Dealer refererals from members/ good or bad

[TheRidgester]

I always see posts on good dealer bad dealer, thought i would start a thread for people to see good or bad dealers and some experiences,
Rate your dealer with the thumbs up or down Icon listed below. thanks!

[TheRidgester]

I'll start
The Honda Superstore of Lisle
I-88 @ Rt. 53, in the Lisle Auto Plaza
Lisle, Illinois
630-852-7200
After many years of bogus dealers / stealer's I finally had a hassle free great experience! They did what they said they would and all went smooth! On a scale of 1 to ten... 9 silly reason to ding em a point, but in there Internet bar, 2 PC's were down that day.... coffee was good :)

[rasr866]

i would definitely recommend my dealer from San Francisco Honda. his name is Jose and very easy to work with. not your usual pushy dealer. he's actually a fleet manager and he responded with pricing through the internet right away. met him in person, test drove the ride, negotiated, they installed the add-ons, and i took my baby home in 9 days. only downside was there was a couple of minor scratches on my ride so they had to fix em til i was happy...;)

if anyone local is interested, send me a pm and i'll give you his number.

[MusicCityRidgeline]

I highly reccomend Darrell Waltrip Honda in Franklin, TN.

They were low pressure and great to work with. They found the color and trim I was looking for and delivered my RL with a smile.

[Pizza Man]

Willis Honda, Burlington, NJ. Easy to deal with on the internet. I haven't had the opportunity to use them yet for warranty or service. If necessary, I'll post a follow-up. Now see my next post.

[Pizza Man]

Piazza Honda, Langhorn, Pa. Would not deal to my satisfaction. Never returned phone calls. Do not recommend.

[WoodlandsRTL]

I couldn't have been happier with my experience at Goodson Honda North in Houston. I did loads of research online, collected quotes online and went in armed with a little folder of quotes, comparisons and printouts from edmonds, carsdirect and a couple others. Goodson's initial quote wasn't the lowest I received, but they did beat the lowest when shown what it was. I had a "magic number" in mind that was the best I could reasonably hope for including dealer-installed accessories, and the internet salesman's initial offer was only $17(!) off that. Whole negotiating process took about 15 mins.

Might have helped that it was my second purchase from him in 2 days, but the earlier Odyssey purchase went pretty much the same way.

forgot to add: Plus, they didn't even have the moonroof/nav combination I wanted, and cheerfully arranged a dealer trade with another dealer. My salesman left before I did, drove across Houston on a Friday afternoon (no small feat) and they had it ready, detailed and all accessories installed by noon the next day.

[tedridge]

Clinton Honda in Clinton New Jersey is a big two thumbs up! Great deal and great service.

[cdepuydt]

Zimbrick Honda in Madison WI was pretty good to me. With that being said, they are still a car dealership and they tried to low-ball me on my trade in. I stuck to my guns until I got what I wanted.

Other than that, the sales person I worked with was pretty low pressure, very informative on leases (What to do and not to do on a lease), and seemed like a pretty down to earth type person. She was pretty knowledgeable on the RL, even though I to correct her on a couple of points when she was giving us the walk-thru before we drove it home.

As far as bad dealerships....Avoid Don Miller dealerships, like the plague, in the Madison area. They tried to screw me over on two seperate car deals. I only went back to them on the 2nd vehicle, because they were the only dealership that had the vehicle I wanted on their lot. Anyway, I walked on both deals, have never been back, will NEVER go back there, and tell everyone I know to avoid them.

Plus, they have some of the sleaziest salesmen on the planet. Don Miller's salesmen make lawyers look like upstanding citizens!!!

[FLORIDARIDGER]

Courtesy Honda of Sanford Florida I had a super buying experience with "T" and also great service so far and highly recommend them! It was actually the most fun I have ever had buying a vehicle, the way buying should be!

[StickyC]

Steven's Creek Honda - jerked me around. Broke appointments, mislead me about availability ("oh, there are no more of that color in California"), and just came off as sleazy overall. Wont go back there again.

Los Gatos Honda - Promised one price over the net, wouldn't meet it in person. Wont go back there again.

