World’s First Automobile Vending Machine

What? Buy a car through a vending machine? You're kidding me, right? Hey there... a treat to see you as always. Fill your mug, snag a virtual muffin or pastry and bring them over here to the VIP table so's I can tell y'all about the newest trend in the automotive world...

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.

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.

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 centre’, 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.

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.

“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.

Well how about that, eh! Never had such high-falootin' nonsense in my day! I mean...how the heck can you kick the tires?

See ya, eh!

Bob