Tuesday, January 29, 2013

Carvana - A Whole New Way To Buy Cars

Carvana - Car Shopping Reinvented
Last night, I was introduced to a new company in the Atlanta area called Carvana. Now for those of you who are not familiar with my background, I specialize in digital marketing as well as automobiles. Because of this, I was extremely interested in Carvana.

The Internet is continuing to grow and online shopping has become the go-to method for shoppers to get what they want without leaving their homes. Previously, online automotive sites would allow you to buy the vehicle but it often required a trip to the dealer to either purchase or pick-up the vehicle. However, that is the past, Carvana is the future.

Carvana offers you the ability to browse, finance and purchase a car from the comfort of your couch. Enter your information and zip code and you are automatically presented with a list of vehicles near you ranging from high-end luxury cars to everyday drivers. After you find the car you want, you can use their financing tool to see the APR, down payment, monthly payment and term length to finance the car through Carvana. Once you purchase the car, it will be delivered directly to your door the following day so you can get out on the open road immediately.

A 2011 BMW 535i on Carvana
My favorite aspect of Carvana is the transparency that comes with each vehicle listed on the site. As you're scrolling through vehicles, you can find out all of the features as well as any imperfections. One such example of this was a beautiful BMW 5 Series I was looking at. The vehicle has a small scratch on the roof that was noted in the 360 degree visual of the car. Additionally, these are the real cars you would be buying, not a stock image of the vehicle. What you see is what you get.

While I am on that topic, each vehicle in the system has a 360 degree view of both the exterior and interior complete with bubbles showing all features and hazard triangles showing any imperfections. This feature gets you up close and personal with the vehicle like you would expect at a dealership visit. Finally, each listed vehicle comes with a free Experian AutoCheck report so you can see the vehicle history.

Now, by this point you are probably thinking, "This is interesting but you cannot truly experience the car without driving it." I could not agree more. The great benefit to this system is that you can purchase the car from Carvana and they will deliver it to your door within a day. If you do not like the car, you have seven days to return it, no questions asked. This is ample time to test out the car and ensure it is to your liking. In the event there is a problem, just return it for a refund.

Regardless of where you're reading this, I encourage you to try out Carvana. I feel this is the way of the future for car buying and I look forward to watching the platform expand in the upcoming months and years.

For more information, check out the press release from Carvana below.

Disclaimer: I have not been paid or compensated by Carvana in any way. However, I would like to note that I have not gone through a purchase with the system.


CARVANA LAUNCHES FIRST 100 PERCENT ONLINE CAR RETAILER IN ATLANTA
Consumers can purchase vehicles in 30 minutes and receive next day delivery

ATLANTA - Jan. 29, 2013 – Carvana announces its launch into the used car market following an exclusive preview at The High Museum of Art on Jan. 28. The first–of-its-kind in the auto industry, Carvana offers potential car buyers the unique opportunity to browse, finance and buy a car entirely online. Carvana.com caters to a wide variety of consumers from car enthusiasts to convenience seekers by simplifying the car buying process with innovative technology and next day delivery.

Carvana is backed by DriveTime, a company with more than $1 billion in revenue and over 20 years’ experience in the car buying and selling market.  With a focus on mid-market and luxury vehicles, Carvana will launch its services in the Atlanta metropolitan area; however, with physical plant operations in Winder, Ga. it has the capacity to serve cities throughout Georgia and the surrounding five states.  With the support of the 7th-largest used car retailer in the country, Carvana will be able to leverage existing infrastructure, in conjunction with its proprietary technology, to expand rapidly across the United States.

“We have the ambition and fresh perspective of a start-up paired with the experience, infrastructure, and knowledge gained from our prior work and partnership with DriveTime,” says Carvana President, Ernie Garcia. “We are excited to introduce an entirely new concept into the car industry and breathe new life into the car buying experience.”

According to a recent survey conducted by Accenture’s Automotive Industry Group, 88 percent of potential car buyers want clearer online pricing and 94 percent would consider purchasing a car entirely online, from search to delivery. Carvana plans to capture this audience by offering a drastically different car buying experience, one that eliminates hours of haggling, waiting and frustration and replaces it with a simple, always on and relaxed process with added savings to the customer.

“Physical car dealerships have high overhead costs that are passed onto the consumer during the car buying process,” explains Garcia.  “Carvana eliminates physical overhead and replaces it with a consumer-friendly technology, creating a 360 degree online experience that gives complete control to the customer.”

