I’m a Xennial. We are a subset of Millennials carved out based on the timing of technology. We were largely raised without computers. We may have played “Oregon Trail” in the school library, but most of us did not have computers in our homes. We learned to type on typewriters; our fingers can fly!

Technology exploded as Xennials were entering college and the workforce. As we were trying to find our way into adulthood, we were bombarded by rapidly changing technologies – cell phones, email, and social media. Like most Xennials, I was an early adopter of technology. Back in college, I remember discovering online shopping and especially eBay. My sister and I were able to build up quite a collection of nicely bound classic books with little competition in the auctions.

Since those early days of the internet, online shopping has exploded. You can pretty much buy anything online these days – including big ticket items like cars. That is great for me. I have never enjoyed the experience of shopping for a car. The high-pressure sales tactics, the lack of transparency in pricing and the negotiating never created a pleasant experience for me. Frankly, I like having a fair price on an item with no haggling needed. When it came time to replace my car during the pandemic, I thought it would be a great time to try out buying a car online.

The Online Car Shopping Experience

We chose to use Carvana. Overall, our experience with online car shopping was very positive. Obviously, since you are not physically at a dealership it is helpful to know which make/model you want to purchase. Here’s what helped our experience:

• We knew that we wanted – a car that was like my husband’s car.
• We knew what to expect from the car – we knew how it would drive and were very confident based on our experiences with his car.

If you need to test drive a lot of different cars to figure out which you want, an online purchase may not be the best decision for you.

Start Browsing

Once we’d settled on the car, we were able to browse the inventory at Carvana. This was a bit overwhelming. We quickly figured out we needed to narrow down by model year and mileage to get a manageable list. Once we settled on a car, the process took about 45 minutes (all at our dining table, in our pajamas – not a bad way to do paperwork!). We also traded in our current car, which increased the amount of paperwork needed.

One note of caution – set up a secure password when you begin browsing. When you get to the purchasing phase, you’ll be sharing information that will need to be secure.

Delivery Process

Delivery took about 10 days. We were able to select a time that worked for us, and everything went very smoothly. Since we live on a busy hill with narrow streets, we elected to meet the driver in an empty parking lot where the truck could park. We were given the opportunity to test drive the car, then we signed a few more forms and were on our way while the driver took care of processing the trade-in. In all, the delivery only took about 30 minutes.

A second note of caution – You are buying a car without having seen it and it could arrive differently than presented. You can refuse delivery or return within 7 days if it is not as you expected.

Registration Was the Sticky Part

For us, the most frustrating part of the process for us has been the registration of the new car. Carvana says they take care of it for you, but the fact is they didn’t seem completely familiar with the necessary steps in Arkansas. They were slow, re-sent forms that I had signed at delivery and were very hard to contact to discuss the issue. You do have the option of completing registration on your own.

For us, buying a car online was a great experience and I didn’t miss doing it the old-fashioned way. Here are some issues that may make this a less than happy experience for you:

• If you prefer interacting with people face to face.
• Likewise, support is primarily going to be via online chat or text.
• If you need to call in, be prepared for a wait; hold time can be lengthy.
• If you’re one of those people who loves haggling and enjoys the art of negotiating, buying from a dealer is probably a better fit.

Either way, you should shop around online first to find the best price to ensure you’re getting a good deal.

As always, we are here for you. Please email or call if you want to set up a Zoom videoconference meeting or talk by phone.

Mary McCraw, CFP®

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