Billion Automotive of Iowa City Review

I bought my truck from them. They were nice and polite. Happy with my new truck.

This place is perpetuating the stereotype of the shady car salesman.

Last Wednesday I received a call from a salesman working at Billion Auto. Despite telling him that I was busy with homework, he was insistent that I come in to look at a car of which I had shown some interest. I reluctantly agreed to come test drive said car and in doing so realized that the check engine light was on. When asked what the issue was, I was told that he could, "find that out for me".
After the test drive he wanted to see what they could do in the way of financing for me. I went inside to see, and after some time waiting I expressed concern over how long it was taking with consideration to my homework. He was condescending to me, saying that, "Buying a car doesn't just take an hour." I told him that I understood that, hence my reluctance to test drive the car that day in the first place. He had someone else come out to talk to me, as his only interest was to get my name on papers for this car. He never did end up telling me why the check engine light was on, and in the barrage of BS artistry, I forgot to ask again.

Fast forward a few days to my taking the car in to my mechanic, and it seems so perfectly clear why he wasn't about to answer the check engine light inquiry: Along with four additional codes causing the check engine light to be on, there was a code for each individual cylinder in the engine having misfire issues! As if that wasn't enough, the front and rear brakes were a safety issue, as they were at 10% and 50% respectively.

I called them to let them know that I was unhappy in my experience, and all they could tell me was that it was sold "as is". No one was even concerned with the fact that questions were asked that were not answered, that in hindsight looks to have been quite intentional. All this from a company that so strongly stresses the importance of customer service. Don't be fooled. They're crooks.

So the staff is very friendly but the salesman was not honest. He raised the price on a vehicle I wanted so that they wouldn't lose money on selling me the car- his exact words. Also by adding a ton of add ons I did not want while giving me the impression that I had no choice. It was an extra 2k to 3k he added on there, for commission i assume. The service dept is very nice though, I recommend them.

My experience was awesome! The staff is nice, caring, and understanding. Thanks to Jeramy for my new SUV. I love it and would not trade it for the world!

My wife and I came here to test drive and discuss a lease for a 2018 Chevrolet Equinox. She currently drives a 2011 Equinox and her father works for GM. So, there was a reasonable likelihood that we would have leased another Equinox. Unfortunately, our experience at this dealership was terrible. Firstly, the salesperson was 21 years old and inexperienced. After test driving the new car, it took no less than 45 minutes of sitting at his desk making small chat in order to get an actual quote. I have no idea what was going on in the background this whole time. A couple with another salesperson near us actually walked out because they were waiting too long to get a quote. Frankly, we should have just walked out. When we finally did get the quote, they were unbelievably pushy. I would never return to a Billion dealership.

Overall a good experience. Sales staff did a great job and I recommend this dealership if you're looking for a new or used vehicle.

Excellent service and knowledge provided by Billion Auto. They care about the customer experience. Highly recommended for your next vehicle purchase.

They never call you back even the sales manager Cory never called back

Very helpful and found just what I was looking for.

William found the vehicle with everything I was looking for and figured out the best option for making it mine!

Test drove a Tacoma and told the salesman that at 60 mph the steering was really shaking and I didn't want it if it was like that. Salesman said he would have them fix it. We left the dealership to wait for the fix and talk to a bank. Salesman calls back and swears its fixed and that they got down to the amount I wanted to pay. Great, right? I bought it stupidly without driving it again. They didn't do anything, asked the sales associate and they said oh yeah we took out 4 psi in one of the tires. Just got out of the mechanic shop $500 later to fix the tie rods and some other stuff. Will never buy from here again. It's a shame you can't trust people in this world any longer.

I usually hate the car buying experience. I have a hard time making a decision. I went to Billion Auto because of the large selection. I met with Mike Dickey and he was a good salesmen. He asked me all the appropriate questions and he listened to me. I appreciated that. We test drove an Equinox and I was really happy with the ride and options. I had a great experience. I found everyone very friendly. Catherine was great in helping me set up On Star and walking me through the vehicle's features. I really like my new Chevrolet!

Billion has the best service department and price was better than fair this time.

They were fast and nice. Forgot about the 2 year service plan we had with the vehicle and they were good about reminding me. Instead of charging me. Good job overall.

Very bad experience with the service department. Brought our car in to get a new battery on 8/31 and had an appointment at 2:30. Was told it should take about an hour so we would wait in the lobby. After waiting 4.5 hours and having to search the garage to find someone to ask why it was taking so long, we found out the car had been ready since 3:30 and no one came to tell us it was done. After calling the next day (given it was already 7pm at this point and basically everyone at billion had gone home, and not wondered why a customer was still in the waiting area) the service managers response was I ll go yell at some people . Zero recovery of service. I would not recommend their service department as they are unprofessional and inconsiderate of their customers time.

