Just got an email from Carvana offering me $32,000.00 for my 2019 UL 350. Up from $31,000. a month ago. These are wholesale offerings. Wonder if it will continue upwards due to being the last V6...

 

Amazing for a six year old vehicle. You have low miles and that helps of course.

 

Out of curiosity, why ar they sending you emails? Have you purchased through them before, have signed up for updates on sale values, is it just random, etc? I just wondered how they know your mileage and are updating you own price changes.

 

I don't know if the increased offer indicates an increased assessment of your vehicle or if it is just reflects Carvana's tactics. I got a quote from them about nine months ago on a car and then received several emails, each with increasing offers.

 

I too was curious as to the value of my car and submitted the specs to Carvana. That was over a year ago. They occasionally send me updates indicating the current value of the car. I have no intention of selling my car at this point. I haven't broken 14k on the clock yet...

 

Never having received any such offers, I wonder how binding they are. If you actually called them up and said, “Sure”, is that what you would really get or are there then exclusions and deductions?

 

I recall another member with a gen 6 car posting that he sold his car to Carvana and was very pleased with the transaction. If memory serves me he stated that they made the dollar amount offer, came with a flatbed, and handed him a check for the car. He was a previous automobile broker so he had been around the block a few times and knew his way around. Said he was happy with the way it went. The thing for me is that they are giving you wholesale value - not what a car would sell for at retail. I had a 2013 Luxury ES 350 before purchasing my 2019. I asked the dealer how much as a trade. The car was purchased in 2012 and had 18k on it.
It was totally pristine and they offered me $17,000. for it. I wound up selling it on here in the marketplace for $22,000. cash... A difference of $5,000. So one must use caution with these deals.

 

I would guess the offer went up simply because all used cars are now most costly than a couple pre-tariff months ago.

Now, will used V6 ES's gain value as they become scarce? Selfishly, I hope so. But I can't say that I think it's happening already, with new ones still being sold for another 6+ months.

 

When it was time to move on from my '19 ES, I ran the numbers with the usual online players – Carvana, Carmax, and a few others. For that particular car, Carmax actually came in about $2k higher, so they got the business. Walked out with a check for roughly $9-10k that same day.

Over the past few years, all the cars I've sold—a couple to Carvana and two to Carmax—were leases. While Carmax often edged out Carvana on the initial offers for some (like my '19 and '22 ES models), for a few other leases I've sold, Carvana was actually the winner on price. My experience with Carvana, I have to say, was in a league of its own for sheer, almost eyebrow-raising, simplicity.

They showed up with the check already cut, based on the online offer I'd accepted after their straightforward application. We set an appointment, and about a week later, their rep arrived. The "inspection," if you could call it that, was a study in minimalism: a quick walk-around, a drive of maybe fifty feet (presumably to confirm it still propelled itself), a couple of signatures, and the check was in my hand. They loaded it up and were gone. The whole affair clocked in at under ten minutes – I've waited longer for a traffic light.

Carmax, as one might expect with a more traditional in-person appraisal, was a bit more involved. Their online appraisal process was more detailed too, but it often seemed to end with the classic "we need to see your car in person... blah blah" message before a final offer. Still efficient, mind you, but the takeaway was the almost startling efficiency of the Carvana model. Funny enough, I still get those random update emails from them when the car's estimated value has shifted up or down – got one today, as a matter of fact.

In my experience with Carvana, at least, it seems that as long as there's nothing glaringly wrong or obviously contradicting the appraisal information you submitted about the car's condition, you'll likely get the offer they presented. Given how quickly they "inspected" the car, they'd probably miss some minor things anyway. But if there are no major red flags, the offer tends to stand.

 

If they are legit on that offer and you want to sell do it. That is top dollar for a 2019. with 14k on the ODO.

 

My friend's recent experience with Carvana was basically similar, with one exception. Carvana's quote handily beat Carmax's, but there was an asterisk: Carvana was charging I think $500 as a fee to pick up the car. My friend decided it was worth it to drive a couple hours away to deliver it themselves instead. Carvana approved this and, upon receipt of the car, instantly cut the promised check.

 

It's interesting that Carvana was charging a fee to pick up the car this time. My two previous Carvana sales, in 2020 and 2021, did not have a pickup fee. (Separately, I sold two leases to Carmax, which I delivered in person since I have a local Carmax location a few miles from me).