I Bought a Car While Sitting on My Sofa in Pajamas & It Was AWESOME
Do you ever wish you could skip the used car lots and buy a car without all of the added hassles? 🙋🏻♀️
Well, today’s your lucky day. Thanks to Carvana I just bought a used car in my pajamas (no, seriously), and I’m here to share my honest Carvana review so you can try it, too. Better yet, you may even live in one of the markets with the famous Carvana vending machine!
But first, a little background.
I had been driving my beloved 2008 Honda Element for many years (she’s got around 180,000+ miles and is still going strong). My son started college, so I needed a used car for him to drive back and forth. I don’t really know a lot about cars, so I was worried about buying a lemon and risking his life.
A friend talked me into giving my Element to my son and buying something newer for myself. I’m never one to buy a brand new car – the frugal side of me just can’t stomach the depreciation factor the minute you drive it off the lot – so I always opt for used (aka ‘new to me’ cars).
That said, I also dreaded the back and forth haggle at a used car dealership because they always try and upsell (famous clear coat, anyone?) with dollar signs in their eyes. 🤑 Ugh, no thanks!
Then, a few friends mentioned they had an amazing experience with Carvana (think Amazon but for used cars), so I thought I’d give it a shot. I’m seriously so glad I did!
Buying a car on Carvana.com is easy peasy!
Once I got prequalified on their website, I was able to see what my interest rate would be, how much money I’d need to put down to buy the car, and what my monthly payment would be if I financed. (The nice thing is that it’s a soft pull on my credit report, so my credit score didn’t get dinged.)
How I shopped for my used car on Carvana.
Carvana let me take a 360 tour of THE actual car I was considering (a Kia Sorento, currently ranked as one of the most reliable cars on the market). I could zoom in and see the noted imperfections, check out the interior, and take a look at the original window sticker from the dealership to see all of the options. How cool is that?
I also narrowed down my search to model year, price, color, and features.
Once I found the car I wanted, I checked out. I had the option to either bring my own financing or use Carvana to finance the car. I was approved for a pretty sweet rate with $0 down, so I went with Carvana and then switched the loan to my credit union for a lower interest rate a few months later.
Good to know: Carvana has a very extensive 150-point inspection prior to delivering cars, so I felt confident it’s in tip-top shape. They don’t sell cars that have been in accidents or have had any flood damage.
The Carvana checkout experience
Once I checked out, I was asked to upload a photo of my driver’s license (you may also be asked to submit bank or income verification). The contracts take maybe a minute (tops) to sign digitally online. At that point, I could choose to have my car delivered – or, if I was lucky enough to be in one of the markets with the famous Carvana vending machine, I could schedule a time to pick it up.
I chose to have mine delivered as there was no additional fee since I live in Atlanta (one of Carvana’s hubs).
My Carvana delivery experience
On the morning of my delivery, the driver called to let me know he was on his way. I was able to track my car on the Carvana app just like it was a pizza being delivered to my door. When he pulled up to my home, there was a big bow on my car which was seriously the coolest thing ever! 😍
Since everything has been handled online in advance, I only had to sign a couple of additional papers to show that I received the delivery. Then I provided proof of insurance for the new car. There were even a couple of fun surprise gifts in the car from Carvana, thanking me for my purchase.
*Please note that I purchased my car prior to COVID-19, which is why we are not wearing masks or practicing social distancing.
Keeping customers safe is their priority!
Carvana takes extra COVID-19 precautions when your car is picked up or delivered…
- When your car arrives, they will ask you to send a selfie with your driver’s license for verification.
- Carvana will then unload your vehicle and use sanitizing wipes on the keys, shifter, and steering wheel. They will leave the paperwork with a pen and keys inside the car.
- Once your car is ready at the vending machine or when delivered, they will get back into the hauler truck and will give you a call to let you know that you can take a look at the car.
- After you’re finished with your test drive, they’ll call to walk you through signing your registration documents.
- Once your paperwork is signed, they’ll ask you to place the registration envelope, along with any titles or checks, if applicable, in a secure spot for them to collect.
- Carvana will review the paperwork from the delivery truck (or office) and will complete the purchase in their system.
