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

I attempted to sell Carvana two like-new 2019 model year vehicles and purchase a different vehicle from them. I completed their online calculator and all went well until I realized that there's no option for a second vehicle. So to find out a work-around I tried to use their chat function. 30 MINUTES LATER. Someone finally comes on and tells me that they don't buy vehicles from 2019. No explanation at all, just that they don't buy current year vehicles. A huge waste of my time and effort and I will NEVER purchase nor suggest that anyone I know should use Carvana. There are PLENTY of better online dealerships like this out there to choose from - all of which provide an infinitely better experience.

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

After weeks and several telephone calls, I still have the vehicle I have been attempting to sell to Carvana. Every time I called an Advocate would advise me that I would be receiving an email (confirmed test email sent) for pick-up of the vehicle within 24 hours. Like I said, WEEKS and SEVERAL CALLS later I still have the vehicle they offered to purchase.

This is a SCAM - BUYER BEWARE!

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

I must admit, when I first heard of Carvana I thought it was just like other subprime lenders that leave a bad taste in your mouth. However, I applied not putting much thought in it being a good option and to my surprise, I was approved. Although I was not really ready to purchase because I saw some options I had not considered given being obtainable and would need more time to make it work.

After speaking with them, I discovered my terms would be refreshed and I could reapply when I was ready and I did. But my terms took a turn for the WORST!

They contained higher interest rate that was worst than what I was being offered locally and then I thought, “See I knew this was not different. Now I felt like it was a bait and switch thing.”

I called and asked what happened and they told me that the computer algorithm decides, not a human so it can't be wrong. I was not happy with that answer so I continued to ask and was told to see if my credit score had any changes and I discovered I had a 5 point drop.

WOW, it made my interest rate go up 5+%. I was told to get it back up, let this application expire and the computer should give a better rate.

Very long story short, I got my score not just up 5 points but almost 100 points after discovering errors on my report and reapplied after my application was refreshed and got the lowest interest rate I had seen from Carvana. However, my down payments now for even smaller cars had moved from $700 to $4000 for a 2015 Toyota Corolla and all I was told was that the computer algorithm did it.

Well, I insisted that someone check it out because that didn't make sense to give me better interest rate and a bad down payment for being in a better credit score bracket.

Being very unhappy, I was told they do not keep the history of my previous soft pull application to compare it to see if I am telling the truth about previous offers (i have screen shots I took to compare the prices once it refreshed but that me keeping the history).

So they have to set my expectation that the computer is right. I was hoping this would be a good story tail ending, but they still need to have some human connection on the application side to make sure the computer isn't doing it, causing customers not to choose them.

Like the idea of Carvana but that's all I got, an idea.

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

I was going to buy a car from them. They told me that the down payment would be $800 down on the car that I was looking to buy but in a week. Later they told me that the down payment would be $4000 on the same car. I ask why and the answer that I got was because my address changed. I moved, and can you believe that it wasn't my job or my income, but for an address change? I never heard of a dealership or bank telling anyone that just because you move we are going to charge four times the down payment.

And no one would try to help me, everyone told me the same thing, "your address changed, nothing that we can do." So I will be going to other dealerships and will not buy a car from this place.

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

I found a Toyota 4Runner 4x4 with a third-row seat online through Carvana. Well, basically you have to buy the car before you even see or test drive the vehicle. You cannot see the vehicle first; you have to buy and then they will deliver it. You have to give them a copy of your driver's license, bank account, you have to give them the money for the vehicle, get insurance on the car, and sign the buyer agreement before you even see the car.

This has been a horrible experience. I promise if they keep this business model they will be out of business very soon.

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

Think of every single thing you hate about a car dealership. Now take away the accountability of being able to physically visit the dealer and you've got Carvana. They are pushy, they lie, and they steal. That is the gist of this company. They will scam you. You will lose money. You will not get a quality car.

I bought a car from Carvana, and it was a total disaster and guess what? I don't have the car I paid for! They refunded me part of the money I paid for the car but not all of it - yet. That's how they operate. Avoid at ALL cost.

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

Oh my goodness, where in the heck do I even start with Carvana? Basically sounds like a lot of other people went and got close to the entire experience of buying a car and getting financed with Carvana.

Yesterday, after I did the agreement of the down payment that would be taken from my account on the day I was to receive the car and signed the paperwork for the car itself as well, I was told to call Carvana for finalizing verification of the bank deposit and deposit information. The bank told the guy that yes, the funds were available for ACH payments, and yes, I got deposits that come in each month, and yes, I am who I am as the bank required, with this man from Carvana listening to everything, including my social security number and birthday, to confirm that I am the owner of the bank account and as to verified who I am!

