Carvana Expands Into The Chicago Area

Carvana, the eCommerce platform for buying used cars, announced Wednesday (May 10) that it is expanding to Chicago, the company’s first market in Illinois and the 25th market in the U.S.

In a press release, Carvana said around 13 million consumers in the greater Chicago area can now get free, as-soon-as-next-day delivery of any vehicle from Carvana’s 7,300+ vehicle inventory.

“Chicago is our most populated market to date,” said Ernie Garcia, founder and CEO of Carvana, in the press release. “Not only is it the northernmost market we’ve launched in, it’s home to the third largest population in the country. We can’t wait to show them the new way to buy a car.”

According to the startup, Carvana puts customers in control of their online car-buying experience through its platform and proprietary technology. By visiting Carvana.com, customers can search for, purchase, finance and trade in a car online from their computer, tablet or mobile phone in as little as ten minutes. Customers can also obtain personal financing options and understand payment terms for every vehicle in Carvana’s online inventory by answering ten questions online, with no impact to their credit. All vehicles undergo a 150-point inspection to become Carvana certified and feature a 100-day/4,189-mile bumper-to-bumper warranty, the startup said in the press release. Once the online purchase process is completed, customers schedule their home delivery for as soon as the next day.

If customers in the Chicago area prefer to pick up their car, they can use Caravan’s “Fly and Drive” program, where Carvana will subsidize $200 of airfare to a Car Vending Machine location in Austin, Dallas, Houston, Nashville or San Antonio to pick up the vehicle. Carvana also offers a seven-day return policy, allowing customers to receive a refund for their vehicle for any reason.

In 2016, customers who purchased a car through Carvana saved an average of $1,430 versus the Kelley Blue Book Suggested Retail Value, Carvana said.