Has anyone sold car to Carvana ?

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cheapskate
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Has anyone sold car to Carvana ?

Post by cheapskate »

Carvana offered a good price for my vehicle. So good, in fact, that I am left wondering what the catch is. I know it is a publicly traded company with a $47B market cap, but these days, a lofty market cap is neither a necessary nor a sufficient condition for a business to be a legit/trustworthy one.

I have an appointment for them to inspect and pick up the vehicle tomorrow. I opted for a paper check. My main worry (yes, call me paranoid), is of getting a bad check that bounces and I am out my car. Has anyone sold their vehicle to Carvana ? Have there been any issues with payment ? Is there anything I should watch out for or be concerned about ?
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bampf
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Re: Has anyone sold car to Carvana ?

Post by bampf »

Sold and purchased. Mine was a trade in, but, I don't think you have much to worry about.
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mervinj7
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Re: Has anyone sold car to Carvana ?

Post by mervinj7 »

cheapskate wrote: Mon Jun 14, 2021 1:39 pm Carvana offered a good price for my vehicle. So good, in fact, that I am left wondering what the catch is. I know it is a publicly traded company with a $47B market cap, but these days, a lofty market cap is neither a necessary nor a sufficient condition for a business to be a legit/trustworthy one.

I have an appointment for them to inspect and pick up the vehicle tomorrow. I opted for a paper check. My main worry (yes, call me paranoid), is of getting a bad check that bounces and I am out my car. Has anyone sold their vehicle to Carvana ? Have there been any issues with payment ? Is there anything I should watch out for or be concerned about ?
Sold my Nissan leaf last year to carvana. They came with the check. It didn't bounce.
02nz
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Re: Has anyone sold car to Carvana ?

Post by 02nz »

I just sold my leased car (about 3 years old) to Carvana last week, and did another sale to its competitor Vroom late 2020. Both transactions were smooth, and Carvana was the better of the two. There's no catch.

The rep came by, inspected the car, I signed a few docs, and probably within 5 minutes I had my check in hand. He installed a lockbox for the tow truck driver who came by a few hours later so I didn't need to wait around for that.

You need to describe your vehicle condition accurately, of course, but they don't try to nickel and dime you on minor issues.
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Stinky
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Re: Has anyone sold car to Carvana ?

Post by Stinky »

I’ve sold a vehicle to them, and so has my son.

It was by far the easiest car sale I’ve ever done. And they gave us excellent prices.

I would have no concern about selling to Carvana.
Retired life insurance company financial executive who sincerely believes that ”It’s a GREAT day to be alive!”
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ResearchMed
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Re: Has anyone sold car to Carvana ?

Post by ResearchMed »

cheapskate wrote: Mon Jun 14, 2021 1:39 pm Carvana offered a good price for my vehicle. So good, in fact, that I am left wondering what the catch is. I know it is a publicly traded company with a $47B market cap, but these days, a lofty market cap is neither a necessary nor a sufficient condition for a business to be a legit/trustworthy one.

I have an appointment for them to inspect and pick up the vehicle tomorrow. I opted for a paper check. My main worry (yes, call me paranoid), is of getting a bad check that bounces and I am out my car. Has anyone sold their vehicle to Carvana ? Have there been any issues with payment ? Is there anything I should watch out for or be concerned about ?
CORRECTION: Our first hand experience below was with CarMAX, not Carvana.
However, the rest of my comment is the same.

I don't think you need to worry about Carvana being some sort of flaky business.
The high price might be because used cars are selling really high these days, or it could be because you just weren't expecting that particular price point (?).

It's been a few years now, but DH sold his very elderly mother's relatively new car when we moved her closer to us, to an Assisted Living Facility.
He went to a few dealers and to Carvana CARMAX, and Carvana CARMAX beat them all. He hadn't expected that, being somewhat suspicious about them then.
So he went back there, sold the car, and took a taxi back to her place the day before they flew here.

Very simple. Check cleared, no problem.

I also suspect that if Carvana check's were tending to bounce, we'd likely hear about it, given all of their advertising (along with their competitors!).

It's also supposed to be a less unpleasant experience than some other "car selling/buying" experiences. They give you a price, no squabbling.

