Have Coin Will Travel: Carvana Opens Car Vending Machine in Houston

HOUSTON, TX — It wasn’t long ago that items such as sodas, candy and cigarettes were about the only things that could be purchased from a vending machine.

Consumers can now add cars to that ever-growing list. Carvana, based in Phoenix, was founded in 2013 and operates in 20 markets. On Wednesday, Carvana, an online used car retailer, opened its second car vending machine in the United States, located at 10939 Katy Freeway.

The Houston location is the second in the U.S., with the first opening in Nashville, Tennessee, in 2015. The glass-enclosed structure stands eight stories tall and can hold as many as 30 cars.

However, the enclosure is merely a dispenser for those consumers who’ve already purchased their vehicles online from Carvana and scheduled an appointment to pick it up.

"We believe car buying should be fun," Caravana co-founder Ryan Keeton said in a Houston Chronicle article.

The fun begins when the buyers arrive and are provided with an oversized token that is dropped into the vending machine.

The token sets in motion the moving parts that eventually deliver the purchased automobile to the delivery bays on the ground floor.

If consumers desire to skip the vending machine process, their new car can be delivered right to their home.

The company said it will subsidize customers’ airfare up to $200 and arrange transportation from George Bush Intercontinental Airport to the vending machine for those who live more than 100 miles outside of the Houston area.

"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," Carvana founder and CEO Ernie Garcia told KPRC.

Houston’s vending machine is open from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Saturday.

Image: Courtesy Olson Engage