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

Hands down amazing customer service! I have called with a million question and always have been able to get someone on the phone who was very helpful in finding the answer even if they didn’t know. I recently sold and purchased a vehicle from them. I’m still in the 7-day period.

Delivery: The driver was on time and professional. The car was pretty much as described; it was clean but look like it was cleaned and then sat for a while, so I just had to wipe everything down and spray it off. There wasn’t any washer fluid or coolant, but the driver offered $50.00 refund, which I thought was more than fair. I took the vehicle to a mechanic and said everything looked great, brakes were at 80 percent, and fluids looked good with no unusual wear. The tires are in decent shape, but we will buy new ones soon anyway since we live in a mountain community and want all season tires for the AWD we purchased towards winter. The windshield appears to have some light scratching on it that I didn’t notice until I cleaned it since it was dusty. I called and was instructed to send photos to an email and will get a response 24-48 hrs from the repair team. I will update on this issue as this would be the only major downfall. No one wants to purchase a vehicle with a bad windshield! They are light scratches so I could see how it could get overlooked unless you're driving, you can see the distortion.

Selling vehicle: So far everything has been easy peasy! I feel like we were offered a fair price. I did shop around before as well and was thinking of selling to a private party but didn’t want the headache of that.

Overall, I’m extremely happy except the windshield, which I hope will get resolved. The process was very easy, and the pricing on buying and selling is a fair or good deal in my opinion. I loved the transparency and no upselling! For me, it was extremely scary buying a car online, so that’s why I had so many questions. I also financed through a third party, so I had a little more documentation to provide. From keys, to mats, return policy, you name it, I asked and always got a straightforward answer. We are still in the 7-day period, so I will update any changes after everything is finalized. As of now, most likely we will return for our next purchase in a year or two.

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

Other than the delay in delivery due to some cosmetic repairs, the purchase and delivery of the car went smoothly. Unfortunately, since then, this 2013 Chevy Malibu that I purchased in October 2016 has been a nightmare since then.

The first week it was brought to the dealership because none of the back lighting was working (break lights nor lights for license plate). Approximately one week after that, the tire blew out on the interstate, and there was no spare tire or even a little fix a flat kit in the car for repair. Move forward about two months after that the battery as well as the starter had to be replaced (battery, fine, that is normal).

Now for the last two months the car every few days has to be boosted. I've taken it to the dealership twice, both times I'm told that there is nothing wrong with the car, but I am still standing outside in the heat using jumper cables in the parking lot. The last time was tonight, and it began making clicking noises as well. The dealership replaced the battery two days ago, so it is not the battery. I've only had the car approximately a year and a half; I should not have had this many issues. And now I'm stuck paying for this lemon that I bought from Carvana and am constantly wondering what will happen next with this car.

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

It was not a good experience with buying a car from Carvana. The point of inspection done by Carvana, which they claim, is not correct. The delivered car has no working instrument display. They claim the number of driven during sale, but there was no proof with odometer disabled. The delivery person revealed the offset by $10,000 miles from the sold value, which was revealed during the smog test (no proof). The tire pressure is low (not inspected) at the time of delivery. The window motors is not lubricated properly, and the rolling down is not smooth.

Overall, it was not a good experience, and I would not recommend Carvana as it is an additional hassle.

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

My Carvana experience has been lukewarm at best.

While the "viewing" and buying experience was okay, the economical claim of being a good buy, etc. are in a word "stretched."

I purchased a vehicle and based upon the quality claim did three things I will never repeat.

1. The vehicle came with one set of electronic keys - "the local dealership will provide a set and bill us" I was told.

DIDN'T happen. I traveled an hour each way to be told no way. If I wanted to buy a set the Carvana would have to reimburse me. The hassle became too much for someone who bought on convenience.

2. The vehicle had TWO types of tires. Again, VERY disappointing, given Carvana's attention to detail. I had to replace the entire set less than a year later because the tires didn't play well together.

3. Financing? Well, expect a second rate experience. If paying more than the monthly amount, I have to call the company to explain HOW to apply funds and to ensure it's been done. What a horrible company (GO Financial now known as BRIDGEPORT).

So, Carvana, while one CAN buy online, I will never ever recommend to anyone that they purchase from your organization. EVER.

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

Carvana is known for giving you "terms" for every car on their website with just a soft credit pull. I did this process a few times. Before even taking this step, I did an online live chat and called in. I very clearly explained that I was self-employed and asked them how they handled income verification for self-employed people.

