Imagine a shopper in New Jersey buying a brand-new Chrysler Pacifica from a dealership in San Diego, more than 2,700 miles away. For most franchised dealers, that deal would never make sense. For Carvana, it’s already happening.
Carvana is turning the trucks it built for used cars into a new-car sales advantage.
Carvana’s Nationwide Logistics Network Explained
Carvana now owns seven franchised dealerships, mostly Chrysler-Dodge-Jeep-Ram stores, and it’s using its used-car delivery network to sell new vehicles far beyond a typical market area, Automotive News reports.
More than 100 US facilities, including 56 auctions acquired largely through its 2022 ADESA purchase
75% of Americans live within 100 miles of a Carvana inspection site or auction
About $274 per vehicle in outbound logistics costs in Q2, according to BTIG analyst Marvin Fong
$162 million spent on logistics in 2025, up from $118 million in 2024
The Casa Grande, Arizona, store shows how far that reach extends. From March 2025 through July 2026, about 65% of its new-vehicle registrations came from out of state:
Arizona: 1,476
Florida: 416
New Jersey: 367
Colorado: 191
New Mexico: 164
The key is the backhaul. When a Carvana truck delivers a used car, the return trip might otherwise run empty. Adding new cars to those routes turns wasted miles into revenue.
“Carvana is competing with the AutoNations, Sonics and Lithias of the world as much as they’re competing with the local dealer.” Brian Maas, California New Car Dealers Association
How Local Dealers Can Compete With Carvana’s New-Car Strategy
Long-haul delivery is still expensive, and analysts say Carvana likely pays more than most groups to source and ship each car. It also prices several new models above local competitors, according to Catalyst IQ. So this isn’t a price war.
What Carvana sells is certainty. Shoppers get transparent pricing, an easy transaction, and a website that’s simple to browse. Those are three promises local dealers can absolutely keep, and they have an advantage Carvana doesn’t: shoppers can actually know the people behind the store.
If your website is hard to navigate or your pricing is hard to understand, a store 2,000 miles away may look more trustworthy than the one down the street. Fix those three things first.
The local dealer who delivers certainty is the toughest competitor a national network can face.
