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

Carvana is horrible. After agreeing on a car I had a delivery date set for 2/23/19. I get a call the day before and am told the car was damaged in transport. It is now 3/23/2019 and no car. Delivery has been rescheduled four times. Finally this week they tell me the damage is repaired, but now the brakes are an issue, on a car with 8,500 miles. That was it, I canceled the deal and went to a dealership today that had a vehicle that matched what I wanted. Two hours later I drive out with the car, and it is much nicer with more options for the same price. I wanted to give Carvana a chance, but they blew it.

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

We previously purchased my BMW from Carvanna. We had an awesome experience.

This time when we bought one, we discovered that we had cruise control issues. We called a Nissan dealership to ask about these and they said that Nissan was aware of the issues and were working to correct them. They said there isn’t an immediate fix and to get a different car.

We love this car and are so bummed it has cruise control issues that Nissan can’t even correct right now.

You can only drive your car 400 miles if you’d like to return it.

Unfortunately, the only other car we want (we really want one similar with the same safety features, which have been surprisingly tough to find) will not be delivered for a couple of weeks.

My husband explained that we do need a car to drive in the meantime and this is obviously an inconvenience for us then asked if we could continue to drive the car we have until we get the new one.

The Carvanna customer service rep said, "you will be charged $1 per mile and since you’ve gone over 400 miles already, you’ll be charged for those too." When we told him since we’d have no vehicle to drive for several weeks, which wasn’t our fault, that we’d like to cancel due to this, he said, "that sounds good."

Jon (my husband) said to cancel the order for the new vehicle and we’ll have this one sitting in our driveway while we rely on one vehicle between the two of us until they pick it up. We are so sad because we planned to only go through Carvanna as purchasing through a dealership is a pain and having it just show up at your doorstep is amazing.

Their customer service reps don’t care even a little if they keep you as a customer. I totally understand if I would’ve just not liked the vehicle but there was an issue that Nissan can’t fix right now and I need cruise control to work so I had no choice but to switch it. We really, really wish we could keep it. Again, if we just wanted to switch it out because we didn’t like it, I’d totally get that rule but when we had issues with it, getting charged $1 per mile until they deliver the new vehicle is really poor customer service.

I wanted to mention too that there were some undisclosed scratches on the vehicle as well but we were just going to let that go until we found out that the cruise control isn’t working either.

Carvanna would have been the only place we bought our vehicles as again, our first experience was perfect. They’ve lost customers in their early 30s who purchase $30k vehicles every few years or so that would’ve been their customers for life and it was very clear they didn’t care.

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

I am not sure why Carvana gets SO much negative feedback. Despite this feedback, I decided to try it and was pleasantly surprised. I can explain why I risked this based on the various complaints that I have read:

Complaint #1: Delayed deliveries. I do understand that if you are in immediate need of a car, a delay can be frustrating. However, this begs the question, if you are in immediate need of a car, why not head over to a nearby dealership?

My Solution to #1: I had a lease that was expiring in 6 weeks, so I gave myself plenty of time in anticipation of any complications.

Result: They did delay the delivery once, but I was mentally prepared and was also at least four weeks from the time this would become an emergency. They not only sent me a little Thank You note for being so patient, along with two very aromatic Carvana candles, but they told me over the phone that they are sending me a check for $200 - $50 for each of the four days my delivery was delayed.

Complaint #2: The car was obviously in an accident and/or had some damage they didn't tell me about, OR the car made a weird noise, OR the car doesn't seem to run right/something isn't working.

My Solution #2: DON'T take delivery of the car IF you notice even a SINGLE THING that may turn out to be a deal breaker! In addition, there is a Carfax available on Carvana's website for every single car in their inventory. Most major accidents that are reported to insurance companies go on here. Many people were saying their car was a fleet or rental car. Again, the Carfax would show this. As a buyer of a used car, do your due diligence, and, I repeat, don't take delivery. This is a NO RISK purchase. Walk around the car and check it out thoroughly. Get inside the car and make sure everything works. Drive the car. My delivery person told me to take as much time as I needed. I was gone for about half an hour. If there is even one thing you don't like, don't take the car.

Result: I did have one key fob that isn't working. I'm assuming it's a battery, but since this has nothing to do with the car itself and they gave me one that DOES work, I decided that I have to be realistic when getting a used car. It's not a mechanical issue, so I'll be looking into this afterward. Everything else about the car was awesome. The car was also cleaned and detailed quite professionally. I had heard from other Carvana customers that dealerships do a much better job, but I disagree. This thing looked like new!

Complaint #3: The car had mechanical issues that I discovered after I took delivery.

My Solution #3: Have a trusted mechanic look it over thoroughly. You have seven days to return it for FREE! I have NEVER purchased a used car without having my family's mechanic inspect it. That is your job as an educated consumer.