- If your city has the vending machine option, you will need to schedule an appointment. Carvana is currently only booking one appointment per 45 minutes so there is no overlap in customers so they can fully sanitize the lobby, door handles, tables, chairs, and Carvana coins in between appointments. Carvana employees will remain a minimum of six feet away from customers at all times. Only two household members are allowed per pickup.
Pros of using Carvana to buy a used car
- No pushy sales tactics. You can order a car from your sofa in your pajamas.
- No crazy phone calls. In the past, I’ve gone on auto dealer websites (and they call a lot afterward). Carvana only called to confirm my purchase, to notify me of delivery, and then to follow up after to make sure everything was OK. That’s it!
- You can save $500 off if you have a referral code from a friend or you pass along their name, their phone number, and what type of vehicle they ordered. You’ll save the $500, and your friend will be rewarded with a cool $100 bonus check.
- Return your car within 7 days if you don’t love it. If for any reason you decide you don’t like your car, you can return it within 7 days and cancel the transaction or switch it for another car. This is pretty cool since you don’t get to test drive the car in advance, so if there’s something you don’t like, you’re not stuck with it.
Cons of using Carvana to buy a used car
- You don’t get to experience the car in person. On a car lot, you can kick the tires, or test drive it, but honestly, since they have the 7-day, no questions asked return window, this didn’t seem to be a negative to me.
- Trust the original window sticker over the website for car details. When you’re looking for certain features, go by what the original window sticker has listed for the car. My car was listed as having a tan interior, and the photos clearly showed black (the window sticker said black). ALWAYS trust the sticker!
Would I use Carvana again?
You guys, this was seriously THE best car buying experience EVER!
I will never buy a car any other way. By the way, Carvana is absolutely NOT paying me for this post, nor is this sponsored. I just wanted to share my experience with you and to give you a heads up about this amazing way to buy a car. (However, Carvana, if you wanna send gifts and things my way, I certainly wouldn’t object! 😂)
We bought our current car on Carvana 3 years ago, and I’ll do it again. They even put a $100 gift card for us under the visor!
Oh wow! That’s awesome! 🙌
This post will not let me comment. There is no comment button? Anyhow, I wanted to say how do you bargain, or get the best deals of the year? My husband is a master bargainer. He once got the dealership to take our car in mint condition worth only 8,000 for 10,000. We got our truck for 22k which was originally 45k. It was a brand new Ford. 3 years later we traded that same truck in for 20k. We drove it around for 3 years for 2k! We then got our 56k suburban for 33k. If you shop the right time of the year you get the best discounts especially if it is the end of the year and they can’t sell what they have they slash thr prices like crazy. This just seems like a huge waste of money and super risky.
Need to borrow your husband for some bargaining 😊
What time of year did you shop
We got our truck in april and our suburban in may. They couldn’t sell it so we got it for a great price. With our truck we got about 12k in rebates back. My sister and her husband just got a brand new chevy pick up for 32k. It is fully loaded and normally a 50k truck, but the newer models are out and they can’t get rid of the old model fast enough.
Can you just loan your husband out? Sounds like a lot of us could use his skills!
My husband has no problem walking away if a dealer won’t work with him. We walked away once on a used truck and I was so upset. I was ready to give them my money. My husband drove us an hour out of town and that’s when we scored a brand new truck for less than the used one we walked away from. When we sold our car for 10k that was worth only 8 he did it over the phone 😂. The dealership promised us a set price on the car we wanted to buy and when he got there to pick it up it wasn’t on the lot. My husband walked away and they called him and told him to come back they were driving to dallas to go pick it up for him. I have so many more stories of my husband walking away and dealers begging us to come back.
That’s really the key and why your husband is so good at negotiating–he’s willing to walk away. Mine is the opposite, he’s like, “Take all my money, I want that car!” I get so angry, I’m like “AT LEAST PRETEND you’re going to walk and get them to throw in floor mats! Something! ARGH!”
My husband is quite the opposite. It drives me crazy because I hate bargaining but do it anyway to save money. My husband hates bargaining and will take the first price offered. This is why he’s not allowed to make any big purchases without me present.
