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November 18, 2013 at 11:16 pm #609701
ghar72ParticipantWe’re in the market for a used Honda minivan. Does anyone have any positive or negative experiences with dealers they’d be willing to share? We’re willing to drive as far as Everett or Tacoma if it’s a good deal and a good person to work with. Feel free to email me if you don’t want to post, ghar72 at gmail dot com.
Thanks!
November 19, 2013 at 2:45 am #800326
trickycooljParticipantI have always had great service at Lynnwood Honda. Bought my car there 6 years ago and have always gone back for service. I heard at the auto show that my salesman has returned to that particular dealer, Fred Ganjavi (not sure on the last name spelling!) It was my first car purchase ever and they were not pushy as some other dealers were and were very helpful in getting my finance set up and finding deals I was eligible for as a recent college grad.
A friend of mine is currently car shopping and had a horrendous time at Toyota in Lake City. He test drove one car but had other brands to also go test and the salesman wouldn’t let them leave (he had brought 2 friends with to test the cars with a full load) and when the salesman was afraid of not making a sale he went and got the manager who kept them another hour or more trying to push him to buy/lease rightthisminute!
November 19, 2013 at 3:24 am #800327
ghar72ParticipantThanks, Tricky! This is exactly the advice I’m looking for. I can’t deal with the salesperson who is high pressure.
November 19, 2013 at 4:37 am #800328
IrukandjiParticipantFirst I’d look into who has the most user-friendly service department since once the sale is done, all you’ve got is service to deal with. Decide if you are looking for a certified or warrantied Pre-Owned vehicle, then research all the production levels of the vehicle you want. Decide on the Make, model, year and acceptable mileage.
With that info, get thee to Edmunds and Consumer Reports. Check to see if there’s an owners forum for that make and model. Get to know what a fair price is for your intended, what to look for as far as options, and get more opinions on service.
To limit your contact with high-pressure dealers, write an e-mail note to your local dealers who rep the product telling them what you are looking for and let them present vehicles to you. Watch other dealerships to see if your van of choice shows up on their used-car inventory list.
Give yourself some time. It took me five months from the Make-Model-Year-Options stage to get what I wanted. When it was presented at the right price, I went for it. I got to take the train to Portland to pick it up. The same vehicle was offered there for $3k less than what the Seattle and Bellevue dealers had to offer.
If you have your facts, and what you’re willing to pay is realistic, a rep from the used car side of things will gladly look for the right one for you. Just be pre-smartened!
November 19, 2013 at 5:27 am #800329
ghar72ParticipantThanks, lrukandji. Excellent advice. I tend to get an idea and go with it, rather than taking my time. It’s good to hear it took you five months. No need for us to rush. Although I’m betting now’s the time to buy a car b/c of wanting to clear out end of year inventory. Am I right about that?
November 19, 2013 at 7:40 am #800330
SueParticipantIt’s been 5 years since I bought a new car, so things may have changed, but I did not have a favorable experience at Honda of Burien. The salesperson was the opposite of pushy – he acted as if he could care less that I was there and had no interest in helping me. Every question I asked seemed like an imposition. I ended up buying my car at University Mazda – had a wonderful experience with Erik there (not pushy at all, and very helpful) and still love the car 5 years later.
November 19, 2013 at 9:30 pm #800331
ElizagraceParticipantI would recommend Honda of Burien as well – we bought our car from Honda of Seattle and are really wishing we went elsewhere.
We now get our car serviced at Honda of Burien and they are nothing but wonderful from a service standpoint. (Sales I am not sure about Burien but can adamantly report that we will not be buying a car from Honda or Toyota of Seattle ever again).
November 19, 2013 at 10:04 pm #800332
IrukandjiParticipantUnless you are buying a new-but-it’s-last-year’s model, there’s really no more incentive to sell right now. Dealerships ALWAYS need to sell. Incentives to make sales change sometimes monthly, sometimes seasonally. Basically, you need to find out the price the dealership actually pays for the car as optioned and work from that.
November 20, 2013 at 3:24 am #800333
4th of EightParticipantI just this week got well taken care of at Pierre Money Mart up on Lake City Way NO PRESSURE! They even took care if the title transfer for me!(they own the DOL up the street from them.) couldn’t have been easier, and I went there because of credit. They have all makes and models and a very thorough mechanical check system.(personally I would never get a Honda or Toyota due to the high rate of theft!). Ask for Fred. He really listened to me and took care of me as if I was a family member, it felt like. Couldn’t hurt to peruse by there.
November 20, 2013 at 7:20 am #800334
acemotelParticipantStay away from Burien Honda. New owners, and their only interest is making money, not customer service. I am a long-time customer (purchased new cars and also had them serviced) and the change is very disturbing. I am looking for a new Honda dealer. I LOVED the old Burien Honda.
November 20, 2013 at 7:37 pm #800335
sassyMemberWe were in desperate need for a new car in the late summer. Had narrowed it down to a Honda – just not sure which model.
Headed to Honda of Burien, as closest to us.
Horrible experience – no negotiation skills whatsoever. We were actually at the desk with the sales guy, and the manager came over with the ‘final offer’ paperwork, and stated to us ‘we need to make some money too’. So unprofessional – and we walked away.
The following day – we purchased a new Honda at Honda of Kirkland. Great experience, no pressure,sales guy was Jim L.
He was willing to negotiate with us, and got us everything we needed.
I also have a 90’s Civic from Honda of Kirkland – they’ve been nothing but good to me.
I have heard good things about Lynnwood Honda too – just haven’t made it up there.
Good Luck!
November 21, 2013 at 2:36 pm #800336
kayoParticipantJust to muddy things, we did not have the best experience at Lynnwood Honda, although we did end up buying our car there. We bought our car used and unbeknownst to us, the key fobs were missing and this was conveniently not mentioned until after we had signed. So guess who had to pay for those? Yep. We did. Also, we asked them to put new tires on the car as part of the deal. I picked the car up with supposed new tires, came home and one of them was flat the next day. I took a closer look and there was no way they were new tires. I called and the sales guy sheepishly told me to come back (West Seattle to Lynnwood and back toting a 3 year old and an infant – sigh). They replaced the tires with new (albeit low quality) tires, but they were totally trying to pull a fast one on us. We were tired parents of a newborn and we had never bought a car from a dealer before so they probably saw us coming and thought they could take advantage of us. They were trying to shaft us at every turn. Oh and they also tried so strong arm us into the extended warranty (for another $1300). We managed to get out of that by the skin of our teeth but it was a close call. We felt like we’d been dipped in snake oil after that experience. Four years later the car still works great, but I will never buy a car from them after that experience. Lessons for us: avoid Lynnwood Honda and don’t buy a car when you are a sleep deprived new parent. They will try to screw you over.
We did go to Bellevue Honda a few times back then and I liked the sales guy, they just did not have the specific used model we were looking for at that time. It was hard to find.
Anyway, good luck and stand firm. Go in with a clear plan and be firm with them and watch out for tricky maneuvers! They are trying to sell cars and they will take advantage of you if they can!
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