The one thing I wonder about is the selling (e.g., to Vroom or whatever the others are) where you give them the VIN and they give you a price - withOUT seeing the car. I can't see getting the best price without someone seeing the car (unless you've got a beater or such). Or perhaps they then DO see something they didn't expect?
But if they give you a check... just take it to the bank, etc. :happy

ETA: We used CarMAX, not CarVANA. :shock:
I didn't realize I was confusing the two until I read further down where both names were used.
(One of them will probably become something like "Kleenex" eventually...)

RM
Last edited by ResearchMed on Mon Jun 14, 2021 4:56 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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knowledge
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Re: Has anyone sold car to Carvana ?

Post by knowledge »

I have both bought (prior to pandemic) and sold a car to Carvana (more recently). Both issues were hassle-free.
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8foot7
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Re: Has anyone sold car to Carvana ?

Post by 8foot7 »

Sold a 2015 Lexus RX to Carvana late last year. Got a great price for it, above KBB value. They came and picked it up and left a check, which cleared just fine. We literally did not do anything other than fill out the survey and fax a couple of documents. Did not leave the house.

IMO the concern of Carvana's check bouncing is not reasonable.
tvubpwcisla
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Re: Has anyone sold car to Carvana ?

Post by tvubpwcisla »

Yes, it was a great experience and they provided us a higher price than a trade in. Hassle free and we did not purchase a car from them. I also got a quote from Vroom but it was lower. I would highly recommend Carvana.
bob60014
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Re: Has anyone sold car to Carvana ?

Post by bob60014 »

I used them last year, preCovid. Received a surprisingly high offer on a basic 2012 Accord. The transaction was flawless, with appointments and all time lines met. The rep examined the car and verified the mileage, explained all documentation to be signed and, most important, I received a check on the spot as promised. Couldn't be happier!
theplayer11
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Re: Has anyone sold car to Carvana ?

Post by theplayer11 »

used prices are crazy. Paid $21k for Nissan pick up in Aug of 2016. Only 17k miles on it, but Carvana is quoting $20,455. I need a truck, but trying to be creative and take advantage of this.

Edit.just searched Carvana and they are asking $21,590 for my exact truck with 9,500 miles. Are their margins really that thin?
Last edited by theplayer11 on Tue Jun 15, 2021 7:03 am, edited 1 time in total.
chuckwalla
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Re: Has anyone sold car to Carvana ?

Post by chuckwalla »

Has anyone gotten offers from both Carvana and Carmax? Wonder which one offers better price.
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Nate79
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Re: Has anyone sold car to Carvana ?

Post by Nate79 »

chuckwalla wrote: Mon Jun 14, 2021 4:45 pm Has anyone gotten offers from both Carvana and Carmax? Wonder which one offers better price.
Based on various reports on here people should get a quote from all of them- Carvana, Carmax, and Vroom.
bob60014
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Re: Has anyone sold car to Carvana ?

Post by bob60014 »

chuckwalla wrote: Mon Jun 14, 2021 4:45 pm Has anyone gotten offers from both Carvana and Carmax? Wonder which one offers better price.
When I did it, Carvana topped CarMax by approx $900, Chicago area.
Topic Author
cheapskate
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Re: Has anyone sold car to Carvana ?

Post by cheapskate »

chuckwalla wrote: Mon Jun 14, 2021 4:45 pm Has anyone gotten offers from both Carvana and Carmax? Wonder which one offers better price.
I got quotes from all 3. CarMax - 23,800. Vroom - 24,700. Carvana - 25,063.
DiamondplateDave
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Re: Has anyone sold car to Carvana ?

Post by DiamondplateDave »

Random thought: Is the growth of CarMax/Carvana/Vroom etc. contributing to the higher prices of used cars lately?
Yes, I understand the car shortage, but I wonder if the fact that sellers can get a good price without dealing with 'tire kickers' or dealerships is increasing the price. The people determined to get top dollar sell it themselves, for...top dollar. Or they don't sell it. The people who just want a decent price, sell to CM/CV/VR. The people who underprice....sell to either actual buyers or people who just resell to CM/CV/VR or curbstone the car.

