Looking for an honest Carvana review? Here is my experience!
Buying a car is one of my biggest dreads. I am not good at negotiating and hate being hassled by sales people. The whole thing is awkward, and I feel like a lot of other people agree with me.
I was recently unfortunately involved in a car accident that left my beloved car totaled (#RIPBeauregard) and I had a really quick timeline to purchase a new one. I wasn't really finding what I wanted (a newer version of my same car) locally, but I stumbled upon Carvana.
Carvana is an online car dealership. I have seen some complaints saying that Carvana must be a scam - I am here to say that no, it is actually totally legit!
Everything in this society is moving to internet based. You can order a taxi, groceries, and even get a date on your phone. It totally makes sense that you should be able to buy a car completely online as well.
Here's a recap of my whole purchase process AND I have some coupon codes for $500 off a car with Carvana!
Our Carvana Review
How Carvana Works
Carvana is basically an online dealership. You search and find your car and order it online. I totally dug this - I order drug store and grocery items online, why shouldn't I order a car the same way? I was able to save about $1,500 off of prices on very similar cars by cutting out the dealer "middleman."
Carvana Customer Service
Throughout the whole process, I was really impressed by the customer service from Carvana. They have a live chat feature on their site, as well as a customer service email address for off-hours questions.
Their team called me several times throughout the process and were some of the friendliest call center employees that I have ever worked with! Their customer service was what put them over the edge and made me want to write this post.
Car sales people usually make me feel uncomfortable, but Carvana was not like that at all. They aren't out to make a commission.
Cavana Delivery Process
Once I picked a car, I set up delivery. They deliver for free within 100 miles of their major retail areas. The closest area to us was Charlotte. I could have paid extra to get it delivered all the way here, but instead I was able to work with a customer service rep to set up a delivery 99.9 miles (really!) from their office in Charlotte towards our house.
We met them at a Staples parking lot off the highway. I expected big burly men to be driving the delivery truck, but it was 2 girls in their twenties! Girl power.
Carvana Guarantee
I was able to buy the car with confidence because I had a 7 day money back guarantee. We took the car to a local dealer and got it checked out and also drove it in a variety of scenarios to be sure that I liked it. I loved it! I am so happy with my purchase and with the service that I got from Carvana.
After my trial period, they sent me 10 promo codes to share with others who might be looking to buy a car with Carvana. If you end up using them to get a good deal on a car, use one of the discount codes below and tell them that Morgan McBride sent you. If at first you don't succeed, try the next one, because they are all unique discount codes:
2016-17660
2016-17661
2016-17662
2016-17663
2016-17664
2016-17665
2016-17666
2016-17667
2016-17668
2016-17669
This post was not sponsored and I paid full price for my car. However, if you use one of my referral codes, I will receive a referral bonus. We all win!
 |
|||
 |
 |
 |
 |
Hello, I'm Morgan, half of the creative force behind CharlestonCrafted.com! With a passion for DIY that dates back to 2012, I've transformed three homes and now I'm dedicated to helping others craft their dream spaces. Let's turn your house into a home together!
SM says
Hi Morgan,
Just wanted you to know that the first referral code worked.
Thanks for saving me 500 dollars. Really appreciate it.
...SM
John kickbass says
So you buy a car without test driving it? Seems a little shady. On top of that, car buying isn't something you can treat like buying soda or candy you need to invest serious time if you don't want to get ripped off. They only give you a 7 day trial to test the car? What if on the 8th day the engine falls out of the car? Seems like a scam.
Morgan says
Not a scam, not shady, John. We had a great experience and plan to buy our next car this way. We definitely didn't buy a car on a whim but researched and found exactly what we were looking for and chose Carvana after comparing their cars to others locally. I really believe that this kind of shopping is the future - frankly, it's already the present, so buckle up!
Thanks for stopping by!
John kickbass says
Hmmm I may have to try to it. However, this system is rather unclear. I am assuming it is like any other small time shady car dealership but the fact of the matter is that this system has a 7 day warranty whereas other dealerships usually give a 30 to 90 day warranty on everything. These new startups that come out are a sugar coated version of what we currently have. Just cause two girls delivered your car instead of a burly man doesn't mean their business isn't shady. Car buying is a rough business and the idea isn't getting easier. I'm more scared for the people that sell their cars to Caravana. I inquired for my instant value of my car and they offered me 30% of it's worth on KBB. Tell doesn't that sound like a scam? I could sell my car for $10000 but "Carvana" would only offer me $3000 because their system is "headache free". These millennials need to wake up and realize life isn't getting easier it's only getting harder.
Morgan says
Hi John, thanks for your comment. We aren't affiliated with Carvana in any way, so our comments (and this reply) are genuinely about our experience. While they may have been a start up, they are a fully-functioning company now. I'm even seeing ads on TV and billboards, which wasn't happening back when we wrote this post. We can't speak to the car selling experience as we didn't sell our car to them since it was totaled. I don't know if your situation is unique or what the circumstances are, but we can't talk to that. Just that we had a great experience with buying the car. The fact that it was two girls that delivered the car was just a fact that happened and we were surprised. Anyways, we're looking at buying another car soon and trading in a car this time, so we'll see how it goes, but we're definitely thinking of using them again. Also, we're millennials too, and we felt the process was quite easy 🙂
Alyssa says
Hi all! I was looking at Carvana on Pinterest out of curiosity because I am one of the delivery advocates, and I deliver to Charleston all the time! I’m so happy that the experience went well for you, and I believe that one of your advocates was a coworker of mine that has worked for the company for almost a year now. 😀 Thank you for giving us a chance, we’re still going strong this holiday season! As for our warranty... the “test spin” is 7 days long. If you don’t like it within 7 days, we pick up the vehicle! I’ve done several swaps and a few returns for customers who decided the car wasn’t for them, and it’s never been a problem. 🙂 The warranty that comes complimentary with every vehicle is for 4,189 miles, or 100 days (whichever comes first). Much longer than most dealerships . Happy Haulerdays, guys!
Pat says
Hi Morgan,
Thanks for the article. Are any of your codes still valid, now, in 2020? Peace.
Morgan says
Hey Pat - you can try them but I doubt it! Sorry!