Carvana

[firecadet613]

I agree......if we cant negotiate, I dont want it. Heck, that's most of the fun to me.....

That's where all the fun is to me!

 

[Frosty]

We bought my wife’s jeep Cherokee from them in 2018. Overall it was a good enough experience. Everything showed up when it was supposed to, car was as advertised, my only complaint is their interest rates aren’t very competitive, in fact I’d say finance through a local bank or credit union then buy from them.

 

[BJHay]

If you're an experienced car buyer and comfortable with the old-school process it's likely a cheaper way to get the same car. If you want convenience or don't have time to shop Carvana will probably work for you. They're a relatively new company with a completely new business model. They'll have problems but they seem to sell a lot of cars smoothly.

 

[Leo]

When I was (much) younger, I found negotiating intimidating, but as I've gotten older (and crankier), it's gotten a lot easier.

I believe in a fair price, if I am selling or buying. I do my research, and know what a fair price is before I sit in the office. I am a cash buyer, I explain my offer and tell the man that the only answer is yes or no. I set my title and check book on the desk. Any other answer we will not be friends, and I walk out the door. I even tell him to go get himself a donut and talk to his manager. If the guy comes back with the manager to double team me, tell them we are no longer friends and walk out the door. It is amazing how many salesmen cannot answer a simple yes or no.

 

[ditcherman]

I agree......if we cant negotiate, I dont want it. Heck, that's most of the fun to me.....

When I sell something in here, which could easily be never, I just figured out that I will ask “are you negotiating with me because you think it’s fun, or because you think I’m off my mark in value?”
I hate negotiating and have paid asking price for most if not all of what I have bought here.
I don’t get why people think they should and don’t find it fun at all.

 

[J Galt]

I believe in a fair price, if I am selling or buying. I do my research, and know what a fair price is before I sit in the office. I am a cash buyer, I explain my offer and tell the man that the only answer is yes or no. I set my title and check book on the desk. Any other answer we will not be friends, and I walk out the door. I even tell him to go get himself a donut and talk to his manager. If the guy comes back with the manager to double team me, tell them we are no longer friends and walk out the door. It is amazing how many salesmen cannot answer a simple yes or no.

I agree 100% on walking away from deals if needed. It's amazing how many people in general are unable / unwilling to say yes or no to a question.

After just 2 weeks of dealing with salesmen I decided to look at Carvana. Their prices are competitive. Like someone else said, their financing is not. I view any added costs as payment for not dealing with a salesman and their games. #WorthIt

 

[COOPADUP]

Personally, before you head to a dealership, you have to do your research and get your mind geared up to negotiate.
If you have done your homework, you will know if they are attempting to tack on fees.
Always phrase your offer “out the door “ price.
If they won’t budge, get up and leave.

 

[xwing]

If convenience is your main priority, Carvana is a good fit. But if you care about getting a good price and ensuring a good quality vehicle, stay away. I would much rather do my own research / mechanical & body check-out and my own negotiating.

 

[RobbyMaQ]

Carvana. Overall it was a good experience. During the 7-day test drive, an electrical problem with the bluetooth/radio system came up, and Silver Rock (their warranty company) took care of it completely. Silver Rock has some weird list of in-network repair shops like PepBoys and some random guy's muffler shop in Gary. I took it to the Nissan dealership and gladly paid a $50 out-of-network fee. Radio/bluetooth was replaced and no issues. They also took care of some paint work on a few dings that were not disclosed in the ad.

My only beef with Carvana is that it took over THREE MONTHS to get my title and plates. They use some kind of third-party deal to handle the state paperwork, and apparently my stuff got lost. When all was said and done, they sent me two duplicate license plates. I guess I have a spare if one gets bent.

OK, I have another beef after all. I'm ticked off that my truck did not come equipped with a halo.

Weird. We got our plate & registration in the mail about a week after the 7 days was up.

 

[J Galt]

I pulled the trigger on a vehicle with them.

