Kars Plus

About a month ago, first part of March 2012, I was looking to buy a car. Kars Plus had a real nice 2006 Honda Accord for sale. When I talked to Kevin the owner, he handed me the keys and told me to take it for a test drive. Alone. When I returned Kevin and I talked about price and reasonable financing. Kevin quoted a fair price and found reasonable financing for me. He is probably the most honest owner of a used car lot I have ever met and I would highly recommend him to everyone. Why did I wait a month to add this review? Wanted to make sure I had no problems and I haven’t had any. Thanks, Kevin. I’ll be back when this one is ready to trade in.

I too read about the shady reviews on the internet, but chose to go look at a Saab that caught my interest anyways. Upon arriving, I, along with a rep from the lot, went for a test drive, and I loved the car. As it was late and I live in West Hollywood, Kevin let me take the car overnight to have my mechanic inspect the vehicle, which I thought was a really amazing gesture. This really comforted my first-​time-​buyer jitters, and made me confident in Kevin and Kars Plus that they were selling me a car they believed was dependable.
Everyone has their own experiences with every establishment, but my experience at Kars Plus was totally fine! In-​fact, I have sent friends to the lot to check out vehicles since my purchase, something i certainly wouldn’t do had my experience been anything but positive.
Take all reviews with a grain of salt, and if you see a car that sparks your interest, don’t hesitate to have a look! Perhaps the person that wrote the negative review was just having a bad day :)

I read some reviews on the internet somewhere that this place is shady and that the people there are crooks and use scare tactics to coax people into buying their cars. I’ve had a slightly different experience. These people seem kind of chill to me. Not pushy at all. I came in for the first time to check out a mercury sable that was listed on Autotrader. I knew it was a salvage title even before I stepped foot into this place. The person who I talked to (Kevin, I believe) told me that he’d sell that car to me for $ 2500 OTD but that it was salvaged, hence the low price tag. The internet price tag is $ 1000 bucks more expensive but I didn’t question him on that. Maybe he really wants to get rid of it? Who knows.
I tried out the car. It drove alright. Nothing seemed apparently wrong with it except the right front turn signal. That one didn’t work. Everything else seemed to work just fine. There was rust inside the trunk bed and underneath the car where the muffler was at. Seemed about right for its age. Popped open the hood and everything inside seemed clean. There were some obvious red flags like taped wires and cabling that I noticed dangling here and there. Nothing terribly noticeable at first glance but upon a closer, thorough inspection, I just noticed that. Engine didn’t make any strange noises. Wheel felt solid but the ride was «floaty.» I’m not really used to such a «luxury» car. I couldn’t feel the road and it felt like I was driving a tank. Not a bad thing in itself. It’s just something I’m not used to. I decided against buying it after all. I’d like a clean title car. Just personal preference.
Then Kevin told me that he would sell me that 01 Passat on the lot for $ 3500 OTD but that it wasn’t ready to be sold yet. He told me to come back in a week. I came back in a week and it sat there as if it wasn’t even worked on all week. I was a bit disappointed. Now, granted, I’ll give them the benefit of the doubt that they might have been busy all week but still, don’t tell me that it’ll be up and ready in a week and tell me to come back if they didn’t intend on getting it done somehow by that time. I came back, wasted my time and bus money getting there, and went back home empty-​handed. So disappointed. But hey, I got to test drive an Audi A4. That car was scary but was a pretty neat sports car at the same time.
Something to note for anyone considering this place: most dealerships (independent and big box dealers) I’ve gone to usually ask for a copy of your driver’s license, your phone number, and would usually go on the test ride with you. These guys don’t do that. In fact, they just give you the key and you’re allowed to drive around the block a few times or however many times you like. I’m not sure if this is considered good, ethical business practice or just outright shady business practice, but it sure does saves me time on waiting on them. And they don’t hover over you like the typical shady car salesman. They just let you check out the car however long you’d like to check it out and then drive it around the block however long you’d like to as well. Just something all you potential buyers might want to keep in mind – for liability reasons (such as, a cop pulling you over or getting into an accident while your test driving it).
Anyway, I don’t think I’ll be back again. He told me come back next week and it «should» be ready by then. Experience tells me that it won’t be ready by then. Chalk it up to experience, I guess. =/