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Thanks to used-car website Carvana, it is now
possible to buy your own set of wheels at the touch of a button, from
the world’s first and only coin-operated car vending machine in
Nashville, Tennessee. It’s quick, it’s easy, and it’s err… not cheap,
but cheaper than buying a car the old fashioned way.
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The company has been working on the concept for the past two years –
their original car vending machine was installed in Atlanta in 2013. But
they’ve spent time on improving the design, in order to take user
experience to the next level. “Our new Vending Machine is a
state-of-the-art, multi-story structure that delivers our customers’
cars by merely inserting a custom coin,” said Carvana CEO Ernie Garcia.
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The machine consists of a five-story glass tower that can hold up to 20
cars at a time. Inside the tower are a ‘welcome center’, an automated
delivery system, and three delivery bays. The tower basically serves as
a pickup point for used cars that customers purchase through the
website, enabling competitive pricing and eliminating delivery costs.
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Clients can access a long list of specifications, ratings, reviews, and
lots of other details about the cars they’re interested in on the
Carvana website. They even get virtual tours that point out every nick
and scratch on the body of the car. Once the car is chosen and paid for,
the company usually delivers the car to the customer for a seven-day
trial period. This usually means that the delivery costs are worked into
the price of the vehicle.
But with the Vending Machine, customers are able to go pick up their
cars straight away. It’s a win-win model that allows Carvana to cut down
on staff and overhead, and save customers about $2,000 as well.
According to the company, it also makes for a great buying experience –
placing an oversized coin in a slot and watching their car roll down
automatically.
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“Carvana’s mission is to create a better way to buy a car, and this new
Vending Machine will be a one-of-a-kind experience that mirrors just how
simple and easy we’ve made it to buy a car online,” Garcia said. He
added that the company plans to build more car vending machines in the
future. |