Your husband sounds a lot like me 😆 I am shameless when car shopping and have gotten some unbelievable deals.
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I really appreciated learning about this. Neat article.
How were the interest rates? I looked at the idea of buying from them and it appeared that with “excellent” credit, they were going to finance me at 6.9% which is insanely high.
Try 15.4% that’s insane. I don’t even know what to do. Credit around 638. Not sure how I thought that would be okay. I got tricked and now idk how to get out of it. Cars only worth 7000 but I owe 14000. I’m screwed.
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Most states have a consumer division in state government that might be able to help if the rate wasn’t properly disclosed or exceeds rates allowed by the state. Go to your states web site. If you have trouble finding the right division call your public library.
Mamabear go to local lender. I suggest a credit union they may offer you a lower rate. It won’t hurt to ask.
Thank you for your help everyone.
go to local credit union like others told you. There rates are very competitive. Another place is to talk with your own bank for a rate because u already have relationship with them. But be careful not to spread to find the deals try to go about it in a day or two otherwise two many credit inquiries will hurt your score further.
One way is just call them and ask them about the possible estimated rate by giving them your credit score but not other details like SSN.
Hope that helps and throw your hard earned money to sharks.
Agreed, Sam M. My son got a pre-approval loan for a new car with a 2 percent interest rate (he’s got zero debt and a great credit score for a 23 y/o). The car dealership couldn’t even come close to the interest rate the credit union offered. I’m all for credit unions. They’re worth their weight in gold. Check our your credit unions and get that pre-approval before walking in (you don’t have to utilize the loan, but have it as leverage).
Refinance with a credit union pay off the high interest loan. You have to be careful before signing any contract. Hope you can get a better rate
Wow.
For what it’s worth, Carvana and DriveTime are the same company. They are going to be really high with interest rates.
Basically never finance directly with the dealer. Try a credit union or Lightstream.
I am going shopping for a car today and dreading it. I would love the referral code if you’re willing to share.
I have a referral code if you need one
Gurrrl, yaaas! Can you please ping me? cvillehome at hotmail. Thanks!
Me too
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Don’t just do Carvana because you dread the dealers but I understand. Here’s how to make it a better experience. Decide what you want First by using Consumer Reports for both used and new cars-libraries have it free often online. Decide what you can afford by using online calculators. Visit your bank or credit union and get pre-approved. Go find your car. Since you already know the interest rate and amount you are eligible for the only thing you discuss with the dealer is the rock bottom price of the car not interest rates and not monthly payments. Every one is different but what has worked for me is that I never own a car less than ten years so buying new cars with a very low rate of repairs a much better deal than buying used with higher rate of repairs and higher interest rates. Think total cost of car ownership. Cut costs by buying a lower trim model, low rates of repairs, high gas mileage, and low rates of insurance. All of this can be done from your couch with minimal time at the dealer.
I agree. Most of the car buying steps can be done online anyway, including financing outside of the dealer.
JD-Can you tell us specific make and models to look for? That would be a huge help! Thank you.
I loved using carvana! So easy and hassle free.
Yay! SO glad you loved it too! Thanks for the feedback, Sarah!
Anyone have a referral code like was mentioned
Email me for one brittanynicole013 hotmail
That’s crazy cool. I’ve never heard of this.
What is your referral code?
My best friend bought a car through them. It arrived was beautiful, process was seamless until she started checking out the car. Underbody was completely rusted (it was only 2 years old and had super low miles). Took to the local dealer to check it out and they told her it was very abnormal rusting like it had been sitting in flood or snow. (It was from New York). She used their hassle free return and they did come get it with no issue. Just be aware that their inspection can miss things or deem things ok when they are not.
it was most likely from the salt they put on the roads, it destroys cars and that is not covered under car insurance
They are not cheaper by any means. If you know cars. I supply car parts to them and they are very cheap and cover up a lot of damage on the cars. Not worth it. Also APR is extremely high for people who don’t have great credit. 19%. Ask me any questions I deal with them all the time out of the Philadelphia unit.
Thanks!
Hi. Do you know anything about Carmax? My sister is buying from them.
Don’t finance through them. Or at least get a couple of local quotes. Generally credit unions have decent rates.