Bought 2 vans new complained of shoddy workmanship when I got them back from being rust proofed.Salesman did nothing.
Took them in before winter to have a rust proofing company look them over and they informed me that Billion did a very poor job and that they would have to be redone.DON'T GET TAKEN RUST PROOF YOUR Vehicles some where else.Next time taking my 60,000.00 dollars some where else

please explain how a 9995 sticker priced car end with 2500 down payment even at 19% interest would end up after 66 payments costing my gf over 23500$ I'm trying to figure it out and not even Google can answer that question but without even having my name it went to 13500 when I called your salesman is a pos so either fire him or explain or I'm going to continue reviewing dealership on every website possible

We bought our current car from here: a Chevy Volt 2017. We love that it is a plug-in electric hybrid and that we got a good price from this Billion Chevrolet. I have to say that the salespeople are quite patient, but they do want to make sales. It is a typical car dealership. Includes (all male) friendly enough salespeople; friendly and helpful service people (mechanics); and loud music and TVs. Waiting area sometimes has refreshments. Clean bathroom is a plus. Not a lot of places to park your current car, but they have many cars to look at for sale. Located very close to the Billion car wash, and other Billion car dealerships.

As far as service goes, their computer records could use some work. It is difficult for them to keep track of your records and to call you when a part comes in for your car. You have to advocate for yourself and your car to be serviced correctly.

Very pleased with billion, every time treated well...100% satisfaction always...

Very disapponted, Thursday June 16th I felt I was having trouble with my A/C so, I took my car to Jiffy Lube they found a small leak in one of the valves would replace both valves and recharge for $150.00 I give them permission to go ahead with the work. Less than a minute the guy comes back tells me I have less than 50,000 miles on it and I should check with Chevrolet about my warranty. I thank the guy after calling Billion chevrolet I'm told to bring my car in.
I take my car to Billion and speak with Travis in the service department and he tells me after looking, I have an extended warranty and to bring my car in next week. I take it in today June 22nd and another guy checks for my appointment and tells me, they will put a dye in my car put on some glasses a look for a leak plus recharge for $160.00 I tell him no, I have an extended warranty I'm covered, he says yes if we find a leak. Well I live on paycheck to paycheck I did not come prepared with forking over $160.00 and hope they find a leak so that my extended warranty I purchased would cover it. I see Travis and tell him I don't appreciate his dishonesty and wasting my employers time because I left work to bring my car into their shop. No apologies or try to fix this situation where I'm happy, I left to go home and when I got home proceeded to call Billion chevrolet asked for service manager (the receptionist said his name is Brian) to call me back, because of course, he is busy. I called 3 times for him and the 3rd time was told he left for home and that I was to have a nice day. Very shady dishonest people to deal with. I won't be bringing my business back here again.

Dora Ayala

Update;
Service manager Brian calls me this morning 6/23/2016 apologizes for the mess up and asks me to bring my car back so they can check the A/C and fix whats wrong. I gave them the opportunity to make it right at no charge.

It was a JOKE! An entire afternoon of my life I'll never get back. My experience there is exactly why dealerships have the sleazy underhanded reputation they have.

This is my second car I have purchased through Billion and each time, excellent service! Each question was answered and each time I left feeling taken care of! This time, Andy found me the jeep I was looking for ... and he was very patient with how picky I was too I would most definitely recommend billion to friends and family and I will go back when it's time to trade up again!

Shane was awesome he help me find what I wanted and at a decent price! I will be coming back when it's time for a new ride!

Zach was fantastic...great customer service and very nice facility!

Fast service. Clean precautions protection on my car. And a very nice personal. Thank you for your service.

Large dealership only worried about what payment you want will not look out for the best deal for you.

Great customer service, everyone was very helpful, it's always good to have a great atmosphere when u know you will be spending a long amount of time there

Great service. Received a call about my brake pads, but I wasn't pressure which was nice. They are always very quick to help when I arrive and when I leave.

As a whole the entire purchasing experience was all anyone could ask for. I knew the vechile I wanted and knew what I wanted for my trade. Through the efforts of Kevin, Eric, and am sure others we were able to make the deal without ever meeting face to face. My questions were answered quickly and throughly and the entire team was always available. On delivery day my vechile and paperwork were ready at the time I asked for and my entire time at the dealership was under one hour. Their were no hidden fees in the purchase agreement and whole process wasn't a mind numbing time wasting experience like at other dealerships. The staff did offer some additional protection products for my new purchase. However I wasn't willing to purchase them on delivery day.That being said they were willing to work with me to get the vechile back to the dealership if I changed my mind. The reason that is a big deal is that I live 200 miles from the dealership. I would have never purchased this vechile if not for the efforts of everyone involved, especially Kevin Goulding. When the initial talks started to break down he got others involved and made this deal happen. Call or get online and ask Kevin about the completely satisfied experience this new SS owner received.

