I have primarily bought from traditional dealers in the past, but most recently I bought from Carmax. This time, on the advice of a family member, I tried Carvana. I was offered a better value on my trade-in at Carvana, and found a car I liked, so I completed the paperwork to buy and transfer the car. It was very simple. Picking up the car from the Vending Machine was interesting, but was an arduous process with an unhelpful and unprofessional employee (Ivan). When the car arrived, it was visibly dirty on the interior. Multiple stains which I was able to remove by wiping with a finger, not lasting damage or anything else, were apparent in the car. I asked the Carvana Employee (mind you, this was not a delivery, I went to their location...) if if could be cleaned. "No, they're very busy. It was dirty in some of the pictures so what you see is what you get." He wouldn't relent and even attempt to schedule a time to have it cleaned. I even told him I may just decline the car and leave it. "Oh well, you can do that," was pretty much his response. Ultimately, I ended up taking the car. However, calling customer service rectified this problem, and they were very conciliatory and helpful. I called them twice, once about the cleanliness (they solved this for me), and once about needing service (A/C seats didn't work, they also solved/helped this). Overall, the service I got from calling their contact center was OVERWHELMINGLY helpful, and they truly MADE this experience, because I was ready to return the car.
I did have to have the car serviced for the seat climate module, and once again, successful, but a mixed bag. SilverRock, their warranty/repair claim processor seems to have somewhat of a negative perception. 2 "In-Network" repair centers (Firestone & NTB) REFUSED to even look at the car, citing a "moratorium on working with SilverRock" (despite being still listed on their website). I called and spoke to their customer service department, and told them I wanted to take it to the dealership, and they consented to this and waived my "out-of-network" fee. The repair was completed expediently and correctly. I did call Carvana during this time to express disappointment about the 7-day guarantee ending while my car was in the shop, and they gave me additional days to return if I needed/wanted.
Long story short: I kept the car, and so far (still waiting for registration and license plate, etc.), I have enjoyed it and it works well. I had an independent mechanic check it over, and he reported it as being in good condition. Buying a car on-line is very convenient and simple, and working with their customer service is a breeze. I even felt that SilverRock was polite and genuine in their dealing with me, which was pleasant. To improve, Carvana could review the cleanliness and presentation of their vehicles upon delivery (as they come pre-cleaned, unlike at Carmax, where they detail your car upon purchase, at least in our local market), and work to empower local staff to solve issues. Overall, I am pretty happy with my Carvana experience.
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