Nation’s Largest Coin-Operated Car Vending Machine Opens in Houston, For Real

This sounds like something out of a comedy script, but get this: Carvana, a  company dedicated to building a better car-buying experience by removing the dealership, has announced the opening of the nation’s largest fully-automated, coin-operated Car Vending Machine in Houston – the second of its kind in the country.

The proprietary Car Vending Machine offers a unique and fun pick-up experience for customers who purchase a car online through the company.

The Houston Car Vending Machine stands eight stories tall, stores up to 30 cars and contains four delivery bays, making it three stories taller and one delivery bay larger than its sister location in Nashville, Tenn., which the company launched in late 2015. As a nod to the Bayou City, the all-glass structure also features the Houston cityscape emblazoned on the delivery bay doors.

“People responded so positively to our Nashville Vending Machine that we knew we had to bring the experience to additional markets. Houston is a natural fit for a Car Vending Machine, and we are thrilled to be able to offer customers this unique and, we hope, memorable pick-up option in addition to the free, as-soon-as next day delivery services we launched in Houston late last year,” said Ernie Garcia, founder and CEO of Carvana.

He added, “As they say, everything is bigger in Texas, so our first Car Vending Machine in the state had to reflect that mantra. We’re incredibly excited to show just how fun and stress-free buying a car can be with Carvana.”

Here’s how it works: Carvana customers search for and buy their desired car online at Carvana.com using a mobile phone or desktop computer. This includes the option of vehicle financing through Carvana, as well as the option to trade-in a car.

Once the purchase is complete, customers can choose to have their car delivered directly to their door, or they can elect to pick it up at one of Carvana’s Car Vending Machines.

At the time of pick-up at the Vending Machine, the customer receives an oversized Carvana coin to drop into the custom coin slot, initiating the vending process. The purchased car is then automatically retrieved from the tower and moved through the machine until it reaches a delivery bay, where the customer takes possession.

Category: Featured