DAYTON, Ohio (WDTN) -- Whether it's the commercials, delivery trucks or license plate frames, you've likely seen or heard the name Carvana.Carvana: A brief backgroundCarvana is described as "the largest online auto retailer."The company was founded in 2012 by Ernie Garcia, Ben Huston and Ryan Keeton. It's first market launched in January 2013 in Atlanta.Matt Dundas, vice president of finance for Carvana, said Garcia, the brand's CEO, created the Carvana with a purpose of providing the best possible customer experience in the car buying and selling process.AdvertisementAdvertisement"When he [Ernie] was thinking through the best way to do that, it really became clear that embracing the internet and e-commerce was the avenue to do that, just to make everything as simple and transparent for customers, give them the best selection and the best value," said Dundas.In December 2021, the company sold its 1 millionth car. Today, more than 5 million vehicles have been purchased and sold.Starting the Carvana search processOn Carvana.com, customers typically begin searching for a specific car in the search box found on the main page of the website. Some customers may decide to select the vehicle body style, like sedan, SUV, EV or another option.On the search page of the website, shoppers will find filtering options similar to those found on other e-commerce websites.AdvertisementAdvertisementSome options of sorting and filtering include fuel type, mileage, model year, mileage, price and more.ZIP Codes and selectionsTo ensure that you are seeing all cars available in your area that can you can obtain, check and modify, if needed, the ZIP Code to your location.For example, as of publication date, a customer with Moraine's main ZIP Code of 45439 could select from 72,864 cars available.However, Dundas explained that not all vehicles shown for your area on the list would be at the nearest Carvana location because of its large national inventory."You're getting the benefit of all the different products available across this really large national inventory," said Dundas.AdvertisementAdvertisementCarvana vehicles are at different locations across the country, some at places the company calls "inspection reconditioning centers." It is similar to how other national e-commerce giants with a nationwide footprint have their products stored at different distribution centers.Customers may decide to choose to travel to a vending machine, but most opt for the home delivery option.Viewing the vehicle onlineCarvana invested millions of dollars into special photography technology where you can view the exterior and interior of the vehicles.Dundas explained that since the brand is online, having visuals of what you would be getting is something that creates confidence for a customer.AdvertisementAdvertisement"We've got photos that we've taken; still images of different features and options on the vehicles," Dundas said.The Map of CarvanaThe map below shows the different Carvana locations as of June 30.(Slide from Carvana Q2 investor relations presentation/Credit: Carvana)On the map, yellow dots represent the IRCs, which are similar to what another online giant's distribution center would be.Dots with the bright blue hue represent dual-purpose auction sites and IRCs, which Dundas said were created after Carvana acquired a large nationwide auction business a few years ago.Gray hexagons represent Carvana vending machines, which customers can travel to pick up their vehicle, which some may find a special experience.AdvertisementAdvertisementThe company services approximately over 80% of the U.S. population with home vehicle delivery. A large portion of that population also has access to one of the vending machines.FinancingDundas told WDTN.com that Carvana offers financing to customers as an "integrated, very seamless, simple part of the process."A pre-qualification process taking about 2 minutes allows Carvana to show you what your exact monthly payment, exact down payment would be on each vehicle and exact budget. According to Dundas, this process has no impact to your credit score.Carvana is a "vertically integrated finance company," meaning the traditional middlemen that some may experience from a typical dealership are cut out.AdvertisementAdvertisement"Because the dealers don't really have the capability to finance themselves, there's this brokering or intermediation process of the dealer trying to connect the customer with a lender," Dundas said."Oftentimes, that's a pretty high-friction process where the dealer doesn't know if you're going to get approved. They're at the mercy of what these other lenders are going to say. From a customer transparency perspective, the customer doesn't always know who exactly has provided offers for them, which one's really the best one," Dundas said.Trade-in optionWhen you begin the checkout process for the vehicle you have selected, Carvana will ask if you are interested in trading in a vehicle, which is just a few minutes of questions.There is no cost to see how much the company would offer for your vehicle.AdvertisementAdvertisementDundas said the company doesn't typically need photos of the vehicle, because the offer would be based on data pulled from the vehicle and answers to the questions."It's very simple," Dundas said. "There's not this typical haggling back and forth and 'Gosh, there's a chip here, there's a scratch there, and I got to knock off a couple hundred dollars.' And it's a very streamlined, simple process."Determining payment method and adjustmentsCustomers will determine how they will pay for the vehicle.According to Dundas, most take advantage of the financing offer, but some do choose to pay cash. Some customers may have an existing relationship with a lender, bank or credit union.AdvertisementAdvertisementShoppers who hadn't already applied for financing can do that directly after determining the payment method. This includes the ability to make adjustments like you'd want to place extra money down or pay off the vehicle quicker.A big choice: Pickup vs deliveryThere is about an even split between customers who prefer their vehicle being dropped off in front of their house versus customers who want a unique experience of picking the car up.Vehicle deliveries can be made on the customer's schedule.Carvana owns flatbed trucks that are used for delivering vehicles to homes. They have been spotted many times in the Dayton region."It's actually a very complex operation coordinating how we move these cars across the country efficiently and quickly," Dundas said.Photo/CarvanaCustomers can choose the alternative, which consists of going to pick up their vehicle at a Carvana vending machine.AdvertisementAdvertisement"It functions more similarly to an Amazon locker, almost, where you buy the vehicle online and then, at your option, if it's more convenient for you or you want that fun, full experience of going to the vending machine," Dundas said.Customers at the vending machine will be provided a coin and watch the car get lowered out of its storing bay and placed in a little driveway.Photo/CarvanaSometimes, a customer may choose the vending machine option if it would be sooner than the truck being able to make it to your house by the time you would want the vehicle.Voluntary optionsPurchasers will select if they would like to add the CarvanaCare option, which is like an extended warranty and coverage for other elements, like cosmetic elements.Dundas said the decision is voluntary without anyone pressuring you to choose the add-on."It's low pressure. You get to decide in the comfort of your own home if you want to buy one of these products or not," said Dundas. "A lot of customers do, and they find value from it, but some customers don't want it, and that's okay."Gap Waiver is also offered, which allows someone who has gotten into a crash and totaled their vehicle to cover the amount still owed on the loan if it is more than the value of the car that the insurance company pays out.--Learn more about Carvana here.Copyright 2026 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WDTN.com.