When my brother moved 2 years ago, he wanted to sell his Mercedes, so he put it on....Facebook Marketplace? He had somebody who was interested at $3K, but started asking strange questions like 'what kind of gas cap does it have?' so my brother ghosted him. I suggested he try CarMAX. Which he did and got $3500 after they inspected the car. I think the KBB value was about $4K, so he felt he did better than expected and no hassle.
UpperNwGuy
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Re: Has anyone sold car to Carvana ?

Post by UpperNwGuy »

Why would a Carvana check bounce?
Tingting1013
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Re: Has anyone sold car to Carvana ?

Post by Tingting1013 »

cheapskate wrote: Mon Jun 14, 2021 4:57 pm
chuckwalla wrote: Mon Jun 14, 2021 4:45 pm Has anyone gotten offers from both Carvana and Carmax? Wonder which one offers better price.
I got quotes from all 3. CarMax - 23,800. Vroom - 24,700. Carvana - 25,063.
Two more to check: AutoNation, Shift.com
Tingting1013
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Re: Has anyone sold car to Carvana ?

Post by Tingting1013 »

DiamondplateDave wrote: Mon Jun 14, 2021 9:19 pm Random thought: Is the growth of CarMax/Carvana/Vroom etc. contributing to the higher prices of used cars lately?
Yes, I understand the car shortage, but I wonder if the fact that sellers can get a good price without dealing with 'tire kickers' or dealerships is increasing the price. The people determined to get top dollar sell it themselves, for...top dollar. Or they don't sell it. The people who just want a decent price, sell to CM/CV/VR. The people who underprice....sell to either actual buyers or people who just resell to CM/CV/VR or curbstone the car.

When my brother moved 2 years ago, he wanted to sell his Mercedes, so he put it on....Facebook Marketplace? He had somebody who was interested at $3K, but started asking strange questions like 'what kind of gas cap does it have?' so my brother ghosted him. I suggested he try CarMAX. Which he did and got $3500 after they inspected the car. I think the KBB value was about $4K, so he felt he did better than expected and no hassle.
My impression is that private party sales work best for cars <$10k

Cars >$25k get few takers…people who have that much money to spend prefer the reassurance of buying from a dealer
4runner818
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Re: Has anyone sold car to Carvana ?

Post by 4runner818 »

chuckwalla wrote: Mon Jun 14, 2021 4:45 pm Has anyone gotten offers from both Carvana and Carmax? Wonder which one offers better price.
Sold my Tacoma to Carmax almost a year ago. If I remember correctly, Carmax and Carvana offered me the same price (or within $10 of one another) and Vroom was $1500 less. Carmax was the last quote I got, and since it matched Carvana and I was already at the Carmax location, I offloaded it right then and there. Super easy transaction.
saver007
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Re: Has anyone sold car to Carvana ?

Post by saver007 »

Also worth getting a quote from Autonation. Autonation quote was a grand higher than Carvana for my Honda Accord.
Marylander1
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Re: Has anyone sold car to Carvana ?

Post by Marylander1 »

cheapskate wrote: Mon Jun 14, 2021 1:39 pm Carvana offered a good price for my vehicle. So good, in fact, that I am left wondering what the catch is.
Your post led me to check Carvana's offer on our older car with almost 200k miles. The KBB Blue Book value was $2,700 last I checked.

Carvana offered $198.

So maybe you don't have a catch. :D

Marylander1
MichaelAZ
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Re: Has anyone sold car to Carvana ?

Post by MichaelAZ »

I sold my car to Carvana 3 weeks ago. Got $12,250. I was expecting $8,500 based on my craigslist research. It was a flawless, perfect, easy transaction.
manatee2005
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Re: Has anyone sold car to Carvana ?

Post by manatee2005 »

cheapskate wrote: Mon Jun 14, 2021 1:39 pm Carvana offered a good price for my vehicle. So good, in fact, that I am left wondering what the catch is. I know it is a publicly traded company with a $47B market cap, but these days, a lofty market cap is neither a necessary nor a sufficient condition for a business to be a legit/trustworthy one.

