I'm sorry about how long this is. TL;DR at the bottom. Feel free to ask any questions you may have, and I'll answer them the best I can.

I worked for Carvana for about three and a half years in a department that works tangentially with their loan underwriters (the folks who process the documents customers submit when they want to buy a car). During the tenure of my employment, I watched Carvana transform from a near-utopian, wholly competent company to a book-cooking, corner-cutting monstrosity. Despite having been their employee, I would absolutely never buy a car from them, and I will openly discourage anyone who considers them as a viable option.

Now, I do want to be clear that I don't believe the underwriters, the registration team, the executive resolution team, the folks who work at the various hubs, or even their team leads are the problem. I'm sure there are plenty of individual folks who do a crappy job, but no more than you'd find at any other company. The people to blame are the folks in upper management; they're the ones who make the decisions, and they almost unilaterally do it with no concern for how this will affect the process of purchasing a car.

When I first started with Carvana, there were no KPIs for the phone reps to factor in; the most important thing was to make sure every customer was happy and to do the job correctly, no matter how long it took. I believe the turning point was May of 2022, when Carvana prepared for a busy tax season that never manifested, which resulted in a layoff of roughly 2,500 people (1,500 more people were laid off in November 2022, and several people were fired in January of 2023, albeit with staggered firings so they wouldn't need to be announced to the public).

After the layoffs in May of 2022, KPIs were abundant. Reps suddenly had to rush through as many accounts as possible, and the goal posts were moved several times per month. The reward for meeting goals was a harder-to-reach set of goals. There was no regard for the sanctity of the process; there was literally a month in 2022 where a modification was implemented that made it nearly impossible for customers to purchase a car at all. Let me repeat that: The company whose entire function is to sell cars made it extra difficult to purchase cars from them. For a whole month. Until someone realized what was happening and they decided to reverse the change. Christ.

Aside from the forced disfunction and shoddy processes at the hands of the people who make the lion's share of the money, the cost of used cars from Carvana has skyrocketed since 2022. Case in point: a little over a year ago, I bought a brand new car. I went to a dealership, because like I said, I would never buy from Carvana. But out of morbid curiosity, I wanted to see what they were charging for the type of car I'd just bought. They happened to have the same car that I'd just bought new; theirs was 3 years old with nearly 60K miles on it, and they were charging $5,000 more than what I'd just paid for a new version of that same vehicle.

So, TL;DR: Carvana has adopted the business model of rushing the employees in both their call centers and inspection centers, resulting in shoddy work in virtually every aspect of their output. And adding insult to injury, they charge more for this half-assed experience than a dealership does. As someone who got a peek way behind the curtain for longer than I'd care to admit, it is not worth your time or money to buy a car from them.

My 9 month run trying to get on with Carvana

I just sent the below email to VP of People Operations at Carvana, Adrienne Sanford. I feel like I've been given the run around for nine months trying to get a job with them. I have a solid automotive background being a former GM at Copart, an online auto auction for 15 years. If anyone could help refer me, it'd be greatly appreciated. I just want to get my foot in the door even if it's entry level and then prove myself, but feel like it's just becoming impossible.

Hi Adrienne, 

I’ve been working with Audrey Murrell regarding career opportunities in Central Florida, specifically at the Haines City and Sanford locations. I’ve attempted to reconnect with her over the past two weeks but have not received a response, so I wanted to reach out to you directly for assistance and clarity on my candidacy.

To provide some background, I initially applied last fall for a Logistics Manager role in Haines City and was contacted by Nichole Holtz for an initial screening. After my first interview, I was encouraged to pursue a Senior Operations Manager position and interviewed with Kevin Buscher, though I was not selected at that time.

This past January, I reapplied when the role was reposted and was contacted by Sydney Sweigard. I was invited to travel from South Carolina to Haines City for an onsite interview, which I did at my own expense due to my strong interest in the opportunity. Following that interview, Audrey informed me that while I was not selected, the team felt I would be a strong fit for a Reconditioning Manager role and that she would keep me in mind for future openings.

In March, I also applied for a Team Lead, Market Operations position in Concord, NC, and interviewed with Jason De Le Ree, though I was not selected for that opportunity.

Since then, I have continued to apply for roles, including a Detailer position in Sanford. Despite being told by a recruiter that I was incredibly qualified for the detailer position, I was not given the opportunity to interview. More recently, I saw multiple management roles posted again in Haines City (Reconditioning Manager, Logistics Manager, and Senior Operations Manager) and attempted to reconnect with Audrey to express my continued interest, but I have not received any follow-up.

Given the time, effort, and personal investment I have made throughout this process—including traveling for an onsite interview at my own expense—I would greatly appreciate clear guidance on where I stand as a candidate and whether there are any actionable next steps I should be taking.

With over 15 years of experience as a General Manager at Copart, I bring a strong background in operations leadership, team development, and performance management. I remain very interested in joining Carvana and am open to opportunities at any level where I can contribute and grow within the organization.