Livermore Honda - Met my OTD price online, confirmed it in person, was willing to go the extra mile to deliver the truck to my house if needed. The whole process took 90 minutes (30 of which was waiting for the couple in front of me to do their finances). The service department was nice, but charged me for gas on the 'complimentary' rental car while I was getting the backup camera installed. I would have re-filled it had they told me they'd charge me for not doing so, instead, I get a call 3 days later that they'll have to charge me for returning it half-full. It's a shame they felt their customer wasn't worth the $10 it would have cost them to fill it themselves (translating to a $22 charge to me).

[fredridge]

Hardin Honda in Anaheim, CA. Great Salesman - Steve Choi - sales manager tried to mess with me and just wouldn't let it be an easy deal. Great service dept. May buy there again with Steve, but will do all negotiating over phone or online or go somewhere else.

[axesbowledaslove]

Robertson Honda, Palmdale, CA: Fecally engorged sales rep (aggressive, juvenile) tried to push a truck we did not want on us. Spent 10 minutes on the phone explaining that I was not interested in any truck without factory nav. Wouldn't listen. He would go, "Okay, so we get you one with factory nav ..."

"What color?"

"Blue, just the one you want!"

"But the blue one you have doesn't have factory nav."

"Yeah, but the aftermarket one is so much better!"

Finally told him that our conversation was over and hung up on him.

His sales manager called me back and left a message. I did not return the call. These guys are NOT RECOMMENDED.

Antelope Valley Honda, Lancaster, CA
I didn't end up buying from them this time, mostly because they could not meet my timeline. I was a bit disappointed in the level of service I received from both the sales rep and the sales manager I was dealing with, but it mostly had to do with them not being able to pinpoint when they would have what I wanted. I think they could have made the sale had they put forth a bit more effort locating a truck for us. Still, I bought our first new Honda from them back in 2000 and my experience then was superb. I would go back again, so RECOMMENDED WITH RESERVATIONS.

Miller Honda, Van Nuys, CA.
I thought I had a deal with these people. Never even went into the dealership, our business was transacted over the phone. Had a list of options I read off to the sales rep, she said okay to the price, handed me off to the fleet rep, and then one of the things I said I wanted was not on the list. HOT PISS OUT THE EYEBALLS GODDAMN. What a load of wasted time I spent with these people. It turned out that I had wandered in to the cost center hell of dealerships that have grown too big for their britches. That one little accessory that THEY FAILED TO WRITE DOWN, suddenly became too hard to do at the price we had previously agreed upon.
I DO NOT RECOMMEND MILLER HONDA.

Riverside Honda, Riverside, CA
This is where we eventually bought our truck. I have mixed feelings about them. I was tremendously careful with both the sales rep and the sales manager to ensure that every option I wanted was included. (I had been burned by Miller, and it was not going to happen again.)

I wrote each down as I laid them out and watched the sales rep follow me in his notes. They sent the sales manager out to work me over for awhile. What we settled on was I would pay the discount price for each accessory (taken from the collegehillshonda.com site) and one grand for them to bolt them up for me.

So when it was time to go see the finance guy to sign the order, the roof rack was missing. I called bull****, politely, and got the sales rep back in. To their credit, there were no Miller Honda escapades this time. They fixed the due bill to include everything we had agreed upon. I signed.

Now, my daughter had just gone in to the hospital the day I went down to inspect, drive, order, the truck. She was still in the hospital when it was ready. It had become nearly impossible to find a time where both my wife and I could go down together so that she could sign the papers. I had called the sales manager, Darvin, a day earlier, to see if he could arrange someone to deliver the truck to us, pick up their check, and complete the deal. He was a jerk. Our sales rep, Stephen, was off for a couple of days, and apparently, under the system of ethics they operate under at Riverside, Stephen was essential to making it happen, and Darvin was not going to "give away his deal."

I was effin' pissed. Yeah, we live 130 miles from the dealership, but the closest dealer to us is 85 miles no matter how you cut it. I had ridden that 130 miles just to go see the truck.

