Recently I bought a car through Carvana, and traditional car dealerships should be worried.
I hate buying cars and cringe when the salesperson says, “What do I need to do to put you in a car today?” Or when they say, “Hold on, I need to talk to my manager.” The car dealership is ripe for disruption, and Carvana is the perfect company to do it.
The Carvana commercials didn’t make any sense to me, and there was a lot I did not understand. How could a person buy a car online? People need to see and drive the car before paying $40,000 to a person they will never meet, right? UBER and Lyft are changing the transportation industry, and Airbnb is disrupting the hospitality industry. I bought a car through Carvana, and I see how they are changing vehicle purchases. Here’s how:
No Haggle – Some people like to argue and negotiate, but most people do not. I don’t have time to go back and forth with car pricing. My time is too valuable to waste it on a few dollars. Most of the time “No Haggle” means we charge consumers a higher price, and they cannot ask why. Carvana vehicles are priced well, and the details are listed for the purchaser to see. There are no hidden fees. I found the car I wanted, and I paid the price I wanted. That didn’t suck!
Stop Selling So Hard!
7 Day Returns – Carvana gives buyers 7 days to return the vehicle for any reason. Shoppers drive the vehicle to test all of the bells and whistles. There is no salesperson standing over them telling them “how great the car is” or “how good they look in it.” I don’t like dealers standing over me constantly asking me what I think of the car. Shoppers have 7 days to review their decision, listen for rattles, determine the fit and change their mind. No questions asked. That didn’t suck!
Customer Service – Carvana doesn’t have salespeople. They have patient patient and knowledgeable professionals who help with the sales process. Their job is not to sell. They don’t have a quota to meet. The buying process was a no pressure transaction. One time I was preparing to get on a plane, and I only had a few minutes. The representative asked me to call back when it was convenient for me. I bought a car through Carvana, and that didn’t suck!
Ease of Purchase – Shopping was super easy! My wife and I took a full 360-degree view of the vehicle – inside and out. We looked for scratches and nicks, and we didn’t find any. Users zoom in and out on surfaces for inspection. Shoppers easily select multiple vehicles to compare price, accessories and mileage. Carvana offers competitive financing deals. However, we had our own funding. We linked our bank to their account, and they withdrew they money. That didn’t suck!
Industry Innovation – Carvana, Airbnb and Lyft
Delivery – I bought a car through Carvana, and they brought the car to me. They delivered our SUV on a flatbed truck cleaned and ready to go. This feature saves me time and money. It is more convenient and comfortable to do all of the shopping from the comfort of my home. My whole family saw the car, and we saved the fuel cost of driving. That didn’t suck!
Wag! (dog walking), Lyft (transportation) and Trunk Club (shopping) are disrupting their respective industries. I have not found a lot of people who bought a car through Carvana. That is something that is changing quickly. Consumers benefit from increased competition and changes to these markets. I was hesitant to change, but the results were awesome! Look for more disruptions to more industries that benefit the consumer.
Scientifically Speaking, of course…
