Buying a car can be an exhilarating experience, but also a very expensive one. With the average new car priced at nearly $34,000 as of May 2016, it’s often the second largest investment many Americans will make next to buying a home. Assuming the likelihood of car payments for several years, it makes sense to be sure the car fits your particular needs before you buy it. There are several ways to make sure your purchase will satisfy those needs and save you from buyer’s remorse.

Is 30 Minutes Enough Time For a Test Drive?

You’ve done all the research; you know your budget, and you go to buy a car with your top options in mind. How do you narrow down which car to choose? Quite often the best way to make your purchase decision is through a test drive.

A test drive allows you to do a number of things, from determining the comfort of the car, all the way to how it performs in traffic. Consumer Reports recommends you take a test drive of at least 30 minutes to determine if you really like a car. Yet, interestingly enough, recent studies suggest times may be changing. In an April 2014 article appearing Forbes, a survey of 2,000 consumers indicated that 16 percent of car buyers forgo test drives altogether, while 33 percent only take out a single model for a short drive before signing paperwork.

However, if you’re a test drive kind of guy or gal, a short 30-minute spin raises two critical questions; first, is it possible to determine in such a relatively short span of time if the car is right for you? And second, if you choose to buy a car from your local dealership, will the salesperson actually allow you to take more than four right turns? If the answer to either question is no, you could be inviting in buyer’s remorse.

The Advantage of Carvana’s 7-Day Test Drive

When purchasing a big ticket item such as a car, making doubly sure it’s what you want is of chief import. With Carvana, our 7-day test drive offers marked benefits when compared to the 30 minutes behind wheel you’ll receive buying a car the traditional way. Our 7-day test drives enables you to:

  • Get the vehicle inspected by a mechanic of your choice
  • Drive the vehicle in various conditions over an extended period of time
  • See if the vehicle fits your life, such as providing enough space for your golf clubs or groceries, or suitable enough for hauling around kiddos

And best of all, if for any reason you decide the vehicle you purchased isn’t perfect fit during your seven days with it, give us a call and we’ll retrieve it for a full refund. By any conventional measure, it’s hard to argue that the 7-day test drive isn’t a considerable benefit that the standard dealership is hard pressed to match. At the end of the day, your peace of mind and satisfaction with your purchase is our end goal.

Additional Benefits of the Carvana Approach

Buying a car at a dealership can be an intimidating process for many. In fact, a 2015 report revealed that 75 percent of individuals would rather handle the entire vehicle purchase process online and skip the dealership experience altogether.

When purchasing your next vehicle online with Carvana, you’re not only waving bye-bye to buyer’s remorse, but by cutting out the dealership middleman and eliminating the need for physical dealerships, we provide with a better overall car buying experience, premium vehicles, and $1,461 in lower prices on average. Add it all up, and it’s easy to see why Carvana has become the new way to buy a car.

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