Carmax has VERY HIGH pricing on their cars. You’ll almost certainly be able to do better elsewhere on price, if you know what you want.
Yeah but so is Carvana, they both offer no-haggle and 7-day returns for a reason. I recommend Costco Car buying (or Sams which i believe is the same) which is also no haggle and you get UNDER the MSRP o the car. I did sell my car to Carmax and get more than it was worth KBB. So that was nice, they have very fair appraisals. Every other dealership in the area offered us 2-3,000 less than Carmax.
Really? We got an amazing deal on our low mileage SUV–like no one could come within thousands of the price. They low-ball with trade-in offers, so I would never do that, but they have pretty good pricing on vehicles.
I’m local to Philadelphia, do you have any car dealers that you’d recommend? I have a car (a 2005 Hyundai Tucson that has some issues but I rarely drive so it’s not a huge problem) but I’d love to hear your thoughts, since eventually I’ll need to get some bigger repairs (which may not be worth it) or just get a new car and trade that one in. Also if you have any mechanic recommendations, especially in/around Center City, that would be amazing since right now I’m going back to a place around my parents’ house in the far suburbs and it’s a pain.
How do you bring it to a mechanic to check ahead of time? And how do you pay via cashiers check? I don’t believe in financing but this seems like an easier way to buy a car if you could do both those things.
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I don’t know with Carvana but at my local Hyundai dealership they will drive it over to your mechanic for you. You don’t drive it. My last car I just wrote a regular check. I’m sure they just double check with the bank that you’ve got it!!
They ask you to upload a picture of the check. Then they called the bank to verify it was funded. When they debit your account, they call to verify available funds.
You don’t get it checked by a mechanic ahead of time. Once you receive the car you can look at it and if you see anything at delivery that you obviously don’t like you can refuse delivery of the car. Once you accept the car you have 7 days to drive the car (up to 400 miles) to decide if you want to keep it. You get it checked in that 7 days and if you don’t want it you contact them before the end of the 7th day and schedule a return. You can look for another car via the website then too and ask for a replacement if you return the first car or just cancel the deal.
Please, please, please don’t settle for their financing just because it “seems” like a good rate with $0 down. Compared to what? A credit card? This is horrible advise regarding good financial habits. Please go to your local credit union for a loan consultation before you commit to ANY dealer financing. A couple of credit pulls will not negatively affect your score to the point it won’t be immediately repaired by the good repayment history on your new secured trade line! As a not-for-profit financial cooperative, credit unions pass along any profits back to their membership in the form of higher dividends and lower loan rates. They are actively involved in local communities and often provide valuable financial education for both children and adults. Please don’t ever accept dealer financing as your first and only option.
Yes! My interest rate with my local credit union on my new car I bought this year is 2.74%, which is lower than the “special” rate the Subaru dealership was offering (3.4%).
I know… we got a 1.49% from a credit union in Nov 2016 👍👍👍
We just got 0.9% financing from Subaru last month. We bought an Imprezza with no hassle at all.
We usually finance at the dealership if they offer rebates and no payment for so many days then before first payment is due we refinance at a credit union where we can get as low as 2% interest.
I think the advice should be to reach out to your bank/financial institution first so that you have a comparison. I adore our credit union, but they couldn’t beat the interest rate offered by the Honda dealership when I bought my van.
We sold my car with Carvana. LOVED our experience, easy and worked great for us!
I wish I could like this post but we had a terrible experience with Carvana.
The vehicle we chose arrived and we went to go see it, it had so much damage that wasn’t reported online. Not just cosmetic damage either. When I asked about it all they said was that I could choose to get it repaired and they MIGHT reimburse me.
No guarantees they would and they wouldn’t hold the car for us to call Carvana to see how to get it repaired if we bought it. They just wanted us to buy it right then without the guarantee to repair the damage. In the end, a Carvana rep said they would hold the vehicle and removed the listing so they could inspect it. I happen to live right by the machine and saw them load up the car and leave the dealership. The next day it was listed again and sold elsewhere.
