Anyone bought from CARVANA ?

[AZNative_Phx]

I bought my wife's last car from Carvana. Overall, it was probably the best car buying experience from a dealership I ever had. I bought her car during a lunch break in 20 minutes. I made a mistake on my personal data, so I received a call that night to clear that little error up and 3 days later they delivered the car. We had a vehicle to trade in and the guy checked it out while we took her new car on a test drive. But the time we came back, our old car was loaded, we signed some paperwork and the car was ours.

I took it to a local dealership the next day to ensure everything was kosher with the vehicle and all that was found was a faulty window switch. Carvana replaced that with no issue.

My son is now looking to buy his first car and we will more than likely go with Carvana for his purchase as well.

[ArizonaGunOwners.com]

[JT]

I just went on their site and looked at their prices. Not so great. I am looking for a 4x4 that can tow at least 5,000 lbs and not full size. I have been searching Craigslist and other sites. concentrating on Jeep Grand Cherokee, Toyota 4Runner and Toyota Tacoma 4 door off road. I found a couple of Jeep GC's in the Phoenix area that are low mileage and several thousand less than Carvana but I am not in a rush. Sold my motorhome so I am looking for a cash sale.

[GTGallop]

I think it is key to point out here that there are different audiences or markets in the car buying and selling world.

There are people here in this group which are (like me) grizzled older men (over 40) with mechanical experience, patience to shop around, cheap / frugal, and willing to put in some elbow grease to make something right.

Then there are people like a single soccer mom, young adult, or perhaps some one that grew up in a house without screwdrivers and hammers.  My old neighbor for example.  He had a handy man come hang ceiling fans for him because he knew nothing of the process and it was like magic that you could flip a switch and make a fan come on.  Brilliant guy in his chosen field and high functioning, might have even been a genius, but throw him a crescent wrench and he wiggs out.

That second group is a growing section of our society.  Carvana caters to them.  They will pay a little more to feel like they are getting a no haggle (because they don't feel comfortable bargaining / negotiating) deal on a car that is basically a certified pre-owned vehicle that has had a full mechanical review and all new fluids.  It comes with a bit of a warranty - even if it isn't a real warranty, it's a perceived value in their head that the car has had a full diagnosis.

I think if you were going to sell to this group on AZGO, you'd find a dealership called "Just Vehicles" where they sold cars with 100k+ miles on them, some blems, and a mechanic went through it and made a list but didn't fix any of it.  They give you the list of things you need to fix when you buy the car.  You get to negotiate heavily on the vehicle because everyone knows the sticker price is easily double what they are going to let it go for and it comes with a glove box full of your favorite ammo.

[JT]

When looking at dealer cars I use Car Gurus. They list the best deals first according to market value and tell you how long a car has been for sale. Also if the car has switched dealers which usually indicates a problem or an opportunity to negotiate.

https://www.cargurus.com/Cars/forsale

[Thernlund]

I'm almost 50 and very mechanically inclined.  I can't stand the back and forth of a traditional dealership.  I'm happy to pay a little more to avoid that stupid dance.  Carvana is incredibly appealing to me.



When I typically go looking for a project car though, my first stop is usually Auto Tempest.  https://www.autotempest.com/


-T.

[zpglass]

I just went on their site and looked at their prices. Not so great. I am looking for a 4x4 that can tow at least 5,000 lbs and not full size. I have been searching Craigslist and other sites. concentrating on Jeep Grand Cherokee, Toyota 4Runner and Toyota Tacoma 4 door off road. I found a couple of Jeep GC's in the Phoenix area that are low mileage and several thousand less than Carvana but I am not in a rush. Sold my motorhome so I am looking for a cash sale.

The dealership I work at gets s decent amount of used Toyota 4Runner, bigger trucks and such. Sometimes the dealership across from Toyota will sell a used Toyota for cheaperthen the Toyota dealer across the street.


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[zpglass]

I think it is key to point out here that there are different audiences or markets in the car buying and selling world.

There are people here in this group which are (like me) grizzled older men (over 40) with mechanical experience, patience to shop around, cheap / frugal, and willing to put in some elbow grease to make something right.

Then there are people like a single soccer mom, young adult, or perhaps some one that grew up in a house without screwdrivers and hammers.  My old neighbor for example.  He had a handy man come hang ceiling fans for him because he knew nothing of the process and it was like magic that you could flip a switch and make a fan come on.  Brilliant guy in his chosen field and high functioning, might have even been a genius, but throw him a crescent wrench and he wiggs out.

That second group is a growing section of our society.  Carvana caters to them.  They will pay a little more to feel like they are getting a no haggle (because they don't feel comfortable bargaining / negotiating) deal on a car that is basically a certified pre-owned vehicle that has had a full mechanical review and all new fluids.  It comes with a bit of a warranty - even if it isn't a real warranty, it's a perceived value in their head that the car has had a full diagnosis.

I think if you were going to sell to this group on AZGO, you'd find a dealership called "Just Vehicles" where they sold cars with 100k+ miles on them, some blems, and a mechanic went through it and made a list but didn't fix any of it.  They give you the list of things you need to fix when you buy the car.  You get to negotiate heavily on the vehicle because everyone knows the sticker price is easily double what they are going to let it go for and it comes with a glove box full of your favorite ammo.

You would be amazed at what the tech points out whats needed for  the used recon on a vehicle. And the sales manager will deny so much needed work, and say no just this and this, not that.

So yes on front brakes, yes tires, no on alignment, no on brake flush (even if it feels spongy) . Don’t replace the dash just super glue the vinyl where its lifting up at.


And so on.


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[xdm5.25]

I despise going to the stealerships and asking stuff that the employee has no knowledge of. Then they try to sell you shit that you don't like. I am looking for a manual transmission for my kid for her first car. nowadays, it's easier to find information about the vehicle online rather than talking to salesmen at the dealership ...

[zpglass]

I despise going to the stealerships and asking stuff that the employee has no knowledge of. Then they try to sell you shit that you don't like. I am looking for a manual transmission for my kid for her first car. nowadays, it's easier to find information about the vehicle online rather than talking to salesmen at the dealership ...

I know a really good sales guy where I work if you are interested. If not no worries, I cant stand most of them myself. 


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[JT]

I ran into total scams by dealers. The advertise a price then add $2k-$3k in charges not counting tax and license.    I used Vroom to find a Nissan Pathfinder SL 4wd at a decent price. They charge a $600 delivery fee to your house or area where they can unload the car from the hauler. Downside is only pictures to go on but they do give you 7 days/250 miles to reject after delivery.

[5632]

There are always good and bad stories but with Carvana  there are far more good than bad.

[AZNative_Phx]

I used to build custom Jeeps for a living before I went into the medical field. So yeah, I am pretty mechanically inclined. The Carvana thing was awesome because I didn't have to deal with a salesperson, they had the car my wife wanted cheaper than any other dealer at the time and with less miles.

Totally OK with buying a car that will only see about 5000 miles per year off a website. The other benefit is they let you inspect it or take it to a shop or dealer to inspect it within 7 days. If you are unhappy with it or they missed something, they will let you return the car, exchange it, or will fix the car, no questions asked. When I called them about the window switch issue there were no questions asked on my end. They spoke to the shop and it as replaced that day.

For someone like myself that was working full time and going to school full time, it was a fantastic solution for how busy I was. I didn't have to shop around, didn't have to haggle, didn't have to waste time taking used cars to shops to get them checked or check them myself, and I surely didn't have to fix any minor issues with my limited schedule at the time.

They definitely fill a niche and I was happy with my purchase and would have no problem purchasing from the again if the deal made sense.

[ArizonaGunOwners.com]