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There was a time when even the Interstate had fresh paint, when buying a car was a ritual, a performance. You shook hands, made the dealership excited about your trade-in’s condition, and endured a huckster with a comb-over spinning yarns about how the previous owner “only drove it to church.” That era is long gone. Today, you can drop $67,000 on a vehicle you’ve never sat in, never smelled, and never driven, then return it like a pair of ill-fitting jeans.
Buying A Car Online
That’s exactly what Reddit user itstomclark did.
“2023 Blue Quad with Ocean Coast interior for $67.5k ($75 after shipping and taxes)…
Pickup is on Sunday, and I’m super excited. There’s a seven-day/400-mile return policy, which is awesome, but a new level of stress as I have to quickly decide if I should keep it or not. A good problem to have, I suppose,”
He posted on r/Rivian. His adventure is emblematic of how digital-first car buying, pioneered by platforms like Carvana, has overhauled the game.
Carvana’s model is simple, find your car, click a few buttons, and wait for the delivery truck to back into your driveway. Seven days to return it, no greasy salesman to outwit, and pricing driven by data, not desperation. CarMax started the no-haggle revolution, but Carvana weaponized it.
The Carvana Fiasco
- In 2022, Illinois suspended Carvana’s dealership license twice for failing to transfer vehicle titles promptly and for issuing out-of-state temporary registration permits to Illinois residents. Carvana admitted to these violations and faced legal challenges, including charges against a company executive for multiple offenses.
- The Michigan Department of State suspended Carvana’s Novi dealership license in October 2022 after discovering over 100 instances where the company failed to apply for titles within the required 15-day period. Additional violations included destroying title applications and failing to maintain odometer records.
- In January 2025, Carvana agreed to a $1.5 million settlement with Connecticut following hundreds of consumer complaints about delayed title and registration documents, late payments to sellers, and misrepresentation of vehicle conditions. The settlement includes a $1 million restitution fund for affected consumers and mandates Carvana’s compliance with state laws.
In this new world, you don’t have to “win” the deal. The computer tells you what the price is, and that’s that. And really, would you rather trust a machine learning algorithm or a guy named Todd in a windbreaker?
But as itstomclark quickly learned, that convenience comes with new stresses. What used to be a pre-purchase inspection is now a post-purchase sprint. Reddit replies poured in with a checklist that reads like a forensic investigation: test the fob, check for drive unit leaks, try every height mode, verify charger components, and inspect the air compressor. As Claythearc put it:
“Look for anything that causes it to drive terribly… check gear tunnel doors for first aid/tire kit.”
That’s especially true with startups like Rivian, where service centers are sparse and demand is high. The vehicles are beloved, even if they are cultish, but the infrastructure is still catching up. Galactica_pegasus warned:
“Prepare yourself for possibly waiting a couple of months to get an appointment. Most of the service centers are booked out a long way.”
The Bigger Forces At Play
Meanwhile, the larger economic forces reshaping the dealership world are no less seismic. Tariffs, once just an asterisk in economic reports, are now reshuffling buyer behavior. David Boice, CEO of Team Velocity, explained,
“Dealers are focused on selling all of the cars they have that are… pre-tariff pricing. There’s a lot of demand from consumers who are… pulling ahead their purchase decisions.”
In short, people are buying now, before prices spike. As a result, March 2025 saw a 32% year-over-year increase in vehicle sales. The dealers are selling fast, and the buyers aren’t waiting.
This urgency has bolstered a model that once seemed unthinkable: buying a car online, with no test drive and no negotiations.
What seemed like a gimmick in 2015 is now an industry standard. And the kicker? It works. People like it. They don’t like haggling. They like knowing the price up front. As Boice put it,
“Dealerships are going to go through phases… but their model works. They overperform in disruptive times.”
And right now, disruption is the only constant in the car business.
Still, not everyone’s experience is as glossy as a marketing video. Captain _ _ Chunk shared this about their R1T purchase: “Camp Speaker was gone on arrival… rear drive unit started leaking the night we brought it home. Suspension sagged overnight.” These aren’t minor blemishes, they’re the sort of mechanical gremlins that can turn a dream truck into a service-center hostage. Carvana eventually made it right, but not before the buyer became their own inspector, service advisor, and quality control officer.
A Well-Executed Dealership Experience
- A well-executed dealership experience offers personalized interactions, fostering trust and transparency. Sales representatives who actively listen and tailor their approach to individual customer needs can enhance satisfaction and loyalty. This personalized attention is often a deciding factor for customers, sometimes even outweighing price considerations.
- Conversely, traditional dealership visits can involve prolonged negotiations and extensive paperwork, leading to customer frustration. The finance and insurance (F&I) procedures are frequently cited as areas needing improvement due to their complexity and time consumption.
- Modern consumers increasingly value seamless digital experiences alongside in-person interactions. Dealerships that integrate online tools for vehicle browsing, financing options, and virtual consultations can meet these evolving expectations. However, failure to adapt to these digital trends may result in a competitive disadvantage.
You’re the detective. You’ve got seven days to test drive, inspect, document, and decide. No one’s holding your hand. There’s no leather chair in a dealer’s office, no service bay walk-through. Just you, your instincts, and a subreddit full of fellow buyers comparing notes. And honestly, that might be a better deal than trusting the guy who once sold you a Jetta with a “mysterious rattle.”
We’re at a strange crossroads, part digital utopia, part buyer-beware frontier. The tools are there. The process is smoother. But the stakes? Just as high. Behind every sleek app interface and return policy lies a 7,000-pound machine capable of bankrupting your wallet and breaking your heart.
Have you ever purchased a car sight unseen? How did it go, and were you happy with the results?
Leave a comment down below with your story.
Image Sources: Rivian Media Center
Noah Washington is an automotive journalist based in Atlanta, Georgia. He enjoys covering the latest news in the automotive industry and conducting reviews on the latest cars. He has been in the automotive industry since 15 years old and has been featured in prominent automotive news sites. You can reach him on X and LinkedIn for tips and to follow his automotive coverage.
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Source: torquenews.com
