Selling to Carvana vs. CarGurus vs. CarMax

[MikeD1]

Disclaimer:
This has been my experience over the last 10 days selling my (extremely clean) '18 Durango R/T with 27,500 miles. YMMV depending on how close you are to their physical lots/locations/dispatch points. In my case there is a CarMax about 40 minutes away & it's a fairly easy drive. Carvana has 2 locs., both 70 miles away and both a crappy drive (tolls + heavy traffic + known bad roads). CarGurus is virtual only, no clue where their dispatch is in relation to my place.

From worst to best .......................

CarGurus was the worst selling experience I've ever been thru - to say they are a complete cluster F just doesn't do them justice. They did have the best 'offer price', but then you start their L-O-N-G and cumbersome process punctuated by their website and mobile apps not functioning correctly & freezing up (even on their own support folks). They have a huge laundry list of documents & ID's they want pics of then send you off to do a 30+ minute pic/video session. You would think the next step is to schedule the pick-up, but Nnnnooooooo !! Then they want 2 days to send out an eval team to drive the car & take more pics, then another 2 days wait while they determine if they will honor the quote, another wait for them to FedEx a check (which you cannot cash until they 'release' it - 2 - 3 days after pick-up). Never did weasel out of them just how long the pick-up step would drag on for. One of the major piss-offs was they seemed to have no clue what the difference is between the words 'or' & 'and'. My titles are set-up as myself OR my wife so that either of us can sell any of the vehicles without both signing or being present. They kept insisting on full documentation for both of us & they we both had to be present for the inspection, pick-up and be on the check - stupid fuckers !! I bailed on them at this point & moved on. One of their problems is you are not dealing with 1 company, but what seems to be a series of entities - there was CarGurus (initial contact point), then a separate entity processing the request/collecting the docs & pics, yet another for customer service, another for the inspection & another for the pick-up - Argh !!

Carvana was not too bad, doc requirements seemed reasonable & their 'offer price' was a tad higher than CarMax. The fallout I had with them was over picking up the car. The fine print in their ads (which make it seem sooooooo hassle free) says there 'may' be a charge for pick-up - that's a lie - there IS a charge and an outrageous one at that ! They wanted $485 to come 70 miles to get the Durango, even the agent on the phone admitted the charges were insanely high & many walk rather then get fleeced for 3x the going rate for short distance flatbeding. The alternative was to make an appointment & take the car to them, but I didn't really want to drive to either location (with wife in tow). Just worth the extra $165 IMO (assuming they honored the quote).

CarMax is where I ended up taking the Durango. Their offer was a few bucks less, but I only spent 5 minutes on-line to get the offer & was in & out of the place (with check in hand for the promised amount) in about 1 hour. I have sold to them on several occasions in the past and even bought a car there (wife's Infiniti Q50 Red Sport 400) and it's been hassle free. Also, (big plus) they actually seem to understand English and know the difference between the words 'or' & 'and'

 

[Octanewide]

Nice critique and yes CarMax was good for me too.

Sent from my SM-G781V using Tapatalk

 

[Hickster]

Yo Mike,
Thanx fer da rite off on da experanceds. 2 bad fer da waste of time butt you got what you wanted. Good. I will try.

 

[BULL]

How did any/all of the offers line up with KBB "Private Sale"?

 

[Galevin]

i had my 94 yo mom’s Lexus that had 15k mi on it and 2-3 years old and needed to sell. Went to the top Lexus dealer in Boca Raton and they offered $6000 less than CarMax. Said the car was not a desirable model and they would just take the car to auction. Went to CarMax and they gave me a killer offer. CarMax treated me right.

 

[MikeD1]

How did any/all of the offers line up with KBB "Private Sale"?

I've found their valuations to be a bit 'optimistic' and don't go there any longer.
Been using Edmund's instead and have found them to be very close to what I actually get offered for the vehicle.
On the Durango the CarMax offer was right in-between their "private sale" clean & outstanding valuation.

https://www.edmunds.com/appraisal/

 

[Bobo]

I've found their valuations to be a bit 'optimistic' and don't go there any longer.
Been using Edmund's instead and have found them to be very close to what I actually get offered for the vehicle.
On the Durango the CarMax offer was right in-between their "private sale" clean & outstanding valuation.

https://www.edmunds.com/appraisal/

HAHAHA
They gave an estimate of $66,385 for my 2022 Super Stock with 3800 miles
Yeah I don't think they're that close to market values, maybe on your average Honda Accord

 

[MikeD1]

HAHAHA
They gave an estimate of $66,385 for my 2022 Super Stock with 3800 miles
Yeah I don't think they're that close to market values, maybe on your average Honda Accord

Cars like that are probably a lot harder to get an accurate bead on than your average daily driver.
How many '22 Super Stocks are for sale in your area - few if any I would guess.