They sold that car with more damage than was stated in their listing for the same price it was originally listed. The damage looked to be from an accident that wasn’t reported and repaired minimally. We own an auto shop and knew right away something wasn’t right but were willing to repair it.
Oh well, I ended up buying something new and I’m happier.
Thank you for the information. Seems almost like a used car lot type of mess. For the prices charged at Carvana the cars should be in top notch condition.
These ‘horror’ stories don’t surprise me at all but I’m surprised Carvana hasn’t been sued or something yet. Maybe they have 🤷🏻♀️ They must have all the fine print in there to protect themselves.
I noticed, even in just looking online twice, that the cars always appear to be damaged. I’m sticking with CarMax. The one issue we had, they let us go to a dealer to have fixed so we know they’ll make any issues right.
Thank you so much for this post, was looking on Carvana before but not brave enough until reading this.
You’re so welcome, Hilary! Glad this review was helpful!
Hertz. Enterprise sells used cars which are a better deal if looking for almost new. They also give you a warranty. Carvana sounds too good to be true.
I share your philosophy on buying used, however, the last two cars we’ve purchased have been new rather than used. I was surprised to find that the deals we got on the new cars (a Toyota Camry and a Toyota Corolla) were better than we were finding for late model (up to two years old) used cars.
Love my Kia Sorrento, I am very practical and did my research it is clearly one of the most affordable and highly rated options out there. I have been very pleased with it hope you are too!
I agree! We have a Kia Sorrento, Sedona, and Soul which we got amazing deals on.
I love it!!!!
Something I found online: the company gives you a 100-day, 4,189-mile warranty in which repairs are covered through an insurance company called SilverRock.
In some cases, you’ll have to pay a small deductible for any qualifying repairs. According to the fine print, the warranty doesn’t cover part defects due to normal wear and tear, nor does it cover damage to the trim or interior.
A link I want to add: (not everyone’s experience I know) https://www.highya.com/carvana-reviews
After reading everything about them and the comments here and reviews elsewhere. It’s like 30% good and 70% bad. If there wasn’t some good they would be out of business. However I would not take my chance with them.
Bad experience here too. Bought my Carvana car with only 6,000 miles on it. After five weeks the paint started falling off the bumper. Took it to my mechanic and found out the car was in an accident and this was an aftermarket bumper installed and not primed/painted correctly. If you buy a car through Carvana I highly recommend having the bumpers checked out to see if original or aftermarket. If it’s aftermarket, return the car immediately. More than likely it was in an unreported accident and there is more hidden damage that was not disclosed.
That is so shady! I’m sorry you went through that…. I think it’s really unfortunate that this platform has gotten to the point where they’ll hawk anything if they get a deal or money for it.. Places like this car company are known to work one-on-one with people who want to advertise for them as an affiliate/influencer… So of course they got the 5-star treatment.. Seems like the average person gets the junk they are desperate to sell to anyone they can trick and hopefully stick with the pile of junk…. Really sad. I remember when I first followed H2S — it seemed like they really wanted to help people save money and find deals. Now they are rich and getting richer, and pushing so many things on us so they can get paid. I hardly even open the apps these days. I wish there was a better one out there; maybe someone will start a new one. Oh well. Good luck to those that have been duped by this company. Looks like no one else should take a chance – it’s a lot of money to just be stuck with junk… 🤷🏻♀️
Hi Vironika! This is not a paid advertisement and Carvana was not aware of the affiliation with Hip. We just had a great experience and wanted to share. In the last few months, I also had a great experience with Carvana and would recommend them. They made it so easy!
My co-worker bought a SUV from Carvana about three months ago. She show me on the phone her at one of their location and the car coming down that she purchase. A few weeks ago she had to take it to mechanics for a few repairs. Her SUV I think is one or two years old. I want to get a new car before holiday/end of the year. I will be looking at the 2019 since 2020 is coming out next month. I don’t like the hassle of the car dealership. I will start to do my own research ahead of time so less time with the salespeople. My current car that I still drive is over 20 years ago so time for a new one. I have been saving for my upcoming car the past few years.
