Actions

Car vending machine: Take a tour of Carvana's 9-story car vending machine in Phoenix

Posted at 5:56 PM, Jun 20, 2018
and last updated 2018-06-20 23:56:02-04

At nine floors and 90 feet high, Phoenix, Arizona is home to Carvana's tallest vehicle vending machine in the country.

Yes, you read that correctly: a fully-automated vending machine for vehicles.

And it is coin operated. (No need to start collecting quarters, it's more for effect than anything else.)

ABC15 was given an inside look at how the machine works. Watch the Facebook Live below.

Carvana, whose headquarters is nearby in Tempe, has been building the contraption for the last several months along the Loop 202 and Scottsdale Road.

Last week, motorists noticed the glass windows suddenly had vehicles in them. It wasn't open then, but it is open now. The machine can hold up to 34 vehicles at a time.

If you're wondering, yes, it operates like a vending machine.

When someone purchases a vehicle from Carvana, an online car buying company, he or she can opt to pick it up at the vending machine.

Once there, he or she will be given a sand dollar-sized coin to place into a vessel that rumbles with sound effects that are similar to a pinball machine. From there, a car-sized lift retrieves the vehicle from whatever level it is on and brings it to a viewing bay on the ground floor in a matter of minutes. 

There are large bay windows that let you watch the entire process.

Not every vehicle will be at the vending machine. Carvana also offers free delivery to you, especially if the vending machine is out of the way.

There are twelve vending machines in the country -- Phoenix is #12. The first was built in Nashville, Tennessee. Other cities that have one include Atlanta, Charlotte and Houston.