If you’ve looked into buying or selling your car online, chances are you’ve seen an advertisement for Carvana. It’s growing popularity stems from its ease of use for shoppers looking to get into a new vehicle from convenience of their home.
Is Carvana the best place to sell your car? Learn and understand what exactly Carvana is and what types of vehicles sell best through their service.
The best way to think of Carvana is like a huge, online dealership. They buy and sell cars, own the vehicles they buy, and can accept trade-ins. This streamlined, fully electronic buying process and an abundance of vehicles available to choose from have contributed to Carvana’s growing popularity as car sellers. But are they the best option to sell your car?
If your car has been wrecked, Carvana may not purchase it, as they do not specialize in accident-damaged vehicles. While Carvana does purchase vehicles with salvage or rebuilt titles, the car must typically be in running order in order to be sold.
A representative from Carvana will test drive your car at the time of purchase. If you’ve got a junk car that can’t move without a tow, Carvana is unfortunately not the most viable option.
To sell your car with Carvana, you upload your Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) and answer a series of questions about your car and any damage it may have sustained. Using the information you provide, Carvana calculates a quote for your vehicle that you have one week to accept.
While the amount you’re quoted is the amount you’ll receive at pick up, your vehicle will be inspected upon purchase so it’s best to be honest!
It’s helpful to think about Carvana as a dealership when you consider selling your car with them. When dealerships (or Carvana) purchase cars or accept them as trade-ins, they then own those vehicles and have two choices of what to do with them.
Cars that are newer and in good working order will be resold on the used car lot or on Carvana’s site. The less desirable models will be sold at auction, and don’t result in much of a profit for the selling dealership.
In either case, the dealership needs to make a profit off of your car, and so will offer you less up-front (particularly if it’s in poor condition).
For those looking to trade-in a car that’s new and in good shape, the convenience of having their old car picked up and a new car dropped off in its stead, Carvana can be a great place to sell your car. However, if you’re looking for its full fair market value, Carvana may not be your best bet.
If your car no longer runs, or you’re just looking for a fair price despite its condition, don’t be discouraged! Though Carvana may not be the best place to sell your car, it doesn’t mean you have to sacrifice the convenience of selling online.
In fact, CarBrain offers many of the exact same conveniences that make Carvana so appealing, while specializing in damaged cars.
| Pros | Cons | |
|---|---|---|
| Carvana | 1. Provides online appraisals 2. Buys cars with outstanding loans 3. Can also sell you a newer vehicle 4. Can offer pick-up and drop-off services |
1. Operates like a dealership 2. Only picks up cars within 100-mile radius of a location without additional charges 3. Does not specialize in damaged vehicles |
| CarBrain | 1. Provides online appraisals in 90 seconds 2. Guarantees quotes for seven days 3. Includes free towing with all offers 4. Specializes in vehicles in all conditions 5. Provides top-quality customer support from anywhere 6. Can complete a sale in 24-48 business hours |
1. Does not sell vehicles to clients 2. Does not specialize in new model vehicles with no problems |
CarBrain, at first glance, operates similarly to Carvana: a quick, online quote enables you to sell your car from the comfort of your home. However, there are particular differences between the two platforms that may make one more fit for you and your damaged car.
Carvana is an internet-based dealership specializing in used cars, namely in trade-ins and sales. This means:
Their priority is used cars in good working order. These used cars will go on to make up their stock for drivers just like yourself to buy.
They provide trade-in estimates. Carvana will turn a profit by buying your car its trade-in value, which is sometimes lower than its actual cash value (just like a physical dealership would). This is so they can maximize how much they make reselling it.
They sometimes have additional retrieval fees. If your vehicle needs a tow is located outside of a 100 mile radius from one of Carvana’s hubs, you’ll end up paying more money to have it towed in.
CarBrain, on the other hand, specializes in the purchasing of damaged cars. CarBrain’s priority and specialty is the value in damaged vehicles, meaning we offer fair market value for cars even in extreme disrepair.
Less-than-perfect cars are our speciality. We find the value in damaged, end-of-life vehicles and provide a fair market value quote for them.
We offer free towing nationwide. By partnering with local services in your area, we can provide complimentary towing in as quickly as 24-48 hours across the nation.
Customer experience is our primary concern. We don’t believe in haggling, because we want you to have as comfortable an experience as possible. You’ll get the entire quoted amount at pickup; no haggles, no hassles.
CarBrain works by partnering you with buyers in your area. By facilitating your sale and finding a quote for you, CarBrain essentially saves you the time and trouble of calling every junkyard in town or searching online for a private salvage buyer interested in whatever you’re selling.
An unfortunate truth of selling junk cars is that their bulky size and the expertise involved in handling them means many junk buyers scam and take advantage of their unassuming customers. CarBrain makes sure you get the best price and only does business with reputable purchasers.
When you’re looking to upgrade to a new vehicle, Carvana presents a convenient trade-in opportunity. But, it’s also important to consider that the more you make on the sale of your car, the more you have to put toward your new one!
Getting a quote from CarBrain is easy.
Upload those photos and VIN to CarBrain and wait 90 seconds. That’s all! You’ll receive a quote that’s good for seven days, giving you time to prepare your vehicle, ask questions, or even shop for a new car!
Towing and title transfer are always covered by us, and towing is scheduled at your convenience. In fact, a driver can pick up your car within 24-48 hours if you’re ready!
All you’ll do when the tow truck arrives is sign over your title, hand over your keys, and take your check. Selling your car in under a week and for the best possible price, all from the comfort of your own home ensures you’ll be in the best possible position to purchase your next car and get back on the road.
Note: Carvana is a trademarked brand, and is not affiliated with CarBrain.
Carvana can buy wrecked cars, often to incentivise you to purchase one of their vehicles. However, their specialty is not vehicles that have suffered severe damage. They operate like a used car dealership, which means they primarily target vehicles that can easily be repaired and put back on the lot to be sold again.
Carvana can be a good option for selling a car in good condition. They will allow you to trade in your vehicle, regardless of whether you intend to make a purchase or not. However, if your vehicle has suffered significant damage, you may not get the best possible price for your car.
You can expect to get offers from Carvana lower than the current market value for a wrecked vehicle. Although Carvana makes offers on vehicles with problems, they do not specialize in wrecked or vehicles severely damaged in other ways.