Result: My car was from the south (I'm up near the Great Lakes), so my mechanic was in awe of how clean this engine was on this three-year-old car. He gave me the figurative "green light!"

I cannot say enough: The financing went through in about 10 seconds using only a soft pull on my credit, the car is gorgeous and mechanically sound, the delivery person was friendly and patient (the car came with lots of goodies: a reusable water cup with a straw, lip balm, sunglasses, an ice scraper, a windshield shade).

Love this company!

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

This company labels itself as the "New way to buy a car" but is just more of the same. I cannot underestimate my disappointment with this service.

The online portion was easy, until it came to product delivery. I was quite excited to get my car and waited 6 days for the car to be shipped to my home. The plan was to have the Corvette I planned to buy from them delivered and they would take my Porsche in trade.

However, 2 hours before the delivery the nightmare began. First I received a call stating that they were unable to load the car on to their truck. They wanted to drive my "new" car through Washington DC traffic on a Monday morning 50 miles to my home, then drive my (Porsche 911) trade back through DC traffic to their service depot. So much for getting my trade back unscathed if this didn't work out.

I tried calling Carvana 6 times, was put on hold 5 times (hold music sucks by the way). I was hung up on once, and eventually, the manager I spoke with came up with the same plan the original young man trying to load the car suggested.

Am I crazy in not wanting some random young man drive my "new" 430hp Corvette through Washington DC on the commuter belt? Then to joy ride my Porsche back through the same dense traffic and potholes?

I was willing to pay these people $6k over similar offerings for the convenience Carvana reportedly offered. The manager, though well-spoken, had very poor resolution skills. Her only other idea was for me to drive to DC (2 hour one way trip on a good day) to exchange the cars myself...

I canceled my order, now all of my personal information is online with this incompetent company. Please, save yourself the headache and complete disappointment.

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

Whoever wrote this HighYa article must've been paid by Carvana to do so...unless they don't trust their own reviews that have Carvana at 2.3 stars with over 50% of them being 1 star.

These guys think that selling cars is about slick marketing and competitive pricing. The problem is, it's about delivering on the deal and doing what you said. There are hundreds of complaints on the web about last minute excuses for delivery delays (i.e., "Something hanging off the car" or "damaged in transport").

I decided I would give Carvana a try because I hate wasting time at multiple dealerships trying to get a deal done. Let alone the headaches that come from being lied to constantly by car salesmen.

At first, everything seemed to go pretty smoothly. Great selection of cars with competitive prices and an easy financing approval process. They also gave me a competitive offer for my trade, so I was very encouraged.

The problem arose at 6:58 AM the morning of delivery when they sent an email stating the car would not be delivered and to give them a call. When I called, they told me that the car was damaged in transport and they just noticed it at the hub in Winder, GA (I'm 5 hours away in Jax, FL). This is the same excuse used for countless other people. I was in the car business for three years with a high volume dealer that sold over 600 cars a month. We had cars transported by the truckload every week from auctions, and I think I remember a couple of vehicles damaged in that time frame...it's not common! So they told me it was going to take another 3 weeks to get that vehicle delivered because they had to send it to a body shop.

So I decided to play along and selected a new vehicle and set a new delivery date for the following week. One day before delivery I decided to call and make sure everything was on track. Low and behold, they proceed to tell me that the old delivery was never changed to the new delivery on the second vehicle so it would not be delivered the next day and that it would have to be the following week.

Here's the real kicker, the first car I tried to buy (the one that was going to take three more weeks because it had been damaged during transfer), popped up for sale again on Carvana and had an expected delivery date of 3 days away! Hahaha! They suckered another person into ordering the same vehicle the next day! These guys are a joke.

So now I wait for the next delivery date...I will update you all soon!

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

I just bought a 2017 Toyota Camry from Carvana. Every single step of this process was excellent.

The paperwork/financing process was the best car buying experience I've ever gone through. Carvana allowed me to complete applications and provide documentation from the comfort of my own home...WITHOUT a pushy salesman breathing down my neck and trying to cheat me.

My down payment wasn't electronically withdrawn until AFTER I accepted the car. Plus, with Carvana, I had a one week, 400-mile, test drive which gave me the opportunity to really see how this vehicle fits into my life and my family.

The woman who delivered my car texted me early in the day and asked if it would be convenient for me to receive the car early, which it was, and my car was then delivered to me at 2:09 pm instead of 7:00 pm.

My car is EXACTLY as promised and in excellent condition. I immediately brought the car to my mechanic who was very skeptical. When I went back to pick it up, he said he really tried to find something wrong with it, like what's the catch. There's nothing wrong with it. I have four new tires, new brakes, all fluids were full and I even had brand new (in the package) floor mats waiting for me in the trunk. My mechanic also ensured me that the vehicle shows no evidence of any collision damage.