Some miscellaneous notes in case anyone is in the market:

• The vehicle I decided on was competitively priced against similar make / model / trim and miles. This is even with the additional fees.
• What are the fees?
  • Selling price xxx
    IN Registration Fee $21.35
    Title Fee $15.00
    Transport Infrastructure Fee $15.00
    State Excise Fee xxx
    Marion Wheel Fee $50.00
    Temporary Permit Fee $3.00
    Sales Tax xxx
• The CSR I spoke with was an absolute rock star. She was polite, professional, personable, and helpful. She told me about the referral bonus for me ($500) and the person who referred me ($100). This is largely luck of the draw. For once I had someone competent in a call center.
• Their financing probably has a low bar to entry. It is ~2% higher than my lender.
• There is a 7 day return policy. I can return it if I don't like the color. I have my mechanic scheduled to look it over the day after it is to be delivered to me.
• There is a 100 day / 4k mile limited warranty. There is an option to purchase a longer, more comprehensive warranty. I declined that.

That's all I can think of at the moment.

It is scheduled for delivery.

ETA: Almost forgot, the BEST part of all of this was that there was no salesman to deal with and none of their silly grade school games.

 

[Ingomike]

ETA: Almost forgot, the BEST part of all of this was that there was no salesman to deal with and none of their silly grade school games.

Those grade school games are otherwise called negotiating. Their system cuts out all the local people that live in the local community, pay local taxes, and support the local community. They also often sell under value because they are funded by corporate money that believe they can kill the local businesses while they gain market share.

It will be great when a national corporation puts all the locals out of business and a couple of national corporations have monopoly control…

 

[BehindBlueI's]

There's negotiation, and then there's obfuscation hoping you'll fall for it. I'll negotiate with you. I won't play games, as games are about manipulation and obfuscation rather than negotating in good faith. Too many games players, not enough salesmen.

 

[J Galt]

Update: the delivery date was changed, I can pick a new date, but this causes complications

One check in the negative box. Other than that, all has been positive.

 

[J Galt]

Update.

The car needed some minor work. The mechanical issues (brakes, power seats) were handled by a network repair shop with no issues.

However, the GPS is malfunctioning. The warranty company authorized going to a non-network and waived any fees. They asked that the dealer call them first to get authorization.

I called 2 dealers and both essentially refused to call the warranty company and insisted that the warranty company call them (like a child being stubborn). I explained the situation and they were either petulant or refusing to acknowledge what needed to be done and insisted that the warranty company call them first.

I'm going to have to expand out of my immediate area to try and find a reasonable dealer.

 

[Super Bee]

I'm going to have to expand out of my immediate area to try and find a reasonable dealer.

We do not do any warranty work beside the original factory warranty, and even those suck. Most of these extended service contract companies are very difficult to work with, do not allow parts mark up and basically decide what they are paying. There is zero plus side for the dealer.

I remember when I told a company to have their customer pick up their unit, we were not doing the work. The rep said well how can you do that? I said "My names on the sign out front, thats how".

Best of luck to you.

 

[J Galt]

We do not do any warranty work beside the original factory warranty, and even those suck. Most of these extended service contract companies are very difficult to work with, do not allow parts mark up and basically decide what they are paying. There is zero plus side for the dealer.

I remember when I told a company to have their customer pick up their unit, we were not doing the work. The rep said well how can you do that? I said "My names on the sign out front, thats how".

Best of luck to you.

It sounds like you have been hurt before.


ETA: If either dealer had been upfront and said what you typed out above (assuming that is their actual reason), I would have a different opinion of them.

 

[d.kaufman]

We do not do any warranty work beside the original factory warranty, and even those suck. Most of these extended service contract companies are very difficult to work with, do not allow parts mark up and basically decide what they are paying. There is zero plus side for the dealer.

I remember when I told a company to have their customer pick up their unit, we were not doing the work. The rep said well how can you do that? I said "My names on the sign out front, thats how".

Best of luck to you.

Yeah. Some of the companies really suck but there are a few good ones too. I have a couple companies that usually pay me more than the quote I give them. The ones that don't wanna pay the full amount, then the customer pays the difference or they're welcome to take it elsewhere

 

[Brad69]

Sold my Hellcat to Carvana they gave me 7k over sticker for it? I paid 2k under sticker so 9 k profit? Plus 3500 miles on the car.

I just don’t see how that’s good business?

 

[DoggyDaddy]

Sold my Hellcat to Carvana they gave me 7k over sticker for it? I paid 2k under sticker so 9 k profit? Plus 3500 miles on the car.

I just don’t see how that’s good business?

It was good business for you!

 

[bgcatty]

Two words: Caveat Emptor!