My warrentee was up in a couple of days and my car had a noise so I took it in to have it checked. After three different people looking at it I was told there was no noise but the fuel pump maybe going out and that if the light comes on pull over to the side because the car would die. After having the car for two weeks they finally told me to come get it, there was nothing else they could do for me. When The service man brought my car around The service engine light was on. I refused to drive the car off the lot until they checked the carnout again. Imagine my frustration when they told me the full pump needed to be replaced. After two weeks, three service men and thee mechanics it took a service man named Jeff to actually figure out something was wrong with it. I will not be taking my car back to Billion for repairs again.

Probably the worst car buying experience, I have ever been through! I would advise anyone who goes there to walk right back out. The worst and I mean the worst customer service you could ever get from a car dealership. i give it a -10 out of 10 god awful!

Dealer could not do what was requested or didnt know how to do it. Talked to another dealer had no issues doing what was requested.

I worked with Jonathan Stonskas and he made the car-buying experience great! He was extremely knowledgeable, patient, and kind. I highly recommend working with him!

Amazing car buying experience!! It was the smoothest process ever!!!!! Thanks Gio & Jaime!

I had an awesome experience at Billion, The fellas worked hard to get me in the truck I wanted, Thanks so much,

Very good to deal with. Graham Lynch was salesman, very professional and knowledgeable! We're very happy with our new vehicle!

You are doing good job, and customers are treated with respect

The folks at Billion Auto in Iowa City were fast and fair. I was out the door in about 90 minutes. Had an issue with a side mirror, they installed it in approx 30 minutes. Painless buying experience. I will be back.

Thought worked deal out on a truck i like and thought was gonna get next day they told me they was gonna email me the information so i waited and called next day and was told it was sold so i wouldn't recommend this place I'll be looking else where i sure won't buy from them

I live 3.5 hours away and wanted a rough quote or even a rough quote range on my truck for trade in. I sent pictures and gave a description of the vehicle and the issues with it and changes made and was refused even a rough estimate without driving all the way down. I understand not being able to get an accurate quote or locking in an amount but a general range shouldn t be out of the question. Especially when I gave a 2-3 k buffer zone range.

Friendly and courteous, immediate service and communicated well about everything.

We love Carlos!!! Always great to deal with and walked out with 2 amazing vehicles today!

AAA services and always smiley faces, polite and helpful. I trust them with my cars because they are know what they are doing.

My family and I have purchased our last 14 vehicles from Billion. Always a great experience and most importantly Fun! Huge selection and treat us fair. They even let us use the car wash FREE every time we are there. Huge service department. Customer for life!

Enjoyed working with Blandon. When we got home we noticed grease was on the bumper, Blandon said when we bring the car in for an oil change he's detail shop will work on it.

You fixed my vehicle well, you were friendly but the service took a lot longer than I thought it would.

Saw 3 Elantras on Billion's website I was interested in, two gray 2015 Elantras and 1 black 2013 Elantra. Their website says to call for availability. I called one of their salespeople who informs me only the black car is there. So I drive over there, he sits me down inside, and says he is going to get the car. He comes back with a 2011 Sonata. Wrong year, wrong model, wrong car. He says he can't find the black one I'm interested in (even tho he confirmed to me on the phone it was there) but he'll look again. He comes back with a WHITE elantra. Still wrong car. Still says he can't find the correct one. So I asked if they could bring in one of the silver Elantras advertised, and he tells me that in order for them to do that, I basically have to buy the car SIGHT UNSEEN and can only refuse it (once it arrives) if there is something wrong with it. WHAT PERSON IN THEIR RIGHT MIND IS GOING TO DO THAT??! They have built themselves the perfect operation to be unscrupulous, shady, and deceptive to the public. Since they have quite a few different locations, they can advertise these great deals (like they did here in Iowa City), and then when you go in, the cars are conveniently NOT there. Like today. They outright lie to you. I would hobble along on an amputated leg before I would buy a car from these shameless, unethical vultures. They don't deserve any stars.

Excellent assistance finding and purchasing what I was looking for. Tate was my salesman and was wonderful. Will definitely use him for our future purchases.