After my conversation with Darvin, I was steamed. The next day, I got a call from James Ponce, one of the general managers down there, letting me know the Ridgeline was ready. I got emotional:

"I do not care one bit about your internal politics, how you allocate credit for sales, that is your problem, not mine. I need someone to get in that truck and drive it up here. I will give them the check for the full agreed price. I am pissed that you are dragging me into your internal issues."

Bring me my truck, we'll sign, I'll hand you the dough, and I'll take whomever you send it up with back to Riverside right away."

To his credit, Ponce got on it. I got my truck delivered that day without further problems. Everything I ordered was installed carefully and neatly, the truck was perfect. I paid them for the truck, got the keys, and bid the nice sales rep, Luis, and the porter, Lupe, who followed my truck up in a dealer car, farewell. I did not have to take anyone home, it turned out, though I certainly wouldn't have minded.

I RECOMMEND RIVERSIDE HONDA WITH RESERVATIONS.

With any dealer you work with, make sure that everything you want in the way of accessories is accounted for on paper. The biggest problem I had over this whole deal, besides finding the truck we wanted, was getting everyone's head together over what the dealer was going to install. Take it from me, do not even begin to talk until you have a notepad in front of you and a salesman writing down what you want.

[RIDGID]

Anyone near Greeville NC should stop in Harbour Honda,in alll my 40 some new car purchases this one was the best!

[Tommy]

Stevens Creek Honda, San Jose, CA
Good experience overall, I did not have the troubles that StickyC described. I had obtained internet quotes from several dealers beforehand (not this one), then went to Stevens Creek Honda, simply since they are just around the corner from where I live. I asked them to beat the lowest quote I had, and they did (I paid $25,500 incl destination for an RTS). I was sceptical all the way until signing the last papers, but it was all exactly as agreed, the OTD price was even $80 lower than what the sales guy had showed me beforehand. The RL I got had left the factory on May 26, 2006, so still brand new.

A few deductions:
- They did not believe the quotes I had obtained from other dealers and I had to print them out from my yahoo email account on one of their computers so I could show them.
- They were trying to sell me extended warranty, but I did not take it.
- It took quite long until I could drive my new RL home, but then again I had come with no appointment and it was July 4th weekend.

Overall I can recommend them. I got exactly what I wanted with little hassle.

Tommy

[jerseyshoreguy]

DCH in Eatontown nj .... .:mad: well that is the service area .. the sales was fine... but the service guys give the term "grease monkeys" alot of credit:o

[NJRIDGELINER]

Burns Honda,

RECOMMENDED! Salesman Mike Hames gave me the price over the phone and honored that price when I came in. There was a $350 dealer prep package on there that was not included in the price but he offered to remove the items if i did not want them. I kept it because it was stuff i would eventually get anyway (mud flaps, under seat tray, rubber mats, pinstripe). Once we agreed on the purchase price i asked them to disclose the MF and residual value which was exactly what i researched online. The first price they came out with was what i had calculated. 36mos $362 a month with first payment and t+t down for a RTL. This was back in March of 06. The finance guy did not try to sell me anything unnecessary and had me out the door in 15 minutes which is the fastest i ever experienced. Salesman called me to follow up numerous times. Great Experience!

[djeaux]

Vardaman Honda
Hattiesburg, MS

Super dealer. Excellent service department. "Not a volume dealer," if that has any resonance around here. This is a business that goes the undemanded second mile for customers.

[streetwerkzclothing]

Hardin Honda in Anaheim, CA. Great Salesman - Steve Choi - sales manager tried to mess with me and just wouldn't let it be an easy deal. Great service dept. May buy there again with Steve, but will do all negotiating over phone or online or go somewhere else.


i disagree. i worked for hardin honda and i also bought my ridgeline there.
(i have also worked for pacific honda in san diego...... if anyone is in the area, talk to Bo about a ridgeline... he'll take care of you)

steve choi is the absolute WORST pushy salesman ever!!!! he made you think you got a deal, trust me.... you didnt.

