when I purchased the vehicle. Then I call Carvana, I explained to them what was going on and was informed that the rust and corrosion are considered wear and tear and they would not be fixing it. Well, I have now sought legal help because this car is my only transportation and I need to get to work each day. This car unsafe, therefore, I cannot drive it to get to work. My attorney has a daily log of all the expenses that it is costing me for not being able to drive my car to work and other places. Anyone experiencing any issue with Carvana, I suggest you seek legal help immediately.

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

I have placed a vehicle for sale. I follow all the instruction, they don't even respond, it's been 36 hours of the last document submitted. Where is the head office? Wish to speak with their legal team...Darn scammer...

They leave the time turn off the deal. It's called customer service and follow the procedure.

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

I purchased a 2017 Nissan Armada from Carvana with a clean Carfax. After 6 months paint started flaking from the back bumper. Imagine my surprise when a local body tech told me it had been repaired and repainted and repainted poorly. When I contact Carvana they finally admitted they had "refurbished" the back bumper. Refurbish/Repair - same thing in my book and should have been disclosed to Carfax. Of course Carvana told me to take a hike - so $1700 later I have a repainted bumper with a lifetime warranty on the paint job - something Carvana's cheapo shop evidently didnt do. So - don't trust the Carfax on a Carvana car.

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

The process of searching for a vehicle was easy. Everyone I have talked to on the phone with Carvana has been nice and professional. The timeline from when my loan check was received at Carvana and the vehicle was shipped was longer than I anticipated. People at Carvana gave me opposing information. One person said it wouldn’t be shipped for another two weeks, while another person said that wasn’t true.

The real problems began during the delivery process. I was a direct delivery customer; therefore they had to hire a third party to deliver it. I was under the impression I would have more updates along the delivery process. I was notified when the vehicle was picked up and a two day estimated delivery date window. On the first day of the estimated delivery date, I never heard from the driver. The driver is contracted to notify you 12-24 hours prior to delivery. I contacted Carvana and they stated he probably has not called me because it is illegal for the "truck driver" to operate his cell phone while driving. Fair enough.

On the second day of the estimated delivery date, I still had not heard from the driver by 9:00 a.m. so I called Carvana again. They stated they would reach out to the logistics team and the advocate I spoke with said she would call the driver’s dispatch herself as well. She said to expect to hear from the driver within two hours. Two hours later, I had not heard from the driver. I called Carvana again. They still had not heard from the driver, but stated they would continue to reach out to him via text, email, and call. A couple of hours later, I still had not heard from the driver or Carvana. I called Carvana again. They still had not heard from the dispatch or the driver. I gave up hope of getting the vehicle that day.

That night at about 5:30 pm I see a flatbed truck driving up my road towing two vehicles, one is my 2014 GMC Acadia. This was a dually truck towing a flatbed trailer, not a "truck driver." He cannot get to my house because there is not a spot for him to turn around. He has to unload the two vehicles in the middle of the road then drive the Acadia to my house. I NEVER heard ANY correspondence from Carvana OR the driver about his arrival. If the driver had been in contact with me, I would have met him outside my neighborhood because I knew it was going to be difficult for him to deliver to my address.

The driver was hardly friendly. He did not ask for my driver’s license, simply a signature and stated "he never wanted to return" (to my neighborhood). I offered to drive him back to his truck so he wouldn’t have to walk. When I got in the car it had an obvious old cigarette smoke odor. I asked the driver if he thought it smelled like smoke and he said "it is probably from me because I have been smoking cigarettes this whole time."

I drove the car back home and started to inspect it. The outside of the driver’s seat upholstery has obvious damage that I feel should definitely have been disclosed as an imperfection. Also, where the seatbelt meets the seat it looks like a dog chewed on it. Pictures of these imperfections prior to delivery would have been nice. But above all else, the car smells like old, musky, cigarette smoke. It is cloth upholstery. I am not a smoker. I am super disappointed about this. The fact that this belonged to a smoker should have been disclosed as well. Also, there were little damaged and broken pieces of plastic that came from the car that I found sitting in the cup holders. I have no idea where those go.

I immediately took pictures and contacted Carvana. Once again, they were polite, professional, and apologetic. I sent them the pictures and the advocate I was speaking to received the thumbs up to offer me a $100 reimbursement towards detailing to hopefully remove the odor. The repair team offered a $250 check due to the significant "wear and tear" of the driver’s seat.

