Carvana vs AutoTrader: Which Is Better? [2024]

Carvana vs AutoTrader: Responsibilities with the car come like toothbrushes and Colgate. You can’t just buy a car and not care about its servicing, etc. You can just be done after buying the car. The chain of responsibilities starts with buying the car till you sell it. 

And to buy the car of your choice whether it's a brand new car, a used car, or a good perfect fit within the financial budget. And to clear all of your checkboxes right, offline stores and dealerships will never give you the perfect ride on time. 

So an offline store comes with a lot of drama and can be very time-consuming, and hence the online technology gives you the websites and apps to easily search for the best ride within your budget and also sell them without roaming from one dealership to another. 

In this article, we are going to talk about two mainstream online portals that provide their services and expertise in buying a car, selling the car with finance options and trade-in facilities. The two apps namely are Carvana and AutoTrader. 

By the end of the article, you will get details of Carvana vs AutoTrader with their buying and selling procedures of cars, pros and cons, and much more. 

Overview: What is Carvana? 

Carvana is quite famous for its car delivery truck as in vending machines noticed nearby your location, on driveways, and much more. The vending machine is their biggest perk to attract a huge crowd whenever it is out for the deliveries. 

Carvana is also said to be the most affordable and fast in its services in regards to buying and selling procedures. It is also known for the variety of vehicles offered for selection and a 7-day return policy for its customers. 

The platform also offers pick-up facilities, money-back guarantees with some other features namely a 100-day warranty, etc. Carvana has more than 50,000 used cars in stock as inventories to sell them, charging shipping/delivery fees of around $599. 

Carvana is also said to be an A-rated portal to buy and sell cars or trade in old cars. It is trusted by every citizen of the U.S and has grown under the household name for car-related services. 

How Does Carvana work?

Carvana has everything. Carvana is a one-stop solution for people who want to buy a car or sell a car, trade their car, get finance options, and much more.

Carvana works both ways, you can simply trade in your car with Carvana or sell it to a buyer and get it picked via Carvana. Carvana will pay you in cash or mail you the check as per your wish. Carvana also offers finance options like the loan, loan calculator and per month installments, etc. 

Buying a Car with Carvana 

• After creating an account with Carvana, simply go through their car listings to choose one particular fit for you. 
• After selecting a car, you can simply analyze the working and maintenance with Carfax reports which are authentic to the car’s nature and features. 
• After being satisfied with the report, you can simply just call your dibs on the car and hold the car for 30-minutes until you complete the payment procedure of the same. 
• Carvana also has delivery options to choose from or get delivered via their vending machine for which charges may vary according to date, time, and duration of delivery. 
• If you are finding any difficulty in finding the right fit for you, then you can simply just use Carvana Car Finder which will find a perfect fit for you as per the answers you choose. 
• Carvana also provides you with finances and a loan calculator option to look out for. 

Selling a Car with Carvana 

• The selling process via Carvana is quite easy to follow. 
• All you need is an account with Carvana and then select the option of Selly My Car. 
• Carvana works simply by giving you a real offer after you are done providing your car details. 
• Carvana will need your car details like model, make, brand, year, etc to give you the best rate for your car. 
• After finalizing the price, you can choose to write a description or photos or videos of the same. 
• After that, Carvana will simply take your car from you once someone has purchased it and pay you in cash. 

Pros & Cons of Carvana 

Pros of Carvana 

• The site is said to provide easy navigation for finding used cars. 
• Carvana offers a 150-point inspection with CARFAX history and reports. 
• Carvana makes its customer free from the guesswork on deliveries. 
• You can also pre-order hold for $100 and keep the car in stock until the final payment is completed. 
• It offers a 7-day test on your period to its customers and exchange if you don’t like for thrice in general. 
• It also offers warranty and returns offers for its customers. 

Cons of Carvana 

• Many complaints have been filed for delivery damages, unfinished paperwork, etc. 

Overview: What is AutoTrader? 

AutoTrader is a well-known app and site for the car listings of used cars within their expertise portal. Everyone looks out for the car listings and speculations provided by AutoTrader. It also provides online-only and private listings too for the users. 

AutoTrader allows a detailed analysis of the vehicles with detailed reports, images, 3960-degree speculations, reviews, and car history also values from Kelly Blue Book. It is also power-packed by Carfax for the surety and authenticity of the vehicle reports. 