[grizzfan]

I have had trouble with the sales crew over the years at the local University Honda. They have a reputation for not dealing. I drove a R/L there and wanted a specific color RTL that they didn't have. So they found one in Seattle for a dealer trade and gave me a price. I did some homework and faxed them a signed offer the next day. No Response. So I faxed them another offer the day after that. No Response.

I had been talking to Eisinger Honda in Kalispell, MT north of here and they had my current car, not the color I wanted exactly, but the price was less than Consumer Reports "wholesale" (invoice minus holdback and before CU's suggested markup routine) so I closed the deal. Eisinger's price, probably reflecting the $2,000 dealer incentive, was $3,000 less than University's for a "plain" RTL, no M/R, XM or NAV!!)

Not more than two hours later University called back and said they just got my offer and wanted to talk! Said the Fax machine was jammed. For two days!!?? Well, to say the least, they lost the sale. I did get a letter of apology.

Good deal at Eisinger. A little frantic atmosphere, but we were there at end of day before the 4th of July weekend.

We like the Ridgeline a lot and even the color.

Tom

[milehigh]

Ralph Schomp Honda in Denver (actually they're in Littleton, a suburb 15 minutes south of Denver). Salesman was Jesse Esquibel - super nice guy, great dealership, highly recommended. A week after I bought the RL, the owner (Lisa Schomp - daughter of the founder) called to thank me personally and asked if I was happy with the truck.

[Nawlens Gator]

Got the run around from these dealers in LA who wouldn't deal and didn't have the vehicle and accessories I wanted in inventory anyway:

Team Honda, Baton Rouge
Richards Honda, Baton Rouge
Covington Honda

Got much better deal from John Eagle in Houston who had everything in stock.

Truck and accessories were ready in 24 hours. Wow!!

[Mr_Greylock]

I bought mine from Curry Honda in Chicopee, MA.
It was a very pleasant experience and the deal went through without a hitch. Well, the only thing was I took my second color choice of silver instead of green because of the unavailability of the green in my area.
I am totally happy with silver, so all is well.
They didn't pressure me a bit, and I was able to get pricing I wanted and even a better price than agreed for my trade due to the color issue.
One side note though, they would not deal at all on accessories. So, me being the do it your selfer that I am, I have already bought and installed my own Honda roof rack from H and A. Any other add-ons will be bought online and installed myself.
Take care, Eric

[milkm@n]

Gillman Honda in San Antonio, Texas. Oxygen thieves. Said one thing, did another. I did buy there but had I known the ding dong stuff they would pull after the sale I would have stayed away. They definitely tried to low ball my trade in which I suspect is normal. I told them I was in the Army and being transferred to Washington State in two weeks and some of the stuff I agreed to isn't valid in Washington State. Thanks for not telling me. I am an adult so I will move on but Gillman Honda of San Antonio, Texas is plain dishonest.

I love my Ridgeline though and I have had to bring it to South Tacoma Honda in Tacoma, Washington for minor service. The service department is fantastic. The parts department won't give me a deal like College Hills Honda but these people treat you first class otherwise.

Did I mention that Gillman Honda of San Antonio, Texas sux?:D

[Truckin']

In Utah we are very pleased with Ken Garff in Riverdale. We spend a lot of time over there prowling the parking lot and walking in to say "Hi." We're having all our maintenance done there in spite of the fact that we've used a local Goodyear for all of our vehicle's maintenance for decades. We're always greeted with friendly faces and chat sessions.

The dealership donated 4 nice gifts four our ROC meet in June.

I did stick to my guns in the negotiation process. Thanks to Vertrkr's great list and all the other members who had posted dealer tricks and tactics the ROC wisened me up before I got into the talks.

If you are thinking of buying at KG Honda in Riverdale, PM or email me before you purchase and I'll give you more of my impressions of the process.

[e_piph_a_ny]

WOW... after reading the horror stories outnumbering the good dealers, I'm glad I went to CarsDirect.com.

I spent a total of 30 minutes over a couple of phone calls and got my price. The dealer was over 90 miles from my house. They trailered the RL to my house, saving me time and the miles on the RL.