 

[Jimmy N.]

Carvana was not too bad, doc requirements seemed reasonable & their 'offer price' was a tad higher than CarMax. The fallout I had with them was over picking up the car. The fine print in their ads (which make it seem sooooooo hassle free) says there 'may' be a charge for pick-up - that's a lie - there IS a charge and an outrageous one at that ! They wanted $485 to come 70 miles to get the Durango, even the agent on the phone admitted the charges were insanely high & many walk rather then get fleeced for 3x the going rate for short distance flatbeding.

Carvana is currently in the lead with my Q5, and by quite a bit. I'd technically get a little more (because of the tax credit) by trading it in on the ordered Durango.

But...that only works if the Durango ever shows up, and at this point I'm starting to doubt it. Besides, a $10K depreciation over 800 miles is a lot.

Either way, for $485 I'd gladly trailer the Q5 to wherever Carvana wants it delivered. Heck, I have put 1,000 miles on the 3500 shuttling cars from and to Colorado in the past 10 days. Another 200-300 miles won't hurt it.

 

[MikeD1]

Carvana is currently in the lead with my Q5, and by quite a bit. I'd technically get a little more (because of the tax credit) by trading it in on the ordered Durango.

But...that only works if the Durango ever shows up, and at this point I'm starting to doubt it. Besides, a $10K depreciation over 800 miles is a lot.

Either way, for $485 I'd gladly trailer the Q5 to wherever Carvana wants it delivered. Heck, I have put 1,000 miles on the 3500 shuttling cars from and to Colorado in the past 10 days. Another 200-300 miles won't hurt it.

Damn dude, that's a big hit for 800 miles

No idea where your nearest Carvana is, but I'm betting it's way more than 70 miles. If they want $485 to come 70 miles, bet they'd try to tag you for $1000 or more for 200 - 300 !! Their pick-up fee was insane considering I had the new DDSRT shipped (enclosed) from GA to FL (~450 miles) for $765 !!

 

[Jimmy N.]

I looked it up, and the nearest one is only 150 miles away.

Have got to the point that I don't unpack the 3500 or put the tie-down stuff away. Probably shouldn't park the trailer where it's usually blocked in, either.

Remind me to post photos of the easy way to load a car that has a mere 6-degree approach angle. In comparison, my 'Cat is a noticeably better eight degrees.

 

[Jimmy N.]

Just got an email from Carvana about the value of a VW Sportwagen I didn't end up selling to them, maybe two years ago.

It's now worth $4,425 they say, but also estimate that it has 129,655 miles on it. Maybe it does? I sold it with under 2,000 miles for about $30K.

Oops. Had my cars mixed up. That $4,425 is for a diesel '14 Sportwagen that I traded in on a '19 with 600 miles on it the day after I bought it.

 

[Jimmy N.]

Just realized that we might have set a new record here, buying and selling four cars in 10 days.

Yes, the Q5 is going to Carvana. And the prior record was 11 in a year, about a year ago, if memory serves me.

 

[Jimmy N.]

Remind me to post photos of the easy way to load a car that has a mere 6-degree approach angle. In comparison, my 'Cat is a noticeably better eight degrees.

Here it is, the first method being effortless, the second relying on the dealer's set of Race Ramps.

I prefer my way as it doesn't require a smooth concrete surface to work.

 

[2pac]

Disclaimer:
This has been my experience over the last 10 days selling my (extremely clean) '18 Durango R/T with 27,500 miles. YMMV depending on how close you are to their physical lots/locations/dispatch points. In my case there is a CarMax about 40 minutes away & it's a fairly easy drive. Carvana has 2 locs., both 70 miles away and both a crappy drive (tolls + heavy traffic + known bad roads). CarGurus is virtual only, no clue where their dispatch is in relation to my place.

From worst to best .......................

CarGurus was the worst selling experience I've ever been thru - to say they are a complete cluster F just doesn't do them justice. They did have the best 'offer price', but then you start their L-O-N-G and cumbersome process punctuated by their website and mobile apps not functioning correctly & freezing up (even on their own support folks). They have a huge laundry list of documents & ID's they want pics of then send you off to do a 30+ minute pic/video session. You would think the next step is to schedule the pick-up, but Nnnnooooooo !! Then they want 2 days to send out an eval team to drive the car & take more pics, then another 2 days wait while they determine if they will honor the quote, another wait for them to FedEx a check (which you cannot cash until they 'release' it - 2 - 3 days after pick-up). Never did weasel out of them just how long the pick-up step would drag on for. One of the major piss-offs was they seemed to have no clue what the difference is between the words 'or' & 'and'. My titles are set-up as myself OR my wife so that either of us can sell any of the vehicles without both signing or being present. They kept insisting on full documentation for both of us & they we both had to be present for the inspection, pick-up and be on the check - stupid fuckers !! I bailed on them at this point & moved on. One of their problems is you are not dealing with 1 company, but what seems to be a series of entities - there was CarGurus (initial contact point), then a separate entity processing the request/collecting the docs & pics, yet another for customer service, another for the inspection & another for the pick-up - Argh !!