They told me they use either three months of bank statements OR the prior year's tax returns. In my case, I had both, so I didn't worry.

I kicked off the process of purchasing a 2015 Acura MDX. I sent in my tax return as was requested, and was then asked to send in three months worth of bank statements.

I provided three months of business and personal bank statements and was then told that my income wasn't high enough to be approved through financing thru Carvana.

Which is absolute BS. I have consistently grossed over $60k since working for myself.

The most recent time I re-applied (because my income was higher this past month), I was told by an agent that they could only verify that I make $14,000 in a year and had to finance me based on that. Of course, this made the down payments on every single vehicle on the website unreasonably high. So high that it just wouldn't make sense to finance them. I could get a cash car for that amount.

Also, the second time I applied, I was told that 35% of whatever income they verify for self-employed people is shaved off for business expenses. Which is bogus. In my case, I am a web developer. My only overhead is the internet. Not to mention, they only mentioned this when denying me for the second time. I had never heard this from them before, despite having initiated financing applications twice in the past (the first being last summer, but I canceled the process in order to clean some things up on my credit).

Bait and switch with car dealerships is nothing new. The sad part is Carvana champions itself as the anti-car dealer. I even used to joke with their agents about wanting to be on a Carvana commercial one day.

Suffice it to say, there's no magic solution to getting a car. Particularly when financing. Carvana is no different than a brick and mortar dealership. The shady dealings are all the same. The only difference is Carvana does it all online.

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

My 19-year-old wanted a new car, and after a hassle at a local dealership, she found Carvana. As a mom, I was nervous about an internet purchase and had her add me as an authorized person on the purchase. All I can say is, wow! Joshua was amazing with explaining everything and answering crazy mom questions! We had a small hiccup with delivery time and Jeffrey solved all issues and made our time framework (we were flexible with a 36-hour window as she was home and we needed to check out the vehicle before she signed). Jeffrey said he would call back and did!

Atlanta (spelling) was our delivery driver and knew mom was involved! She is amazing, to say the least! She called to confirm and was in touch and made us feel comfortable. We had delivery on Mother's Day and she brought me balloons and a gift. This lady is a rockstar! We received the perfect car in perfect condition with a full tank of gas! To say my daughter was happy is an understatement! We will do all future business with this awesome company. Well done!

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

From start to finish, buying my car has been easy-peasy and very pleasant. After I picked out my car on the site, I got a quote for trading in my own car, and it was a VERY fair price.

The actual buying process was done almost completely online, with one phone conversation with customer service and my bank to verify the funds and answer my questions. Carvana customer service (I had 3 different phone calls with them, because I had a lot of questions, not having bought a car in 14 years) is wonderful. They are friendly, knowledgeable, helpful, patient, and kind. I am very impressed with Carvana's staff. I was thrilled to find out they take care of registration and the license plate process for me (I don't have to go to the DMV)!

My car was delivered two hours earlier than anticipated (the driver called me first to ask if I'd like to have it earlier, and of course I did), and then I got to inspect it, and take it for a test drive. The Carvana delivery person was so friendly and nice, and answered all my questions. She went through the paperwork with me, and in less than an hour, I had a car! I have seven days to decide if I want to keep my car, get it inspected, etc.

I would recommend Carvana to anyone. I never felt pressured at any point, and I never got annoying sales pitches or phone calls. I have zero complaints about this whole process.

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

This concept has been interesting to me since I first had seen it. I probably wouldn't have started this process if it were not for my Credit Union being in partnership with Carvana. I know my bank has my best interest. We don't have our car yet, but we just got a week delay in getting it fixed. Our loan application expires the day before. I am hoping we don't experience what many have on here about getting a car that is not listed. I have documented everything in the listing, including screenshots of everything advertised with time stamps. I am glad we get seven days because we are purchasing our second EV and I will go through everything in this car to ensure all is in order.

The customer service is stellar. Right up there with top companies customer service. We are getting this car because we have a two-door and we are adopting my niece who has special needs and having a two-door car is not good for a special needs child who doesn't like small spaces. We need this vehicle to be reliable and honest given. Really hoping for the best. I will update my review once we get the car and try it out. The one thing I don't get is how they say they look it over but then delay because they learned more.

