These days, consumers have the option to purchase anything with the click of a button. Now, soda is not the only thing you can purchase through a vending machine.
While vending machines have come a long way with some vending machines now carrying socks, cigarettes and even sandwiches, they have now become even more complex. Consumers can now purchase a car straight from a vending machine, thanks to an innovative new car dealer, Carvana.
“It’s like the Disney World of car-buying,” Kristin Collins, the manager of the West Houston Carvana, said. “You get your gold coin, you get to put it in the car vending machine slot (and) it actually will vend your car out into your bay.”
By using the virtual experience that Carvana offers, consumers are able to avoid the salesperson and any haggling that would normally take place at a typical car dealership.
“Buying things online is nothing new,” Carvana customer Gregory Winslow said. “We do Amazon. I mean, even back in the days of your grandparents: mail order through the catalog — JCPenney, Sears, whatever, it’s nothing new. But cars, it’s unique.”
Winslow purchased his 7-Series BMW this way and had a positive experience with the new technology.
“It took me about 13 minutes. It was a glorious experience,” Winslow said.
Winslow also spoke of how his experience compared to his previous vehicle purchasing experiences.
“It’s a painful process when you go to a dealership,” he said. When speaking of his Carvana experience though, he said, “The whole thing (is) you don’t have to leave your home or your office or wherever you’re doing this, and you can be done in under 30 minutes with buying a whole car.”
The process is as simple as jumping onto the company’s website. You simply go to www.carvana.com, select your vehicle, enter your financing information and once you’ve completed all of the online information, you are ready to go.
Next, you go to the dealer, get your gold coin and then the vehicle vends down to you.
“You can literally buy a car from your own home and dictate your own purchase process,” Collins said. “Part of the draw of Carvana is the ability to get your own financing, determine your own down payment and be able to determine when you want to pick up the car, or have it delivered to your home. It’s really about the customer experience and not about the dealership experience.”
The vending machines are eight stories high and hold up to 30 vehicles.
The Phoenix-based company recently opened one of its vending machines in the Houston area.
