The Carvana car vending machine concept:

If you live in Houston, Austin, Nashville or Atlanta you saw what looks like a giant vending machine with cars in it. Welcome to Carvana a brand new concept where you can literally purchase a vehicle online and then visit the Carvana vending machine and have it dispense your vehicle. If this sounds crazy to you, join the club. However having said that it is a quite unique and intriguing concept when it comes to buying a vehicle without ever talking to a salesman or stepping foot into a used car dealership.

The car vending machine concept and how it works:

Now I know we keep talking about a vending machine that dispenses automobiles but that is just one of the end points for pick up, most of the magic happens online. That is where you will do the shopping, get financed and decide to pick up or have your used vehicle delivered.

 

We’re going to break the concept down for you and show you how Carvana gets down.

How they work:

The first part of getting a used vehicle from them is to go online and use their site which offers you 9 dynamic filters as well as a virtual tour of the vehicles they offer. The virtual tour is a 360-degree tour and is very extensive. I mean you really get to see the car close up.

One thing that was very impressive they do an excellent job of disclosing any imperfections of the vehicle you are looking at inside and out. You also get the ability to take a look at a free vehicle report. The process of viewing the vehicle virtually seems odd at first but once you try it it’s a good simile of walking around it and kicking the tires. Nothing beats in person in my opinion but I think that is just something that depends on how you’re geared. Of course, they also have a toll-free number you can call and get any questions about a vehicle your looking at answered

Create a Virtual Garage:

To store all your favorite Carvana vehicles virtually one of the features of the site is that you can create and account and store your favorite vehicles in it. This allows you to review cars as well as compare them later. Here you can also share the vehicles with family and friends to get their opinions on the used cars you’re looking at.

Financing options on each car are also available here so you can do a comparison of what each one will set you back every month. One cool feature is that they also let you know how many other users are looking at the cars you have in your garage. Seems like that is a way for them to get you to act quickly on a vehicle that has quite a few people looking at it. Still a very cool feature.

What’s the gimmick cars from a vending machine about?

So Picking up your vehicle from Carvana does not necessarily have to be from a vending machine but rather you are given several different choices of how you want to receive your auto. Seems delivery is the preferred choice but if you want to enjoy the gimmick and go pick the car up at one of their car vending machines which are currently located in Houston, Austin, Nashville or Atlanta you can. You will be given a confirmation code which you can enter into the machine and the door will open and allow you to retrieve your vehicle and drive off. There is staff on site if you need assistance.

Carvana will get you wings!

Sounds cool right? So what this breaks down to is the following: If you are buying a car from Carvana but you do not live in the extended service area they will subsidize $200 of your airfare and provide you transportation to the vending machine of your choice to take possession of your new vehicle. From there you can be off to drive your new baby home.

What price range cars do they offer:

The price range of vehicles seem to start at $6k and go to $50k plus. Now having said that the lower priced vehicles are things like Smart cars or the little Fiat 500. The higher priced vehicles are BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Lexus, Infiniti as well as many domestic and other imports. The selection is not bad. They had about 8300 used cars to choose from when we searched the site.

Here are some images of vehicles you can expect to find at Carvana:

Warranty on vehicles:

Well first off some of the cars we saw are still low enough mileage and new enough to be covered by a manufacturers warranty. If that is not the case you can rely on their 100 day or 4189-mile “Worry Free Guarantee” as well as a 7 day no questions asked money back guarantee.

Not only do they offer this but all of the vehicles they sell go thru a 150 point inspection and accident-free. So this will likely also give you, even more, peace of mind when buying a vehicle from them.

Getting Financing:

Getting financing if you have reasonable credit is run thru the site and you are given some choices in who you want to finance with. Carvana has finance partners that you can choose from. Cash is, of course, another way to purchase here. They are also fine with you getting your financing by using your own financial institution. If you choose to use their partners you will be given several choices to see which payment will suit your finances.

Finalizing your vehicle purchase:

Once your done choosing the car you want and deciding on the financing or paying cash the finalizing of the purchase is all done online at the Carvana site. You can review your contracts as well as sign them electronically. You can take as much time as you like or you can complete the purchase process in about 30 min. It seems there is a record which is 11 minutes! Let’s see if you can do better.

Well, that about wraps it up as to how the car vending machine came to life. Let’s see if it lasts. The concept is unique and quite interesting. I am just not sure were ready to do it all online quite yet. I do think it’s quite a bit of genius. I know I saw the vending machines being built and just couldn’t wait to see what the heck those things were going to be. When I saw vehicles I had to know more which prompted this article. I know I can not be the only one that just had to know!

If you are in the market for a cash car without the glitz and glamor but a good deal for a quality car come talk to us at Texas Cars & Autos and let us help you with that. It’s our goal to get you into a car that you can afford and get years of use from. Our cars range from $3k to $9k plus.