We are talking two different subjects, aren't we? The Costco, Sam's and other "price match" programs are for new cars only?

Carvana is a used car lot?

I know that a local dealer can basically find whatever car you want and have it shipped to them.

That's how it works most the time but if you just didn't want to work with the local dealer for whatever reason, I didn't realize it was that simple to buy from out of state. I thought there were issues about tagging and paying tax but I guess they just figure that out.

. . after trying to work with the local Infiniti dealer, ended up with Sewell in Dallas (purchasing a previously leased vehicle). Worked via email and then went down to test drive. About 1 1/2 hours total test drive and purchase. Tax and tagging no problem. Stellar salesman and buying experience. . .and when I'm in the Dallas area I can pop in for a free car wash.

I bought a car recently in Michigan. I put down a deposit to hold it. Flew up there, signed the paperwork, got a temporary MI tag and drove home.

Toyota has regions and doesn't allow trades between dealers out of their regions. Also certain configurations are not available in certain zones. That is why I could not even order or get the truck I wanted in Oklahoma, Texas or Kansas. Missouri is another region. I paid cash for the truck so really the only thing that had to be done was change the price on the paper work. That was a price reduction because they felt they owned me that since they dropped the ball on telling me the salesman had the day off (kids softball tournament out of town) and they forgot to tell me that day they closed early. They credited back the cost of the rental car and hotel room since I had to stay over. They told me about the extended warranty program but I said not interested. They were fine with that. They offer oil changes for life but again they said, well I guess you won't be using this. Well if ever I am travelling that way and need one, I can get a free oil change. It was fairly quick. I think they spent more time feeding me then anything else. They had one of those cafe's in there dealership.

Really with the internet and the options for purchasing vehicles today, they for the most part are aware that if they don't give you the best deal quickly, you will just turn and walk.

I know that a local dealer can basically find whatever car you want and have it shipped to them.

That's how it works most the time but if you just didn't want to work with the local dealer for whatever reason, I didn't realize it was that simple to buy from out of state. I thought there were issues about tagging and paying tax but I guess they just figure that out.

Just make sure the dealership you buy from isn't about to go bankrupt. We had a horror story buying our van from a dealer in Dallas, built the transfer of the title and the tag to OK into financing and everything. After a month of not receiving our tag or any documentation in the mail, we started to ask questions. The dealership went out of business. It took us a YEAR to get our tag, and even then it was a Texas tag, and we had to jump through some hoops to get it transferred without paying outrageous penalties.

Jackie Cooper I assume? My wife and I both bought cars there a few (8) years back and it was the worst experience I’ve ever had.

For our last 4 or 5 purchases we have just found what we wanted online and emailed dealers across the country to price shop. We then just have them delivered, usually anywhere from $500 - $1500. Well worth the time and money savings.

For the last new car I purchased, I did a bunch of pricing research with the goal of establishing what I thought would be the lowest price I could reasonably expect to pay for the car I wanted. I got pricing information for the baseline model plus options I wanted, figured out the so-called "invoice" price, then started taking off things like dealer holdback, floorplan allowances, and regional incentives (offered at that time), and then made an allowance for the dealer's "overhead" on the car.

I took that number and folded it up, put it in a folder, then set up a burner Google email account and sent three RFP's to Toyota dealers around town, telling them the exact make, color, model, trimline, and options I wanted, and told them to send me their "Best and Final out-the-door cash price," deliverable no later than a date certain, and explicitly inclusive of any nonsense like "Dealer fees," "doc prep fees," and a few other similar permutations. All three responded. One dealer barely gave me an offer below MSRP, which was obviously a loser. Another dealer gave me an offer that, IIRC, was about $2K below sticker, but still not competitive.

The winning dealer missed my calculated take price by *exactly* $50.

I wrote them back and accepted their offer pending my inspection of their vehicle, and that very car is in my driveway now with 133,000 miles and a happy wife still driving it daily :)

I doubt I'll buy a truly new car anytime soon, if ever, but when I can make a really good educated guess what a car truly costs, I'll let the dealers chase me if I possibly can.

