Car dealership suggestions
Just in the market for a car......looking to see if anyone has a suggestion of a car dealership where they have had a good experience. We've been looking for a while, and I am tired of the games alot of the salespeople play! I am still in search of a good experience...we are looking for a minivan/SUV.........thanks!!!!
onefinerose
Towne Toyota hands down!!!!! I've been there for about 4 cars. Not all my own of course as Toyotas last a long long time.
Ryan(ligitty) 
What brand of car? Probably wise to do some research on what brand is best for you and then find out if there is a good dealership for that brand in the are. Probably not a good idea to choose a brand of car based on a good dealership.
Calico696 
Jenn while there are lots of good articles on the internet. I really like this one.
http://slickdeals.net/forums/showthread.php?t=1941590
btownguy I would highly not recommend Warnock & Denville Nissan... Warnock outright lied to me - hoping a girl wouldn't figure it out. Sorry! I know my cars ;) I will never do business with them again! Denville Nissan - the sales guy I had was flying high! He was sooo out there. They are very shady there...
So far so good w/Open Road Nissan in Morristown. I know I know - they used to be Warnock - BUT - they aren't anymore!! ;) Liked Salerno Infiniti in Denville. No complaints. Johnson Dodge/Jeep - deal w/Mike Hyland ONLY. Tell him Lizzy sent you ;) He has been great - bought 3 Jeeps from him so far! NO BS! He really is the nicest guy - been dealing with him since '04. Service there sucks though... We used to like Trebour Ford - but they are no more. When we were looking in June/July, had a good experience with Joyce Honda & Towne Toyota but ended up going Nissan. Gene @ Subaru in Mt. Olive was nice to deal with too.
If you are looking to lease, I recommend VIP Auto. They are a lease broker. They do some finances too - but mostly leases. Pretty much will always get invoice - or less. Website is vipautony.com. I just w/David and arranged the pickup through Open Road. Best lease price as compared w/every dealer in the area! My boss just leased his BMW 528 through them too, he actually had them deliver his to our office. He is very happy as well. Seriously, the best prices out there!
Hope that helps!! :)
Liz
LizInHtown Wow, I found Towne Toyota to be too "salesy" although that made it impossible to check the service which may be great.
I would "search" suby of mt olive here, I think there are many bad threads. I use suby in Flemington, its a haul but worth it to me.
Hackettstown Harold I don't know that I could recommend a single dealer in the area mostly because the best values are in used cars, and even in a used car a dealer's mark up is way too high. The biggest problem though is you have to know what you're doing.
If it was a new car and you had to go to a dealer, then I have bought at Joyce for work, and it's like what Saturn tries to do. No pressure, no games, they're there mostly to answer your questions, the price is the same for everybody and published on a simple list. I wouldn't use their service, and in fact wouldn't use any dealers service unless it was the only way. And then the only place I know of with a good reputation is Rossi in Washington. I will admit the service manager is best friends with one of my employees. ;-)
GC Highly recommend a Subaru, and Subaru of Mount Olive to get one.
Not "salesy", very helpful, and if you get a Subaru, you'll never get stuck in the snow. They, and Audis, have the best AWD system you can get.
Rebecka After researching the car and the exact price I was willing to pay, I called many Honda dealers to find out if they had a car at the price I wanted to pay. The only one who did not give me the royal run around was Joyce Honda. After telling the salesman on the phone exactly what I wanted and my terms, he came back to the phone after a few minutes and said " Okay, when do you want to pick the car up" I had the car in my posession the next day.
Do NOT buy from Denville Nissan! We bought a new car from them, a Kia, when they were still Denville Nissan/Kia, and the car had a manufacturing defect that ended up costing us four years in court! It seems that someone took the car for a test drive when it had 6 miles on it and it blew a head gasket. They put in new heads and did not disclose this major repair to us when we purchased the car with 8 miles on it. A few months later we started having major problems with the car stalling out in traffic and took it back for repairs where it sat and sat for 5 months because they were unable to repair it. We finally filed a lemon law suit and that is when we discovered that they had sold us a vehicle that had major repairs done to it, as a new vehicle. We then filed suit for fraud as well as the lemon law suit. They fought us tooth and nail in court for FOUR YEARS until a Judge finally intervened and order them to pay us DOUBLE THE COSTof the vehicle as well as reimburse us for insurance costs, registration fess and loan interest. He doubled the cost due to the fraud of not disclosing the major repair which he deemed the fault of the dealership, Denville Nissan/Kia. They are completely unethical and I'm sure this type of practice will continue there so please do not buy your vehicle there!
Alvin We used Ron at Subaru of Mount Olive. He was a great down to earth guy and not pushy. Very Informative and personable. We have recommended other people to him as well.
Soccrgrl08 I purchased a used car a couple month for a dealership in PA. Milham, they are high pressure sales, which I like. Their service department is open until midnight every night.
But I had a couple issues with the car so I took it to Smith Ford in washington. I only used the Service department. Service department was super friendly and understand and knowledgable.
I would use both dealerships again.