I went to an auto detailing shop today and they said it would be at least $300 to have this car detailed and hopefully remove the odor. They were super unimpressed by the way the inside was cleaned and the owner of the shop even wiped cigarette ash out with his finger.

Overall, I like the 2014 GMC Acadia. I want it to work out, it is what I am looking for. However, the delivery process definitely needs improvement. Also, the vehicle should never have been sold with this odor OR I should have been notified that it CLEARLY belonged to a smoker. Additionally, the "wear and tear" of the seat should have been disclosed with the pictures of the imperfections on the website. I consider it more than everyday wear and tear. It is a huge inconvenience to have to schedule a 4-5 hour detailing to remove cigarette smoke smell. I have six days until I have to decide whether to keep it or not, but I know the process of returning it is going to be a huge headache too. I would not recommend the direct delivery to anyone. If you can go to the site and check it out, it is another story. Overall, I would not do this again.

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

I bought my Volvo on July 5th, paid cash. It’s September 9th and I still can’t drive it! No title, no paperwork. I am not so sure it’s not stolen. No one will call me back! 17 calls into it! My bank has contacted me.

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

Unfortunately, nothing about this experience has been stress or hassle-free. The first truck we picked was dirty when we picked it up (large black handprint on the side panel of the door, covered in bugs across the mirrors and front of the truck, crumbs and dirt on the seats, and a large wet stain on the passenger side), when we test drove it the truck pulled hard to the right. We explained our concerns and we were assured that we could get an estimate for repairs (assuming it was the alignment) and Carvana would send a mobile detailer out. Sounded easy so we accepted the vehicle.

After a day of driving it and realizing the time it would take us to be able to get an estimate, wait for it to be approved and the truck has to be taken in for repairs, we decided to pick another vehicle. No big deal. So I thought. The new truck was delivered a few days later. I immediately noticed the tread on the tires was extremely low and there was a large white scratch on the upper and lower bumper of the truck. As soon as I saw it, Derek, the gentlemen who delivered the truck, said my manager Luis already approved to have that scrape repaired. Awesome! And he said it would be easy to set up a claim to get the tires replaced since they were so bad. Again, having the time to do these things is hard for us right now with it being our busy season with work and the kids starting their football season.

I looked online to see if there was another truck so we could try this again. There was nothing available that was similar. I felt assured that these things would be taken care of so I was just going to follow the instructions I was given to get these two things remedied. Not only did Carvana deny the repair on the bumper but I was given the run-around. Derek gave me his direct line and after leaving several voicemails, and calling Carvana to check on it for me, I was told that Luis had no clue about approving the damage and I also could not speak directly to him. After 5 days I was finally able to get ahold of Derek who finally got an approval for the scratch to be repaired. In the meantime, I had gone to my tire shop twice for him to get the information Silver Rock was asking for on the claim for my tires. After I had left for the second time Silver Rock then had asked for photos. I did not have time to go back to the tire shop for the third time since I had already taken time off of work to do so the other two times. I personally called Silver Rock asking for what pictures were needed. The lady I spoke to told me she needed pictures of the chunks missing for the sidewalls, the VIN on the truck as well as the odometer reading. I sent the photos in immediately. The next day, which is today, I called Silver Rock to get an update on the claim. They are now requesting me to go back to the tire shop because now they need pictures of the tread depth. I have ZERO time to go back to the tire shop for the third time. I already had to take my truck in to get an estimate on the bumper repair and now have to figure out a time to take it back for the actual repair.

I called several times within my 7 days and was reassured all the way around that this will be an "easy" process. I am driving with tires that have tread depths of 3/32 and 4/32 and chunks missing from the sidewalls. So unsafe for myself and my family! This has been the most miserable, stressful, time-consuming vehicle purchase ever. I trusted Carvana and I was greatly disappointed.

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

I will start off by saying yes, the car search and initial purchase experience was easy and almost relaxing compared to the stress of having to go to a dealership and fight tooth and nail for a good deal. But that is where the good experience stops.