The team I worked with here did a great job. Jay Stewart and his manager and the finance office helped me trade in my Hyundai Elantra for a Chevy Equinox and I am so happy with it. The made the process pretty seemless and really wanted to help me find something that fit my needs.

Been doing business here for 4 or 5 yrs have never had anything but a good experience.

Jessica was wonderful. She found the exact truck I wanted and delivered! I m thoroughly enjoying my 2018 Colorado ZR2.

Great job and very informative as always! Anything is wrong they let me know!

We purchased a one year old, used SUV from Billion. Our salesperson Tate was great. He was very informed and not pushy at all. I wasn't at all happy about the finance manager. He pushed and pushed for me to pay for extras. After saying no several times, he moved on, but even after the sale, he brought it up again and again how I would be disappointed that I didn't get those extras. And that there was still time to get them. All of this extra sales pitch time added at least an hour and a half to our time there. At one point I said something about how long it was talking, and soon after, the general manager showed up. He said he was sorry for the wait and he handed my wife a card he said was good for one free oil change. Later we looked at the card and found that it was just his business card. It said nothing about a free oil change.

When we finally got everything signed and we're ready to go, we found only one key fob in the car. We went back in to ask for the other key. They told us the car only came with one, and if we wanted another we would have to pay $150 for it. It seems like we should've been told that up front. So we paid for the key, and had to wait another hour and a half to get one programmed. Needless to say, it wasn't a very good buying experience.

Service has always been excellent. Complaints are addressed professionally and promptly.

Positives - They were able to add on a vehicle diagnosis during the oil change.

Negatives
1. It took over an hour and a half, and no one gave me an update and I had to ask for one. It would have been nice if someone said 'This may take X hours/minutes or contacted me during the work being done and said 'it looks like it might be awhile, maybe another X minutes.'
2. The diagnosis done also projected around $1,200 in cost as well, and possibly more. I ended up taking it to another place for a second opinion and it ended up being something totally different (and costing less too). I've had the car repaired a few days after my visit, and have had no problems with it.

Excluding oil changes, the last two times I've had non-oil change issues with the car, I've had negative experiences. I've helped a few people buy cars from the Billion complex over the past year and a half. While I liked the experience with buying, the service department has been awful. Besides an oil change, there's probably no way I'd come back.

Superior service! Go above and beyond to make sure all needs are met to fit your situation, whether it be family or financial.

Professional. Were able to accommodate me on a drive in basis on a Saturday afternoon.

Took our pickup in for oil change. Friendly staff, got it done quickly.

One of the best experiences. My salesman, sales manager, and finance manager went out of their way to help me find the best vehicle and made sure I understood and was satisfied by my purchase! Truly a class act!

Just bought a new Chevy Colorado from Billion Iowa City. Great service and attention. Our Sales Consultant, Jonathan Stonskas was great to work with! Really appreciated the Covid-19 precautions from everyone involved.

Great sales team. We will buy there again. Service department also great. Lamont worked really hard to get me what I wanted. Love my cruze!

the keysmith too bad he fix two times it doesn't work for Chevy spark 2013

We had a very good experience. We wanted a specific model, the Buick Envision Premium 2, and the dealership had 2 on hand. The weather was bitterly cold, but we test drove one of the models and decided to buy one. The salesman, Juan Martinez and the manager, Eric Davenport, were excellent. It was not a hard sell approach. They allowed us to take our time and make an informed decision. Financing was also accomplished without any hassle.

Communication with Brodie via email and text prior to my scheduled appointment were polite and not overwhelming. I didn't have to wait long to meet with Kye. He respected what I was looking for in a vehicle and sold me a beautiful Buick. Overall atmosphere was comfortable and a good experience. I'd recommend Billion and Kye to anyone!

It was the best experience Andy needs a five star !!

We recently worked with Johnny when purchasing our new vehicle. He was wonderful to work with and made our car buying experience seamless. I would highly recommend him to anyone who is looking to buy a new car!

Nothing that I experienced showed me that they value the customer. Customers are like cattle through a chute. Once the check is cashed they could care less.

The Billion family of dealerships has excelled in providing great service to fit my needs.

I've purchased fleet and personal vehicles from Chevy, GMC, Cadillac and Honda and haven't had too much to complain about.

Sales staff is knowledgeable, the finance department works to get you the best rates possible, and the service department is trustworthy.

Definitely consider purchasing your next vehicle from Billion Iowa City.

