Noah Carroll

Review of Prestige Volkswagen/Subaru

INITIAL REVIEW (prior to purchase)

INITIAL REVIEW (prior to purchase)
I have been working with Prestige as I pursue purchasing a 2015 Volkswagen GTI. I have worked primarily with Alaine, from the Internet department, and to this point the service has been excellent. Alaine has been highly responsive, courteous, and professional. She has taken my feedback and requests very seriously, and she has ensured that the dealership respond to me appropriately. I have worked with the Internet departments from several other dealerships, and none of them come close to matching the professionalism, respect and courtesy that Alaine consistently demonstrated. I have also had some contact with Joe (also from the Internet department) and Miguel (sales) and they both seem very professional and helpful. The sales team at Prestige has not aggressively marketed to me, and they don't send me spam email. Unlike other dealerships, they haven't been calling me daily to pester me. Although I have not yet purchased the vehicle, at this time I am very pleased with the process. I will continue to update this review as I continue to work with the team at Prestige. Stay tuned for updates.

UPDATE 2/22/15 (after purchase)
I bought my new GTI at Prestige on 1/29/15. Mike, my sales person, was generally very helpful and seemed like a genuinely good guy. The dealership also basically honored the price that I was quoted by their Internet department. This price was competitive and very good at the time. However, some parts of the purchase process were not to my liking, and also I have experienced some issues after buying the car:

1. One of the discounts I received ($500) was contingent on me paying 2.9% APR on my loan. I was not told this until I got into the F&I room at the very end of the sale. I should have been told this upfront.

2. The car came with an outdated 30pin iPhone to MDI cable. I asked Mike for a modern Lightning to MDI cable. I was told they had none, and so he would not give me one. I had to call VW of America to get a modern cable, when the dealership could have probably given me one or ordered one for me.

3. During my time in the F&I room with the finance manager, the finance manager tried to sell me several add-on services. I was only interested in one of these - the VW Care Plan. I asked if I could think about it, and I was told that he would "give me" one week and to call him back. I went home and looked into it, and you have 90 days from the day you register your car to purchase this plan. I believe this plan is worthwhile, and I purchased one from another dealership.

4. Prior to purchasing the car, I was told by Alaine (the Internet department) that Prestige offers life-time free loaner cars for customers who need service and who bought a new car from Prestige. During the sales process, Mike told me that they do not offer life-time loaners, and that they only lend a car if the customer will need to leave their car at the dealership for serious service. This feels like minor bait-and-switch, as I was told one thing on the phone and another at the dealership.

5. Two days after buying the car, I discovered that it is covered in circular clear coat scratches. I asked multiple professional detailers, and was told that these scratches were likely caused by a dealership polishing the car using a mechanical polisher right before the sale. Although Prestige offered to fix the problem, they did not seem knowledgeable or really competent as to their plan to do so. I asked two different sales managers for a check or compensation for me to have the problem fixed by a professional, and I was declined twice. Luckily, VW of America is taking care of the problem; however, it's a problem that Prestige likely caused. I cannot be certain that they caused this issue, and I understand that they tried to address it in their own way, but I am not satisfied with it at this time.