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

False advertising and horrible car.

When I first purchased the car in May, I had to get it serviced at a Mercedes Benz because the tires were in critical condition and the speedometer and dashboard sensors were not correct. The back seat was lifted up, the seats and air vents were pealing, headlights went out the 3rd week I had the car to be scheduled for service three times.

Carvana and SilverRock stated that the repairs would be done and now that the car has been repaired they don't want to cover the bill. I've been without my car for four months because repairs are life-threatening.

Advocates at Carvana and SilverRock didn't put in the correct notation about my 2014 Mercedes C250. I have emails and recorded phone conversations with multiple advocates from Carvana. Before you purchase, get the car inspected on the first day because they will do anything to sell you a lemon.

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

We had high hopes for our Carvana purchase. It started well and was not an altogether horrible experience, but in the end, Carvana dropped the ball. Our 2016 Tacoma was delivered yesterday with only one key fob. What? The Carvana web page stated that the truck purchase includes a set of keys.

The delivery person helpfully offered to follow-up with his office and request another key fob. The official response was that we had not spent enough money on the car purchase to qualify for two key fobs. Again, what? We have never bought a new or used card from a traditional dealership and not received two keys with fobs as part of the purchase.

Later, a Carvana customer advocate, Michael, explained that in Carvana-speak, a set of keys means one (1) key and one (1) fob. Voila, a set! We were dumbfounded. So, now I have to buy another key with fob at a Toyota dealership. Hmm. We ought to have started and stayed with a dealership.

So, in the end, the Carvana experience is deceptive, and will not be repeated by us. Just today someone stopped us in a parking lot and asked about Carvana (the temporary truck plates say Carvana). We warned him about the one key fob policy and advised against trusting vehicle descriptions found on Carvana web pages. The aggravation of having to pass around one key fob between drivers reminds us that Carvana is no better than a regular dealership. Both mislead and exploit the customer; Carvana just does it online vs. face-to-face.

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

I was approved to purchase a vehicle. They asked for proof of my income. I have been in my career for 24 years. My check stubs are done strictly online, no paper trail. I offered them my W-2’s, and they did not want them. I offered to call HR on a three-way to prove to them that I worked at this job and my income was sufficient, and they refused.

I sent my offer letter with a letterhead, my orientation letter with a letterhead, my badge with the address of my employer, my electronic check stub and I offered to call my bank. This was from my second job. They want to finance my car based on income from my first job. The more money I make, the better the interest rate. So I sent them the proof that THEY asked for from my second job, and they still would not accept it.

I would not recommend anyone to buy from Carvana because they are non-trusting, but sell cars online that you have not seen.

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

It started off pretty well with Carvana, but in the end it was a big disappointment.

First off, I decided upon a vehicle to purchase. It was a 2016 Toyota Camry SE. Very beautiful car. I was purchasing it for my son. When I finalized my purchase, I had to call Carvana and verify my funds for down payment as well as sign some documents. That process was quick and simple, and the representatives were very polite and helpful.

After finalizing everything, my delivery date was confirmed: Saturday, December 29th, 2017 at 1:00 PM, which was four days away from the day I purchased the vehicle. I was very satisfied and pleased that the delivery would be quick.

Well, here comes the bad part. On my delivery date, around 7:00 AM, I receive an email that "there's been a delay" in my delivery and so my vehicle will be delivered on a different date. Shortly after, I received a phone call from a representative explaining what happened. She told me that the driver broke down in Valdosta, Georgia (I live in St. Augustine, Florida), and they don't have an ETA on when he'll arrive. She said they would call me back.

An hour after, I called Carvana to check on the status of my delivery. The representative didn't seem like he wanted to help much and told me that the vehicle has an expected delivery date of January 2nd, three days late, but he said it wasn't exact. I waited another hour and called back again. The representative then told me that the truck driver was back on the road and was on its way to my closest hub (Jacksonville) to be delivered and it would be delivered today or the next day. I was at ease at that moment.

A few hours later, I receive a phone call by a woman who tells me that when they took the car to the car wash in Jacksonville, they found out that the vehicle had a leak in the windshield. Oh no Carvana, I thought you do a full inspection on your vehicles before listing them for sale, no? She told me that I could 1) Have them take the vehicle to repair it at a dealership at their cost, 2) They could deliver the vehicle to me and I could take it to repair it at their cost as well, or 3) I could switch out the vehicle.

The representative recommended that I take the vehicle to a body shop of my choice because if they take it from a dealership to another dealership, it would be at the end of the line and it would cause a delay more than it already has. But, why doesn't Carvana have body repair or body shops for situations like this? Why do I have to be responsible for taking the vehicle to a body shop even though it's been "inspected?"