Trust me when I say I'd rather shove hot pokers in my eyeballs than to ever go back to another dealership. I highly recommend Carvana, and I guarantee that NOBODY asked me to write this review.

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

I purchased a vehicle in June of last year. Perfect vehicle. The only issue I’m having is the listing is showing it’s a 4x4 truck. When I purchased this vehicle, I called within 7 days to complain about my truck not having Premium Stereo or automatic start, nor was it a 4x4. Now that I have returned to Carvana to trade it in, I am upside down because of all those features I’m supposed to have. It’s been almost 6 months and NOBODY has yet to call me back to fix this issue!

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

I won’t say it was a total waste because it was an easy process, however, this company is only in it for the money and doesn't care about the customer. I purchased a GMC Terrain in February, when I received the car it smelled like pure smoke, it was unbearable! After not being able to take the smell I decided to switch the car for something else before the 7 days were up. The Mercedes that I purchased would be delivered after my 7 days was up, and for some reason Carvana failed to tell me that I would be charged for the extra days I had the Terrain. They charged me $1,500 for the car alone after I traded my vehicle in plus $250 for the days I had the Terrain. When the employee explained the process to me, he told me the reason why I was being charged was because I didn’t call Carvana to ask for an extension. He said that there was nothing that they could do.

Excuse me, I’m the customer, what happened to customer satisfaction? First of all, how would I know that? No one explained to me how this worked.

Not only that but when the driver took my car off of the trailer there was something dangling from the bottom of it. He then said he would contact someone and they would be in contact with me to fix it. Why is this even an issue on the first day of having the car? Why wasn’t this checked out beforehand? Now I have to go out of my way to get a part fixed that I didn’t even break. Lucky me! So now I’m out of money and time.

Lastly, Carvana offers a $500 referral so I referred 3 of my family members when I was in the process of purchasing the Terrain. I then called Carvana with the information about the referral and they told me I didn’t qualify for it because I lived in Texas and it was a law against pocketing money for car dealership referrals. My issue with this is why not tell the person that to begin with? Instead of advertising lies, tell the whole truth!

All In all, like I said, it is an easy process, but if you don’t have money to throw away as most of us do not, I suggest going to a regular dealership and stay far away from this company.

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

I was looking for a convenient way to buy a backup vehicle cash. 2016 Rogue just under $18k. The only thing I liked was they give you the actual price online. We made a selection and were set up for delivery on a Saturday and set up to pay in full with routing # and account #. They called me to reschedule delivery due to weather for 3 days later, the start of it being inconvenient. I had to drive home on my lunch break to receive delivery of the Rogue; they wouldn't let my wife receive it. When I got off of work, I looked it over to find it a little on the nasty side. A bunch of cat hair and dried funk on the passenger side seat. I used every quarter I could find and 30 minutes of vacuuming at the car wash and it still had a cootie feeling when I drove it home. The next day my wife drove it and told me it was gross inside but wanted to get it cleaned and keep it.

Shortly after I received an email on an issue with payment. I called them to find out what was the issue with payment and they could not tell me exactly what was the issue. They said they would not run the routing/account# method again. They then said I would have to wire money or send a money order, more inconvenience. I went to the bank to wire money with the email they sent on directions to give the bank. Bank had me call Carvana for more specifics on the wire transfer, an hour later it was done.

The next day my money is out of my account and Carvana sent an email that they had been trying to contact me and I was in breach of contract due to nonpayment. The email had words like "breach of contract" and "collections" and what I felt were threats. My wife was angry with the language and said get rid of it.

What a waste of time. It has has been about a week since I ordered it online, and my bank account is short $18k, waiting for them to pick up the cootie car from my driveway and give me my money back. Going forward I will stick to the traditional way of purchasing a vehicle. The reviews on Carvana's site must be fake because I cannot find how to place a review associated with my order.

Carvana, pick up your SUV and give me my money back so we can be done with this, please.

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

They promised me a car with only one imperfection on the exterior. They brought me a car with dozens of dings and scratches. The car also had a rock chip on the windshield that wasn't repaired nor noted on the car condition, and the car was also missing a wheel logo. The resolution from Carvana was that I just had to live with the 11 extra scratches and that I would have to take the car into a body shop to get an estimate for the other damages. If I had time to do all of that I would have gone to a car dealer. I'll never buy from Carvana again.

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

Went to see the value of a European sports (BMW) car that has never seen winter and is in very good condition, the car is worth every bit of $5k, but the "appraisal" of Carvana only put it at $420. I could get a better quote at a junkyard!

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