Hello, there is already your verification in itself, but the bank confirmed all this and the man said "great, you're all set and verified." He said the next thing was I needed to have my bank statements uploaded showing my deposits. I am thinking well, the bank already verified a lot of what you are wanting, but ok, this is understandable. Mind you, I already got verified and green check marked for that already.

Now as I continue, keep in mind again that I was already completed and verified on the phone with my bank and with Carvana asking them the necessary questions. Now since this morning, I've been jacking around with Carvana about the verification of my bank statements in their crazy format.

First they said my uploads were not verifiable because I didn't show three consecutive months for deposits. So I had to upload October, November, and December and they came back when I called to see if they got it, and then they tell me they have to have my name on them. Well instead of uploading all the same three again, I uploaded just one (the middle one), which was November, and made sure it showed the bank logo as well as my name on it, and then the same deposit information on it again. Well, lo and behold, Carvana didn't disappoint me with their crazy verification ways. She then tells me "now we need all three of them showing your name and bank logo as well as the entire statement." What the heck!

Why would you need the full statement, which is two more pages or so on each month showing transactions of where I spent my money at ranging from gas stations to restaurants, to Walmart, to utilities? I mean, why does Carvana think that this is a guarantee of verification any more than the bank statements that I sent where the first page showing you what you need to be concerned with, and that is the deposit along with my name and bank name.

Then she adds that after I do this, she will need to call my bank and verify my bank deposits and available funds! What, wait, what the heck?! I said I already did this yesterday and I am not going to call my bank again and go through all that again when I did this with you already, and it was to your satisfaction yesterday, but now you feel you want to redo other processes and can't get this one completed correctly.

This company is full of crap folks. They are nosey as heck and want just about everything you can think of just shy of a blood sample and urine test. I refused at that point to go any further with them and to tell you the truth, I never had this many problems and way less verification with a dealership, and the finance companies are all virtual because they are not in-house financing to begin with. Carvana is crazy, and I am very angry that they treated me this way.

I also should be relieved because the finance company they use is called GO Financial and these folks seem like criminals considering the reviews on them, and is owned and part of Carvana, and it makes sense why they want so much information and verification to your bank information because they are known for taking unauthorized money from people. Go read it for yourself.

So in my opinion, I will not deal with them, and they lost a really good customer that has always paid his vehicles off on time and paid a lot of cars off in my lifetime, and they bombed this one for their stupidity and crap they pulled on me. I already sent in everything they wanted and more and should have gotten nothing, but ok, your day to pick up your car is ect., etc. I will make it my lifelong quest to tell everyone, and I mean everyone everywhere I go about Carvana and how to stay away from them. They costed me time and headaches and stress so I will cost them bad experience as everyone will be asking me soon "what happened, I thought you were getting your car from Carvana?"

And I feel like an idiot for even talking so highly about them, up until now, so I will look like an idiot. And sure, there will be jokes about this and I will eat crow having to tell everyone how Carvana played games and screwed me over, but hey, they lost a good-paying customer! They will never last long in the future with people like me and how they treat us! Period!

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

At first I though Carvana was the answer to all my problems. Unfortunately, I was wrong. I love my car, but if I use the A/C or heat, my car smells like cigarettes, something I was very specific about not wanting. The windshield broke the first week, which they fixed, but I already need to replace my breaks at 30k miles. What bothers me most is I found rotted food under the upholstery of the front seats of my car. I bought a Jeep Wrangler and the bolts to keep the top on weren’t even there. I will probably sell the car in a year or two, unfortunately.

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

I found the exact car I wanted at a great deal (yes!).

I started the purchase process (let the excitement begin!). I received a call a few short hours later and was told "we’re going to have to put you in another car because the one you tried to buy never should have been listed." (Wait, what?)

After an excuse filled with mystery acronyms and seemingly deliberately vague sales terminology, the guy presents me with another car - older model, plus bigger engine, plus much higher price. I mention that's not really what I wanted, so he says he'll explore the other available options and load them into my favorites on my profile. (Ok, sure, I guess...but I was really looking to getting the one I tried to, you know, purchase?)

A couple hours later, I go into my profile and notice three cars have been added - the first is the older, bigger-engined one I already mentioned I didn’t want, the second was a more expensive convertible version, and the third was much more expensive ($20k!) with way more miles on it. (Um...bait and switch much?)