Carvana was not too bad, doc requirements seemed reasonable & their 'offer price' was a tad higher than CarMax. The fallout I had with them was over picking up the car. The fine print in their ads (which make it seem sooooooo hassle free) says there 'may' be a charge for pick-up - that's a lie - there IS a charge and an outrageous one at that ! They wanted $485 to come 70 miles to get the Durango, even the agent on the phone admitted the charges were insanely high & many walk rather then get fleeced for 3x the going rate for short distance flatbeding. The alternative was to make an appointment & take the car to them, but I didn't really want to drive to either location (with wife in tow). Just worth the extra $165 IMO (assuming they honored the quote).

CarMax is where I ended up taking the Durango. Their offer was a few bucks less, but I only spent 5 minutes on-line to get the offer & was in & out of the place (with check in hand for the promised amount) in about 1 hour. I have sold to them on several occasions in the past and even bought a car there (wife's Infiniti Q50 Red Sport 400) and it's been hassle free. Also, (big plus) they actually seem to understand English and know the difference between the words 'or' & 'and'

Did you try dealers within a 100 mile radius?

Carfax trade in estimator (spits your info to local dealers)

Kbb cash trade in value (spits your info to dealers looking to buy cars)

Tmv market report

Edmunds trade in evaluator

Manheim market report.

Congrats on selling the car, just wish you would have documented your process from day 1 on here, I could have helped you get the best offer possible. That offer stands for anyone here, I can point people in the right direction provided they do the leg work.

 

[2pac]

How did any/all of the offers line up with KBB "Private Sale"?

Kbb always shoots high.

Nada is usually a bit more accurate

Manheim is the most accurate because it has access to what these cars are going on the block.

HAHAHA
They gave an estimate of $66,385 for my 2022 Super Stock with 3800 miles
Yeah I don't think they're that close to market values, maybe on your average Honda Accord

Carmax can't sell hellcats retail, they always wholesale them so your number is always going to be lower than what a dealer who wants to retail them would pay.

 

[Hickster]

Yo 2Pac. I need 2 sel my HC wit 16,000 miles ond her. Shoot wa a message on da inbox of info needed. Thanx. Wa read youz previius mesages.

 

[Magnified]

See my experience a few years back selling the HC. Went w carvana, did not talk to local dealers, no local carmax. Deal was ok, and process was straight forward. No charge for pick up or was included already in offer. Cant remember. No visits, just 20 pics or thereabouts. Only thing i did not expect was when the guy arrived to pick up the check was 54 instead of 55. Contract included a clause where they had a week to send the last grand, based on an inspection. Check came like clockwork. Now, there was all kinds of contractual concerns i had but thought i had it all covered. All this and more posted in a thread here or the other place on the sale.

Sounds like their process has changed.

 

[2pac]

Yo 2Pac. I need 2 sel my HC wit 16,000 miles ond her. Shoot wa a message on da inbox of info needed. Thanx. Wa read youz previius mesages.

Send me the info and I'll have my guy pull a mmr. (Vin, color, miles, condition, region, etc etc)

Once you get the mmr you wanna start looking at the dealers in your area with the highest prices on lot for hellcats, just use every resource possible, the estimators, value your trade on the dealer site, etc etc

You can do most of the work before you ever set foot in a dealer because of the internet.

 

[2pac]

See my experience a few years back selling the HC. Went w carvana, did not talk to local dealers, no local carmax. Deal was ok, and process was straight forward. No charge for pick up or was included already in offer. Cant remember. No visits, just 20 pics or thereabouts. Only thing i did not expect was when the guy arrived to pick up the check was 54 instead of 55. Contract included a clause where they had a week to send the last grand, based on an inspection. Check came like clockwork. Now, there was all kinds of contractual concerns i had but thought i had it all covered. All this and more posted in a thread here or the other place on the sale.

Sounds like their process has changed.

Different market (lot harder now)

Also depends on how much time you wanna dedicate, I'm an efficiency guy however we were literally flipping cars left and right so it almost became our business to get the best and highest number possible, from there I picked up a lot of little tricks and tips.

Carmax/carvana/vroom/ any online website is usually low effort.

Some people are so busy they don't have time to search for best and highest for them it's easier to just use some of these avenues but if you have a little bit of time and put in the effort a lot of times you can find the absolute best offer.

In the past we have sold cars to almost everyone, there was a time where carmax couldn't be beat and we just sold the cars to them but carmax also deals in more mundane cars, they won't buy the hellcats's, trx's, m8's, etc etc at a good price because those cars aren't in their model.