I have an appointment for them to inspect and pick up the vehicle tomorrow. I opted for a paper check. My main worry (yes, call me paranoid), is of getting a bad check that bounces and I am out my car. Has anyone sold their vehicle to Carvana ? Have there been any issues with payment ? Is there anything I should watch out for or be concerned about ?
You think a $50 billion publicly traded company will write you a bad check and steal your used car?

Even if that did happen in one of the parallel universes, you know that it's illegal to write bad checks and you could call the police to get you car back?
regularguy455
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Re: Has anyone sold car to Carvana ?

Post by regularguy455 »

Carvanas business model is auto lending. They make up the premium they pay you by charging interest to buyers.
Somethingwitty92912
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Re: Has anyone sold car to Carvana ?

Post by Somethingwitty92912 »

Essentially they are getting the better deal, a lot of foreign investment is swooping in, and buying up the ENTIRE us used car market I am unsure why.
theplayer11
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Re: Has anyone sold car to Carvana ?

Post by theplayer11 »

MichaelAZ wrote: Mon Jun 14, 2021 11:20 pm I sold my car to Carvana 3 weeks ago. Got $12,250. I was expecting $8,500 based on my craigslist research. It was a flawless, perfect, easy transaction.
So the quote they gave you online is what they paid? I notice they ask for the condition of the car for the quote, good, average, clean(or some wording like that). I'm sure many overstate the condition. Just wondering how Carvana handles this?
MAJIC9
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Re: Has anyone sold car to Carvana ?

Post by MAJIC9 »

They are not very picky about discrepancies in condition - I guess unless you can see it from the moon.. I sold two cars to them and each time they looked at it for 30 seconds or less.. and that was it -- it's that quick and easy.. and yes, you get the full amount they quoted

PS. They sold both of those cars within a week or so.. one went for 4k over what I got for it (25% spread).. and the other for 3k.. (~8%) so Carvana did well even on front end..
anil686
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Re: Has anyone sold car to Carvana ?

Post by anil686 »

MAJIC9 wrote: Tue Jun 15, 2021 7:49 am They are not very picky about discrepancies in condition - I guess unless you can see it from the moon.. I sold two cars to them and each time they looked at it for 30 seconds or less.. and that was it -- it's that quick and easy.. and yes, you get the full amount they quoted

PS. They sold both of those cars within a week or so.. one went for 4k over what I got for it (25% spread).. and the other for 3k.. (~8%) so Carvana did well even on front end..
this is the deal - I had a good friend who worked at a car dealership in the Chicagoland area back in the mid 2000s - they did this all the time at their dealership (combination of fleet and retail sales with a large used car business). He would openly tell me that the KBB prices were designed to give the car dealerships a built in profit of about 25% on resale - with a number of assumptions - detailing/minor repairs/paint chips/etc. For large dealerships with in house abilities to do the above at scale, they found that offering just above the KBB price allowed them to get a lot of used cars in the area, prep them for really cheap and resale them for about a 20-30% profit quickly which became really good with high volume. Carvana - IMO - is just this on a national scale - and they don’t even fix the paint chips - they just disclose they are there. Pretty much they detail it and sell it and pocket the difference btw acquiring and retail selling of a used car. The limited real estate footprints (vertical space vs horizontal), reduced labor costs and centralized services only adds to the margins IMO….
Psu4lif
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Re: Has anyone sold car to Carvana ?

Post by Psu4lif »

Sold my lease that was ending this summer about two months ago to Carvana. Very easy and smooth process. Person came in a Carvana branded car, took keys and left car. Said truck would be back later that day or next to get the car. An average Joe's flatbed tow truck came the next day to get the car. Could the neighbors outside at the time think your car was getting repossessed? Perhaps. Should I have run after the truck yelling "this is a mistake. I made my payments!" ? Definitely.

I also opted for paper check. The Carvana person will activate the check after reviewing the car. I waited until next day to deposit through my phone. No problems.
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Re: Has anyone sold car to Carvana ?

Post by Tingting1013 »

Psu4lif wrote: Tue Jun 15, 2021 8:18 am An average Joe's flatbed tow truck came the next day to get the car. Could the neighbors outside at the time think your car was getting repossessed? Perhaps. Should I have run after the truck yelling "this is a mistake. I made my payments!" ? Definitely.
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cheapskate
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Re: Has anyone sold car to Carvana ?