Completing all the paperwork becomes quite time-consuming. And the whole time you are filling out the forms you watch the timer tick down saying "complete now for guaranteed delivery." After rushing thru I was guaranteed delivery on a Tuesday (7 days away). The first bummer. Monday, the day before pickup, I received a phone call from a rep that the delivery truck never showed to pick up the car. Quite a head-scratcher. So the next delivery date will be the following Tuesday. The rep 100% guaranteed me this date the car will be there. 6 days later again another phone call. Right away I could tell by the rep's tone of voice it was more bad news. Again I’m told the delivery truck just never showed up and my car was sitting in Cleveland. Well, that’s a shocker because originally I was told the vehicle was coming from Indiana. I tell the rep I can’t wait 7 more days. I need this car and I will be away the next week. All he says is I don’t know what to tell you. You can cancel the order.

I almost feel like the vehicle I ordered didn’t exist. There is no way Carvana wouldn’t be able to get the car to me, especially if coming from Cleveland, which is only 7 hours from my house in over 14 days. It’s truly a shame because buying online seemed like a great change from traditional options but don’t fall for it. I also think Carvana needs to look up the definition of guaranteed.

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

Preface - We are in northern Wisconsin with plans to travel to our Arizona residence leaving around December 1st. We bought this car with plans to drive it from Wisconsin back to Arizona for the winter.

Friday, November 8th: We picked out the car, Carvana took the down payment, we signed our documents and the verification process was completed this same day. We then waited, as instructed for someone from their delivery department to reach out.

Thursday, November 14th: Five business days went by with no communication from Carvana to arrange the delivery.

WE called THEM to ask where and when we would have a time frame for delivery of our vehicle. We were told that during their inspection they were putting new tires and brakes on the car.

Great! Ok so we waited - again - for their call to arrange delivery. And we waited.

Tuesday, November 19th: We had not heard anything so called Carvana. We were told that a driver had not selected our order to deliver. (We had chosen to have the car delivered to our door at the onset of the process.)

I get it - truck drivers can pick and choose routes, etc. We then spoke to a very efficient customer service representative who was able to change the delivery method to a vending machine in Chicago so we could pick it up.

Ok, awesome - Carvana has us scheduled us to pick up the car from a vending machine in Chicago on Tuesday, November 26th.

We purchased plane tickets to travel to the pick-up location which Carvana would reimburse $200 of.

We have arrangements to get to the airport which is two hours away.

Great! We had a hard delivery (pick-up) date. We signed new contracts due to it now being considered a pick up not direct to door delivery (another 15-day delivery/pickup timeframe was then reset - keep in mind they took our $10,000 down payment out of our account on November 8th).

We are still all ok with all of this, as we are flexible and now understand more about Carvana and the delivery/pick up process.

Sunday, November 24th: Two days before our flight to Chicago to pick up the vehicle we get an email that the delivery to the vending machine in Chicago is delayed.

Keep in mind, no call from Carvana - we had to call them and were told that the earliest they MIGHT have the car in Chicago was now December 9th, but there is no guarantee there won’t be another delay.

November 25, 2019: Here we are, once again waiting for Carvana to call us to discuss our options (we had to call to get on their call back waitlist).

Should we buy plane tickets again, waiting on you to get your logistical tangle figured out? Keeping our fingers crossed that it will be in your vending machine on December 9th?

Should we change the contract again so you can deliver to our Wisconsin or Arizona residence?

Should we rely on you to load it into one of your vending machines when it’s convenient for you so we can pick it up?

Do WE need to be more flexible than we have already been because we really want to buy this car from YOU?

I think not. At this point, we are done. Our flexibility has limits. We have canceled the contract.

We are now out the $200 plane tickets which you will not reimburse because we canceled our purchase contract due to your chaotic logistics.

Nice try Carvana, my suggestion to you is to get the logistical kinks worked out before you advertise how easy it is to actually start DRIVING a car that was purchased from you.

A lesson learned.

We have choices.

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

Do not buy a car from Carvana. There is nothing wrong with the car but it has been almost 2 months and they have failed to register it. They continue to kick the can down the road and refuse to give me any direct answers. I have talked to the DOL and all they need is for someone from Carvana to call to complete the payment but Carvana won't do it. My temp plates have expired and I am paying for a vehicle I cannot drive. It's been 2 weeks since my plates expired and they are telling me it could be another week or so but no real answers.

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