At this point, I was frustrated. The delivery had been delayed, and on top of that, I was told I had to take the vehicle straight to repair it when I receive it. It rains a lot in Florida, and at random times, so this is an issue that had to be fixed immediately. I was very excited about the vehicle and wanted to drive it right away when receiving it, not take it straight to get it repaired. This wasn't our expectations.

Ok, I then called Carvana back and told them I would like to switch out the vehicle because I didn't want to deal with a car that had issues to begin with. I explained to them that I found the same car online on their website for $500 more. Nope, they said I had to pay the difference. Even though I already had paid $200 to insure the vehicle since they had to have proof of insurance when delivering, they still refused. This was the point where I had enough. I told them to just cancel the entire order and that I did not want the vehicle at all. They canceled the order right away.

I then emailed them with my feedback and a couple of hours later, I received a call from someone and they said the maximum they could offer me was $250 off the vehicle price. I told them I'd think about it, but I have decided that I will not be purchasing a vehicle from their website. I didn't want to deal with this process again when it seems to me like customer satisfaction wasn't a priority. I did not get charged for anything since the vehicle wasn't delivered.

Carvana, you have disappointed me big time. This was a bad first impression, and I am not satisfied at all. If you actually do fully inspect your vehicles before listing them, you would find out about the crack in the windshield. But no, you found out when you did the car wash. Who knows, water could've slipped through and messed up other things in the vehicle. Get your things straight because you obviously don't perform full inspections on your vehicles and also don't even have mechanics/body repair in place for when things happen like what happened to me.

I am so glad I did not get the car delivered and I didn't get charged. I will never purchase a vehicle from here again. To be honest, I've had many vehicles in my lifetime, all of them from car dealerships. It may be a hassle negotiating there, but I have never experienced what I've experienced with Carvana. Back to the dealership it is!

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

The worst car buying experience in my life.

First off, their financing is outrageous; their rates are too high, and so are the down payments. I was using my own lender, they did a conference call with them, TWICE, they sent proof of the approval letter, AND they sent a copy of the check made out to Carvana's Financial Operations because they said the purchase was finalized!

After they already issued a check and verify all the requested information, they say "Due to discrepancies on your account, we were unable to move forward with the purchase of the vehicle." They have done this exact thing to my friends and family member. I honestly believe they are a fake company, EVERYBODY I know has been unable to get a car from this company! DO NOT bother.

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

I was on the verge of purchasing a VW Golf TDI. They come in 4 trims: Launch, S, SE, SEL (from low to high). I was seeking SELs and found several on the site. The prices and quality of the cars seemed good. Upon further inspection (looking at detailed specs, the window sticker, and VW's VIN Check site), I found that multiple (at least 3) SEL listings were actually for the lesser S trim. Ok, this might not seem like a huge deal. Most people would catch it prior to purchase. However, it led me to wonder if this was a practice of deception or a simple mistake. Hopefully the latter but it's made me leery.

In short, I'd do 3rd party research on their cars whenever possible. I notified Carvana of the error on the vehicle listing I was researching. It was updated within 24 hours. Kudos for that but there are still other incorrect listings with the same issue.

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

I feel like a huge sucker. I received a car with damages on the side and contacted customer service through the 7-day period. I sent in photos and an estimate as requested on separate occasions. I was told by Andrew the damage was from transporting the car and Carvana would pick up the tab and to submit the estimate. On day 9, I received an email stating that Carvana was not going to pay for the damages, blamed me for being in an accident, and was not going to take back the car. I even said to the Customer Service rep that I was scared I would not hear back from them after the 7-day return period. I should have listened to my inner voice. The worst part is, the customer service reps make promises that they have no intention of keeping. I really wish I could give Carvana zero stars. The company should be more heavily regulated by the government or put out of business. The posters on here who never received their order should feel blessed.

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

I have been a victim of this gimmick used car sales dealer and want to strongly advise others to please do your research about this place before doing business with them. Speak to their behind the scenes employees and find out all the dirt about the junk auction cars they buy and then wash and wax and pass on as inspected and reliable. There were so many issues with the car, I don't know where to begin. I'm not going to mention my specific issues so as not to influence you, however, all I ask is that you speak to the mechanics, drivers, haulers, etc. You'll find out plenty as I did. Ultimately, I returned my purchase and never looked back. Please don't fall for their gimmicks and misleading sales staffs false promises. Buyer beware!

If I could give zero stars, I would.

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

Started to purchase a Cadillac. Noticed imperfections of the upholstery in the photos. The site listed no imperfections and passed their 150-point inspection. I notified Carvana of this and how their posted information was misleading. The Carvana Representative said she would notify her supervisor and have the information corrected...did not happen. This misinformation and unwillingness to do the right thing shows the poor integrity of the company and creates mistrust in their buying process. Buyer beware, Carvana, the seller, is only looking to take the money you work too hard for. Buyers deserve better than this company.