Another great experience with Billion! 7 months ago we bought a Kia and had the best car buying experience. Over the weekend my husband talked me into trading in our Yukon and downsizing. I only wanted to shop with Billion and had yet another great experience. We bought a 2016 Kia Sorrento SXL with Corey's help at Kia. I got everything I asked for and Corey was extremely helpful. I would have wrote this review with Billion Auto Kia but Google would only let me edit my previous review and I wanted to give Billion another 5 stars. Thank you Billion for your great customer service and having employees like Corey that are knowledgable, friendly, professional, and make buying a car a pleasant and fun experience.

High pressure salesman. Very pushy and aggressive. Were not genuine. Just want to make the sale. Large selection, plenty to choose from.

First of all, super easy to get to. Everyone is extra nice and went out of the way to help me find what I was looking for.

Skip did everything he could to get the price range that was needed!

Very poor they will agree on a price then when you are doing the financing they will add accessories price in on top of agreed price. The truck was priced with accessories included then added again. 2 weeks after I got a call. They needed to raise my interest rate because it wasn t approved. The rate on the contracts THEY MADE was incorrect. They will scam you every chance they get.

Rob Bower is GREAT! Very professional but yet personal always. He's definitely my go to man! Everyone else that I deal with are also above and beyond. Thank you

We stopped in Iowa City at Billion on our way to another dealership hoping that they might have the suv we were looking for. Wow! We were blown away by how great Brandon C. was. He was patient, listened to all the girly things I wanted and then scoured each lot just to make sure we saw everything that was available. There was NO pressure! He explained all the bells and whistles and worked with my budget. Covid has left little selection at other dealerships with little wiggle room. Brandon worked with my budget ,filled the tank and took the time to genuinely show he was there to help. I dont promote places casually but please, please save yourself time and energy and go see Brandon in Iowa City at the GMC/Buick lot. You won't be disappointed.

Have had several great experiences with them Geo Perez was very helpful very good man ask for him have bought 2 cars from here and Ben Ecker was also amazing through it all

The service was fairly quick and my vehicle was returned clean and obviously well cared for. The selection of GM vehicles is large and diverse, which I appreciate. When I checked in my vehicle: the tech wasn't particularly rude, he was aloof toward me. I noticed that no employees were wearing masks, no employees were keeping a recommended 6 foot social distance from each other or the customers. Also, there were no signs requiring, asking, or even suggesting that customers wear masks and keep social distances. The waiting room furniture was not spaced out in a way to encourage social distancing. I wonder if the employee's aloof attitude toward me was because I was one of two people in the building who was "brave enough" to wear a mask in public.

My impression of Billion is that the production is high priority; the health and well being of customers and employees is not of priority in any sense. It is very unlikely that absolutely no employees prefer to wear a mask in these times of a pandemic. The fact that none are wearing masks indicates to me that they have either been ordered not to wear masks, chastised for wearing masks, or been subjected to peer pressure to not wear masks.

That is a culture that is pandering to a singular customer profile. The majority of those not wearing masks these days are doing so as a political statement. The majority of those wearing masks are doing so out of concern for their health, and/or the health of at home family members, and/or a general sense of responsibility for their potential impact on the health of community members whom they come in contact with. This tells me that Billions is operating under a management team that is being guided by political leanings and money, with no regard for corporate citizenship as a community member of Iowa City. That is to say; I see Billions as interested in taking profit out of the community while returning nothing back - not even common respect for the health and well being of the community members who work and do business with them. All employees and customers are going back into the community when they leave Billions property. When they do so - they carry the risk of not wearing masks, and not maintaining social distancing measures.

I was one of two customers I saw wearing a mask. I was exposed to approximately 10 different people who came within less than 6 feet of me, most of whom came within that boundary more than once. I saw those employees and customers come within that boundary with multiple others in the service bays and waiting area.

While unrelated, I will add that as a disabled veteran with 8 years service as a USAF Fire Fighter - I can tell you that wearing a mask is effective, and not political, and not in anyway unpatriotic. I use the VA for all of my healthcare. The VA staff and all veterans in any VA building are wearing masks when on VA campus grounds. Most veterans have empathy and
a sense of responsibility for how we impact the lives of those around us. We have this because many of us have suffered, held the suffering, and/or held a dying comrade before the age of 25 - those experiences drive home the value of everyone around us. In these times, veterans I know wear masks at all times in public. Not wearing a mask demonstrates ignorance, selfishness, disrespect, lack of empathy, and is the highest form of insult possible - as it tells everyone around you that you are the only person who matters, the rest of us are worthless in your eyes.

I imagine that even the loss of a loved one, or friend, or community acquaintance wouldn't push Billions management team to institute a policy requiring all employees and customers to wear a mask. I am relatively certain of this because I am certain that Billions has lost at least one client to COVID related death - they still can't find the "courage" to protect those they invite into their business.