Post by cheapskate »

Update on my transaction. The Carvana guy came in (earlier than the appointed time, he called me if it was OK to be early). He came in a Carvana branded vehicle, in Carvana attire. Very courteous, very professional. He had all the paperwork ready to go. The inspection took seconds, he started the engine, did a Odometer reading, took a few pictures. Handed me a check and advised me to do the DMV online release and take the car off my insurance policy. He told me to hold off on depositing the check for 24 hours. I will deposit it tomorrow.

Assuming the check clears, this is the smoothest auto transaction (sell or buy) that I've ever done. Definitely the most profitable auto sale :sharebeer
Lops2045
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Re: Has anyone sold car to Carvana ?

Post by Lops2045 »

I just sold/ traded in my 2019 F150 to a Ford dealership. I checked Carvana first, but negotiated a much better price (about $3500 more) with the dealer.

I had the same experience as you and was pleasantly surprised with the offer I got. I bought the truck last year for 37 otd and traded it in for 45. The dealer didn't even inspect the trade-in
surfstar
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Re: Has anyone sold car to Carvana ?

Post by surfstar »

MAJIC9 wrote: Tue Jun 15, 2021 7:49 am They are not very picky about discrepancies in condition - I guess unless you can see it from the moon.. I sold two cars to them and each time they looked at it for 30 seconds or less.. and that was it -- it's that quick and easy.. and yes, you get the full amount they quoted

PS. They sold both of those cars within a week or so.. one went for 4k over what I got for it (25% spread).. and the other for 3k.. (~8%) so Carvana did well even on front end..
I've been watching - finally see my car up for sale, after checking just now b/c of this thread.

They gave me $26,000 for it a month ago.
Listed now for...

$26,990

They have to try and make $ off the financing, otherwise $990 is not going to cover their overhead. Guess I did well :)

Selling another to them later this month. Didn't want to get rid of my 2016 VW wagon, but for nearly $12k, I kinda need to "time" the market for it. Heck, I only paid $18.5k + TTL in 2016 for it.
02nz
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Re: Has anyone sold car to Carvana ?

Post by 02nz »

anil686 wrote: Tue Jun 15, 2021 8:01 am
MAJIC9 wrote: Tue Jun 15, 2021 7:49 am They are not very picky about discrepancies in condition - I guess unless you can see it from the moon.. I sold two cars to them and each time they looked at it for 30 seconds or less.. and that was it -- it's that quick and easy.. and yes, you get the full amount they quoted

PS. They sold both of those cars within a week or so.. one went for 4k over what I got for it (25% spread).. and the other for 3k.. (~8%) so Carvana did well even on front end..
this is the deal - I had a good friend who worked at a car dealership in the Chicagoland area back in the mid 2000s - they did this all the time at their dealership (combination of fleet and retail sales with a large used car business). He would openly tell me that the KBB prices were designed to give the car dealerships a built in profit of about 25% on resale - with a number of assumptions - detailing/minor repairs/paint chips/etc. For large dealerships with in house abilities to do the above at scale, they found that offering just above the KBB price allowed them to get a lot of used cars in the area, prep them for really cheap and resale them for about a 20-30% profit quickly which became really good with high volume. Carvana - IMO - is just this on a national scale - and they don’t even fix the paint chips - they just disclose they are there. Pretty much they detail it and sell it and pocket the difference btw acquiring and retail selling of a used car. The limited real estate footprints (vertical space vs horizontal), reduced labor costs and centralized services only adds to the margins IMO….
I can't speak for traditional dealers but Carvana and Vroom, in my experience, are not typically making anywhere close to 25%. I've sold one car to Carvana and one to Vroom over the past half year or so, in each case I checked what they were listed for. In both cases it was a markup of less than 5% over what they paid me (in one case this was <$1K, in another <$2K). And of course they have costs. Surely they make money in other ways (e.g., financing), but I don't think 25% is typical.
MJD
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Re: Has anyone sold car to Carvana ?

