Vending-machine car seller Carvana starts delivery service to Phoenix area

PHOENIX — After a handful of years of shipping its vending-machine cars anywhere but home, Tempe-based Carvana has launched its services in the Phoenix area.

The startup kicked off delivery of its vending-machine cars to Valley buyers Wednesday, Auto Remarketing reported. The homecoming pushed the online-only retailer’s next-day markets to 33, all but the latest east of Arizona.

The four-year-old company’s headquarters are near Rio Salado Parkway and Priest Drive.

“As the home of our headquarters – and nearly 500 of our employees – launching in Phoenix is particularly meaningful for us,” Ernie Garcia, founder and CEO of Carvana, said in a statement.

Customers choose a car online, then have it delivered. Those who live near one of vending-machine sites have the option of going in person to pick.

Buyers can arrange financing online and can trade in a car. They will have seven days to test-drive the car they’ve selected.

Garcia, whose father, Ernie Garcia II, founded used-car retailer DriveTime (originally Ugly Duckling) in Tempe, told investors last month, “Carvana’s mission is to change the way people buy cars.

“Everything we do comes from the belief that the experience of buying a car can be improved upon dramatically.”

The company’s first vending-machine site opened in Atlanta in 2013.

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