But my advise to you is research what you want. Do you want 4wd? 2 dr? 4 dr? automatic? Truck? SUV? smaller? Larger? Once you figure that out, then which Manufactur do you what. Example - if you want a large 4wd SUV do you want the Toyota, Honda, Ford, Chevy, etc. Whats your price range? Can you afford all the bells and whistels? Now that you have what car you really want, (Honda Pilot w/ leather and nav) you go to all the dealership website and see what inventory they have. Find 2 or 3 dealerships and call or stop by and see what they will do for you. Lower the price? Free tires for life? free service? But you need to research what you want and need.
My last new car was list price of 36K and I got the car for 24K and free service for 2 years.
Just Asking Kevil Chevrolet in Budd Lake! We are a family owned business that has been here for 50 YEARS!!!!!!! And we sell American cars!!!! Come see us!
We now have a new sales force and we are dedicated to doing our best job in earning your business and ensuring your loyalty. ;)
Stop buy and see our new car inventory and our Certified pre-owned inventory.
We have a fully accredited service and parts department and we are now the local approved Saturn warranty and service center.
Come in now to see our new Fall incentives and offers.
I agree with just asking. Research the car you want and the price you are willing to pay. Print it out and bring it with you. I helped my mom buy her Toyota Highlander this way.
We went to the Toyota dealer in Morristown with a print out of exactly what she wanted in the car and what she was willing to pay. They played the game, running back and forth with the sales manager, etc. etc. We shook our heads every time. Eventually the sales manager came out and tried a bit more and finally gave us our price. We didn't make any friends but we got a great deal on the car.
I second a lot of the opinions here. Toyota and Subaru are great cars.
We have had 3 toyotas
1984 Tercel 220K
1990 Camry 248K
2001 Sienna 197K
and a 1995 Subaru Legacy 190K
We bough the Subaru in Newton and had a great experience. Not pushy at all. We had a friend of my dad help us with the negotiations (it was our 1st new car).
Good luck.
Motion Lincoln on Rte 46 was easy to deal with, no pressure, went in with the Edmunds page and they gave me that price, found the car I wanted and had it ready in two days. Their service dept. is very professional.
Be careful at Kevil Chevrolet - if you can get your car in and out of there for less than $800 please let us know. We've been snagged there more than once! The last time there, for something minor, my wife called me and said it was going to be hundreds of dollars, I told her to have them button up the car and leave. Do a web search on them and you'll see we're not alone.
Reggie Voter Go to edmunds.com - pick the car you want and get online quotes from dealerships. Only then should you go into a dealership. Edmunds will let you know the dealer invoice, sticker price, and the average price people are paying for the car in your area. You will also have an idea of what other dealerships are offering.
If you don't go in with other offers, you really don't have any leverage. Also, do NOT buy the car right away no matter what. Whatever offer they give you, tell them you need to think it over. Most cars, in this economy, should be purchasable under dealer invoice except for some luxury brands.
Last year, I got quotes for a 2009 Accord EX-L (4 and 6 cylinder) for $2000 under dealer invoice. I ended up getting an Acura TSX for $300 over invoice.
Also, negotiate a selling a price...NOT a monthly payment. They try to play games by getting you into your desired payment but extend the loan out 7-10 years...bogus!
emaxxman I bought a few cars from Smith and used to love them. When I bought my F150 truck there, had some problems re: old style shop vs. yuppee vs. dent in tailgate they claimed not-me-fault. I got to Mr. Smith SR. and showed him the ole screwdriver-on-the-bumper-lower-the-tailgate-on-it trick and he fixed all.
The next 10 years were bliss, the boys n I bonded, they charged $45 a visit forever and all was well until they moved the to "modern" facilty. Now I was dealing with some bimbo who couldn't spell CAR who then passed me and my undecipherable problem to a "consultant" where I started again. The end result was a minimum of $300.
Then..... I had a brake issue where my brakes were super heating; Smith said they could get to me in 3-weeks or work me in if a window opened. I said that I couldn't drive the truck, it was locking. The "consultant" said sorry. Turned out that the brakes had broken apart and would literally jam together and lock solid.
But that isn't the bad part.
Of course, being a Ford F150 I could simply find a mechanic and get the thing fixed that day. Three weeks, no. Window, not bloody liklely. But here's the funny part. So, after mulitple vehicles, all brand new, all fairly up there in the Ford price range, and after 10 years, I suddenly disappear from their service.
And they never call, then never write ---- obviously, they must be TOO BIG TO FAIL.
I drive Subys and Hondas now and have used suby dealerships in four states and have found them all super which I attribute to the Suby corp and culture. That's why I was surprised that the Mt Olive one was a bit pushy, not their usual MO.
But I am done with Smith and apparently they don't even care.
motion lincoln mercury is great. my family so far has bought 14 cars from them. police and military discounts. also very good experience with their service department.
Thank You so much for everybody's advice. I have been doing research for quite a long time. I am just SICK of the scams---the bait and switch, the ever so convenient "oh, that car you saw in the paper just sold", the "how much do you want your monthly payment to be line"....and my favorite....we can't find that car you are looking for on our lot:
To date, we've tried at least 15 dealerships within a 100miles of Hackettstown, some of them we're even recommended on here. I really like the idea of VIPauto.com (thank so much Lizzie). Just sent them a request for a quote--and I'll be looking into Edmunds tonight (thanks Reggie).