Post by MJD »

Just sold to Carvana today. $4300 from CarMax, $4990 from Carvana. Easy as pie. Took about 15 minutes.
Calli114
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Re: Has anyone sold car to Carvana ?

Post by Calli114 »

I sold them my Outback for a good price in April.
Only catch was I had to drive within a radius for them to pick it up as they did not pick up in my town.
Got a wire transfer a few days later.
My neighbor who followed and gave me a ride home was sure I’d been scammed until the payment came through, b/c we just met the guy in a parking lot and were done in probably 10 min.
Se4n
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Re: Has anyone sold car to Carvana ?

Post by Se4n »

Sold them a 2014 Jetta last month. Bought it for 10.2k with 25k miles in 2017, Carvana offered 9.4k with 66k miles, about 3k higher than kbb tradein value and 2k over private sale value. Was a no brainer. The trade in was the easiest I've ever done in my life. They came to my house, towed it away, and the money was in my bank the next day. Would definitely recommend.
destiny
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Re: Has anyone sold car to Carvana ?

Post by destiny »

Sold my SUV yesterday, Carvana offer was higher compared to Carmax and Vroom. Selling to Carvana was a seamless experience , dropped off the SUV yesterday afternoon took about 15/20 and got the ACH funds deposited in my account last night , freaking fast than handling manual checks .
once bitten, twice shy
theplayer11
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Re: Has anyone sold car to Carvana ?

Post by theplayer11 »

looking for input on how to look at my situation on how much more I should pay for a new vehicle giving the below:
-bought new truck in 2016 for $21k even
-Carvana quote of $20,552
-only drive about 3,500 miles a year, truck used for business.

My initial thought was this is too good of an opportunity to pass up, getting back only $500 less for a truck
purchased 5 years ago. Of course new trucks are selling at or close to MRSP now.
How much should I pay for a new truck? Is there a certain way I should be looking at this? I could get a new Tacoma or another Frontier in the $27-29K range. I would also add sales tax in not a factor as I'm exempt.
Input?
NestEggLove
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Re: Has anyone sold car to Carvana ?

Post by NestEggLove »

Just a couple questions, didn’t see asked/answered here :
Can you keep your plates if you sell through Carvana (or any others for that matter)
—— and are the quotes you get online beforehand free ??

Thanks in advance !
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5th_Dimension
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Re: Has anyone sold car to Carvana ?

Post by 5th_Dimension »

NestEggLove wrote: Sat Jul 10, 2021 9:12 am Just a couple questions, didn’t see asked/answered here :
Can you keep your plates if you sell through Carvana (or any others for that matter)
—— and are the quotes you get online beforehand free ??

Thanks in advance !
In our case in California Carvana asked that we remove the plates. I kept the back one for the drive there and they removed it and gave it to us. The quote was free but I had to provide an email address. I gave them an old one expecting there might be some spam but there wasn't any.

Based on our experience I highly recommend them.
Pick up a penny and soon you'll have many.
NestEggLove
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Re: Has anyone sold car to Carvana ?

Post by NestEggLove »

Thanks 5th Dimension ! Very helpful !
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bengal22
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Re: Has anyone sold car to Carvana ?

Post by bengal22 »

bob60014 wrote: Mon Jun 14, 2021 4:51 pm
chuckwalla wrote: Mon Jun 14, 2021 4:45 pm Has anyone gotten offers from both Carvana and Carmax? Wonder which one offers better price.
When I did it, Carvana topped CarMax by approx $900, Chicago area.
I sold a car to carvana. Their quote was $1000 higher than CarMax. Selling was an easy process.
"Earn All You Can; Give All You Can; Save All You Can." .... John Wesley
tomd37
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Re: Has anyone sold car to Carvana ?

Post by tomd37 »

I have a question for all of you who sold your vehicle recently to Carvana. Were you buying another new car now to replace the one sold to Carvana and did you have any concerns about the availability of your replacement (due to semiconductor shortages)? I am thinking about replacing my wife's car with a new model, but am concerned the new model might not be available due to semiconductor shortages. Current predictions are the problem may be resolved by the end of the year.
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Re: Has anyone sold car to Carvana ?

