Now, I can't vouch for their new car sales department, but I -can- for their used/pre-owned…read moredepartment.
Back in 2006, I drove a POS Olds Cutlass Ciera that my father had to work on at least once a month, be it to replace the CV joint, the temperature gauge, jimmy rig the cig outlet, install a button so the wipers will work...you name it, I'm sure he fashioned something to fix it or did...for the time being.
To make it short and sweet, I blew the car up. Temp gauge malfunctioned on my way home from Dayton, thermostat locked shut thinking the engine was cold, but it was so hot, the gaskets fused together and of the 6 cylinders, 4 were firing as I smoked into Columbus.
I decided at that point that I wanted something pretty specific in a car--I wanted an import with good gas mileage, a 5 or 6 speed manual transmission, I wanted it to be either white or black, clean, no external damage, and a nice paint job. It had to have 4 doors, and idle quietly enough that 1, it didn't blow my eardrums like the Cutlass did, and 2, I could sneak up on my little sister after school and scare the bajeezers out of her.
Mike Garvey was the Internet sales guy at the time, and when I wandered onto the Tansky Toyota lot, they simply put didn't have what I wanted. There was a green Jetta with some electrical issues and a Celica soft top that was -OK- in my book, but ultimately, I left poor Mike with a phone number and a big long list of what I wanted with the minute hope and prayer that something would roll onto their lot as a trade in.
In the next week, I received a thank you card from him for stopping by, and a courtesy voice mail to let me know he hadn't found anything yet, but that he was keeping an eye out for me. To me, that was above and beyond anything I'd ever expected from a used car salesman.
The week after that, I was sitting in the middle of my Sociology Class at OSU and my phone started buzzing like crazy. I left the hall to answer it and Mike sounded all excited saying the, and I quote, "Perfect fit for you" just rolled onto his lot as a trade in for a new Camry. He said it was a white Honda Civic LX Sedan, 5 speed, and that it was in impeccable condition. I scheduled an appointment for that weekend, and he'd kept the car back in the service bay the whole time rather than on the lot so I could see it first.
Well, he was right. "Eryss" as she's named now, was the perfect fit for me, and to this day is still one of the best investments I believe I've made. The previous owner had put a lot of obvious time and effort into keeping the vehicle clean, maintained, and aesthetically pleasing. It had a triple clear coat over the standard stock paintjob, and all of the little knicks and scratches that scathed the front bumper had been cleaned, sanded, primed, and touched before re-sealing. The interior's dash was leather and supple--the previous owner had made it a point to keep the leather oiled. There was a newer sport clutch installed, and there were new Toyo Tires with the warranty information in the glove box. Maintenance records were meticulous in the manual, and the Carfax was clean. The carpets and seats were clean, and the previous owner had been a non-smoker, which was a HUGE bonus in my book. The trunk was clean, the spare had never been used, and all the roadside tools, jacks, etc were neatly organized.
The dealer admitted they hadn't done much to the car to prepare it for sale, and lowered the 'list' price of the unlisted vehicle accordingly. I never felt pressured by Mike to buy it, but I feel like he was more concerned over whether or not the car would be sufficient to my needs, which it turned out it was.
At the time, I didn't know how to drive a manual, and since the dealership is RIGHT off of Sawmill, he was patient with me while I scheduled for one of my parents to look the car over, too. After fighting with my father over who would actually get the buy the car (him or me, lol!) I finally won out and I brought the car home on June 19th with no money down, Tier 3 financing (my credit was great for my age, but eh for financing, but still got 11.95%) and with tax title and licensing, a little over $11K. I even got $200 trade in for the blown up Cutlass! I really wouldn't have been able to do it without Mike's help and assistance above and beyond what would normally be expected. As far as I know though, he no longer works there. :-(
Tansky's was great, and from what I gather, their salespeople are really laid back and understanding that if you come onto a lot, YES you're looking to purchase a vehicle, but IMMEDIATELY may not be what you had in mind. I've ushered 3 people into Tansky over the past 2 years, and I know that 1 of them bought a car there. They don't ruin the back of your car with applique advertisements, but if you keep their plate frame on, you get free washes when you stop by.
I -HIGHLY- recommend this dealership!!!
