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

This has been the worst experience when buying a car. I was fed NOTHING BUT LIES.

BEFORE I purchased my vehicle, I had to speak to a person and go over all the contracts. I told them at this time, that I am EXEMPT from DMV registration fees and I wanted to transfer my Disabled Veteran Plates to this car and I was told that is not a problem. About 1 week before my tags that came with vehicle expired, I called back and they said they were not able to process my transfer and that I paid $428 for tags. If you would have told me EARLIER, I COULD HAVE DONE IT!

So I called them again and spoke to a supervisor, who sent me a link to upload new registration that shows exempt status to proceed with a refund. Then 15 minutes later, Larry (line worker) emailed me and said I’m not getting a refund because the regular registration was already processed. IT SHOULD NEVER HAVE BEEN PROCESSED!

There are multiple notes in their system under my account that state that CARVANA WILL transfer my Disabled Plates, even though they didn’t, and multiple notes showing I am exempt from DMV fees and registration yet Carvana charged me anyways, then multiple notes saying I will receive refund once documentation is submitted, it then backtracked and said non-refundable because the registration was already processed, when it shouldn’t have been!

I will be pursuing legal action if this is not fixed today when the supervisor calls me back...well, we've been on this ride before. They usually never call or just lie to get me off the phone!

I WILL NEVER RECOMMEND NOR USE THIS UNETHICAL BUSINESS AGAIN!

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

First, I would have written this on Carvana's site but I never received an opportunity to review in an email and they would not provide one (they have a limited time to review which explains all the high ratings on their site).

I am at 45 days and no registration and temp from another state expired. I get that COVID closed some state DMVs but in my state (NH) registrations are done at town offices, you never have to go to the state DMV. My town offices have been open since the third week of June and I have registered three cars there since 92 renewals and one purchased mercifully not at Carvana. During my wait, my license on Carvana's file system expired but I had renewed it. I follow my "Dashboard" on Carvana and it says registration materials have been submitted for processing. Several days before temp registration expired I contact customer service to see the status of registrations - after 1 and 1/2 hour wait they say "your license on file expired, we can't submit registration". What, on June 15 my license on file expires and I renew it but nobody from Carvana indicates (until I contact them on July 11) that I need to submit a valid current license. They NEVER would have contacted me.

Three "advocates," 7 hours waiting, the first one apologizes and says "we should have contacted you" and promises to get back to me in a half an hour - no follow-up from her. Later another "advocate" is nice and sympathetic, promises to see about a rental and guarantees she will contact me on Wednesday when she returns to work. Today, no sympathy, no apologies, my fault because the license had expired, I explain I had a valid one l when I bought the car and it was their delay in processing and in never contacting me that was the problem. No help, "is there anything else I can help you with today" is all I get.

I have a car I can't drive 45 days after buying it and nobody will even tell me if they got the uploaded current license let alone if it will be another 45 days before I can. No help, customer service "advocates" are a joke - I will be posting the entire transcript of my conversations with the "advocates" so people can see how little help and clueless they are - basically, they (well 2 out of 3) try to be sympathetic without actually doing anything to help.

If you need a car PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE do not use Carvana because you will be stuck as many of the reviews on this site note. DO NOT USE REVIEWS ON CARVANA, THEY ALL WERE REQUIRED TO BE WRITTEN BEFORE REGISTRATION ISSUES DEVELOP.

Length of Use: Less than 3 months

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

I have been waiting to replace my Civic forever, and with a growing family it was time. I saw a Carvana commercial on TV, and imagined a picture in my mind of what an Amazon for cars would be. Then I went to Carvana's website, and I experienced it first hand. Ridiculously good price, great customer service at every step, then delivery to my door. I had 7 days to return, but didn't need to, I was a happy customer!

No idea what the other reviewers experienced, but I browsed the 2500+ reviews on Carvana's website and other places and it's quite different from here, so I wanted to share my great experience. Thanks Carvana!

