the story about a girl who bought herself a car

i'm drinking out of my giant Carvana tumbler as i type this post just to give you an idea of how much i love Carvana. but first, you need a little back story.

the driving force behind the purchase of my new car

my desire for a new vehicle started about 5 years ago; i had recently graduated college and visited a number of dealerships south of Atlanta looking for something to get me to downtown from Peachtree City everyday. after a horrible experience at Nalley Honda in Union City (never go!) i decided i could wait a little while and just keep driving my family car - a metallic silver 1998 Honda Civic EX with grey cloth interior. but it was that summer when my want became a need.

it was a blistering 98 degrees in midtown when on my drive home the a/c stopped working, aka, started to only blow hot air. it was sweltering. but, it was mid-summer so i figured i would wait for repairs until the fall when it would be less expensive. well, fall, winter and spring came and went and still no a/c. when i finally took the car in for an estimate, the automatic locks had also stopped working (this car was falling apart); the estimated cost for the a/c alone was $900... that was not an option. so i waited.

*thank you Giphy for always having my emotions in gif format*

fast forward to this summer (yes, i went for 4 summers without a/c). over the course of the summers, i lost a/c, power locks, power steering and had visited the mechanic more times than i could count. finally, this year i got a flat time. that was the last straw, the car was done.

after my experience right out of school at the dealership, i refused to shop for cars in person with another sales guy. instead, i:

made a list of "must haves"
researched "the best" makes/models to narrow my options
reviewed prices and safety ratings on Kelly Blue Book
spoke with car enthusiasts
applied for a car loan
shopped at Carvana

Carvana was the answer to my prayers

**insert a chior of angels singing above Carvana**

for two weeks, i took Uber and Lyft to and from work. during those two weeks, i watched Carvana like a hawk. i created an account, saved cars i liked and read ALL the reviews i could find to be sure. then the perfect one was listed as "on demand", aka, pre-sale. all the details were there! the heated seats, leather interior, sunroof and minimal miles.... i've never felt more alive than when i clicked the "reserve" button. okay, slight exaggeration, but you get the idea.

Carvana cars have a 12 day process before being fully available for sale. during that time the Carvana team identifies the details including features, milage and carfax; then the vehicle is photographed in their showroom where you see everything up close and personal with a 360 degree view of the inside and outside, even tiny scratches or chips.

during my purchasing process, i spoke with multiple customer service reps with questions or comments and each time was met with someone friendly, patient and willing to help. Carvana's customer service was by far one of the best experiences i've had with an online retailer. i cannot recommend them high enough.

when it was time to go pick up my car, i met with another associate at the pick up location where he walked me through my paperwork, answered all of my questions and showed me my car's features before i drove out of the bay. his attention to detail and knowledge of the industry was excellent.

Carvana was truly the answer to my prayers. i didn't have to haggle with a salesman or pretend i knew everything so i could just look. their online inventory was incredible; i found almost as many Mazda CX-5 SUVs available as a Mazda dealership! i was able to buy when i was ready, no pressure into a deal and their 7-day money-back guarantee eased the risk of not loving my final purchase. and on top of it all, i interacted with people who were just as excited about my first car purchase as i was.

it was no fuss, fair pricing and simple service - what more could you want.

if you're in the market for new vehicle and tired of dealing with the traditional methods, check out Carvana. you won't be disappointed.

have you used Carvana before? comment below with the highlights so others can see what it's like to have a happy car-buying experience.