I could not buy a car I did not see in person and test drive. I’m picky! I traded my 2012 Suburban in for a 2019 Expedition Max. I really like A LOT of the things about my new wheels but… I still miss some of the details of the Suburban. I wish these car manufacturers would interview people that actually buy their vehicles. If they would listen, consumers could create the perfect vehicle in every class.
This is the future of car shopping
I have purchased my last two vehicles online, but directly through the dealerships. Once I figured out what I wanted I negotiated the prices via email with the salesmen. Once we came to mutual agreements (and I walked away a few times- figuratively of course) I arranged financing with my bank to get the best rate and had the dealership send over the invoice. Then I just grabbed the check and drove over to test drive drive and finalize the purchase. My tip would be to ask if they have any demo or vehicles used for people having service done on their vehicles. I was able to purchase a Chevy Cruze that way for a greatly reduced price and only 3,000 miles on it! It still had full warranty!
I would never but a car without seeing it first…unless I got a really, really good deal on it. I bought an Escalade on eBay several years ago and saved $10-12k. But I did my homework. Carfax is usually spot on and I would never buy a car online or in person without seeing one. How are the prices on Carvana?
Since August of 2018 my husband and I and children have purchased a total of FIVE vehicles from Carvana. Actually, six, but we returned one and it really is hassle free. Actually, the one we returned was even outside of the seven day return period. We were going to be on vacation during that time and they were kind enough to extend the time period. I have nothing negative to say, and for those who know me, would find that hard to believe. Would never go to a dealer unless what we wanted wasn’t available. We had four vehicles delivered and one via the Nashville vending machine. Every purchase was a great experience. On the most recent purchase there was a hard to see nick in the windshield that was missed and therefore not included in the description. Within three days Carvana had sent Safelite out to repair, with no charge to us. Of course, someone somewhere will always find fault with something. I can honestly say I did not expect it to be as seamless and easy as it was. We did have a few hiccups as in NJ the registration laws seem to be more strict than other states, but quickly rectified. On one car the sake sat in limbo for a while delaying the registration process. The market value of the vehicle dropped about $1,300. They refunded me the difference. I can’t make this up. I’ve got all of the paperwork to back it up. We only financed one through them, and the finance company is Bridgecrest. After the first payment we were able to renegotiate and lower the interest rate. Truly an all around great experience.
*On one car the SALE sat in limbo*
I have owned 9 brand new Kia’s since 2004. We have loved all of them, but unfortunately have an issue with my van now. it is 8 years old, but it only has 77k miles on it and we have always maintained it. It is still under Kia’s warranty for the power train, and myself and a local mechanic believe the issue to be a head gasket but Kia “can’t find the issue” after 3x in the dealership. I personally would only own Brand new kia’s, if you have any bargaining skills, their brand new price is phenomenal and the 10 year 100 k warranty is outstanding. The particular dealership I purchase from can sometimes be smarmy and I just hold head high and walk away if they try to talk down or don’t listen to my wants and needs. You have to know what you’re doing, what you’re looking for, what you’re willing to spend, and say peace out when you aren’t getting it!
Can you pay cash?
Miruka, you can give them a cashiers check or they can debit money directly from your bank account.
You can buy online with Tesla, too, and never buy gas again
We loves our Teslas! Ordered online, super easy! Amazing cars! The model 3 is priced similar to other new cars and you never buy gas again. Not to mention, no oil changes and the brakes never wear out!
Teslas! So jealous!
You really want to find a list of things to look for in a used car. With all the flooding that has happened in the past, companies are trying to sell them. They are not listed on a car fax report.
If you have carmax in your area it’s a no haggle dealership. The cars are used but you can find some that barely have any miles on them and they will ship cars from near by cities for free. You are under no obligation to buy them either. I don’t work for them or anything but we bought 2 cars there and both have been a good experience and price.
I have bought and sold many personal cars (maybe 11 overall) both new and used. The first word of advice is to always get the car inspected by your mechanic no matter what the seller tells you or what you think your own inspection shows. I have had cars that look like mint condition where my mechanic discovered serious flaws (Like Sarah, the underbody was rusted for one car; another car had the engine rebuilt but was not put back together properly). Second word of advice is to arrange your own financing first (credit unions will give you the best rates; large banks are usually the worst). Then have the dealer give you a quote for financing. More often than not, the dealer will beat the credit union/bank (but it really depends). If they can’t beat it, just use your financing.
