Vroom Review: How It Works, Pros and Cons

At this point in time, Vroom just has not got their act together.

Buying a car sight unseen is just not a good idea. The car I received was shipped with only one key fob. Our local ford dealer charges $179.90 for a replacement. The windshield is cracked, it also looks like it was sandblasted. No jack or tire changing tools. Why would anyone remove these? No fuel in the tank? Customer service is non-existent. There is a positive side. We saved a little over $4,000.00. As compared to our local Ford dealer.

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

The titling and registration process, however, is a complete nightmare! I am over 60 days waiting for my plates and the paperwork hasn’t been completed yet. I have made multiple calls over almost a month and they don’t tell you additional items are needed from you until you ask multiple times and your tag is expired. Then you have to wait for another tag while you can’t drive your vehicle. Let’s pray I get my plates before 2020.

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

I purchased a 2016 Kia Soul from Vroom. Shortly before the car was to be delivered, I received a call from Vroom telling me that it had been stolen during transport. I was told that Vroom would handle everything, including the loan. Michael from Vroom told me to call him if I had any questions. I have called and left messages, but he doesn’t call me back and I would like an update. What do I need to do to get someone to talk to me? Up to this point, dealing with Vroom was a great experience but the communication has been a total disappointment.

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

Everything went great up until they got my money. I was told I'd receive a call within 5 days to set up a delivery date. On day 6 I grew tired of waiting and called them. Delivery date was set for a Monday (10 days after purchase) and told I would receive a call on Sunday with a delivery window. No call on Sunday so Monday (tired of waiting again) I call and ask for a window. No delivery today it will now be sometime Tuesday (they don't have a window again) but they will call me later with a time frame. Get a call on Monday evening that my car will arrive on Tuesday morning. Get another call later Monday evening that there has been a delay...Wednesday delivery. No time frame. So it's going to be a minimum of 13 days after paying my car before it arrives. I'm told the title will arrive between 2 and 6 weeks after delivery but only have 30 days to title the car so could very well get stuck paying a late fee and probably will based on my experience so far. They did a great job until they got my money. Now there's no urgency and little service. Barely an apology for my "inconvenience".

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

Would not recommend or ever buy again from Vroom. After purchase, I had received an email stating the car was in final inspection and that I’d be receiving updates on the process and delivery confirmation within 5 days. Seven days passed, no emails no updates. Finally, on day 8 I received an email that it was going to be delivered that same day. I had already called on day 7 demanding to know what was happening and obtained their driver's phone number since it was already en route and I was not notified. Upon delivery, the car's interior, inside doors and door jams were filthy and very obvious the car has been sitting for weeks in a lot and had not been detailed. This vehicle also did not come with a recent oil change so upon delivery, I also had to drop another $100 for that! Original vehicle description also listed a sunroof which it does not have.

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

Refund process was handled very quickly, which I appreciate, but I wouldn’t buy a car this way again.

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

I had never purchased a car online prior to this one. We decided to try it because we hated going and sitting in dealerships while they go in those back rooms and do whatever that takes forever to do back there. Overall, I liked the purchase process. They matched a rate from a competitor bank and they matched the trade-in from Carvana. My sales guy was awesome. BUT It took longer than expected to actually get the car (almost two weeks).

Upon delivery of the car, I noticed that the heated/ventilated front seats, heated steering wheel, and rear heated seats did not work. I immediately called customer support (which as a whole varies in the quality of the person who you get...most are not great at their jobs). The guy I got was great and respectful though. He wanted us to try to use the initial warranty you get with the car - to me this made no sense since it was delivered faulty...but that is what they made me do. They had me take it to a Chrysler dealership (they agreed to pay the $175 diagnostic fee). I then became a secretary between Vroom and Chrysler, which SUCKED. Everyone was slow, and I was trying to get it done before my 7-day return period so I could return it if they wouldn’t fix it. It was hard to get ahold of both sides. Terrible experience.

The problem ended up being RODENT DAMAGE - so much for that multi-point inspection they claim to do. The issue was going to cost almost $5000 to fix. AND as delivered, the mechanic said the car’s passenger-side airbags would not have deployed in a crash due to the rodent damage. At first, Chrysler told me it was going to be $500, and Vroom agreed to fix it. While doing the $500 repair, they found the bigger issue which was going to cost an additional $4000. Vroom then said no to that, and they told me to exchange/return the vehicle. I then had to go back and forth between Vroom and Chrysler to get the $500 of work Chrysler did paid for. Thankfully, Vroom finally agreed to pay for it - kudos to my support guy.

I found another vehicle that I traded the bad one for. They didn’t make me pay an additional shipping fee. Even though all of this happened, I would still buy another car online...but maybe not through Vroom. Also...word of the wise...before signing for the vehicle at delivery...do a full inspection, especially of the wiring under the seats. You never know what has been chewed up.