AutoTrader is said to be mentioned under the A-rated and accredited by BBB and is also known for more than 3 million vehicle listings. The vehicles listed under their portal are offered by large dealerships, smaller car lots, online-only, and much more. 

Autotrader is preferable when users want to buy second-hand cars or used cars, because of its detailed speculations and guarantee for the genuine vehicle history and maintenance. 

How Does AutoTrader work?

AutoTrader app works as the mediator for sellers and buyers to meet to finalize the deal. AutoTrader offers its platform to post advertisements for used cars or new cars for the buyer to notice and contact them if interested. 

In general, AutoTrader only offers listing facilities and doesn’t have any cars in stock or inventory section for buyers to select from. Since the site only works as a mediator, they don’t even have any financing options covered yet. 

Finance options aren't wide to select, but they can only offer to acquire a loan or car insurance under their title. AutoTrader is said to be the legit safe and secure platform to connect with buyers and sellers online. 

Buying a Car with AutoTrader

• Buying a car with AutoTrader is the easiest transition to go from. 
• All you need to do is, download their app or go to their official website. 
• Once you have downloaded the app, create your account using your email address and mobile number. 
• After creating your account, then you can simply search for the car you are looking to buy via model, year, base, features, etc. 
• If you have selected a car to buy in the future, then you can simply just go through its description and reports and then if interested communicate with the sellers via their chat feature. 
• Then you can finalize the pricing, delivery, pickups, etc face to face or however you both like. 
• You can then finalize if you want to acquire a loan or car insurance with the AutoTrader platform. 

Selling a Car with AutoTrader 

• To sell a car with AutoTrader, you need to create your account with AutoTrader via their app or website. 
• Then you can simply select the sell my car option and follow the next steps. 
• Then you need to enter car details like year, make, brand, model, VIN, history, and much more. 
• After giving car details, you will need to describe your car and its condition of the same. 
• After describing your car, you can choose to attach a video and photos of the same. 
• Then you can simply price your car with help of valuation tools from Kelly Blue Book. 
• Then list it for selling options. 
• Once any buyer is interested to buy your car, they will contact you via call or mail, or messages and then you can take the process further. 

Pros & Cons of AutoTrader 

Pros of AutoTrader 

• AutoTrader is power-packed with many advanced and detailed tools for searching vehicles and cars on their portal. 
• It has many filters option to make it much easier for the customers to check their requirements. 
• The information related to the vehicles is very easy to find and trust since CARFAX reports are available for the customers. 
• The best perk is the valuation and expertise from Kelly Blue Book for each vehicle listed among AutoTrader. 
• The site is said to be rated-A by Better Business Bureau. 

Cons of AutoTrader 

• Scams are easily found on their portal. 
• Some listings are from dealerships too. 

What is Similar between Carvana and AutoTrader? 

Carvana and AutoTrader both are similar in car-related services which they provide to their customers online. Both of the portals allow you to advertise your car for sale or buy a new or used car for yourself. 

CarFax plays an important role with Carvana and AutoTrader- both of them have reports which are approved by CarFax and have to undergo a 150-point inspection before providing any reports to the customers.  

Both offer unique features as well loan and insurance factors with guarantee and warranty period from vehicles being purchased to delivery. Both the platforms allow buyers and sellers to connect at one place and sell their vehicles or choose for trade-ins. 

Differences: Carvana vs AutoTrader

The main difference between Carvana and AutoTrader is in their site features. AutoTrader also offers to buy and sell cars but as a mediator, whereas Carvana assures you via their platform with deliveries, payments, and finalizing of everything. 

Carvana and AutoTrader have a difference in the inventories and stocks too. AutoTrader is only limited to listings and reports. Whereas, Carvana has full-fledged stocks and inventories to manage.  

Final Verdict: Which is best? Carvana vs AutoTrader 

Here, we come to an end for the comparison article of Carvana vs AutoTrader- we have seen their pros, and cons, how their work, and what are similarities and differences to read about. 

If you are looking for a platform that only connects you with buyers and sellers via listings and nothing else, then AutoTrader is a great app since it only works as a mediator where buyers and sellers can choose the car and then take further steps by themselves without any interference from the third party. 

But if you want a site that provides everything from selecting a car to the delivery and payment security with warranty and guarantee periods, then Carvana is a perfect fit for you. Carvana allows you to trade in, return or exchange a car, or simply get it picked up from your door and delivered to your door. 

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