I also do not buy cars without looking at them. I do my own detail inspection but my mechanic will check everything else. I would like to use Carvana but seeing some of these horror stories, it makes me think twice. I will consider them but I will have the car inspected the very next day after delivery to ensure that I can return it if need be.
If you are in NJ, I recommend Auto Lenders although I have not personally used them. They sell pre-owned cars that are new (1-4 years old). Similar to Carvana, you can go online and search the car that you want. Prices are fixed and non-negotiable so you know upfront and avoid haggling. I hate buying from dealers because you don’t know what the final price will be until the paperwork is processed and then they try to screw you. With Auto Lenders, you know the price of the car so the only variable are what they charge as fees. Anyway, they provide lifetime warranty on the engine, give a bumper-to-bumper warranty of 6 months or 6k miles, and they are one owner cars. I rather but from them than a regular dealer.
If you are in Florida especially South Florida, Autobon Leasing will handle everything with buying a new car or leasing. You avoid the dealer and they will delivery it to you. They will get you the lowest price as they will negotiate on your behalf and handle the paperwork. They also handle pre-owned vehicles.
I can write an entire post on buying cars but I know I am limited here. Hope this helps. Let me know if you have any questions.
I have a question about air conditioners in cars. Is there a way for a car dealer to rig the ac to work temporarily? I bought a used vehicle with ac. It worked a couple months maybe then died. Thanks!
Possibly. Depending on what the issue is. If it has a leak, the dealer could have put freon so it works but the leak is there. But if there is no leak, then I am not sure.
Ok thanks. It was a used car lot. I have a feeling this vehicle went through a lot. Lol. Anyway the heat does work so no problem there. Bummed about the AC as I live in the south and that was very important. The AC will need to be replaced according to a long time mechanic.
Thanks for sharing about your experience with Carvana. I’m about to start the process to look for another car and every bit of information helps! 😊
I bought a car from Carvana, drove it for almost two years with no issues and then traded it back to them and purchased another vehicle from them. I had great experiences both times and when I traded in the first car I purchased from them, I received more money than I would have from other dealerships. Carvana is a great company to buy a car from and I would definitely do business with them the next time I’m in the market for another vehicle.
I heard this lady once call the Jeff Lewis radio show on SiriusXM saying she never even steps foot into a dealership and makes the salesman come to her. She refuses to step in when they say it’ll be more comfortable. She brings a check and has already researched her car before going and knows exactly what she wants it for. If they don’t agree, she says she’ll walk off the lot, when they stop her ofcourse and take her offer.
My “new” car I got in 2010 was a Cecile that never sold on the lot during the 08’ model year. It was “sold” to the repair center as a loaner vehicle/part run car. I bought it with 3k miles for 13k. To me that’s a new car, but it was cheaper then the lease returns of the same year with 40k miles on them.
we bought ours from Carvana about 2 years ago and we love it- the process was easy AND we got so much fun carvana swag from them- and then a surprise gift card when we opened the gas cover, We convinced my 79 year old mother on law to use them too and while nervous at first she loved the experience and we got a $100 referral bonus
We’ve had our Carvana car for three months and just paid $4,200 to have it repaired. Ouch! Carfax only shows reported accidents and we found out ours was in an unreported accident. Our repair shop said they are seeing more and more Carvana cars come in with very similar issues.
I also bought a vehicle via Carvana. I had no problems with the process. I had the care inspected once received and have had no problems thus far. It’s really like any other dealership except I don’t know of any dealership that will deliver a used car to a person at their home. Lots of dealerships have cars online that you can review online to narrow your choices and then know what you want to see when you get there. Now when I see other vehicles with a carvana license holder I call them my Carvana cousin.
I did not read all of the comments, but will share my experience trying to sell my dad’s two cars after he could no longer drive. Carvana and all of the new/used dealerships will offer you at least $1,000 less than it’s worth so they can make a profit. If you are buying a new car from them, you have a lot more negotiating leverage though.