. . after trying to work with the local Infiniti dealer, ended up with Sewell in Dallas (purchasing a previously leased vehicle). Worked via email and then went down to test drive. About 1 1/2 hours total test drive and purchase. Tax and tagging no problem. Stellar salesman and buying experience. . .and when I'm in the Dallas area I can pop in for a free car wash.

I've noticed a lot of cars around OKC with the Sewell nameplate on them. They're doing something right.

I've noticed a lot of cars around OKC with the Sewell nameplate on them. They're doing something right.

i can't believe people actually leave dealer nameplates on their cars.

that's the first thing I do when I reach a deal on a car, "Take those nameplates off and don't scratch the car while you're at it!"

It’s on my list of “stuff not important enough for me to really even think about”.

interesting, no Carvana in Seattle. ...

So funny note.. I got a new car from the Carvana vending machine Friday night. The machine jammed. Multiple times. They were running behind when I got there for my appointment, and with each use they had to call into tech support, because it got jammed every time.

So yes, it does live up to the vending machine jokes. And yes, they do give you a giant coin to put in the coin slot to start up the lifts and get your car out.

So funny note.. I got a new car from the Carvana vending machine Friday night. The machine jammed. Multiple times. They were running behind when I got there for my appointment, and with each use they had to call into tech support, because it got jammed every time.

So yes, it does live up to the vending machine jokes. And yes, they do give you a giant coin to put in the coin slot to start up the lifts and get your car out.


That's funny. I kind of wonder how many cars are just there because they look pretty in the vending machine and they load up customer pickups towards the back just before they get picked up.. They seem to have a wide range of colorful cars.

While the cars in the parking lot are more "boring" colors.

So, Carvana does not sell new cars, right?

interesting, no Carvana in Seattle. ...

I think they still do deliveries there. NYC does not have one either and LA got theirs in Aug.

So, Carvana does not sell new cars, right?

No, just used, like Carmax.

That's funny. I kind of wonder how many cars are just there because they look pretty in the vending machine and they load up customer pickups towards the back just before they get picked up.. They seem to have a wide range of colorful cars.

While the cars in the parking lot are more "boring" colors.

I know that all of the cars in the tower are ones that are sold (or at least that was the case Friday). While I was picking up mine, some guy came in and asked if he could buy one in the tower, and they told him they were all sold. It makes sense since the tower is really just the delivery mechanism for sold cars, and not actually a tool itself to sell the car. I'm not sure if there were additional cars there (honestly, I wasn't paying attention). I feel like all the cars around the tower were employee and customer cars.

I know that all of the cars in the tower are ones that are sold (or at least that was the case Friday). While I was picking up mine, some guy came in and asked if he could buy one in the tower, and they told him they were all sold. It makes sense since the tower is really just the delivery mechanism for sold cars, and not actually a tool itself to sell the car. I'm not sure if there were additional cars there (honestly, I wasn't paying attention). I feel like all the cars around the tower were employee and customer cars.

Are they open Sundays since the cars are technically already sold? It seemed like a lot of cars in the parking lot for a sunday evening.

If your car doesn't come down, can you shake it to get it free from the machine?? LOL.

Are they open Sundays since the cars are technically already sold? It seemed like a lot of cars in the parking lot for a sunday evening.
That's an interesting challenge. If so, look forward to a big lobbying push from area car dealerships to open on Sundays.

http://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/carvana102719a.jpg

Not only is their web infrastructure bad....so is their entire process. I am in process of buying a car through them. It gets delivered tomorrow. I can tell you that it has been the worst car buying experience I have had, Their online portal and customer service features online are horrible. Would upload documents and then the next day get email saying it wasn't uploaded. Check your account and it doesn't show that you even uploaded it and so you call. Once you get someone on the line (they are all taking calls from home), they look and everything is uploaded and their autogenerated emails are faulty. Says you can give cashiers check to the delivery driver but they don't tell you that is only the down payment. If paying in full...you have to overnight the check even though you have to upload it on the portal and then wait for them to call the bank and verify. I do not recommend them nor will I ever purchase from them again.