Throughout the phone call, all I could think was "if this is how they plan on doing business, they won’t be in business much longer." I'm in branding and marketing. I know a great deal about creating and maintaining your brand. This example is one super-quick way to demolish your brand.

As of this very moment, I would find it very difficult to recommend Carvana to anyone.

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

I agreed to sell my vehicle to Carvana. I had difficulty starting my vehicle, it had sat for a couple of weeks. Once the vehicle started, the tech drove the vehicle and we completed the deal. All the paperwork was completed, the tech handed me a check, and the deal was complete. Unfortunately, the vehicle did not start again so the tech told me the deal was canceled, even though we already completed the deal. After several minutes of discussion, he tore up my paperwork and demanded the check be returned. At this point, I just wanted the tech to leave. What I did not realize was the tech tore up my original TITLE!

Carvana did not care, wanted to leave. Awful customer service. Nobody has reached out to me or apologized for the mishap. Definitely, lost a customer.

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

Carvana is a disaster! Not hassle free. Don't ever do it!

Would you like tbuy a car through a company that operates like a startup that doesn't know what it's doing? You should totally check out Carvana.

Back in November, I purchased a Ford Fusion Energi through Carvana and boy I'd like to hit the undo button.

First, and amazingly smallest, issue: The car came heavily detailed and wreaking of armor all to the point of a fault. It took ten days (three days longer than the seven day return period, convenient) to figure out why. On the tenth day the smell of cigarettes revealed itself. Now I'm stuck with an ashtray for a car. Lovely.

Second issue (prepare for major hassles): I ordered the car in November and it came with temporary paper plates that expire 1/17/19. However, before I ever bought the car, I had confirmed with the phone representatives at Carvana several times that the regular plates would arrive before January tenth. I had a trip to Europe planned from 1/10 until an indefinite return date - if I left the car parked on my street beyond the 17th with those paper plates, it would get impounded for expired registration.

Over the months leading up to my trip, I visited my mailbox each time to find a concerning lack of license plates. I called Carvana's registration team dozens of times over the course to make sure the hard plates would still arrive by the time I left for Europe.

I was told on several occasions the plates would arrive around Christmas. When that didn't happen, several days after the holiday I called in and was told that they would arrive shortly after the new year.

When 1/5 came and went, and I was still without plates. I called in to find out the registration hadn't even been processed yet. Turns out Carvana's acquisition team had entered the mileage incorrectly on a registration form, which in turn delayed the process for weeks.

Needless to say, I had to cancel a large portion of my long planned Euro trip because if the plates didn't arrive in time, I would have to be present to figure out a way to hide the car from Johnny Law.

Fast forward to 1/16: I've been informed that the plates are still several weeks away from being delivered. Which means I'll have to pay my own money to have the Fusion stored to avoid it being impounded.

Carvana's registration team's proposed solution is to pay me for up to five days of storage fees (five!) when the car will need to be stored for a likely twenty-one. They're basically handing me a substantial bill, not only in missed Euro travels but now hundreds of dollars in money and hours of stress, for doing business with them. And to make it more infuriating, Jenna, the customer service rep (if you can call her that) acts like she's doing me a favor by paying me a pathetic portion of the costs in the form of a check that will take up to fifteen business days (fifteen!) to even reach me. So I'll have to pay out of pocket for all of it up front, and the majority of it in the long run. I'm so sorry Paris!

Unless I've missed something and we're living in a world where good is bad, up is down, and left is right, none of this is hassle free.

Additionally, I'll have to continue paying car insurance for a car I won't be able to drive. But what's a couple hundred more wasted dollars in return for the miracle that is buying a car through Carvana.

Their solutions to problems they created fall embarrassingly short of satisfying. Yet the people working there seem to think very highly of their efforts to resolve the issue, like they're doing you a favor by paying a tiny fraction of the assumed costs that have been handed down to you by way of their own mistakes. (See: unskilled and unaware of it).

Carvana claims to aim at providing a hassle-free buying experience, which is what sold me in the first place. However, they function like a startup that doesn't know what they're doing. And to go along with an evident lack of business acumen is an undeserved self-instituted sense of ability.

While touting themselves as a hassle free alternative that revolutionizes buying a car, Carvana has managed to take something that has worked for decades (in buying a car at a dealership), and made it much, much worse.

Carvana has successfully turned this car buyer into a lifelong supporter of buying cars through dealerships.

I would highly distrust the high ratings by customers through the Carvana site. I can't even find a way to add a review myself onto their site. And any third party review platform I've seen has Carvana well below three stars. They are deplorable.

Leave the car business to the pros, Carvana. You suck.

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