My husband and I purchased a beautiful low-mileage Mazda CRV5 from Evan at Red Star Auto A couple of months ago. It was made very clear to us from the start that this was a salvage title; the price for the car was very low because of that. We'd never purchased a salvage title before, but Evan was clear, frank, and transparent about it. We sat with him and reviewed photos of the minor damage to the front quarter panel that the car had suffered in a classic "fender-bender." We are pleased to report that to that the Mazda is, in fact, reliable and in excellent condition. Cars are complex machines and there are all kinds of people in the car business, on the buying side as well as selling. When I read the few reviews here that are negative - when our experience was extremely positive - I am mystified...we couldn't be more pleased with the value and we also appreciate the time that Evan took with us to arrange the financing. If you're interested in a car on the Red Star Auto lot, just go on in. Talk to Evan about it; ask him any question. We're very glad that we did ~thanks, Evan. read more

Evan T. was extremely helpful and made experience super easy. He provided a lot of information and answered all our questions to make sure we made the best decision for our daughter's 1st car. Thank you read more

Red Star Auto - Daughter's 1st car - Used Car Dealers Near Me - Lakeside, California

This is our second purchase from Evan. He doesn't pressure you and makes you feel comfortable. Definitely will come back when we need another vehicle! read more

Red Star Auto - Mazda - Used Car Dealers Near Me - Lakeside, California

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I cannot say how incredible this place is! Second time visiting them to look for a vehicle and they continue to give amazing customer service! They always have great options of vehicles to offer which is nice and helps based on the price and style of vehicle you're looking for. They take trade ins and offer financing and make the process easy! Evan is amazing! If you're there, stop in and say hello! Such a friendly person, cares about what he does, and wants to make sure you have a perfect experience from start to finish and leaving with a new car! I cannot say enough about this team! For your next car, don't choose to go anywhere else but here! read more

Evan was outstanding again. Got me into an excellent vehicle at an excellent price! Always great service. Very knowledgeable of all the vehicles and a personal touch. Thank you read more

There were three cars from here that I found on Autotrader. I viewed an Autocheck report for each one and 100% had some kind of issue. Of the three there were two salvage titles and one major accident. I'm no longer interested in any of their cars. "Purchase your vehicle with confidence"? More like buyer beware...do your due diligence. read more

Sucks to say almost a year later I have nothing but regret from buying my van from this dealership. The transmission already died and the check engine light is on and it hasn't even been a year. If I wanted these problems, I would've gotten a $6000 van on craigslist. read more

Found the car I was looking for. All information was provided especially vehicle history. By the time the deal was completed, I was satisfied I was making a great purchase. read more

I can post photos to clearly show the paperwork that is missing "salvaged title" if you want and the names of the dealerships who refused to buy it when we found out and we called the national salvage and then the person at the junk yard to officially hear how you sold a definite salvaged car and it mysteriously cleaned before it was titled in California!! So shady!! You all suck read more

Excellent, honest salesman Evan, our 2017 Kia Sorento was well-priced, low miles only 65,000, clean Carfax and in excellent condition. My mechanic spent an hour checking it over and said we should get 320,000 miles on it, no problem. Personalized service, we highly recommend Red Star Auto! read more

Bought my first car with the help of Evan and couldn't be happier. He was very open with me throughout every step of the process - making sure i was informed and comfortable with all aspects that came along with the purchase. Not to mention the car is in perfect shape and my perfect fit. Thank you so much for your help and guidance throughout this stressful time. I would recommend Red Star Auto to anyone in the market for a vehicle. read more

The car buying process here was TRANSPARENT, EASY and NO BS. second to none. Evan, who helped me buy my car, was extremely professional, friendly and even graceful when the person who came with me was rude to him (and subsequently left). He let me test drive the car, took off the hubcap covers at my request, and offered to shine the rims. He even went ahead and gave me $150 off of the price without me even asking. As for the price of the vehicle, it was a good deal for the type of car I was looking for, and he didn't try to sneak any extra fees onto the price. Just the car, registration and taxes. It comes with a free 3 month warranty and he told me about their extended coverage warranty without being pushy. It is a great deal and it's also nice because I can take time to decide if I want it until the end of the free 3 month warranty period. The car itself has been perfect. Bought it with 98k miles and it runs smooth, no issues. The interior was detailed. Spotless and like new clean. If you want a quick, no bs car buying process and to also get a good deal then go to Red Star Auto. Thank you!!! read more

Red Star Auto - Used Car Dealers Near Me - Lakeside, California

Honestly, I can't say enough good things about these guys here. They helped me get a car when I was down on my luck, it's been two years and she's still running strong. Absolutely blessed to have found this car and these people when I did. Thank you guys so much for all you do! read more