Bottom Line: Yes, I would recommend this to a friend

I really wanted Carvana to work out, because the shopping and buying experience is clearly superior.

However, they are clearly failing to adhere to their 150 point inspections on vehicles. I ordered one car, and was later informed they couldn't deliver on time because they would need to replace the climate control system. I swapped out for another car, and they then AGAIN informed me they would need to push the delivery back by 2 weeks so they could replace brake pads and rear tires. This is completely absurd.

At this point, I really don't have any faith in Carvana's capabilities as a dealer.

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

I felt I had to write a review because some of the information I read was incorrect. When I purchased my car, my credit was below 550. My down payment option were (based on the cars I saw), $1500 for cars $20,000 and under, and $2000 for cars from $20,000-$29,000. I saw a Jeep Grand Cherokee 2014, for $2000 down because it was above the $20k threshold. So the person who posted that he was over 6K for a 14K car must have had very low income. That is another factor they look at. Think about it, if your income is below 50k a year (less than 33 after taxes, of course, the company will have you pay 6k for a down payment. However, low credit score would put you at around 1500 for a 20k and under vehicle, with at least 50k income.

I am beyond happy with my purchase. 2014 GMC Terrain SLE-2. I got it for under 20, so only $1500 down payment. The process was smoother than going to some of the dealerships that I've been to. To the person who wrote about the delay, I would be upset too but I would not want a vehicle that does not pass the 150 point inspection.

I recommend everyone in my situation to buy from Carvana. I am a real customer and not associated with Carvana.

Bottom Line: Yes, I would recommend this to a friend

Very horrible experience. The rep was also very snarky on the phone when it was their fault and wanted to argue me down. Not "Sorry sir, we'll get this taken care of right away."

The interest rate was a bit high as well, despite what they say because I ended up just canceling with these people and used another company.

They also seem to have a lot of sassy "youngsters" working there, and you know how disrespectful and snappy they can act. They also seem to drag you through the mud and stair step you rather than just having a better-streamlined application without all the hoops and stair stepping.

I wouldn't recommend them at all. Just go to a local dealership if you have credit issues; there are plenty out there that work with higher risk banks. If you want to get financing ahead of time, just google "auto financing" and plenty of options will come up.

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

Someone referred me to Carvana. I kept saying I'd rather buy a car the traditional way. But I caved and gave it a shot. After submitting all documentation, updating information on my credit report, receiving two hard inquiries, speaking with multiple reps who all placed me on long holds, contacting my bank and proving the funds were available, a week later I still have no car. Horrible experience. I will never refer them to anyone.

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

When my Civic was flooded from Hurricane Harvey, I was uncomfortable purchasing a car from a dealership in a flood-soaked area. I knew there would be a lot of fraud going on selling cars.

Carvana seemed to be a good idea for the situation I was in. The process as a whole was okay, but it's best if you know exactly what car you're looking for before even considering it.

I chose a Mazda3, and it was delivered with a few issues. First, there was a piece of plastic missing from the front and a large scratch on the front and back that wasn't disclosed in the listing. I was under the impression from the delivery driver that I could take it to Mazda to at least get the plastic piece replaced. Mazda wanted to charge me for it. Since the car was used, I understand it wasn't going to be perfect, but I just expected it to be in the condition they had it listed. They also listed the wrong color. They advertised it as "meteor gray" when in fact it was "titanium flash."

Had I purchased it from a dealership, I would have insisted this be fixed before purchase. This is a little more difficult buying a car online. Had I turned it away, I probably would have had the same experience with any car. Altogether, Carvana is a legitimate company, and it's great you avoid dealership fees and can skip bullying from the finance office. Would I buy from Carvana again? Sure, if my area ever floods again.

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

My fourth car was delivered today and contained two very noticeable dents on the passenger side that were not notated on the photos of the car, so now I have to wait 48 hours for someone to contact me so those dents can be fixed.

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