Transparency and technological innovation are two key differentiators between the Carvana experience and the average used car purchase process. Carvana.com features notable advancements in photography, by providing high-definition 360 degree interior and exterior views, where consumers can take a vehicle for a virtual spin.  Carvana’s online platform simplifies the financing process by allowing consumers to manipulate down payment and monthly payment options to instantly formulate a payment plan unique to them.  

“As the first complete online auto retailer, we pride ourselves on our transparency and ease of use,” Garcia notes.  “Customers can experience our patent-pending, state of the art photography system and benefit from a unique and dynamic pricing and finance model so when they come to Carvana, what they see is truly what they get.”

Carvana’s Winder facility currently boasts a 150-car inventory with plans to increase this on a monthly basis throughout 2013.  All vehicles in inventory are less than three years old and include an Experian Autocheck report.  In addition, a majority of the vehicles maintain their original manufacturer warranty and come with full disclosure of any functional or cosmetic damage. All Carvana vehicles are backed by a 7-day, no-questions-asked Test Buy return policy.
###

About Carvana
Carvana was founded on the principle belief that car buying should be a quick and painless process.  By leveraging advances in technology against the costly overhead it takes to maintain a traditional dealership, Carvana is able to transfer savings on to the customer.  By increasing transparency and efficiency, Carvana puts the car buying experience back into the hands of the consumer. For further information, please visit www.carvana.com.

8 comments:

  1. I just bought a car through Carvana. It was so easy! I got my own financing (also online), and there were no hidden fees. I think the Carvana prices are competitive. You can take your time online to shop, and even when you sign the contract. No one is hanging over your shoulder, pressuring you to buy an extended warranty, or surprising you with a huge "documentation fee".

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi. Would you be interested in talking about your car buying experience? We're looking for people to participate in 2-hour interviews which pay $350. If you're interested, please call or email me and I'll give you further info and see if you qualify.

      Delete
  2. Horrible! They are still Drivetime and the rep was rude to me name Hanna! She hung up in my face when confronted on her lying. I found out they do a criminal background on buyers and also minorities are subject to not being ableto buy from Carvana. Teresa Gomez told me that she do criminal checks on blacks and said she will ban you from buying vehicles. WORST PLACE!! WTF!!

    ReplyDelete
  3. When you are looking to buy a car, you should have good knowledge about cars. good knowledge about cars can help a lot in buying good car and points you made is good.
    Battery UAE
    http://www.dial-a-battery.com/

    ReplyDelete
  4. Great post. I do window tinting in Austin TX and I originally heard about Carvana from one of my customers. Seems like it's growing more and more popular as an online tool to find your perfect car.

    - Jackie O

    ReplyDelete
  5. These prices seem a little steep. A 2013 Ford F150 XLT 35,000 miles for $35,500? I can get a new 2014 for $33,000.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Aside from these reasons, some people also buy cars as extravagant and memorable gifts to their loved ones. A car is not just a status symbol, but also a valuable possession that we can give to the people we love. We can give it on special occasions and in moments of triumph. For example, I received my first car from my mom when I graduated from college. It was one of the best gifts that I received from her. As an act of gratitude, I use it with utmost care, and I make sure to do maintenance on it every so often.
    used cars for sale

    ReplyDelete
  7. DON'T EVER PURCHASE CARVANA VEHICLES. The idea sounds great in theory, but after getting a 2010 Camaro SS with only 5,900 miles (VIN: 2G1FT1EW7A9143256), I had a 3rd party shop check it out. Turns out the entire underbody had begun to rust, especially heavy in the rear and on rear control arms. Now Carvana claims "any return within 7 days no questions asked" but the very first thing out of their mouth when I said I'd be returning the vehicle was... "Why?". Then they proceeded to explain to me that "they do not note surface rust in their inspections." Rust is rust. Once it starts, it only gets worse faster and faster. Rust is the single major no-no for buying a slightly used car. I wonder what else they choose to not note during inspections. After lots of bugging, I finally got my down payment refund back, however 1.5 months later I am still receiving phone calls from the finance company saying my payments are late on a car I don't own. While speaking with them they admitted "to be honest, we are fairly unfamiliar with handling returns, so we are very sorry about all this"... In the end I got the same vehicle from a local dealer with more extras for only $500 more bc of dealer fees. Go get a certified car from a face to face traditional dealer. You'll be glad you did. Forgot to mention... after all of this they put the same Camaro with rust back up on the website for sale. No thanks. That's not a dealer that cares, that's just a money hungry company that doesn't care if they screw you a little bit.

    ReplyDelete