Post by bgf »

tomd37 wrote: Sat Jul 10, 2021 2:33 pm I have a question for all of you who sold your vehicle recently to Carvana. Were you buying another new car now to replace the one sold to Carvana and did you have any concerns about the availability of your replacement (due to semiconductor shortages)? I am thinking about replacing my wife's car with a new model, but am concerned the new model might not be available due to semiconductor shortages. Current predictions are the problem may be resolved by the end of the year.
No. I traded my car in to carvana about two weeks ago and purchased a used car through carvana as part of the same transaction. It went very well. This is the second car we've bought from carvana and first we traded in to them. no problems at all. They delivered mine on a trailer and took the old one with them. Took less than 30 minutes.

I never shopped for new cars, so I can't comment on availability.

My new car is amazing by the way. Can't believe how quiet and comfortable it is.
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Re: Has anyone sold car to Carvana ?

Post by whodidntante »

Tingting1013 wrote: Mon Jun 14, 2021 9:57 pm My impression is that private party sales work best for cars <$10k

Cars >$25k get few takers…people who have that much money to spend prefer the reassurance of buying from a dealer
You could be right, but I don't know what assurances people think they are getting that way assuming it's the typical "as is" deal. I have learned a great deal about the history of a car by interacting with the current owner, and very little by interacting with a dealer.
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Re: Has anyone sold car to Carvana ?

Post by 5th_Dimension »

tomd37 wrote: Sat Jul 10, 2021 2:33 pm I have a question for all of you who sold your vehicle recently to Carvana. Were you buying another new car now to replace the one sold to Carvana and did you have any concerns about the availability of your replacement (due to semiconductor shortages)? I am thinking about replacing my wife's car with a new model, but am concerned the new model might not be available due to semiconductor shortages. Current predictions are the problem may be resolved by the end of the year.
Sold one of our two cars to Carvana after placing an order for a Model 3 Tesla. Now over a month into waiting for the Tesla and no firm date on when we will get it. On a Tesla forum I belong to there are people who sold their existing car thinking they would be able to get the Tesla quickly, they have been riding the bus for months. If you have to order your new car and can get by with one car you might be ok, if you require two cars I would wait till you have the replacement car in your driveway :happy.
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Re: Has anyone sold car to Carvana ?

Post by stoptothink »

whodidntante wrote: Sat Jul 10, 2021 2:53 pm
Tingting1013 wrote: Mon Jun 14, 2021 9:57 pm My impression is that private party sales work best for cars <$10k

Cars >$25k get few takers…people who have that much money to spend prefer the reassurance of buying from a dealer
You could be right, but I don't know what assurances people think they are getting that way assuming it's the typical "as is" deal. I have learned a great deal about the history of a car by interacting with the current owner, and very little by interacting with a dealer.
One of my good friends just sold his Jeep trailhawk (2018 I think) on Craigslist for about what he bought it for new ($32k I believe). He just wanted to get rid of the piece of junk. He got a text within an hour of listing, offering more than his asking price. When he asked how could they confirm it wasn't a scam, they replied that they could meet him at the dealership, because that's who he was buying for. They simply can't keep trucks and SUVs on the lot, so his job is to scour private listings. Met at the dealership the next day and they handed him a check. It's insane right now.
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Re: Has anyone sold car to Carvana ?

Post by MichaelAZ »

theplayer11 wrote: Tue Jun 15, 2021 6:52 am
MichaelAZ wrote: Mon Jun 14, 2021 11:20 pm I sold my car to Carvana 3 weeks ago. Got $12,250. I was expecting $8,500 based on my craigslist research. It was a flawless, perfect, easy transaction.
So the quote they gave you online is what they paid? I notice they ask for the condition of the car for the quote, good, average, clean(or some wording like that). I'm sure many overstate the condition. Just wondering how Carvana handles this?
Yep, they paid me exactly what they quoted. I gave an honest assessment of the vehicle's quality. I did notice there was minimal difference in quote when I changed the reported quality level to make it better. Carvana's reconditioning process is likely robust enough to handle the variations of opinion on what "good" means --- meaning that it doesn't cost them much more to refinish a vehicle with lots of small scratches or just a few small scratches.
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