This seems harebrained to me, Carvana !

Search

Rx God
Joined
Nov 1, 2002
Messages
39,226
Tokens
You buy a used car totally online, with great photos, never been in an accident late model cars.

They deliver it to your home on a flatbed truck, or in primarily Florida and Texas they have car " vending machines ".... These are multistory buildings, I guess you put in a code and your car gets loaded onto an elevator and brought down to you without dealing with a human being !

Are people so lazy they buy cars this way, like they're ordering a new toaster oven or something ?
 

Member
Joined
Sep 5, 2005
Messages
2,765
Tokens
I just sold a car on carvana...very, very easy and they lived up to every commitment. For years people have complained about the car buying experience and the routine sleezy practices of many salesmen/dealerships. Why not do the research, discover a fixed, fair price that you want to pay and pull the trigger? You could even go to a dealership and drive the model you are looking at then buy online. Car dealerships better take note of what is happening in retail as the party may not be over, but they are going to lose substantial marketshare.
 

Rx God
Joined
Nov 1, 2002
Messages
39,226
Tokens
Maybe the country is ready for them ?

It must have taken a few hundred million to start this up !

I do think it is a disturbing trend where people will seemingly do anything to avoid actually talking to another human being.

This seems to especially true with younger people that you can only contact via text messaging.
 

Rx God
Joined
Nov 1, 2002
Messages
39,226
Tokens
Carvana stock ( CVNA ) - is also doing quite well.

I guess so

$11 5/17

$78 now

It doesn't mean they are making money, just that the concept is being accepted.

This seems like a place that would start in California, but these vending machine buildings are mostly in Florida and Texas, oddly the two states that actually actively put their criminals to death !
 

Member
Joined
Jan 14, 2012
Messages
2,941
Tokens
Bought my car last year. Did everything online including negotiating the final sales price. Still had to talk to them on the phone so they could quote me an unreasonable apr. Showed up with my own financing and only had to fill out the paperwork before getting the keys. Way better experience than showing up and asking to see whatever make/model you're looking for.

Going to a car lot is becoming archaic. Can't beat the convenience of online for other things like tv's, refrigerators, etc. No reason auto sales won't go that way with more and more people preferring online shopping and wanting to avoid the hassles of a dealership.
 

Rx God
Joined
Nov 1, 2002
Messages
39,226
Tokens
Sort of makes CarMax look rather unattractive !

CarMax is a great place to go look at many different makes of cars all at one location, test-drive it, then when you Kno what you want...buy it elsewhere !
 

New member
Joined
Mar 31, 2019
Messages
110
Tokens
I guess so

$11 5/17

$78 now

It doesn't mean they are making money, just that the concept is being accepted.

This seems like a place that would start in California, but these vending machine buildings are mostly in Florida and Texas, oddly the two states that actually actively put their criminals to death !

Not sure where you're getting your facts from, but Carvana has 2 of these vending machines within 15 miles of me. We also sold a car to them, process could not have been easier. Literally plug your car's info online, they provide a price and it's good for like 7-10 days. We sold a 4 yr old Honda Accord we bought new from a dealership 5 mins from our house and were gonna sell it back to them, Lord knows they called us monthly wanting to buy the car back. Carvana beat their price by $1100. If you wanna drive your car to them, they will pay for an Uber of Lyft back to work or home. Or better yet like we did, make an appointment, they come to your home with the flatbed truck, make sure your vehicle is in the shape you said and hand you a check. I think the guy had to drive the car a mile to make sure it drove ok. Other than that, it was about a 15-20 min process, less time than it takes to get a hair cut. Their business model is strong and I can't see it going away any time soon.
 

Rx God
Joined
Nov 1, 2002
Messages
39,226
Tokens
Google says there are about a dozen of those vending machine buildings in the country and most in Texas and Florida.

I sold a car to CarMax about 15 years, went smoothly, an Accord with 250k miles and a slipping tranny, they gave me 2k for it.

I guess this concept can be expanded to new cars as well

Getting service and warranty work might be a bit more difficult, but can be worked out

I'll concede I was wrong to call it harebrained, it seems to work and people accept it as a viable option, fresh new ideas , are what makes money !

Okay literally used car vending machines now exist !

I don't expect to see one in CT anytime soon, however !
 

New member
Joined
Jan 4, 2007
Messages
5,985
Tokens
was browsing thru used cars on edmunds this morning. lots of available cars with "great" or "good" deal ratings were from carvana

however, lots of terrible yelp reviews *shrug*
 

2009 RX Death Pool Champion
Joined
Apr 3, 2005
Messages
13,603
Tokens
Google says there are about a dozen of those vending machine buildings in the country and most in Texas and Florida.

I sold a car to CarMax about 15 years, went smoothly, an Accord with 250k miles and a slipping tranny, they gave me 2k for it.

I guess this concept can be expanded to new cars as well

Getting service and warranty work might be a bit more difficult, but can be worked out

I'll concede I was wrong to call it harebrained, it seems to work and people accept it as a viable option, fresh new ideas , are what makes money !

Okay literally used car vending machines now exist !

I don't expect to see one in CT anytime soon, however !

Just received a huge deal here last week and will invest 35 million...

https://www.wbtv.com/2019/08/19/people-concord-excited-potentially-hundreds-new-jobs-with-carvana/
 

New member
Joined
Nov 21, 2013
Messages
5,412
Tokens
TESLA is selling nearly all of their units online and currently outsell all other manufacturer EVs combined.

Consumers in most all markets are happy to educate themselves online and combine w trustworthy word of mouth testimonials. Personal vehicles a bit slower to embrace this model due to overall transaction size but it is inevitable since the cost of operating most any brick and mortar business are mostly impractical compared to a cyber-driven marketing model
 

Rx God
Joined
Nov 1, 2002
Messages
39,226
Tokens
I guess if the car is all certified and such, and you know exactly what few models you've limited your list to, this could work...check out and drive the vehicle at dealership/ CarMax...buy at Carvana, etc.

There is of course still the private party sales method, but people are afraid of other people to the point of paronia, so that don't work so well anymore.

Learn to adapt to changing times, or perish !
 

New member
Joined
Mar 31, 2019
Messages
110
Tokens
The vending machines are nuts looking but they double as great advertising

There are still employees there running the thing. Youtube it, drop the coin thing in and then the Carvana employee operates the building lift or whatever it is. Cool and catchy concept though.
 

Member
Joined
Sep 20, 2004
Messages
1,450
Tokens
The vending machines are nuts looking but they double as great advertising


I didn't even realize they were vending machines. I just thought it was advertising! There is one I drive by all the time in Philly, think I saw one in Jacksonville recently too. Amazing idea, very eye catching to anyone who drives by one.
 

Forum statistics

Threads
1,106,145
Messages
13,433,411
Members
99,281
Latest member
king88fans
The RX is the sports betting industry's leading information portal for bonuses, picks, and sportsbook reviews. Find the best deals offered by a sportsbook in your state and browse our free picks section.FacebookTwitterInstagramContact Usforum@therx.com