Overall I am very please with my purchase from Carvana. The online purchase and selection were very easy to complete. And I would purchase from Carvana again, without worry. However, there are some issues people should be aware of. Pay attention to where the car is that you are purchasing. This is not easy to figure out because Carvana doesn't list it specifically. However, if you go to the CarFax page you can possibly figure it out or at least narrow it down. My car's Carfax listed the last owner in California so I guessed my car was located at a Carvana facility somewhere out West. It actually was, it was located in Arizona. Keep in mind, for the rest of this, that Arizona is 2,500 miles from Key West, Florida, which is where I live. I actually purchased my car on Friday before Memorial Day. And through some frustrating conversations, by phone and mostly by message, my car's delivery was delayed and delayed. The only reason I didn't cancel my purchase was because the car was EXACTLY what I wanted – fairly new (with only 3,700 miles) and all the options I wanted too – even the color was right. My car finally left Arizona more than two weeks after I made my purchase and headed toward Florida. My assumption all along was that Carvana had their own trucks that delivered the cars between the various pick up sites and only used third party carriers from those sites to the actual owner. Apparently that is not accurate, because they used third party all the way from Arizona to Key West, which is normally fine I am sure, but it is what they say caused the delay in my car even leaving Arizona.
The most frustrating part though, was they kept offering local pick up as an option. It is like they had no concept of geography. If they got the car to Miami or Tampa maybe local pickup becomes an option but most people buying a car work. Therefore taking time off to fly to Arizona and take a few days to drive it the 2,500 miles back really isn't an option (plus in my case it would have almost doubled the mileage of the car. Once I did get the car, the third party carrier was quite nice, but Carvana should require them to cover the cars with a tarp or something. When I received my car, the back of the car (it was backed onto the truck) was covered in dead bugs. I am not talking a few, I am talking about 2,500 miles worth of bugs. I am STILL cleaning them off four weeks later.
I am not suggesting anyone NOT buy a car from Carvana based on this information, I am suggesting that they try to figure out where the car is and buy one that might be closer to them or at least understand if it is coming from a long distance delivery might be delayed. The rest of my experience with Carvana is so positive I would buy another one in the future, even though I hope it is a long distance in the future because I bought a car with such low miles and I don't drive much living on an island.
I must say, this will become much more negative if I don't get my plates by the time my temp ones expire. I have a vacation planned for the Monday after my temp ones expire and would hate to have to pay for a rental. I asked about it and was told the paperwork was sent to Florida the day I contacted Carvana. This seemed to convenient to me. But if it really was I should have the plates in time. But it remains a question as to why the paperwork was sent out two weeks after I returned it Carvana.
So basically it comes down to this everyone was friendly and mostly helpful. The choosing and purchasing experience was easy and fast. The choosing was actually FUN. Carvana needs to work on their delivery system though, especially when involving long distance. They should also post with each car, its actual physical location, so that you don't need to guess by looking at the Carfax.
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