As part of Carvana's ongoing and increasing troubles, they have sold the OKC dealership to a holding company and leased it back to itself.

If you haven't been following Carvana's woes as of late, you might check it out. Their creditors have just signed negotiation agreements to streamline the process of reorganizing their massive debt, and *may* last through 2023 as a result, but a bankruptcy seems only a forestalled inevitability.

Here's an article about it: https://finance.yahoo.com/news/carvana-stock-tanks-december-7-154119414.html?guccounter=1&guce_referrer=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZ29vZ2xlLmNvbS8&guce_referrer_sig=AQAAAG6Mb3qkgmxS4PxF-vj3cI10Hhm3bbG2Qq91OTpplAN7ibpQF_OxHExGvYcmGgjAcDk YxcfdOMVWvVt5MbdDo0QfjmUjQk3_sw3S-KL17DjWKOHs_YnyrODMILoM7sre37MsW3_5TuVW_LGMBG0U2g3 y3amUkkIpzpgxM4UP2rwi

I have purchased 3 cars through carvana, and the last one was the final time I ever will. My first purchase was actually pretty good, and the second one had some frustrations, but was tolerable. The third purchase I had many of the experiences other folks have had - terrible web functionality, lousy communication, poor processes. It's a shame because I like the model.

My daughter sold her car to Carvana about 2 weeks ago and I couldn't believe how smooth it went and what a good price she got for her car. They came and got it, bought her a check, she signed some paperwork and the process took about 15 minutes. The check cleared and she is good to go.

I have purchased 3 cars through carvana, and the last one was the final time I ever will. My first purchase was actually pretty good, and the second one had some frustrations, but was tolerable. The third purchase I had many of the experiences other folks have had - terrible web functionality, lousy communication, poor processes. It's a shame because I like the model.

the model was very sound upfront. i think they just tried to take on too much to fast, and it killed them. Had they worked with slow growth and slowly moved into new areas, then they could have grown and continued to innovate and keep with their original mission. but like with most other modern start ups, it's all about going national or global as quickly as possible and never actually do the work well to meet the mission.

If Carvana does fold what will they do with those big vending machines. Pretty strange building.

If Carvana does fold what will they do with those big vending machines. Pretty strange building.

They should have spent their money on other parts of the business instead of a really expensive PR stunt.

They should have spent their money on other parts of the business instead of a really expensive PR stunt.

Depends on how much business the stunt brought in. I admit I only learned of Carvana because of the big vending machines.

I was recently in the market for a used vehicle. Ended up buying a really clean 75K mile truck from a GMC/Buick/Cadillac dealer for $25K so paid more than buying from an individual, but that was fine. I got a really nice clean truck. While shopping over the course of a few months I would look to see what Carvana had available and always found their pricing to be $3-5K more than the high prices dealers typically get.

CAR MAX is also reeling. Used car market is tanking.
CarMax Finds the Used Car Tipping Point After Dismal Quarter
https://jalopnik.com/carmaxs-dismal-quarter-means-weve-reached-a-used-car-ti-1849922612

...

CAR MAX is also reeling. Used car market is tanking.
CarMax Finds the Used Car Tipping Point After Dismal Quarter
https://jalopnik.com/carmaxs-dismal-quarter-means-weve-reached-a-used-car-ti-1849922612

I'm love hearing the prices go down and their stock tanking. CarMax, Carvana, and others of their ilk totally took advantage of the pandemic and ramped up used car prices to ridiculous levels, and the public reacted. They promised their shareholders that the stupid pandemic growth would continue, much like Amazon did, and they'll end up paying for it. Maybe some sanity is being restored to used car prices now. It was nuts that these used car dealers were selling used cars for more than new cars of the same model/year (this is especially bad because they pray on the low credit and low educated buyers who don't know any better or don't have better options).