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

Will never recommend Vroom to anyone. I paid cash for a 2018 Mercedes Benz CLA250. Had to keep calling to see when the car was going to be delivered. The car was delivered to me at 8:30 pm, could not look over the vehicle. While driving the vehicle home, the service lights came on stating the vehicle was 134 passed due for service. Vroom was notified of this and instructed me to take it to a dealership to have a diagnostic done. After doing so, Vroom refused to pay for the repairs. Told me if I didn't want the car and wanted to do a buyback, I was responsible for the repairs. But if I keep the car they would pay for the repairs. In Vegas if I would have serviced this vehicle before selling it this all could have been avoided. Their representatives had attitudes because I wanted to return the car, because they did not honor their own contract agreements. Vroom basically forced me to keep this vehicle. I would have been out of another $1000 just to return the car from their restock fees and me paying for the repairs. So never again and never will I recommend Vroom.

I also reported this to BBB.

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

So yes, ordering online is convenient and easy, sure. Vroom's price is pretty reasonable for not being able to negotiate the cost of vehicles. Truly though, I would NOT use them again. The big issues are major ones in my book, and would deter me from using their services again.

First off, the delivery window is 1-3 days' span it seems, either your car can show a day early, day of, or day late without being able to talk input on what days work best for you and YOUR schedule as the purchaser. Mine was a day late, missing 3 days of work for a car I was unable to negotiate on, and without any kickback for their lateness really was terrible.

The second and nail in the coffin with me and Vroom's future business was the title and registration of my new vehicle to the state I reside in. Waiting for my vehicle plates patiently, I gave up and contacted Vroom 9 days before my temporary plates expired. 3-4 days later I was sent a generic follow-up email like they send you for each step of the process up to delivery, letting me know that the paperwork was submitted to my state licensing department and that my plates should be here within 7-9 days, or at least that's processing time. It is now the day my temp plates expire and they have nothing other then a "I'm very sorry sir" to bring to the table while I have a new vehicle that I cannot drive for the foreseeable future all because MY paperwork slipped through the cracks in their system. No kickback, no partial prorated refund, no extra step for you. You might as well bought a car at Walmart for as much customer service is helpful with follow up.

I would NOT recommend them due to their failures to provide an even half flawless and complete transaction.

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

During the process of purchasing my vehicle, I was contacted by the dealership that actually had the car. They were quite aggressive, insisting that I buy the car from them at a higher price and saying that they had never heard of Vroom (yet they somehow had all of my personal information). The dealership actually mailed me a contract and spam called my phone, insisting that I was obligated to sign their contract. It was so stressful and I could get no one at Vroom to return my calls. I finally got someone via email and was told to just sign Vroom's contract. There was no explanation or apology. I did buy the car from Vroom, as the dealerships were closed due to the pandemic and I needed a car. However, I would not do it again and I wouldn't recommend it to anyone. When the car arrived, to add insult to injury, it had cosmetic damage that I had not been told about. Not good.

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

Too risky of a buying process. It was "fun" browsing the vehicles online, but I chose one that was already sold - but not tagged as such. My second choice was made and the process zoomed forward - Application, Loan Offers and Approval, then set up for delivery. They contract for delivery drivers, so your vehicle can take 7-14 days. Mine took 10. Nice truck, until I looked at it more closely. Found a lot of stuff wrong, mainly minor, but stuff clearly not showing up in their pictures. The truck was absolutely filthy! The gas tank had only 1/8 of a tank - nice...$45 later, my tank was full. Then came the painted interior door panel (trying to hide scuff marks or stains?), USB did not work, food crumbs under back seat, stains on upholstery, a progressively flattening tire (lost 15 pounds while sitting in my driveway), and on and on. Test drive revealed a pulling to the left, both front tires wearing on edges, and some other under-the-hood items. I only drove it for 25 miles before I parked it for good.

I sent a detailed email to Vroom outlining the issues and had already made up my mind to return. They offered me some fixes, but I declined. After several attempts to move forward, the Returns Specialist did a pretty good job with that process. One issue I have to mention: the truck was scheduled for pick up at 7:30 am. Received a call that morning at 5:00 am waking me up of course. The driver said he has been outside my house for an hour honking. I responded by saying - it's 5:00 am, you're 2 and 1/2 hours early and I don't see anyone outside my house. He rudely contradicted me and I asked him where he was. He said Albany, NY. I live in southern Arizona. Nice job Vroom. Two days later, the truck was picked up without issue.

Overall, this process is not for me. I hate going to dealerships, but at least you can get in and drive it and discuss issues face-to-face, not with a customer service phone rep who doesn't know cars or people who don't return calls or emails. I will not do this again, nor try any other similar dealerships. 2.5 stars - probably should be lower.

Length of Use: Less than 3 months

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