Carvana opens 'car vending machine' in Oak Brook

Carvana, the online used car business best known for its delivery though "car vending machines," opened its first Illinois location Wednesday in Oak Brook.

The eight-story, glass structure at 720 Enterprise Drive can hold up to 27 vehicles, the Tempe, Arizona-based company said in a release. It's the company's 17th U.S. location in 10 states.

The towers are the unique twist in Carvana's business model. Car buyers shop on the company's website, Carvana.com, which contains more than 15,000 vehicles for sale, according to the company. Once a vehicle is purchased, customers can choose to either have it delivered to their home or they can pick it up at the car vending machine. At the vending machine, customers are given an oversized coin to activate the process of bringing the car from its spot in the tower down to the customer.

The Oak Brook location features new design elements that provide customers with more options to watch their purchased vehicle being vended, the company said.

"We launched in the Chicagoland area less than two years ago," Carvana founder and CEO Ernie Garcia said. "We're proud to see customers enjoy our new way to buy a car and looking forward to making car buying even more fun and exciting with our newest car vending machine."

In addition to the Oak Brook location, Carvana also began offering as-soon-as-next-day delivery to the Rockford area, as well as Ann Arbor and Kalamazoo, Michigan.