Any more ideas PLEASE send them my way!!!!
Thanks so much everybody for all your help!!!!
Alison ROSSI CHEVROLET BUICK PONTIAC GMC, INC.
360 RTE 31
WASHINGTON, NJ 07882
(908) 689-0224
their on top of things and go out of their way to get you that car you want
Caged Animal We purchased a Honda Pilot from Sussex Honda in Newton NJ in 2006. We were completely satisfied with them. Our salesman Roger Gibbins was great. I can't speak about experience with their service department because the thing never needs anything. In the 90K miles we have put on it I believe we have only had to replace tires.
M & K I'm going on Friday to Towne Toyota. Have a friend that works there. Makes the buying experience so much easier. No annoying saleman to deal with.
A Jo I can't recommend a place, but I can tell you that Johnson Dodge would not be on my list of potential dealerships to give my business to. When I was younger, I was in the market for a new truck. I went to Johnson Dodge and as soon as I walked in the door I was told by the sales representative that "they have nothing in my price range". He must have been psychic because he did not ask me one question about what I was looking for. I am sure quality people that deserve a commission can be found at dealerships other than Johnson Dodge.
I have purchased cars at Family Ford and Johnson Dodge. I recommend Family Ford hands down but will never ever step foot in Johnson Dodge. I had so many issues with them and till this day i fight with them about everything.
Mommyof3 You know I just love this board when I read threads like this. Amazing how the zings and dings confirm my feelings. Sometimes you can take it with a grain of salt (brian's), other times, you just know its true (johnson)
Keep up the good work folks and may Johnson, Mt Olive suby and others beware ----- we are not only watching, we is reporting!!!!
We bought our minivan from Johnson Dodge as well, and no problems...Thankfully :)
Lori...since '73 not sure how far you're willing to travel, but try www.carsence.com . My sister bought two cars from them and she was very satisfied.
onefinerose - I totally thought VIP was a scam until my boss got his 07 E350 delivered to our office!! The prices were just a little too good! haha :) So - after he did his - I asked what the payment would have been on the Infiniti I had JUST leased. Well - I could have saved like $50/mo had I gone w/them. So guess what I did when that lease was up!? ;) VIP beat our Roxbury BMW by close to $200/mo on a new body style - built esp for the boss and delivered to him. They do all kinds of leases. I would recommend calling and dealing w/David or Alan. Ask for invoice. I would still shop around - because even with their crazy low deals - you CAN negotiate. The best I was offered @ Lynne's Nissan - was the VIP offer I gave them. When I told VIP I'd prefer to do business locally - they beat it again by another $10/mo. So - it may be worth playing one off the other ;)!! They also offer all the rebates the dealers do. Good luck! Hope it works out!!
What kind of car do you think you're looking for?
I really have had bad luck (esp w/Dennis!) in service at Johnson. He repeatedly treated me like I was a dumb blonde. Mike Hyland (in sales) really helped us out a with our Jeeps. Had he not been there, I would not have gone back to Johnson. How honest he was and how he genuinely seemed to care about us, is what made us keep buying from him! Like I mentioned - if you go to Johnson - deal w/Mike - he's the best! :) Possibly the only reason worth going to Johnson!!
Have fun test driving! If you have any more questions - pm me!
I've had horrible experience with Towne Toyota both with sales and service. i know a few friends who speak highly of Morristown Toyota. I'm going to give them a try next time I buy. Good luck
I've looked into Morristown Toyota and found their staff huddle around with their backs to the clients until they walk out. And then they seem to think they've been unduly insulted.
As I said before, I'm not sure I can recommend *any* local dealership. What surprises me is just how many people have family working in the industry that instantly excuses all this behavior. Personally, I'd stay clear.
The last two cars we bought were from Toyota in Newton. The saleman that we had is no longer there, as he retired. We bought a used Toyota Sienna and a used VW Jetta from them at the same time. I have the Sienna serviced there and love that I can just pull in anytime to have any work done on it. When I wanted to put snow tires on it the first winter I had it the service guy told me it would be a waste of money as the tires that came with it were good tires for the snow. They could have easily taken me for a few hundred dollars and didn't. The tires did do a good job in the snow. They advertise that they are open on Sundays for service but I haven't tried that yet.
When I had a Jeep to service at Johnson Dodge I hated dealing with their service. Took the car in for an oil change and about 3 1/2 hours later they came out to say that I needed a ton of other things done, none of which needed to be done right then. When they asked how everything was when I checked out I responded about how annoyed I was at the wait for just an oil change. The service guy heard me and responded that they aren't like other places, and check everything. Thank God we no longer have a Jeep.
Magpie We purchased an SUV at Johnson Dodge - had a great salesperson there. BUT Dennis in the service department is awful. I can't believe somebody else commented on him - he too treated me like some dumb blond. I complained all the way to the manager at JD - I really don't think anybody took me seriously. although the service manager tried to make up for it. I dread having to take my car in there for oil changes except with the coupons they send - it's the best price in town.
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