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

I am listing the sequence of events that have occurred on my purchase order.

6/14/19 Carvana order has been received.

6/14/19 Congratulations John, your documents have been reviewed and approved. Delivery date and time Wednesday, June 19th, 2019, 12:00 PM local time.

6/16/19 Email stating Delivery Delay and Carvana is working diligently to get the vehicle delivery back on track.

6/16/19 Email stating new delivery date of Sunday 6/23/19, 9:00 AM.

6/17/19 I respond to email requesting the Carvana team to try to keep to the original schedule date because I have scheduled to have a tow bar to be installed on the vehicle to tow behind my motor home for an upcoming trip. To date, there has been no response to this email.

6/17/19 Contacted customer service to find out what was going on with the delivery. The customer service advocate put me in contact with the delivery advocate (Sandy?) who stated the vehicle was mislabeled as a 3 instead of a 1 and that was the cause for the delay and they would follow up with me with a phone call and an email.

6/18/19 Never received email or phone call from (Sandy?) delivery team.

6/18/19 Late afternoon I contacted customer service again to explain the issue. Customer Advocate Marshall who followed up for me on any possible solution on the delivery and getting a credit for the delivery delay.

6/19/19 Received email back from Marshall that he was still working on following up on getting a credit for the delay in delivery.

6/20/19 Received email back from Marshall that a $25 a day for delays would be credited.

6/22/19 Received and email and a text from Carvana that the delivery was again being rescheduled to Thursday, 6/27/19.

6/23/19 Called customer service and spoke to Alex and explained I needed to have the tow bar installed on this vehicle before our upcoming trip on Friday 6/28/19. He stated nothing could be changed with the new delivery date. I requested to have a manager call me.

6/23/19 Recontacted customer service and spoke to Megan who did get me in contact with a manager (Jacob). Jacob is currently working with me to see if I can pick up the vehicle on Wednesday, 6/26/19 or early Thursday morning and bypass the new scheduled delivery date of Thursday, 6/27/19 at 4:00 PM in order to meet my deadline for leaving on our trip this Friday, 6/28/19.

This is my first purchase with Carvana and I understand mistakes do happen. I was somewhat okay with the first delivery delay, but after the second delivery reschedule I was expecting much more of a sense of urgency to meet my deadline to receive this vehicle. I know there are ways to meet schedules and make sure you are meeting the customer's expectations. My gut tells me this may be a common problem at Carvana otherwise the advocates would have taken all the extra steps necessary to correct the issue and meet my expectation.

I do want to compliment Marshall as he does to seem to understand how a customer feels when a delivery is missed on such an important and exciting event as a car purchase.

Thus far it has not been a Nirvana/Carvana type of experience.

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

In May we purchased a used vehicle from Carvana. In the next 45 days it broke down 3 times. After several repairs, Carvana refused to fix it (even though it was the same issue) because it was slightly outside of the warranty they provided. We had broken down several times in this vehicle, most notably on the side of the highway 2 hours from home with our newborn in the vehicle in 95-degree heat. After multiple attempts pleading with Carvana to fix this lemon, they eventually told us "too bad, so sad." Unrelenting, I sent an email to Carvana's legal team and asserted that the vehicle met the statutory requirements to be considered a lemon. Their attorney, Grace, reached out and agreed to replace the vehicle to give us "a better experience." Right, I had to contact your legal team in order for you to agree to replace the vehicle. More like Carvana felt it was too costly to defend a lemon law case they were unlikely to win.

Fast forward 2 weeks, we still do not have a new vehicle and they are playing games and putting us through hell trying to get a replacement vehicle. Everyone should be made aware that purchasing a vehicle from Carvana is incredibly risky and in the event of an issue they will have little recourse. I would not wish this experience on anyone. We are out thousands of dollars in expenses related to this vehicle, not to mention paying for insurance premiums while the vehicle sat in a shop absolutely useless. Carvana was less than helpful and every bit of this process has been painstakingly difficult because their staff does not have any training on how to handle situations like this.

Long story short, do not purchase a car from Carvana. They knowingly sell defective vehicles and see absolutely nothing wrong with it. They put me and my families safety in jeopardy in a vehicle that was never roadworthy. Not only that but in addition to the mechanical issues, our car had been hit and repainted. No accident was disclosed or reported to Carfax, but it was clear from the mismatched paint. If you purchase from Carvana you never know what you will get. Go to a dealership, at least you can really see what you're purchasing. Their pictures are great at hiding defects (must be the lighting). I have sent over 40 emails, 50 phone calls, and spent 25+ hours on the phone dealing with them and their customer "advocates." The only thing Carvana advocates for is itself. I would strongly advise against buying from Carvana. You may get a great car or you may not. In the event you do not, prepare for a living hell. I have broken down more in 1 month in Carvana's vehicle than in all of my life.

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