[LadyRidge]

I wish I could recommend the dealer I bought my Ridgena from but I wouldn't send anyone there. :(

I can recommend Ganely or Jay in NEO. Ganley because they service my Ridgeline and do a fantastic job of it and Jay because I know their reputation from working at Honda.

[geotech]

OK, like most things in life, it's ying and yang time!

Little Apple Honda, Manhattan, KS:
Sales- Super experience with the customer coming first, low pressure and accomodation. No BS. Knowledgeable Buyer (thanks to ROC & Consumer Reports) and a Knowledgeable Seller.
Service- I swear their motto is "We don't care, we don't have to." At my age, there is nothing quite like being treated like a naive and isolated 16 year old.

Sharp Honda, Topeka, KS:
Sales- Impossible to deal with. Lies and arrogance. I bought my Accord there in '05. That and $2.50 will get you a cup of coffee at Starbucks. In '05 the sales experience was good, not great. What happened in early '06? In fairness, I have heard they cleaned house in the sales department recently.
Service- Absolutely the best in my 40 years of driving experience. SM Greg is the Man. Caring and concerned, he doesn't sell, he suggests and educates. I have never had a service department lead me to my vehicle and show me what the issue was and insist that it's alright for me to stay and watch the tech work and interact with him!

I also attempted to deal with Ellena Honda of Lawrence, KS. Brickwall and similar to Sharp sales experience above.
Jay Wolfe Honda of KC MO was my next choice for sales. Internet ready and willing to deal, but Manhattan was closer.

[CT RIDGELINE FAN]

I would Recommend Executive Honda in Wallingford , CT.
My salesman Fue listened to me and what I wanted. He didn't try to push an RTL or RTS on me, when I only wanted the base RT.Of course he tried to offer me many of the dealer packages and extended warranty, but that is expected. The service dept so far seems good. I had a paint defect in the front passenger rim and they ordered one no questions asked and made a convenient appointment for me to replace it.

[bobpres]

I just got my new '07 RTS from Boch Honda in Norwood, MA. I got it at the end of August and paid $26,993. The salesmen were up front that if I waited until the beginning of Sept. the price would jump to $27,850. Of course, even that price would have been $800 less than my local dealership. I drove down to MA from NH on the 31st of August. The deal was extra smooth, with the exception of waiting to get to the guy in finance. However, once I did, I was literally in and out in under 3 minutes!! The only downside was my trade. They don't sell used vehicles that have more than 41k miles (they're wholesaled). But, since my Odyssey was on it's last legs (long story), I traded it anyway. The sales crew were all friendly and easy to work with.

[chisoxjim]

Great experience @ Honda of Joliet, I went to Honda of Lisle, but they were too busy to talk to me, so I just browsed around and thats where I discovered the Ridgeline, I was going to have to settle for a CR-V, thank jah I saw the RT for less than I was going to pay for the CR-V. Went to Honda of Joliet after the NEw Year with a price I would pay, and was out the door within 2 hours with the RL @ mt price. No Hassles, no haggling.

I liked Honda of Joliet so much i am currently researching a Honda Accord Lease, and wouldnt hesistate using them for that purchase. However the Jeep Commander is looking really tempting for the same lease ammount, a shorter term, and less down. Also its a bigger vehicle, and Id like the wife to be in the biggest truck we can afford.

[outtaline]

When I decided to buy a Ridgeline I did my internet research and then started dealer inquests with the following results:

Coggin Honda Ft Pierce- Contacted them over the phone and ran down the list of exactltly what I wanted and would pay CASH!. They said they had the truck and I needed to give them a deposit to get it ready and I could pick it up the next day. This I did and waited for them to fax me the buyers notice to take to the insurance co. locally to get the policy on it. You guessed it, never got the paperwork and everytime I tried to contact the sales gal I got some story. Ended up that they did NOT have the truck and were jerking me around.

Ed Morse Riviera Beach- This is the Third New Honda that they have not sold me due to their attitude and BS. They give you a song and dance about how they will meet anyones pricew and then they come up with the "leisure vehicle charges" and lots of other nonsense. I wasted hours there and will not waste anymore time there again.

