Many turn to the online marketplace Carvana to find their new vehicle when buying a car.
While the site boasts many happy users, a considerable number of people have shared their negative experiences with the company. For example, one user documented the issues he experienced while trying to get both his and his wife’s names on the car’s title and registration. Another showed how they tried to return their car to Carvana, only for the company to not come and pick it up after two months.
Regardless of any potential problems, one would hope that the car that they receive from Carvana matches the description on the site. However, as TikTok user Shawn Baker (@shawnb713) recently noted in a video with over 53,000 views, this isn’t always the case.
What went wrong with this Carvana purchase?
In his video, Baker shows why he says he’s returning his 2019 Ford Mustang to Carvana as well as why, in his view, one should “not buy your car” from the company.
To start, he notes that several pieces of the car have been removed at some point. This is evidenced by panel gaps and the fact that fasteners are missing from the car.
However, what’s more concerning is that the car has been fully repainted.
“Now, you notice how it’s nice and shiny right here?” he says, noting a particularly shiny part of the car. “That’s a bad paint or bad tape job from when it was clear coated, so this whole side of the car has been repainted.”
Despite the car having a “clean Carfax report,” Baker says the car has been repainted. He speculates that there could have been some customization done to the car, of which he was not aware. He also says that there were other problems with the vehicle’s condition. It had numerous scratches and water damage that were not disclosed to him at the time of purchase.
“My overall experience with Carvana has been absolutely horrible,” he states. “I did a little research on this car now. Apparently it was in Tampa last year during the hurricanes. Now, if it was sitting on a lot—maybe it was sitting on Carvana’s lot. Who knows? I don’t know—but if it was sitting on a dealer’s lot, and it was damaged, they don’t have to report that stuff to Carfax. So, they could literally fix this whole car and not have to report it.”
“Whoever buys this car next, know that there’s all kinds of damage done to this car, and that’s why I’m returning it,” he concludes.
Does Carvana report damage to Carfax?
On Carvana’s website, the company claims that all of the vehicles in its inventory, as well as vehicles sourced from its partners, are inspected and reconditioned by technicians. They further note that each car comes with a Carfax report and a 100-day/4,189-mile Limited Warranty.
That said, not all repairs made to a car are reported to Carfax. For example, internet users have noted that if one makes a repair on a problem that hasn’t been reported to insurance, it’s less likely to show up on a Carfax report. Capital One also states that not every repair shop reports to Carfax.
It is unclear whether Carvana reports its own repairs to Carfax. The Daily Dot has reached out via email for clarification.
Furthermore, other Carvana users have alleged that they’ve purchased vehicles from the company with “clean” Carfax reports, only to discover that the vehicles they’ve purchased have obvious signs of repair.
While Carvana claims that it has a “150 point inspection” process, it’s possible that the observations made by Baker were missed during this process.
@shawnb713 Buyer beware when buying a car from Carvana!! Do your research look at everything. Don’t get passed off a wrecked car like this as something never damaged. Do better @Carvana from your repeated delayed to lying that you had to inspect the car before I took delivery. This car will not pass NC inspection because they delivered it with ripped wiper blades!! #scam #buyerbeware #carvanaexperience #carfax #mustanggt ♬ original sound – Shawn Baker
‘Carvana isn’t going to do a comprehensive inspection.’
In the comments section, users offered similar experiences.
“Every caravana car we did a pre purchase inspection to all had some kind of body work done with a ‘clean’ carfax,” alleged a user.
“If last owner repaired crash damage without going through insurance it’ll have a clean Carfax & unfortunately Carvana isn’t going to do a comprehensive inspection,” claimed another. “Happened on my last purchase but luckily the repair work was done really decent. I got lucky.”
“Don’t buy vehicles online,” declared a third. “Problem solved.”
The Daily Dot reached out to Baker via email.
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