Carvana, the Good, the Bad and the Delightful

I mentioned a couple of weeks ago that I would share our Carvana buying exprience; and it was an experience! My sweet, but pretty particular and specific, husband has been considering buying a new car since before we started dating.  He has looked at various brands and models but just couldn't decide what he wanted, until he did.  When he did, he knew exactly what brand, model, color, specific engine, and options he wanted.  Little did he know when he made up his mind, he would be looking for an elusive needle in a haystack.  A friend of ours looked for the same car for over a year so I think we actually lucked up in that it only took a couple of months for us to find.  There are lots of the model he was looking for but not lots with the engine he wanted.  So this is where Carvana comes in. Carvana actually had the car he was looking for exactly, except in color, so after much debate he decided to go with the color they had (yeah!)

I would like to say the process was seamless but it was not.  My husband put a contract on the car around the first of Septmber.  There was no financing invovled so you would think it would have been the smoothest, quickest purchase possible...well, nah.  Not to say that it was all bad and Carvana was holding up the process to insure every detail of the car was perfect before deliving it which was a GREAT thing.

The 2 worst hiccups with  the process was the day they actually brought the car and because we didn't have an insurance card  that specifically lised the new car (our insurance has a rider that covers new purchasse for 14 days) they took it back!!!! Now, remember there was no financing on this car so they had nothing to cover there and the insurance policy stated new purchases were covered.  Unfortuntally, no one mentioned this little nugget.  It was like getting up on Christmas Morning and there being the coolest bike ever by the Christmas tree and your eyes light up just in time for your parents to say, "Oh that is little Timmy's, from down the street, his parents are coming to pick it up to surprise him."  So, seeing them drive away pinched a little bit.

The second hiccup came almost a month after the initial contract and the day before the car was scheduled to be delivered for the 4th time. We decided to add the Carvanna Extended Warranty.  The problem was if we decided to add it the day before delivery,...the delivery would be delayed by another week.  Now THAT was frustrating.  Needless to say we did not invest in the Carvanna Extended Warranty.  Sooo....

We finally got the car.  My sweet man was extremely happy and Carvana left a very nice gift certificate to Target to apologize for all the delays.  The gentleman who delivered the car was extremely polite and professional and the car was everything we were looking for.  I still wish we could have gone and gotten it out of the giant vending maching!!!

Image not my own

So, my feeling on our Carvana experience is pretty much neutral...the delays were tedious (but I am glad they wanted everything perfect), the paperwork was more bothersome than it should have been on a cash purchase and not being able to add the warranty was very annoying. The truly redeeming quality that kept it from being a negative experience were the kind customer service personnel and getting a car that my man is in love with.

Would we buy from Carvana again?  I am not sure, as I am a big fan of shopping local; not to mention we should not need another car for quite a while!

Car Manufacturers, You Need Me!

I have finally determined what kind of job I need (or rather what companies need to hire me!) I would be the perfect Automotive Test Driver! YES, I would!!! No, I don’t have experience as a race car driver; no, I don’t have a degree in engineering or mechanical design; nor will you find grease under my finger nails but I have a lot of driving experience.

My driving odyssey started on a red dirt road in the mountains of North GA in a stripped down Toyota Corolla but quickly translated to negotiating 6 lanes of traffic coming out of down town Atlanta every afternoon in a first generation Hyundai Excel (when they cost $6995 new). I have vast experience negotiating traffic while also handing a sippy cup safely to the back seat to a screaming toddler…while driving a manual transmission. I have great experience in how to haul hay in the backseat of a Cadillac and how to haul lumber out the sunroof of a Pontiac Grand AM GT. I am an expert on how to change the fuses in a 1987 Volvo 240 DL when I forgot that I couldn’t roll both front windows down at the same time without blowing one. I have tied a tail pipe up with telephone wire (hey, it was all I had!) I have been left stranded in a much loved gold Mercedes…in the rain. I know what a clogged fire trap is. I have handled a tire blow out on I85 North in Atlanta during the afternoon drag race in a great little Volvo 850 GLT. I have driven 170,000 miles on the original clutch of a late 87 Pontiac Sunbird SE. I have driven a Chrysler minivan back and forth from Atlanta to New York with 3 kids in tow more times than should be legally allowed. I slid a Z28 with T-Tops sideways just because I could. I know that a pristine Volvo S80 can be struck by lightning – while you are driving it – and no amount of engineering wizardry can save it. I have cleaned crayons, marker and otherwise unknown stains from more car seats than I can count. I proudly added the Over 100,000 miles and Over 200,000 miles medallions to my beloved Volvo 850, which now belongs to and is driven by a dear friend at over 300k. Frequently, you will find me behind the wheel of a GMAC XL Yukon, even if I had to deploy ladders to get in it. I currently have an 18 year old Pontiac Sunbird Convertible in my garage which I still drive from time to time. The piece ‘de resistance, I taught 2 teenagers how to drive and still have one to go!

Right now, my own 2003 Volvo XC90 with 175,000 miles is facing week 6 in the shop and I am currently driving a loaner from Volvo in the form of a 2013 Volvo XC90. I could share a lot with Volvo that they may have missed from their fancy Auto Test Drivers considering my 2003 XC90 is the 4th Volvo I have owned. I could also lend a little perspective to Dodge after the rental car of theirs I drove last week on a trip…it was a good little ride but needs some tweaking in the ergonomics department.

I may not be able to round a test track at 732 miles per hour but I can tell you when your steering wheel is too fat for my hands. I can tell you what makes your car sexy to me…the mom of 3 who likes to relax by riding, sans children, with the radio blasting. I can tell you if your car makes me look frumpy and dumpy. I can tell you what makes me want your car because it makes my life easier and what would make your car part of my family. I can also tell you what will make a difference in which brand I buy next…and what a dealership can do to help sway my choice and keep me coming back regardless of price.

None of this may make me the traditional candidate as an Auto Test Driver, but I know cars. I know what women and families want in cars. I know what a woman wants when she has kids in tow and when she just wants to turn up the radio and forget she is an adult for a while. I know what she needs when she doesn’t know anyone with a truck to help her haul her latest soon to be DIY project home. I know what she needs when she wants to feel a bit pampered behind the wheel. I know what she wants when she just needs to get from point A to B without mortgaging her soul. I have been all of those women at one time or another. Trust me…I know cars.

So, car manufacturers, I can offer you something which you may not be accustom…honesty from the trenches. I await your offers.