Overall experience here: Pretty Happy Customer.
Ownership experience: Purchased end of January, still driving my car today as Pretty Happy Customer.
Quick detail about this place: From what I was told, all the cars here are direct lease returns - that is, these people get their used cars immediately after a lease is returned from their business partners.
This is very comforting, because the biggest unknown about a used car is their history by prior owners.
I can confirm that what they told me was backed up by the Carfax report.
The Bulletpoint Bob:
- Excellent customer service
- Got a full tank of gas on pickup day, new battery (previous one was shot), two new tires (apparently they were a bit worn), along with a year's complimentary car wash
- Got offered free popcorn and water while we talked (hey, it's nice service :))
- Did not feel over-pressured to buy, but was given a fair opportunity to get a feel of the car
- Knowledge is your responsibility - find a greasemonkey before you buy!
Here's how my experience went (long version):
I worked directly with Sean D. most of the time. I actually first reached out over the weekend and was able to speak with him regarding a listing I found on their dealership website. Unfortunately, as with many listings I have found, it was already sold.
He did however take my preferred search params down and noted them for future shipments.
Sure enough, I got an email with multiple listings fitting the description and price range I was looking for.
There was one in particular that piqued my interest and I swung by for a look-see a few days later.
The deposit was $200 to hold it until I could see it (I forget if it was 48 hours hold, not sure), which could be refunded to me at 100% if I don't find that I like the car, or alternatively it could be put towards the purchase price of the car if I decided to buy.
I must admit I was a little iffy about checking out a used car dealership (cue: greasy used car salesman with the "I'll sell you anything" smile!).
But no, Sean wasn't quite that persona. He was pretty straightforward with me, was definitely on top of his game when I came in.
The car I was interested in was sitting at the front of the lot, ready for me to test drive her.
At the end, we did the usual negotiations dance and came up with a reasonable deal that we both seemed to be happy with.
In all fairness, I did a lot of research and had the input of at least two greasemonkeys in my ear to keep me informed during my decision-making process.
Sean and I parted ways happy, and me with a new "used" Nissan Altima (it felt quite new to me).
Highly recommend this place.
I did shop around their competitors and found most of them failing in the sales and honesty department.
Many of them were definitely greasy, and a good number of them had questionable fake reviews (reviewers who had only ever entered 1 review in their accounts).
Sean, on the other hand, did not go overboard with the sales pitches, nor did he harass me with phone calls. He was on top of the followups with the keys and paperwork I requested even after the sale, with excellent turnaround time.
On a final note, always do your research, especially when it comes to used cars.
It pays off, and paired with a dealership like this one, you should be on the right track.
I would also note that it is a good idea to do some research on potential extended warranty providers before purchasing a used vehicle. I have been doing a bit of digging and am not yet certain that the Portfolio company sold at this dealership is any good yet, given that I have never worked with them before nor ever with an extended warranty program, and will provide separate feedback on their services on their own review page.
I'm planning on having my Nissan properly serviced in the near future and will be providing a followup update on any findings of the vehicle I purchased at this dealership.
Update 2018-03-26
It has now been about two months since the purchase of my altima.
I had it checked at a very reputable, licensed mechanic's shop, and overall found that she was still a good buy...sortof.
The mechanic found some damage that was NOT reported in the carfax report. There was noticeable evidence of a paint job over a fender repair, moved bolts and of previous issues with the battery (which the dealership *did* change before I picked her up). I feel a little bit unhappy that the "clean carfax" sale only held so much water.
Maybe best to shop with a mechanic friend in tow rather than a checkup afterwards. (-1 star since she wasn't as perfect as advertised.) read more