Evan was great gave my husband and I a awesome deal on a Alfa Romamo Stevia beautiful car. Easy financing all together a awesome place to buy a car. read more

Had a great experience with Evan. He helped get exactly what I wanted when I was looking for my second truck. Great customer service and very knowledgeable of the business. Would definitely get my 3rd car from here. read more

I originally wrote a very good review as Evan was very helpful, but I'm about 6 months into having the car I bought from Them and not 2 months after buying the car the trunk won't open, the driver side window fell down and won't roll back up, something is loose under the car that rattles around constantly, both windshield wipers broke and the fluid doesn't work at all. It's all fixable but just money I didn't think I'd be having to spend so soon and disappointed in how fast the car started showing problems. This was my first time buying a car and I was so scared of getting sold a lemon. sadly I do feel like that is what i was sold. read more

Recently bought a car from Evan here at Red Star Auto, had such an amazing experienc. Evan was very helpful helping me pick the right car. Awesome customer service, I told him what I was looking for and he did his best to accommodate me. would definitely recommend anyone looking for a car. read more

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My little brother purchased his first car with Evan and we wouldn't be happier with his service. Highly recommend this business.

Evan made buying my car so easy. He was honest and very informative. It's not every day you buy a car, so I really appreciated his patience with all of our questions. We were leary of buying a Salvage car 2015 Venza with less than 13,000 miles on it, but We took it to an auto body shop, and it passes with flying colors! He said it like a new car!! ( worth the extra $100) So if you're looking for a nice used car, stop in and shop at Red Star! read more

Our experience with Red Star Auto a year ago was so positive, my honey brought me back today to get another vehicle!! We bought a Buick Essence a year ago that I LOVED ... no complaints!! My honey happened to see a beautiful Lincoln posted for sale and decided he wanted this for me!! So ... we spent today with Evan going over all needed info, used the Buick as a trade in and drove home with a dream car! I'm in heaven driving our beautiful Lincoln Thank you Evan ... we will always see you first if another car is needed! You made me a believer last year that used cars can be Great finds!! This is our 2nd car from you ... read more

Worstttt business ever. These guys sold me a salvaged car and lied stating that it was a clean title. Once I mentioned that its salvaged and threatened to sue them they made me sign paperwork and gave me $2000 to fix whatever issue i was already having with the vehicle. Well I will still be suing them because now I cant even get into another car because no one wants this POS salvaged car. I would suggest they just take there car back because I don't want it. I just want to get out of this nightmare of a car nd start fresh with a clean title vehicle. P.S Not to mention the owner was yelling at my mother because she was upset that I got ripped off! Also, this wasnt even the car i wanted. I originally got a dodge challenger and it broke on me the first 2 days. Once i went to get my car back they said they sold it and it had a bad catalic converter etc... Well I can tell you that the car was perfectly fine because I had it taken to a shop prior to trading it in so I had to settle with whatever they had. Also will be sending KUSI news station an email about this hole in wall place. Maybe it can be a good story to inform people not to go here. read more

My husband and I came into Red Star Auto looking to purchase a car for our growing family. We were greeted by Evan and he made our car buying experience a fantastic one! Thank you, Red Star Auto! Would 100% recommend! read more

I live in Ohio and purchased a car from Evan at Red Star Auto. First, he took the car to a mechanic for an inspection. Evan made the transaction so easy from me being across the country. He wanted to make sure I was confident in the vehicle I was purchasing. I had to connect with Evan months later to get some paperwork and he was so helpful and took care of it right away. Too bad I can't buy a car from him again! read more

I was looking at a Ram truck they have on the lot. Come to find out it has a salvage title. They are asking full price for it! What a bunch of crooks. read more

Could not be happier with the outcome & deal we received from Red Star Auto. Evan, the gentleman who helped us, was nothing short of AMAZING. Very communicative, friendly, and I felt like we were in good hands through the entire process. If you're looking for a reliable, used car, for a great deal this is THE placement to go!! read more

Evan at Red Star Auto was so helpful during the purchase of a car. My son saw the car online and wanted to purchase it for his first car. We went in and the car was available, Evan had no problem with us taking it to our mechanic and the car checked out! They also processed the paperwork in about 20 minutes so we were not there all day. It was a good experience for his first time purchase. read more

I recommend red star auto they have good car selection and the best customer service I ever found

I never thought I'd need another car, but I did. I didn't know where to start but found a photo online from Red Star Lakeside. I'm a Corolla girl and I got Evan Toyba, sales manager, was more than I could ask for. He made my purchase painless, I test drove the car. He accepted a down payment to hold the car for my purchase which another party wanted but I was first and he honored this. He got me financed for my new dream car. I'm so happy, so excited. I'm telling everyone about my first class experience. Thank you Red Star Lakeside! I purchased a 2018 Corolla with low mileage. read more

