SarahBeth
03-08-2009, 08:07 PM
I live in Malden and just bought a brand new CRV yesterday from Honda North in Danvers. I narrowed it down to three dealerships based on reviews and customer satisfaction scores: Prime Honda in Boston, Rockingham Honda in Salem, NH, and this one. I started at this one because it was closest (technically Boston is closest but it's a pain to get to). I worked with Tim and originally took a glacier blue EX for a test drive. He was great to work with, no pressure at all. We talked about different car options, he asked what else I was considering and we discussed the RAV4. He didn't bash Toyota whatsoever, said they were both excellent choices and I wouldn't be sorry with either, and that people have a couple of personal preferences that either make them RAV4 customers or CRV customers. He was exactly right and I was truly torn until I walked out of the Ira Danvers dealership so disgusted I wanted nothing to do with Toyota whatsoever. I ended up going back and taking another test drive, and from there my decision was made. There was minimal haggling, I knew what I could put down and what I could afford for a monthly payment. The financial manager got my APR down from 8.24% to 5.99% to keep my payment in the range I needed.
All was well for me to pick up the car until I woke up this morning feeling dissatisfied with my monthly payment and my extended warranty. I originally accepted Portfolio (First Extended Services Corp) but after reading reviews when I got home yesterday I definitely made a mistake. Tim told me to come on down and they would take care of it no problem, and he was true to his word. They honored the Honda Care warranty competitive pricing at $850 for 7 years/100k miles comprehensive with zero deductible. I saved almost $800 and it lowered my payment $12/month.
The dealership also does your first three oil changes for free and then every third oil change is free from there on out. They also extend the powertrain warranty to 7 years/100k miles standard for free if you do all your maintenance at their dealership on time. Their service pricing is also competitive. A remote starter including labor is $400 less there than from Herb Chambers of Boston. The only thing I would say is be careful to ask all questions before you sign. Tim asked me to sign the P&S and initial the deposit box before we negotiated on price, which I refused and he accepted that without an argument. I should've asked more details about the warranty and asked to see brochures, but that was my own fault. Everyone I interacted with was respectful and the staff truly seemed to enjoy working there. Lots of interaction and joking/laughing. Overall, I would rate it a 4.7/5 and if all goes well I hope to buy again in four years or so!
All was well for me to pick up the car until I woke up this morning feeling dissatisfied with my monthly payment and my extended warranty. I originally accepted Portfolio (First Extended Services Corp) but after reading reviews when I got home yesterday I definitely made a mistake. Tim told me to come on down and they would take care of it no problem, and he was true to his word. They honored the Honda Care warranty competitive pricing at $850 for 7 years/100k miles comprehensive with zero deductible. I saved almost $800 and it lowered my payment $12/month.
The dealership also does your first three oil changes for free and then every third oil change is free from there on out. They also extend the powertrain warranty to 7 years/100k miles standard for free if you do all your maintenance at their dealership on time. Their service pricing is also competitive. A remote starter including labor is $400 less there than from Herb Chambers of Boston. The only thing I would say is be careful to ask all questions before you sign. Tim asked me to sign the P&S and initial the deposit box before we negotiated on price, which I refused and he accepted that without an argument. I should've asked more details about the warranty and asked to see brochures, but that was my own fault. Everyone I interacted with was respectful and the staff truly seemed to enjoy working there. Lots of interaction and joking/laughing. Overall, I would rate it a 4.7/5 and if all goes well I hope to buy again in four years or so!