A US company is swapping traditional dealerships for a complete online experience – and even giving customers the option to pick a new car up at one of its four coin-operated vending machines.

Other than the missing bricks and mortar, Carvana claims the process is much the same as at a traditional dealership. Starting with an online search, the would-be owner takes a virtual wander around the car using the site’s 360-degree images before it is delivered to their door for a test drive. However the test-drive period or, what the company describes as a ‘test-live period’, can be up to seven days.

car vending machine building

“Wow, thank you,” wrote a so-called happy customer on the site’s review section. “This process was amazing — simple and helpful. I love the idea that I have not had to deal with the pressure and haggling of a dealership.”

The online dealer is open 24 hours, accepts trade-ins, offers finance, and all the paperwork is completed online. According to Carvana, the current record for the quickest purchase – from ordering to delivery – is 11 minutes.

There’s a 100-day, 6700km warranty period, and customers are given a no-questions-asked, seven-day return policy if they think they made a bad late-night online shopping decision. Let’s face it, we’ve all been guilty of it.