Car vending machine opens on Long Island – here's how it works
The new car vending machine is located at 2 North Avenue in Garden City, New York. It’s open daily from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. ET. (Credit: Carvana)
GARDEN CITY, N.Y. - Want to buy a car but don’t want to spend hours haggling at a dealership? There’s a vending machine opening in New York just for you.
Carvana, an online used car retailer, opened its first "car vending machine" in the Empire State on Wednesday. The steel and glass structure is located at 2 North Avenue in Garden City on Long Island.
The car vending machine itself stands eight stories tall and has a 27-vehicle capacity. Carvana has 34 other vending machines like this across the U.S., and the structure is intended to save customers time by shopping for a vehicle online and then picking up their ride at the vending machine at a selected time and date.
"If a customer selects the Vending Machine, upon arrival, they will be greeted by a Customer Advocate and receive a commemorative, oversized Carvana coin to activate the automated vending process," the company said in a statement. "Carvana customers get a front-row seat to watch their newly purchased vehicle descend through the brightly lit vending structure from the heart of the all-glass tower."
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Once the car is delivered from the vending machine, customers can take it for a spin, then sign and drive it home.
To make sure the car really fits a customer’s lifestyle, Carvana offers a seven-day return policy on all of its vehicles, according to its website. There is also no fee to return or exchange a vehicle in local markets.
Customers who shop online for a car can also choose to have their vehicle delivered to their home.
The first car vending machine was launched in Nashville, Tennessee, in 2015, while the tallest one is located in Tempe, Arizona, and stands nine stories. Unlike food vending machines, Carvana noted how customers can’t buy a car they see inside the vending machine – as they are usually already sold to customers that will be coming to pick them up.
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