Buying or selling a car, especially a used one, can be accompanied by anxiety and confusion instead of the satisfaction and excitement of finding or selling a vehicle.
Unfortunately, this is what many Carvana customers have experienced. So, before dealing with Carvana, you may want to read these accounts of Carvana’s nightmare: horror stories of Carvana gone wrong.
There are a lot of Carvana blogs that reveal shocking nightmares experienced by car buyers and sellers that are so scary you don’t want to experience them. If you want to avoid experiencing these car buying scenarios, you need to be aware of them.
Some car buyers reported paperwork delays. They also encountered issues with the attendant while processing the papers. But still, Carvana assures its customers that they remain committed to improvement.
Read on to learn about the many horror stories that car buyers and sellers have experienced in their dealings with Carvana, so you will be able to avoid them.
Carvana Nightmare: Horror Stories of Carvana Gone Wrong
It seems that car buying and selling at Carvana is a scary undertaking, as many blogs on the internet discussed. Customers have come forward to reveal their nightmare experiences regarding their efforts in buying or selling cars using the Carvana platform.
Months-long Delays of Paperwork Completion
Some of the Carvana complaints are from people who reported months-long delays in completing their paperwork. They say many problems attended their paperwork. But Carvana still assures its customers of its commitment to improving its services.
Facing Government Scrutiny and Possible Fines
Due to the complaints made by its customers, it seems that Carvana is facing government scrutiny and possible fines. Some of Carvana’s customers felt that it would have been better to cancel their deals and go to a local dealership instead.
Real-life Accounts of Several Customers
The following Carvana reviews are real-life accounts of several customers who will reveal the nightmares and frustrations they have experienced while trying to buy or sell their cars using the platform of Carvana.
You may have undergone the same experience with other car dealers. The point of retelling these nightmares experienced by Carvana customers is so that you may be able to avoid these experiences and know that there are better ways you can buy or sell a car.
Case 1: The Sad Experience of a Man of 40
Orders Everything Online
This horror story came from a man of 40, a journalist who works from home. He usually orders what he needs online and even files his income taxes online. He can even count how many times he ever physically visited his bank.
Buyer Had to Handle Things in Person for Carvana
Yet, from his horror experiences with Carvana, he found that there are certain things that you need to handle in person.
Expected a Convenient Experience
At first, he thought it was very convenient to buy a car online, way better than stepping into the ‘lair’ of a car dealership. He thought he could save money dealing with Carvana instead of a car dealer. But he found out that he could never have been more wrong.
More Convenient and Less Stressful to Buy a Car Through Dealership
He admitted that he could have saved himself “a ton of anger,” inconvenience, and confusion if he had taken the usual route of buying a car through a dealership. He revealed that the car dealer went out of his way to take care of his needs and find the right car.
More Expensive Than Dealer’s Price
The final price for the car he got from the dealer was $1,500 less than the price Carvana was planning to charge him. He fell into Carvana’s game plan. Carvana said they use a new system that will “change how people buy cars.”
Based on his nightmare experience with Carvana, this man found out that new is better, such as a brand new car that costs less than a used one. This man learned his lesson. He will always try to keep his eye on the difference.
Case 2: Bought and Returned a BMW from Carvana
2016 BMW 320i Xdrive’s Price
Here is a long story of a car buyer who bought and then returned a BMW from Carvana. The amount they paid for the BMW is $23,000. They came across this 2016 BMW 320i Xdrive, only with 24K mileage, while browsing the pages of the Carvana site.
Buyer Noticed Three Minor Scuffs
Upon checking the vehicle, they noticed that it had just three minor scuffs. The great thing is that the car has a clean carfax. Carvana, through a representative, assured them that the company would repair any damage. To cut the story short, they bought the car.
And that’s when their horror story started.
More Damage Due to Front-end Collision
When Carvana delivered the BMW, they were naturally excited. They began examining the car and noticed more scuffs.
There are deep scratches and chips on the car’s fenders. Some shoddy bodywork and orange peel paint were easily visible on the front bumper. Even then, they still thought that it was not a big deal.