If possible, I would appreciate the opportunity to connect briefly to discuss my candidacy and next steps, or alternatively, any feedback you can provide would be extremely valuable.

I have also attached my resume for your review.

Thank you for your time and consideration. I look forward to your response.

I went through the whole process to purchase a van. They texted me 5 mins into the delivery window that my order was delayed 2 wks. I was trading a work vehicle which took 5hrs to unload and remove equipment. I'm not going through this ordeal again. Customer service said it was a delivery issue. They couldn't be bothered to let me know a day or 2 earlier. Customer service didn't give a shit when I called. I'll go to a dealer

I used Carvana a few years ago when I lived in Phoenix and had a good experience. Bought two cars through them pre-2020, no real issues, and even sold a car to them in 2022. So when I was in the market again recently, they were an easy choice. Simple process, good trade in value, and no dealership crap.

I spent a few weeks looking and landed on a 2020 with 46k miles. Looked clean in the listing. Went through the trade in and purchase process without issues.

When the car was delivered, I noticed more scratches and dings than what was shown. Not a huge deal, just annoying on a $44k vehicle. A couple days in, I noticed some odd noises while turning, but nothing alarming. Then the check engine light came on.

I scheduled a pre-purchase inspection at a dealership that Friday, and that’s when everything started to go poorly. The tech sent a video showing the car had clearly been modified, taken apart, and poorly put back together. Transmission fluid leaking, missing clamps, suspension issues, and even zip ties holding things together under the engine cover. It was bad.

I immediately called Carvana and started a return. That part was easy, I’ll give them that. Pickup was scheduled for Tuesday, and I was told I’d get my trade in equity check at that time.

This is where it became a mess. I pointed out that this leaves me stuck. I can’t realistically go buy another car until I have those funds, and they’re taking the only vehicle I have. I asked if the check could be sent earlier. They said no, but reassured me multiple times I’d get it at pickup. I pushed more and they offered money for a rental, but again only via check, supposedly arriving Monday.

Monday came, no check. Fine, figured it would show Tuesday. Tuesday comes, driver shows up, super professional and understanding, no complaints there. But no check.

I contact the resolution team and get told there was an issue and now it’ll be mailed out on 5/8.

So now I’m without the car, without my money, and being told it takes over a week just to issue a check, with no other way to access my own funds.

Even after the condition of the vehicle and starting the return, I still had a generally positive view of Carvana based on my past experiences. I can’t say that anymore. This has completely changed my perception.

I’ll be telling anyone I know to stay far away. The process might feel smooth when nothing goes wrong, but the moment something does, the support is completely useless on what should be a very straightforward issue. For a modern company that focuses on tech the way Carvana claims to, this experience has been comically poor.

Got banned off the main sub for this btw.

This is the place for Carvana complaints, right? I've got one... I was in between the "yes, I'll take it" and signing the papers parts and I asked what the status was since we were over the 24-48 hours they told me to wait. Carvana said that the dealer is currently using it as a loaner and it won't be available until later this month AND it will have about 5,000 miles on it. WTF is going on here? Does Carvana not talk with the dealerships? I noped out of the deal and want everyone to know that the process is iffy at best.

I just purchased a 2021 Hyundai Kona with Carvana. I paid $2,000 down and have made 2 car payments so technically I’ve had it a month and two weeks but it remained parked and not drive for three of these weeks. After going a year without a vehicle and paying to get to work and saving I was thrilled when I got it. Until engine light comes on and stops running properly so I take it to mechanic in network with warranty and they recommend a replacement for all 4 coils even though it just needed two they said cause sold in pack. So I purchased the extra and spark plugs for $700 . Warranty covered half. Drove the car 60 miles from mechanic to home. Next time I get in car to drive, rattling noise hopping , and engine issues. I took it back to mechanic previous to see if it was bad coil, he said they were brand new. He looks and says spark plugs look like they were burnt so he replaced them with new ones. Why? They were new? So he says I may need to drop it off and have new motor, next day car completely shuts down engine light blinking rapidly can’t be driven. I have it towed to Firestone and they called and said bad spark plug chipped off and caused a chunk/ hole in major part or Val and on claim says I need a new engine , they can’t repair it so it has to be towed to whoever my warranty department wig silverock through carvana refers me to. I am BROKEN. Can’t even get to work and monthly payments are like $500 plus insurance $168 this is unbelievable. To get a rental car which they will reimburse up to $600 dollars but if it takes a month to repair it’s going to cost me $2,000? I don’t have that. What should I do? Is there anything I can do about this? Before I lose my job and everything else too… this shouldn’t be happening.

Anybody ever have trouble depositing a carvana check. My bank flagged the check to me as unauthorized. And reversed the money. Now carvana did send out a new check, which I'm going to try to deposit. Plus an extra hundred for "good will." But I am terrified that the same damn thing will happen. I used mobile deposit the first time, this time I'm going in person. Just wondering what gives? And if anyone else has had this problem.