I Sold My Camaro To Carvana

I sold my Camaro this week after owning it for twenty six months.  When I bought it in June 2023, I was certain this would be a keeper. After all, the Camaro was not my daily driver, so it was only driven when I was feeling sporty.  Why did I do that, and what is my plan for something fun going forward?

Brief Purchase History

I detailed my car shopping journey for the Camaro in the related articles below.  In short, I was looking for something fun to drive as a third vehicle in the household.  After looking at used sports cars and a new Subaru BRZ, I decided to order a new Camaro before the production run ended.  

The car was ordered in Rapid Blue, an expressive non-metallic color.  Sadly, GM could not build that car so I settled for a white one that was in another dealer’s inventory.  In some ways, I do feel like I settled for this car; however, there were not many left in dealer inventory and GM was no longer building the spec I wanted.

Related: Car Shopping: Back To My Roots; Car shopping: Time For Plan B

I had a lot of fun with the blank slate Camaro, adding vinyl graphics and different wheels and tires during the time I owned it.  Now that the car was just to my liking, why sell it?

The Road Trip That Started It

The week prior to selling the Camaro, I took it on a road trip from Detroit to Atlanta. During the trip, I marveled at how well it rode.  In fact, it is an excellent road car that was relatively quiet, good on gas (32 mpg average) and comfortable to sit in.  As road trips go, it was uneventful.

Uneventful in a sports car is the same as saying “unexciting.”  That’s not a great way to describe your fun car.  A Honda Civic would be comfortable and uneventful, not a Camaro.

Decision Time

Some time while driving in Kentucky, I began thinking about selling the car.  I no longer looked back at it in a parking lot, a sure sign that it was no longer something special.  I let that thought linger during the rest of the drive, until I got to my destination in Atlanta.

Once I got to Atlanta, I received a text from Carvana.  Ever since I sold my first car to them, I track my cars’ values each month..  The text I received simply stated that my Camaro’s value has surged.  I figured that was just a marketing ploy, so I dug deeper.  Much to my surprise, the Camaro did increase in value by $1,000 from July.  Was this a sign? Yes, it was a sign.

Related:  I Sold My MINI To Carvana

Monday: Beginning The Sales Process

By the time I got home from my trip on Monday, I made the decision I was going to sell the Camaro.  I was more than happy with the Carvana offer, but wanted to see what Carmax and the local dealers would do.

I often use Kelley Blue Book (KBB.com) to check on car values.  They have a feature that allows you to get an Instant Cash Offer for your car, based on the values they generate.  I gave that a try and received emails from three dealers.  The Instant Cash Offer was very close to the Carvana offer, so I figured I would give them a try.

The Carmax offer was less than Carvana and the KBB Instant Cash Offer. With Carmax being a two hour drive away, it wasn’t worth exploring that option.

Tuesday: Playing The Dealer Game

One of the three dealers was very persistent in buying my car.  I received three different phone calls to come in for an inspection.  I set up an appointment on Tuesday and let their used car manager confirm the condition of my car.

After his inspection, he presented me with a price that was $4,000 less than the KBB Instant Cash Offer.  Bewildered, I asked if the condition of my car was not as I represented.  He stated it was a beautiful car, but it is a Camaro, a rear wheel drive car and we are at the end of summer.  Those factors lead to the lower value.  These are all facts he knew before I came in. After a short exchange, I left with my car and the decision to sell to Carvana.

Wednesday: Carvana

After the stupid dealer experience, I came home and accepted the Carvana offer.  This started the document collection process, which included taking pictures of my title, driver’s license, and vehicle odometer.  As soon as that was submitted, I received a purchase agreement to Docusign and the opportunity to schedule an appointment to complete the sale.

Carvana has a facility in Novi, Michigan, which is about five miles from my house.  On Wednesday morning at 11:30 am, I arrived at Carvana.  The associate greeted me, spent 10 minutes inspecting my car, then she had me acknowledge a document on her tablet.  This started the payment process to my bank, then I was done.  This took under 20 minutes.  Easy.

Conversation With Another Carvana Customer

While I was waiting for the Carvana associate to inspect my car, I struck up a conversation with a young family in the office.  They were there to pick up a Jeep they bought online.  Since I have only sold cars to Carvana, I wondered about the purchase experience.

The people buying the Jeep told me this was the second one they bought from Carvana this year.  They were so happy with the first one that they decided to buy again.  The dad made a point to say that their traditional dealership experience was bad, hence their use of Carvana.  

Final Thoughts

It’s important to note that I am not anti-dealership.  Most of my career was spent working with dealers and I have a lot of respect for them.  I do believe, however, that the traditional dealer model needs to evolve. 

Now that the Camaro is gone and money is in the bank, I am going to enjoy the extra garage space this winter.  Is there another fun vehicle on the horizon?  Maybe, but this time it will likely be a familiar one from the late 1970s.  Stay tuned…this is going to be fun.