On the third day, a friend checked the BMW and found mismatched lines at the car’s front. This friend also noticed that the car has an aftermarket front headlight, not a BMW OEM part.
This family friend told them that this BMW had been in a front-end collision, and it wasn’t reported to carfax. After fixing it, the previous owner sold it to Carvana. Additionally, the friend said that if the headlight was damaged due to a collision, it should have deployed the airbags.
Carvana Probably Did Not Perform Their 150 Point Inspection System
So, the BMW is just a liability and safety hazard. They thought that the car repairer might have just installed SRS bypass sensors instead of going through the difficulties of replacing the airbags.
They didn’t believe that Carvana performed what they claimed was 150 point inspection system.
Customer Service Issues
On the sixth day, they emailed pictures of the BMW to Carvana addressed to the representative who facilitated their purchase. They didn’t get a response for three days, and the final day was fast approaching.
So they called Carvana. Their call was put on hold for 40 minutes. Finally, a representative took their call. Carvana informed them that the process had changed, and the email address they used to send the pictures was no longer working.
So, they sent the pictures again to the new email address. Finally, the repair manager of Caravan took a look at the pictures and said the best he could do was $100. The manager said, “the price was that low because of the damage.”
This buyer was furious at that point. It was clear that the buyer was misled at the start. But they still set a date for returning the damaged BMW, which Carvana technicians picked up two days later.
Carvana Did Not Immediately Drop the Car Plates
But that was not the end of their nightmare. Three days after returning the BMW to Carvana, the company has not dropped the car plates yet. They called Carvana to appeal to them to drop the plates because they had bought a new car. The rep they spoke to was impolite and said: “It’s a process.”
Finally, Carvana dropped the plates after the twelfth day. End of the nightmare. Lesson learned: don’t buy a car online again.
Again, is Carvana a nightmare? Some customers of Carvana, an online used-car dealer, had an unsatisfactory experience with them. Inform yourself of such cases before choosing to buy from Carvana.
Case 3: Delayed Delivery
Here is a buyer who wanted to buy a Mini Cooper from Carvana. They wanted this type of car for years. The Mini Cooper they found at Carvana’s site was the perfect model in the right color. Carvana told them that the delivery would take only over a week.
Insurance Issue
And then the problem started when they tried to get insurance for the Mini Cooper. They found that there were issues when they tried to work out the forms. This buyer had to play phone tag with the insurance company and Carvana for more than eight hours.
Eventually, they finished fixing the paperwork. Then they settled in and waited for the Mini Cooper to arrive at their door.
Delayed Delivery
And wait, and wait, they did. On delivery day, Carvana texted them saying there was a transportation delay with no additional information on the exact situation.
Carvana’s delivery was delayed for another week. At first, they thought it was not a big deal. But then, Carvana sent multiple emails and texts saying that their delivery was on track and expected no delay anymore.
But that was not to happen. After receiving a text that the delivery would take place the next day, they received another delay notification again. This time Carvana informed them of three weeks delay.
This buyer canceled their order after the second delay. They said they’d instead take their chances with a dealership that can deal with insurance and get the car on the road without delay for about a month and a half.
Suspected That the Mini Cooper Didn’t Even Exist in the First Place
Interestingly, after returning the car to Carvana, the customer checked its website to see if the vehicle was available. They found out that the car had disappeared entirely. So, they suspect that the mini cooper didn’t even exist in the first place.
Case 4: Nothing But Stress with Carvana
Delayed Delivery
In the case of this particular car buyer, their experience with Carvana is nothing but stress from the beginning. On the day of the delivery, Carvana sent a message to reschedule their delivery date because of an issue. Again, the buyer did not receive an explanation.
Not the Same Quality as Described on the Website
After Carvana delivered the vehicle, the buyer received a vehicle of not the same quality as described on the website. It appeared that the vehicle had a rushed paint job. They also found out that the vehicle’s cabin is dirty and disgusting.