I had a great experience using NextDoor for sale section to sell one car to someone. I also used Craigslist, but ended up with many “resellers” and scammers texting or calling me. I fell for the scam of clicking on using a carfax-type app, but it showed no information after I paid my $12. I think that app has people who text you just to get your money and have no intention on buying your used car. Do not provide your private email to anyone on Craigslist as I think got email from foreign countries. Stay on the Craigslist “email.”
In 2008 we bought a car through Costco. The car dealership asked if we were Costco members. It took an hour to get our car because it was sitting in the nearby Costco showroom 🙂
Costco has great customer service so if you did have problems they could step in and help.
If you’d told me I would buy a car from Carvana I would not have believed it, but, we just did. We usually use Car Max, but we were having trouble finding make/model we wanted. There were a few at Carmax but had to have them shipped from another state and then we found blemishes/issues. We’re goinf with Carvana bc they have what we have been looking for. You have to finance through Carvana. Their rate is comparable to our credit union. The credit union advised us to just refinance through them eventually which we will do! Thanks for this review. It was extremely helpful. I’ve been seeing tons of Carvana cars in parking lots at places so I think they are getting popular.
As a side note, be careful with Carmax and checking for dings. They have left them out of the description, and when I bought my car from them, literally just signed for it and went out to take a picture with it I noticed a heavy scratch on the tail that had not been there. They then told me they hit another car with it when moving it. They really pack those cars in there. They tried to cover it up for me twice but I can still tell and it really bothers me.
I have several referral codes as of 11/26/2019 for $500 off. Please email me for a code and related information at bscl694@gmail.com. Thanks!
You will pay more…and sometimes a lot more….using services like Carvana. Yeah it’s no hassle, no haggle and some people like that. But it’s not a smart, cost-effective way to buy a used car. To me, that far outweighs the no hassle aspect.
Totally agree, hubby needed a new work truck and didn’t want to buy new, as it would get beat up. He found a 2018 F150 on Carvana, almost ended up purchasing it. On a whim stopped at the local Ford dealer while running errands one day. Found the same truck on the used car lot, same features, just a different color for $4500 less.
I compared the price to local dealers in my area and found them to actually be cheaper! I guess it’s a YMMV!
More fun to haggle a deal. Got an excellent deal from Enterprise black Friday.
Never again will I use Carvana . They told me they were going to deliver the car and pick up my truck. They called the day before and said their trucks were down. I had to go to the vending machine to pick up my car. We made an appointment and they still made me Wait an hour.. It’s been almost a month and they still haven’t paid off my trade in . My bank has send me two notices that my payment is due for a car I don’t have. They keep saying they are sending a check to my bank.
Ugh I would prefer that someone just invent teleporting and we can do away with vehicles altogether :P. I have bought exactly one vehicle in my adult life and I hated every minute of it.
Agreed! 🙂
I would love the option to teleport because it would make the work/child balance so much easier, especially for summer camp options. Plus then we could vacation anywhere. I don’t mind driving IF there’s no traffic (which is rare in Central Florida). But I also hate the car buying experience. Everybody should just their most competitive price and consumers can shop around just like with all other purchases. I don’t know why cars have to involve so many games. Even though I think I got a pretty good deal I still spent at least a week afterwards wondering if I could gotten a little bit more off if I’d kept pushing.
Just remember: an inspection is not fixing.
We used Carvana during COVID for my daughter and absolutely loved it! We also took advantage of their 90 day deferral relief… and that was great also. Hassle free… the car was every bit of what it said and what we saw online! Rate wasn’t bad..payment was manageable for her. Easy paperwork and hassle free! Would definitely recommend for college students.. or military(as my daughter is). Best thing was it was delivered right to her door!
That’s awesome Joanna! I can see how during COVID that this service is even more useful than when I purchased mine pre-pandemic!
Suggestion to the Hip Team, when you revive an old post, could you maybe add one of those colored tags to the thumb nail like the ones that say “Popular” “Free” “H2S Tested”? As a long time reader there have been a couple times I see a post that seems familiar but until I click through and examine the dates of the comments I’m wondering whether it’s really the same…
Sorry for any confusion. Thanks so much for the feedback and suggestion! I have passed this along to the team!