Does Carvana Deliver on Time?
The Good, the Bad and the Ugly with Carvana Delivery.
I will be sharing my experience online car buying experience regarding Carvana delivery and what you can expect with the entire buying process. Just to let you know, overall I did have a good experience but the car was delayed a week due to logistics.
Also I did not have the option of FREE delivery but paid for delivery of the vehicle. I would weigh your options regarding delivery if you have found the EXACT vehicle that you wanted. We were looking for a CLA 250 that was in white and the AMG sport package.
If you are looking for a car with specific packages, it would be worth looking outside your general area. Especially those in warmer weather since there is less likely any rust or corrosion.
In this article, I will review the Carvana delivery options, what to look for and my overall experience.
Let's get started...
What is the Process for Carvana Delivery?
When you visit Carvana, you will enter your zip code. This will help their platform determine if your delivery is free or there will be a delivery fee.
If you see Free Delivery, then the vehicle is close enough to your specific location to offer no-cost delivery. I believe the range is about 150 miles but I am not sure 100%.
If there is a delivery fee, it's important to note that this fee is NOT REFUNDABLE. I knew this going in so the fee was a risk I was willing to take in order to get the exact car I wanted.
When you browse the website, there will be an estimated delivery date. This is just an estimate as I encountered a delay with my delivery.
You have the option to select am or pm delivery. I opted for a delivery so that I can see the car during the daytime. Ideally, you will want to have it delivered on a sunny day so that you can do a proper inspection on the car.
Carvana does a decent job on identifying paint defects or scrapes, but upon my delivery, I did catch a few items that were not listed on the website photos.
Note: Your delivery agent will be able to make notes in the system regarding the additional damage that you will find. SilverRock did put a claim in to help process the additional damage but I ended up just keeping the car as is since the damage was under the rocker panel.
Text Updates on Delivery
Your delivery driver will update you about 30 mins before you day delivery on the date that you scheduled. You do have the option to reschedule up to 24 hours before the scheduled date.
Touchless Home Delivery
When the delivery driver arrives, it is touchless and you don't have to shake hands or be in close contact with them. Since the transaction is outside, you are pretty safe with the pandemic or any germs. I was masked up the whole time as was the driver.
Your vehicle should arrive on a flatbed. It will be driven off and parked for you to inspect. You have the option to test drive the car around the block but I already knew I wanted the car. Plus you have a 7 day return policy. This was key for me.
After the paperwork was signed, the countdown began for the 7 day money back guarantee.
Your vehicle will come with temporary paper license plates, with nice Carvana plate frames around them.
As I mentioned previously, once your car arrives, make sure you inspect it thoroughly and follow all instructions.
Why Does Carvana Keep Rescheduling My Delivery?
When I spoke to my advocate, the original date was set and that time was 10am for the delivery window. Unfortunately, the delivery date was moved to a week later 24 hours before delivery. This was a little unfortunate but expected. So a week later, I got delivery of my new car around the same morning delivery window.
I read a lot of other customers encountered the same issues so it was no surprise. Since I paid for the delivery, I expected some compensation but my Carvana Advocate simply apologized regarding the situation.
Delivery delays are common when you order anything online and the same is true for online car purchases. Delays happen due to weather, logistics, traffic and trucking transport incidents.
In either case, if your car is delayed more than 30 days, then I would opt out and cancel the order. But if you are only 1-2 weeks delayed, in my expert opinion, it's a minor inconvenience.
What if I Don't Like My Car? Can I Return It?
Yes, based on my experience, Carvana makes it simple to return the car. Simply call or click on the button in your dashboard and schedule a return.
You are able to drive your car for 400 miles in order to get a better idea if you like it. I believe this is a GREAT business idea since you do have 7 days to decide to keep.
Get a PPI within Your 7 Days
During those 7-days, it's prudent for you to get the car inspected with a PPI. A PPI is a pre-purchase inspection. I suggest you take it to your dealership since they will run through all the systems and road test the car.
While Carvana advertises a rigorous 150-point inspection, they really only check for obvious issues and don't fully check EVERYTHING. But overall, the responsibility falls on YOU the buyer to accept the condition. Carvana sells hundreds of cars nationwide so they are limited on what can be checked.
While it's not a PRE-purchase, it is a critical step in protecting yourself. Any inspection will cost you an additional out of pocket expense. My PPI from my Mercedes Benz dealership was $331 plus tax. It was a worthy investment especially if any repairs are discovered and then any warranty claim is handled by SilverRock.
Another good thing is that my car came with a new set of tires. They were Ironman iMove gen 2 tires but have been great so far.
SilverRock (which is part of Carvana) aims to please you during the 7 days with Carvana Care, so it's important you get it inspected as soon as possible.
My dealership found the rear shock making noise and wheels out of round. SilverRock covered the rear shock replacement, which cost them $800 parts and labor.
Things You Should NOT Do During Your 7 Days
You should not in any way modify or tint the windows of your vehicle. Once you modify the vehicle, you void the 7-day money back return policy. This was emphasized to me numerous times.
If you plan to put on a set of wheels or an intake system, I strongly advise you to not waste your time or money unless you are 100% sure you are keeping the car.
Your 7 days starts the time you receive the car and you MUST inform them on the 6th day if you are returning the car.
If you lapse on time, then you are stuck with the car and your car payments.
Secondly, 400 miles is pretty good to see if you like the car. You will know within the first 200 miles if you like the driving dynamics or not.
If you do drive over the 400 miles, then you are charged $1 per every mile over. So if you somehow drive 1,400 miles, you will be on the hook for a $1,000 additional fee.
In our case, we loved the car and ended up keeping it after the seven-day return policy ended. The registration process and documentation fees were also handled by Carvana.
Final Thoughts
In conclusion, we know that car delivery services aren't exactly known for their reliability. But, thanks to Carvana, you won't have to worry about whether or not your vehicle will arrive at all. They are trustworthy and pretty good at providing a smooth process to purchasing your next vehicle.
Like I mentioned before, our delivery was delayed about a week as the car was coming from Illinois to my home in New Jersey.
How to Save $500 on your Carvana Purchase and Get a Free Gift
If you are looking to purchase, send me a message at anthony@buycarblog.com and I will send you my promo code as I am limited in giving away 3 codes. Good luck.