Red Star Auto - 2018 Corolla sedan - Used Car Dealers Near Me - Lakeside, California

I really wish I can give this dealership a good review because we liked Evan BUT the car we bought here was problematic. We had to move out of CA and we needed a reliable car for a long drive from CA to NC. Plans changed so instead of driving the car to NC we had it transported. We bought the Ford Escape back on March 4, 2023 and paid it in full. For Father's Day (June 2023: 3months after purchasing the car), we decided to drive it for 3hrs to go to Myrtle Beach to celebrate my husband. The supposedly 3hr drive took 8hrs. We couldn't turn on the AC (my 1yr old was was so uncomfortable in a 95 degree weather without AC). We had to keep on stopping because the car kept on saying "transmission failure" and it would heat up and wouldn't accelerate more than 20 miles an hour. We bought a warranty along with the car with Liberty Mutual. Called Liberty Mutual. We found a certified mechanic in our area and to our surprise Liberty Mutual will not cover for the labor of taking out the transmission from the car for their inspection and the actual fix. The mechanic that we talked to said that it will cost us $6,100 to get the car fixed (a car we just bought). It's so disappointing! We paid $17,000 for this car and 3months later we're surprised with more out of pocket expenses. read more

Do Not Buy From these people ! They sold us a completely Bunk Warrantee and a truck that started breaking down immediately . They do not back up their vehicles at all.. I really wish there was a Zero Score .. read more

I came in looking for a car and they had just what I was looking for. Evan was super professional and answered all our questions. Highly recommend them, they have all different models and price ranges. Process was fast and easy and even helped with financing! If you are looking for a new vehicle this is your place! read more

Had a great and easy buying experience with these guys!! Bought a nice Ford Fusion hybrid read more

For those who have read our harrowing experiences with Toyota Of El Cajon, Larry Miller Toyota, and Hyundai Of El Cajon, we are glad to finally be able to share with you a wonderful car buying experience. The way ALL car purchases should be. No horrendous dealer markup, friendly no hard sale. Great value. No stress. I have to say this is the first time the purchase of a car was actually a fun thing not a tedious, tiring, all day, haggling back and forth ALL day and walking out over paying for "clear protective" coat and all kinds of extras that end up being a rip off. These gentlemen are straight shooters. Will definitely go this rout from this point on highly highly recommend. Ivan and Azeez with treat you like human beings not like a $ sign. read more

Bought a used car and had a great experience. Not a lot of haggling. I would come back here in the future if I need another car!

My old truck that I dearly was involved in an accident when another driver thought that a Red Light was only a suggestion to stop. As this was an old 1994 Ford Ranger, it of course was totaled. Was looking for another Ranger noticed an add from Red Star. Went to look at the truck and was less than impressed. No worries he had other trucks to check out. My eye caught a 2011 Toyota Tundra. Very clean truck and after a test drive and a quick CarFax, knew this was the truck for me. I did notice some paint damage on right rear quarter panel. Evan said no problem he could have his paint guy touch it up at a very minimal cost. Wile the truck was in the pain shop, it was noticed that the hood was also notice a bit of fading on the hood. They repainted the hood at no additional cost. Red Star made the buying experience very easy and I ended up with a much better truck that the one I was originally shopping for. Long story short we were so satisfied with this purchase that my significant other ended up picking up a 2008 Lexus. read more

Very thorough, and willing to help. Easy car buy experience. Highly recommend if you want to get in and out. read more

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This business made my first car buying experience amazing!! Everyone is super accommodating as well as really helping to fit your budget / what you're looking for. They also are not pushy & actually let you decide what you want unlike other car dealerships .. my experience has definitely been pleasant here & my car is working great ! read more

Evan was great! Very accommodating to my needs and requests. I drove all the way from Long Beach to their Lakeside location to purchase a car with a great deal and flexible pricing. He was willing to work with me to assure I felt comfortable with my car. I would recommend 10 times. Michael, A happy customer! read more

Great service. Helped me get a nice car at a discounted price and set me up with a good loan as well. Made buying a car with them really easy. read more

Just purchased a Jeep from Evan- a vehicle I've been wanting for a while and he helped me with every step. He was very communicative, friendly and up front about all details. I even asked to take the Jeep to a mechanic at Firestone and he and the owner said absolutely! I picked it up, took it over, got a thumbs up from my mechanic and went back to the dealer to sign. He shared his screen with me and went through the breakdown in detail. I appreciated that and being able to take it to my mechanic- they earned my trust and I felt more confident with the sale. Would recommend them! Thank you Red Star. read more