Updated December 15, 2021

Why You Can Trust Compare.com: At Compare.com, it’s our mission to find simple ways to help our customers save money on the things they need. While we partner with some of the companies and brands we talk about in our articles, all of our content is written and reviewed by our independent editorial team and never influenced by our partnerships. Learn about how we make money, review our editorial standards, and reference our data methodology to learn more about why you can trust Compare.com.

Advertiser Disclosure

At Compare.com, it’s our mission to give you the tools to find the best (and most affordable) insurance for your unique needs and budget. We strive to provide information that’s helpful, clear, and unbiased, and we believe that comparing insurance companies should never put you at risk of spam. Our editorial team — which is made up of experienced writers, editors, insurance agents, and data analysts — has spent thousands of hours researching and creating the coverage overviews, side-by-side comparisons, and detailed reviews you see across our site.

While we make money through partnerships with some of the brands we discuss in our articles, our editorial team operates 100% independently, and these partners never influence or affect the topics, reviews, ratings, or recommendations we provide. We never guarantee favorable reviews or mentions in exchange for compensation from any brands or partners, and we uphold strict editorial standards to ensure our content is always independent, truthful, and unbiased.

buying a car with carvana or carmax

When it comes to buying a used car, there are few people who absolutely love the experience of going to the dealership and trying to get the best price on a car they love. Then there are others who quickly shy away from stepping foot inside a dealership because they don’t want to deal with pushy salespeople. As used car sales continue to increase, what is the best and easiest solution to purchase a used car? Compare.com researched Carvana and CarMax, two popular companies that sell used cars in unique ways.

Carvana

Carvana is a used car buying company that holds a very unique way of car shopping as it is all online. You browse the vehicles online, decide to purchase and finance online and then get it delivered to your house. If you are comfortable enough with purchasing a vehicle online, then this is probably a great option for you. It saves you a trip to a used car dealership or any dealership lot for that matter, and they also provide peace of mind for your purchase. Carvana has a 100 day/4,189 mile “Worry Free Guarantee” and they allow you to test the vehicle for 7 days with a money-back guarantee.

CarMax

CarMax is a brick and mortar used car dealership, with a very user-friendly online website, that promises to provide a no-haggle car buying experience. The price you see on the sales sticker is the price you pay. This model has helped buyers who don’t know much about cars or who don’t want to deal with pushy dealers, build trust for the Carmax brand. You also gain the benefit of being able to compare multiple vehicles from different brands at once rather than having to visit every dealership where you can only drive their make and model. Another benefit that adds peace of mind is the additional warranty provided by CarMax to each vehicle and the 7-day window to return your vehicle for your money back if you are not fully satisfied.

Who is better?

Compare.com interviewed two internal employees who recently purchased new, used vehicles, one from CarMax and one from Carvana. We asked about their overall experience, the process, what the pros and cons were, and what they ended up doing. Below are the following questions we asked about their experiences with Carvana and CarMax:

What research did you do to choose CarMax or Carvana?
What did you like about the shopping experience?
What didn’t you like?
What about financing? If you used it was it easy? Was it Hard?
What did you end up doing?
Were you happy?

Carmax vs Carvana Interview Answers

FAQs	Carvana	CarMax
1.	Received positive feedback from other coworkers Looked at other dealerships Looked at the CarFax on the vehicle and safety ratings	Looked at the car with both dealers and did research on Carvana as it is a new business model. Researched warranties and sales tactics as I didn’t want to haggle with pushy salespeople
2.	Enjoyed how easy it was to use the site It took about 20 minutes when I went to actually purchase	Having a person to talk to for advice and recommendations The price is the price
3.	No issues	No issues
4.	Financing was very simple, you type in your social security number in a secure site and asked a couple questions and you had your answer in minutes	Very simple, they explained all the options and walked through them with me It was also quick
5.	I ended up purchasing my vehicle and I doubt I will be purchasing a vehicle the old way ever again	I left with the car the same day from CarMax
6.	Over all I would recommend the experience to anyone	I was and still am happy

What will you choose?

If you are in the market to purchase a used car, CarMax and Carvana both seem like great options to go with. Both only sell vehicles that are reconditioned to look new and both offer additional warranties to ensure the vehicle is working properly. You’ll have peace of mind with both CarMax and Carvana offering a 7-day money-back guarantee. If you want more advice and in-person support, CarMax would be the way to go. If you are a tech-savvy buyer and feel comfortable purchasing a vehicle completely online, then Carvana would be ideal for you. Once you’ve purchased a vehicle, consider comparing car insurance rates on Compare.com to ensure your new ride is properly covered. We even suggest comparing different insurance quotes while you are looking for your desired vehicle so you can get a good feel for your total finances.