After these 2 debacles from the dealers, I called American Honda to complain and they asked if I wanted to file a complaint , which I did.

Last dealer and the one I bought from was Rick Case Honda in South Florida. I called and requested to talk to the manager and was put on hold for about 2 minutes. A guy named Rick answered and said that he would be able to help me with some questions that I had about the purchase that I inteneded to make so I explained the situations that I had previously gone through. He listened and then Said that there was no problem and that I should drive down and seal the deal. I said that if I drove the 100+ miles down there and there was a problem that my foot would end up in an unpleasant location. He laughed and said that when I got there I should speak to "Olga" as this was an internet sale and if there was any issues that he would handle them . I had my son drive me down and when I got there I was greeted by a salesperson who promptly found Olga for me. Olga had the paperwork ready and it took about 90 minutes tio drive off in my Ridgeline. When the truck was being filled with gas and I was given all my paperwork and perks, a guy walks over and wants to know if everything went the way we had discussed on the phone. It turns out to be Rick Case, who makes certain that I have all the phone numbers of Service Managers, Parts Managers, Customer Service people, and His numbers on their buisiness cards. THESE INCLUDED HOME PHONE NUMBERS!!!! This deal was the most pleasant buying experience I have ever had.:D

[Jack]

Roenthal Honda of Fairfax Virginia. Pro's from the get-go! Great dealership, great sales and service staff! Not pushy, let the Ridge do the talkling. My saleman was Chris Pugh. Nice young man with a lot of poise. The kind of guy you wish your daughter would meet. The wife and I had decided on a Ridgline after checking Dodge, Ford, and Toyota (I traded in my Tacoma they were so good!) Got a great allowance on the Tacoma and a great discount on the 08 RTL! Made the deal, had to pick up a kid froma chorus concert, came back 2 hours later and the Ridge was ready to go, we just traded keys.

I did have a little problem with the breaks after 5 days. The Ridge had sat for a few weeks and the rotors had rusted. Couldn't see it but the service department knew what it was. When you hit the breaks hard it pulsed because the traction control was seeing it as slippage. Josh Head at the service department didn't even bat an eye, he knew exactly what it was. fixed it in a couple of hours, smooth as glass, and no cost. He did pull my leg, said it was 200 bucks! He saw the look on my face and said no no just kidding! He said it would burn off and it had actually lessened to the point where I almost cancelled the appointment, but Josh took care of it! Even got a ticket for a free oil change for the trouble!

If I call the dealer they always return the call same day, sometimes within an hour. I would definately recommend Rosenthall Honda of Fairfax!

[Tcape]

Probably not close to most folks on the forum, but I bought my '08 RTL from Lumberton Honda in Lumberton, NC. I dealt with a lady named Faye Taylor. Couldn't have been more pleased. She was top knotch. Very helpful, very professional, and very thoughtful.

You always wonder how salespeople will be AFTER the sale. Well, I had two issues with my new RL, and both issues were handled with great professionalism by the salesperson and the service department. I'd sure recommend this dealer.

[Sparkland]

Ralph Schomp Honda in Littleton, Colorado gets my nod as a great place to purchase a vehicle. I went in having already priced the Ridgeline RTL at several dealers via the internet.

Their claim to fame is "no dealer handling," and "no haggle pricing." I would definitely recommend them. They gave me a good price for my trade in, so I made the move.

However, my wife just purchased a 2008 Honda Civic EX this past weekend and we shopped this dealership again but their price was about $800 more, even with "no dealer handling." That was strange. Guess the dealer handling was included in the price--amazing.

Definitely put this dealership on your radar if you are shopping for a Honda.

Brad

[weather_wrangler]

Dobbs Honda, Tucson, Az. Good dealership with no BS sales policy when I bought my Element in '03

Front Range Honda in Colorado Springs. No BS sales treatment and -very nice Element trade in offer- when I bought my Ridgeline in March '06.

Beaudry Honda Tucson Az. I walked out on them when they tried the old "I have to go see my manager" routine.