Used Car Buying Advice

[babytuckoo]

I’m in the market for a used car within the next year and I’ve seen some older posts about buying a used car online at sites like Carvana and Carmax.  These were prepandemic. I would like some opinions on using these sites now with a change in the supply/demand of used cars.

I’m hoping to avoid a dealership, as I really don’t enjoy the interaction. I’ve thought about private sellers, but I think it will involve more time and effort than I care to spend. Buying used online seems like a good compromise for time and effort.

We would like to replace an older Corolla with a newer RAV4 (rented many times on vacation and we enjoy the vehicle). My questions are:

-any particularly good or bad experiences buying with one of the online services (Vroom, Carvana, Carmax etc)? Things to look out for?
-Are the inspections/background reports they claim worth believing?
-I would choose an option where I can take the vehicle to an independent mechanic before buying or be able to return it if major issues. Has anyone else done this and had it work out fine if they returned the car or negotiated a lower price?

We can afford new, but my psychology just prefers a few scrapes/blemishes so I don’t ever have to worry about it.  I just don’t like new cars but the last time we bought a used car was through the print classified section.  It’s been a while and times have changed. Any advice?

[nereo]

Much of what you are asking about has been discussed here:

https://forum.mrmoneymustache.com/ask-a-mustachian/how-to-buy-a-car-(if-you-must)/

[Frizzle42]

I'm also looking for a used car in the midst of the car shortage. While nereo's link has some good general car hunting tips, it's such a bizarre time to be a buyer. I've never used carvana or carmax, but I have used plain old cars.com successfully before and that's my plan now.

Last time I bought a used car I essentially haunted that site for a month, and whenever a car that fit my criteria/budget popped up at a dealer nearby I would zip down and check it out asap. As much as I hate dealerships, there is a big difference between walking in with an attitude of "what do you have to sell me" vs "I saw you have this specific used car online, x years old, with x mileage, for x price, can I see it/test drive it, and no I'm not interested in your other cars." I ended up saying no 3 or 4 cars before finding one that was exactly what I needed for a decent price.

Maybe someday I'll have the energy and guts to buy from a private seller/craigslist ad/whatever, but this is not that day.