Phoenix-area residents can now buy a car — from a vending machine
Jun 20, 2018, 4:35 AM | Updated: Jun 21, 2018, 1:48 pm
(Courtesy photo)
PHOENIX — The new way to buy a car is now nine stories high.
Carvana, an online-only used car dealership based in Phoenix, has opened its new “vending machine” location in Tempe.
Its mission is to change the way people buy cars by removing the traditional dealership infrastructure and replacing it with technology.
Customers can drop a giant coin into the simulated “vending machine” coin slot and get their car lowered to them through a series of bays and platforms.
The entire purchase process starts online at Carvana.com, with the customers going through the entire car-buying process online, seemingly removing the car dealership.
“The pick-up process typically takes only minutes, compared to hours haggling at the dealership,” Ryan Keeton, Carvana’s co-founder and chief brand officer, told KTAR News 92.3 FM on Tuesday.
“Carvana is the new way to buy a car. I think the easiest example is Amazon for autos, meaning we are fully 100 percent online, fully transactional platform that enables you to search and view everything online.”
With the launch of the Carvana’s new car “vending machine,” customers can now select to pick up their online order from the vending machine for free, rather than the free, at-home delivery service.
Every Carvana vehicle comes with a seven-day return policy, giving customers the chance to see if the vehicle really fits their life.
“We have integrated a platform that enables customers to buy a car in as little as 10 minutes,” Keeton said.
“We’ve got financing, trade-ins and capabilities to sign contracts [online], and upload documents like car registration. Then you get to pick how you want your car.”
Tempe is the third city this month to get one of these machines and will now join 11 other cities across the U.S., including Houston, Nashville and Tampa.
The Tempe car “vending machine” will be open Monday through Saturday from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. It is located at 707 E. Gilbert Drive – off Scottsdale Road, just north of the loop 202.