I'm love hearing the prices go down and their stock tanking. CarMax, Carvana, and others of their ilk totally took advantage of the pandemic and ramped up used car prices to ridiculous levels, and the public reacted. They promised their shareholders that the stupid pandemic growth would continue, much like Amazon did, and they'll end up paying for it. Maybe some sanity is being restored to used car prices now. It was nuts that these used car dealers were selling used cars for more than new cars of the same model/year (this is especially bad because they pray on the low credit and low educated buyers who don't know any better or don't have better options).

New cars are finally starting to come down also. I had been looking for a AWD Kia Seltos to add to the company fleet for the last six months, Every dealership in the region was charging $2000-4000 over sticker. Finally at the end of October, a dealer called me to tell me they had another one come in if interested. I told her I was only interested if it was at sticker. 30 minutes later they called back and said they would sell it at sticker if I bought it that day. I overheard them say they needed the sale to make their monthly numbers

I'm love hearing the prices go down and their stock tanking. CarMax, Carvana, and others of their ilk totally took advantage of the pandemic and ramped up used car prices to ridiculous levels, and the public reacted. They promised their shareholders that the stupid pandemic growth would continue, much like Amazon did, and they'll end up paying for it. Maybe some sanity is being restored to used car prices now. It was nuts that these used car dealers were selling used cars for more than new cars of the same model/year (this is especially bad because they pray on the low credit and low educated buyers who don't know any better or don't have better options).
Don’t blame the used car dealers for the supply disruptions of the pandemic. It was basic supply vs demand at work, no evil businessmen as you imply. In fact, used car dealers were having to pay much more for inventory themselves. Now they still have high priced inventory they probably can’t get their investment back on.

Gotta quit blaming the wrong people just to find a bogie man.

I have a 2013 Audi Q5 which I am selling and thought I would test the waters at the various car companies to see how they compare. CarMax offered $1,000 more than Carvana and about $1500 more than GiveMeTheVIN.com CarMax was also about $700 more than the dealership had offered for it.

Anyway, sort of interesting survey of the market. I am sure it could be different for various cars, ages, etc so pretty unscientific.

I have a 2013 Audi Q5 which I am selling and thought I would test the waters at the various car companies to see how they compare. CarMax offered $1,000 more than Carvana and about $1500 more than GiveMeTheVIN.com CarMax was also about $700 more than the dealership had offered for it.

Anyway, sort of interesting survey of the market. I am sure it could be different for various cars, ages, etc so pretty unscientific.

May I ask if they were all in person, cash offers? Or were they made online without looking at the car?

Just sold my Land Rover LR4 to Carvana. They offered $8,000 more than Carmax. I got the offer online, made an appointment on a Saturday and took it in. They looked it over for about 20 minutes and the deal was done. Money appeared in my account on Monday. Easy deal. Bonus - got to watch the car vending machine work for a family buying a van. The kids were wide-eyed at the process.

It's been several years, maybe 2009 ? We had a ford econoline 7 or 8 passenger van with 92,000 miles. Was in great condition. Took to Carmax and 'here it comes' offer was $2,900. We couldn't get out of there fast enough.
Within a week I put it in a local parking lot and sold it the next day for $7,700.00.
It still had up to 100,000 mile warranty (8,000 miles) left on it.

Several years ago I sold my 2014 Mercedes E350 to Carvana. They made an on line that beat CarMax and local dealers by several thousand dollars. Drove the car to Carvana at the appointed time, they handed me a check and I gave them the car. Easiest car transaction I ever had.

May I ask if they were all in person, cash offers? Or were they made online without looking at the car?

The CarMax and dealership quotes were in person. The other two were online.

It's been several years, maybe 2009 ? We had a ford econoline 7 or 8 passenger van with 92,000 miles. Was in great condition. Took to Carmax and 'here it comes' offer was $2,900. We couldn't get out of there fast enough.
Within a week I put it in a local parking lot and sold it the next day for $7,700.00.
It still had up to 100,000 mile warranty (8,000 miles) left on it.

The parking lots have always done it for me too. The one I used out on far north Portland is no longer allowing you to park cars there. I sold several from there.