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

The only word to explain this experience is "unbelievable." I went through the process of finding and purchasing a car. Initially, the customer service was very friendly and upbeat, and it WAS a very easy selection process. After reviewing my credit, they told me to pick a date for drop off. A day later they called and said "we need proof of income," that wasn't a problem, and I emailed them the info, and then they called back and said, "sorry, there was a computer glitch, you don't need to send proof of income." When you're dealing with finances, in this area you need to be exact, there shouldn't be such a miscommunication when dealing with money. I thought this was a random human error; I didn't realize this was foreshadowing of things to come.

I read a few reviews and realized they're not too competent when it comes to their deliveries, so I thought it would be beneficial to fly down and pick it up from their vending machine and make a vacation out of it. So I set a pick-up date about a month out, from their Nashville, Tennesse location, waited for it to be confirmed, and then purchased an airline ticket from Michigan to Tennessee, took a week vacation off work, and RSVP'd hotel rooms to plan on visiting North Carolina on my drive back to Michigan.

Three days before my pickup date, I got a text saying "you're a car buying genius! Your Audi A3 will be ready for you on 5/3 at 10:00 am" and I felt great. Later that day at 7:01 pm (they close at 7:00 pm), I get an email saying "we have to reschedule your delivery date." Thinking it was another computer glitch (since I was picking it up, not getting it delivered), I didn't worry much but still called the company that was now closed.

The next day I get a voicemail from Madison saying they needed to reschedule. I call back almost immediately and I explain to Matt the situation, that I've already purchased an airline ticket and planned a vacation around this pickup (since it was obvious my home address is in a different state than the pickup location) and wanted to verify the voicemail wasn't a miscommunication, and he said he would see what he could do and get back to me.

About three hours later I call back to get an update and Mark says "Matt's really good at returning calls, even if he doesn't figure out a solution, he will still call you back," and I emphasized reservations are non refundable 24/48 hours for some ancillary RSVP's I've made, so don't leave me hanging. After 5 pm that day, I called back again and the result of an entire day of "figuring it out" was, "sorry." There was nothing they could do, they couldn't even give me an explanation. They just said they could deliver it to my house a week later. They wouldn't refund my airline ticket, wouldn't provide a loaner car and could offer absolutely NOTHING except saying "we're sorry." I was so aggravated with their inability to alleviate ANY type of frustration or offer any compensation whatsoever except a ridiculous apology without an explanation.

I don't blame the call center, they seemed like a bunch of children pretending to be adults, I blame the fact that this company obviously needs to develop their communication infrastructure, and adhere to the same deadlines as any company does, when if that's not possible, offer SOME type of compensation when they make a mistake. It is unacceptable to tell a customer two days before they are flying out to pick up a car from the company's location that it's not available, and then offer nothing except an apology?

So obviously I called and cancelled the purchase today, if this is the type of haphazard business practice followed, to a potentially new customer, what type of person would want to get into any type of long term contract with a company that doesn't understand deadlines or obligations? I should have used the dealership like any normal person.

Now I'm going to cancel my insurance, throw away this non-refundable one-way ticket to Nashville, and try to scrape together some impromptu vacation with my days off. This will go down as one of the worst experiences with any business ever.

These aren't impulse buys or frivolous purchases, they're CARS! Carvana treats it like you're buying a book from Amazon, lol. Actually, I wish they would treat customers the way Amazon does because Amazon will get you a book better than Carvana can get you a car.

And Carvana, if you are reading this, don't even put up a response, because all it will say is "sorry [but we're not going to do anything about it]." You need to allocate more resources for problem-solving instead of damage control.

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

I started the buying process on 4/11/18 with a delivery date set for 4/28/18. The week of pick up I called and online chatted to confirm everything was on schedule; every agent said it was all good and the car would be there. I even received two text messages on two separate days. We planned to make the three-hour trip the night before and were on our way when I received a call saying it was "delayed." After pushing they informed me that car had never left Phoenix. WHAT? I called and communicated with several employees, and everyone said it was on schedule. This is unacceptable. BUT things happen for a reason. I ended up purchasing the same model car, a year newer and 5K less miles, and cheaper...and my experience there was AWESOME. Do NOT do business with Carvana!

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

I was hesitant at first about buying a vehicle online. I called customer service a few times with questions. Every question I had was answered to my satisfaction. I decided to buy the car I chose. It was in my price range and a lot less than if I went to a standard dealership. Financing through Go Financial was hassle-free. The vehicle was delivered right on time the day I picked out. The delivery driver was extremely nice, and the paperwork went very smooth. I think the best part of my experience through this is not having to hassle with a traditional dealership. Plus, I got the vehicle I wanted with a price I'm happy with.

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