Carvana Offered $100 to Detail the Car
Carvana’s customer service offered to give them $100 to detail the car. After giving it much thought, they decided to swap the vehicle since Carvana advertised a 7-day satisfaction policy. But they later found out that this was a huge mistake.
Insurance Issue
They applied for the swap and set a schedule for the vehicle delivery. But later that evening, they got a call from a different rep asking them to provide proof of insurance for the vehicle replacement – or they will not deliver the new vehicle.
Confusion arose when Carvana asked the buyer for insurance coverage when they had already provided the document.
The following day, they started getting calls, texts, and emails demanding they provide insurance for the replacement vehicle before delivery. They told them that the insurance was there and all was set for the delivery date.
But the next day, they received a request from Carvana saying that they were given only three hours or Carvana would cancel. So, another series of calls with the reps of Carvana took place.
The buyer uploaded their proof of insurance to Carvana and then called in to confirm they received it. They were put on hold for thirty minutes, waiting for someone to take the call. But the Carvana rep placed her phone on mute and made no response whatsoever.
It is clear to the buyer that the rep texting them was lying when they said the car was being delivered. The buyer logged in to their Carvana account, and they were asked again to complete an application for this vehicle.
At that point, they have the original car that the buyer had traded in with Carvana. They were stuck with a vehicle completely different from what they expected from its pictures online, and they couldn’t get real help.
Stressful Buying Process
It seems that everyone in Carvana is giving them a different answer. This car buyer’s advice is to save yourself a headache. Just go to a car dealer. Carvana’s buying process, to this buyer, is the most stressful process that they have encountered.
Positive Experience with Carvana
This Carvana selling experience is an exception to the nightmares inflicted by this company on some of its customers. It is from a car owner who does not write reviews too often, but they made an exception with Carvana.
They sold Carvana a vehicle through their online tools. They filled out the requested information about their vehicle as accurately as possible. Promptly, Carvana gave them its buying price.
They drove their vehicle to the Carvana lot in Portland, Oregon, to give it a final appraisal. When they arrived at the lot, a company staff examined the vehicle and processed the required paperwork.
Carvana honored the quoted price. They noticed that ACH payment was made within one hour of drop-off. The payment was received the next day. To this car seller, the whole car selling process was seamless.
This was better than the trade-in value at the dealership. They did not do the actual selling of their vehicle. Carvana also scheduled them an Uber ride to their destination close by. To this car seller, they won’t hesitate to call Carvana if they have another low mileage car to sell.
Frequently Asked Questions
We are here dealing with a controversial subject, so it will help if you will read the answers to the frequently asked questions about Carvana:
What Is Carvana?
Carvana offers used cars online, so they are operating as a used car dealership. They perform most of the work of a conventional brick-and-mortar car dealer but only conduct their work online.
The convenience they offer to car buyers allows them to sell cars online. But there are risks involved, as you can see from the information discussed in this article.
What Can Go Wrong with Carvana?
According to some Reddit posts in the forum about Caravan on Reddit and Better Business Bureau and Consumer Affairs, there are certain weaknesses to Caravan. Customers have reported problems with their deliveries, timing, and locations.
Caravan entices customers with its 150-point inspection. But car buyers found that they always miss inspecting things on the vehicles. There also have been delays in vehicle registrations and deliveries.
Is Carvana Legit?
As far as legitimacy is concerned, Caravan is listed as a CVNA on the New York Stock Exchange. So, yes, it is a legit company. It was founded by Ernest Garcia III, Ben Huston, and Ryan Keeton in 2012.
Is Carvana Worth It?
Based on the numerous horrendous experiences of car buyers, it appears that Carvana sells cars that are often not always in good condition.
This company makes you believe that 100% of the used cars they sell are in superior condition. But according to some nightmare experiences of its car buyers, their worth is in question.
In Closing: Customer Horror Experiences of Carvana Going Wrong
Shocking nightmares experienced by car buyers and sellers are revealed in so many Carvana blogs on the internet.
By reading these scary car buying scenarios, you will be aware of the dangers of dealing with Carvana and help you avoid experiencing the nightmares that these car buyers and sellers have suffered.
Read next:
