Woman Buys From Carvana. Then She Notices An Unusual Smell: 'Money From That Car Is Supposed To Be Applied To This New Car'

"My car showed up today and..."

woman shares carvana experience

Photo by: sistersinvacationmode & John

Alexandra Samuels

By: Alexandra Samuels

Apr 4, at 6:00pm ET

Add Motor1.com as a preferred source in Google

Comment

For some people, online retailers like Carvana offer a desirable car-buying experience that skips the uncomfortable test drive with a stranger, the frustrations of haggling, and the hours wasted at the dealership. One woman says her experience at Carvana has left much to be desired. And it wasn’t even the first time.

TikTok creator @sistersinvacationmode says she returned to the online car retailer after a less-than-great experience last year, hoping for a smoother experience. She ordered another vehicle through the platform, expecting a better outcome.

“Spoiler: It did not go better this time,” @sistersinvacationmode says. “It actually went worse.”

What Happened At Carvana?

At first, the process seemed straightforward. @sistersinvacationmode says the car arrived on time and had “no hiccups” early on. She traded in her previous vehicle as part of the deal, expecting that “money from that car is supposed to be applied to this new car.”

Problems started to surface within days. @sistersinvacationmode claims the car smelled heavily of smoke and had two bad tires, despite having only 14,000 miles on it.

Eventually, the smell became too much to ignore, prompting her to take advantage of Carvana’s seven-day return window.

“My clothes smelled like I had just smoked a pack of cigarettes,” @sistersinvacationmode says.

She contacted Carvana to arrange a return and get her trade-in value refunded. According to her, the company scheduled a pickup for that Friday. A driver arrived and took the car, but didn’t provide the check she was expecting.

At first, she assumed the payment was still processing. After using Carvana’s chat feature, she says she was told the money would come “through ACH.” But by Monday, she still hadn’t received anything.

When she called for an update, she says she got a different answer.

“They have no idea that I have not received my money from my trade-in,” @sistersinvacationmode says of Carvana. “They think that [the] transaction is closed.”

Carvana has since opened a ticket to locate the funds, but for now, she says she’s left without either her car or the trade-in proceeds.

“There is actually no resolution at this point,” @sistersinvacationmode says.

She ended up going to a dealership instead, calling that the “best experience,” and asking viewers if they’d run into similar issues with Carvana.

Is Carvana A Good Place To Trade In A Vehicle?

Carvana can work well for trade-ins, but some say it isn’t always consistent.

“Horrible experience,” one woman commented under @sistersinvacationmode’s video. “Catching hell rn!”

“Also bad!” another wrote. “My car showed up today and it’s suppose to be brand new 2026 and the [air conditioning] wasn’t working. My husband and I pulled open the hood AND IT’S MISSING the entire high pressure discharge line!”

A big part of the appeal is how easy it is. You can get a quote online in just two minutes, skip the back-and-forth negotiation, and schedule a pickup without ever stepping into a dealership. For some sellers, offers can also be competitive, sometimes even higher than those from a traditional dealer.

When everything goes smoothly, it’s a quick and low-effort way to move on from a car.

The trade-off, of course, is that the process of buying or trading in a car with Carvana is almost entirely online. In other words, if something goes awry, it can be harder to resolve it quickly. That’s where some customers run into issues, especially with payments, paperwork, or timing.

This situation highlights that gap. While the initial steps can feel seamless, there’s not always an easy fix if there’s a breakdown on the back end.

What do you think?

View

Comments

For that reason, it’s usually worth getting a few quotes before committing. Checking offers from a dealership or another buyer can give you a better sense of your caris value and a fallback if something doesn’t go as planned.

Motor1 has reached out to @sistersinvacationmode via a direct message on TikTok and to Carvana through email. We’ll be sure to update this if we hear back from either of them.

We want your opinion!

What would you like to see on Motor1.com?

Take our 3 minute survey.

- The Motor1.com Team

Share this Story

GO TO COMMENTS

(

)

Got a tip for us? Email: tips@motor1.com

View all comments ( )

Popular

The 15 Best Movie Cars of All Time, Ranked

Aston Martin's New Valhalla Spider Can Hit 217 MPH With The Roof Down

You Might Finally Be Able To Afford An Aston Martin Vanquish

Audi's Full-Size SUV Was Worth The Wait: Driven

Turo Now Lets You Rent A Tesla With Full Self-Driving