Caveat E.

I recently purchased my second vehicle from Carvana and it has been a huge hassle. I purchased the first vehicle from them in 2019. The purchase and delivery process went smoothly overall. I did have to send in the signed contracts 3x because they kept claiming they didn't receive them (although I also signed them in person upon delivery). That was annoying but overall just a small hassle. However it was a sign of things to come.

I paid my money and had my car but then the issues began. I was on the phone or chat with them constantly trying to get the registration accomplished. The reps I spoke with were totally confused and every single one gave me different information about what paperwork they still needed and what was delaying the process. My temp tags expired and I called them in a panic multiple times and they finally extended it another month. Finally I got my plates and registration documents. It was a hassle but I figured maybe it was a glitch.
Nope.

I recommended Carvana to my mom and she bought a car from them too at the end of 2019. Multiple hassles, like the delivery guy didn't show for weeks and then suddenly appeared one day without any notice.

Fast forward to today. I purchased a car Aug 1 2020. They took my money and delivered the car, that part went seamlessly. Since then it has been an absolute nightmare. I have literally spent all day on hold multiple times. ALL DAY. 8 hours and no answer. No callback on their automated system. There is no other number to call. I dread calling them because I know it will be an all day event. Every rep I speak with has a different story, a different claim. I have to push them to look deeper and then they always ask for different paperwork or to send the same paperwork multiple times. My registration paperwork has still not even been sent in to the DMV and it has been 2 months. My temp tags expired long ago and they say I have to deal with it myself. But I cannot because I don't have TITLE and they haven't sent in my registration paperwork so the DMV doesn't know it is "in process" and won't issue temp tags to me. But they simply refuse to help. The reps just repeat a canned response something about Covid causing delays at the DMV. But they haven't even sent my paperwork in so how can that be the problem?

Overall, the car buying process is pretty good as far as getting a decent car for a decent price, delivered to your house. I love that part. Yes both cars I received have had small issues as well. Last time I tried to get them to pay for repairs, this time I just threw up my hands because I simply can't be on hold on the phone even more hours.

By the way with both purchases when I went to the DMV and told them what Carvana was requesting they told me all these things should be handled by the dealer/seller. VIN inspection, SMOG, etc etc all should be done prior to sale. And. Beware, look at the contract because yes, Carvana charged me for those things and didn't do them.

I wonder if I will ever get my tags and title?

Overall, I would recommend Carvana if you want a car that you can't legally drive and you love being on the phone for months with multiple people who give you the runaround. Caveat emptor.