SoCal Auto Group

I’ve known SoCal guys for a while and they truly provide great car buying experience. They cary amazing inventory, most of the cars have very low miles, they are pre-​inspected and detailed. Prices are very reasonable and fair. Denis and Dmitry are very honest and professional guys, they will answer all your questions and provide quality beyond expectation experience. I always recommend to check their website to my fiends who is in the car search, before checking anything else, also I always recommend to call them first if you have any questions or concerns after purchase, before do anything else.

SCAM
Upon entering the lot. It may seem as if you hit a gold mine, stockpiled with an array of beautiful cars of all brands and years. With the car you’ve been searching for, endlessly. But your eyes will deceive you…
36,533 miles??? Only 9,990! Wow what steal!!! But, believe half of what you hear and none of what you see…
I was willing to buy it right then and there in full but when I spoke with the owner he wouldn’t look at me or my mother. He didn’t want to negotiate, it seemed like he didn’t even want to speak to us and only looked at his partners. My mother felt it was a shady place and that we should leave. Thank God, we looked at the reviews and found that they lower the mileage down themselves, sell broken cars, and they are scam artists.
I thought to myself «why wouldn’t he make a deal and take my cash?» «Why are all these cars not selling?» «Wait! Why am I in the ghetto?»
I assumed they didn’t want to do business with a woman or I even thought it could have been my race. I was surprised by reading the reviews and very pleased I never drove off the lot with one of their vehicles other wise I would have been stranded somewhere with my daughter.
It isn’t safe setting up scams on vehicles!!! Someone can get seriously hurt with an unreliable vehicle like the ones they sell!
Think twice, buying a car is a serious purchase.

Dennis at SoCal Auto Group is great. He knows his stuff and has awesome follow through. What can be a long drawn out experience when it comes to buying a car, our experience at SoCal Auto was quick and smooth, he took care of everything. My husband had been shopping around a few weeks prior to ending up at SoCal Auto and it hadn’t been going well everywhere else we went. Then we came across Dennis’ dealership; my husband found a great truck and he bought it, easy and simple. Highly recommend this place and would buy from Dennis again.

I recently completed a vehicle purchase with Denis, the owner of SoCal Auto Group. Denis was a pleasure to work with. He was open and honest and made me feel at ease during the purchase process. He had valuable insights into the financing process and worked collaboratively with me and my credit union to get the best deal possible. When there was a question about a potential mechanical issue with the vehicle, Denis jumped right in to explore the concern and address my questions. Not only do I feel that Denis has a «good eye» for quality used cars, he takes a no pressure approach to helping the customer find the right vehicle. I would have no hesitation to send family or friends to SoCal Auto Group, and will be checking Denis’ inventory on a regular basis to find another «low mileage gem».

This place is a pretty great lot to check out! I have had a horrible experience buying cars, however these guys were extremely nice and great to work with. I picked up an awesome deal and they have a lot of luxury type cars that are in great condition. Dimitri and Georgio were pretty patient and nice guys. Thanks again guys.

The BEST auto transaction I have ever experienced. They are best auto business owners with
admirable INTEGRITY. I called Dimitry on the phone to sell my car and he honored the price as promised when I took my car to his immaculate dealership. Wishing you abundant success as your reputation follows your exemplary business model. KUDOS AND THANKS A TON!

This is the ultimate in dishonest. They charge you extra if you want a cooling off period. Bought a low mileage mercedes. c/​d broke on the way home. The brake service light came on a few days later, which required a $ 4,000.00 repair. The mercedes dealer I took it to said that it had been reset so it could be sold. That means that they had full knowledge it was broken. Have put in many thousands of dollars trying to fix this car. This is a place you want to avoid. BEWARE you will regret the purchase if you make one with these rip off artists. Will never trust another used car after this dishonest sales force got me. They price their cars as if they are flawless but the truth is they are really good at covering up all the flaws til you get it home. BEWARE

These guys are awesome!
They really helped us get the best deal possible. Growing family so we needed a bigger vehicle.
We got a beautiful SUV from them. Now the whole family fits. Time to take our Disneyland trip to celebrate.

I saw an ad for a used Lexus lx470 offered at Socal Auto group that caught my eye. I had been looking for a particular color (black) for some time. I live in the Bay Area but have been searching craigslist postings for the entire state. When I saw this black one offered «Comes in Perfect condition», I decided it was worth checking out. We were already going to look at another one in the LA area, but this one looked great in the photos, so we went to see it first. What a pile it was, dinged up all over, especially in the back. The electric window controller for the driver was hanging by a wire, with the decorative panel tossed aside near the ashtray. Perfect condition! One has to wonder what else these guys would lie about. I can only conclude that all these glowing 5 star reviews were created by employees. Happy ending tho, we found a really nice one in Hollywood!

I believe that i originally found an add for one of their cars on craigslist. The photos of the 2010 VW Jetta that I was looking at were phenomenal. So I called them and had a discussion about the car. It was a very professional and friendly conversation. So, even though I live a couple hours away, I decided to drive down and take a look. Gotta love LA traffic because the trip took even longer then expected and the dealer was going to close before I got there. Long story short, they stayed open late just so that I would be able to look at the car. The car was immaculate and had very low mileage! They also had the entire vehicle history report for me to look at. I liked the car so I decided to purchase it. However, I wanted to do the financing through my bank. They were happy to hold the car for me until I was able to go to my bank the following week as it was a Friday. The following week when I came back to get the car the final purchase went very quickly and professionally as my bank has called them and worked everything out. The final purchasing price of the car made it a great buy! I had also mentioned that I wanted to get the windows tinted on the car. The owner took me to a place that he knew and trusted to get the windows tinted. By the owner going to the tint shop with me the tint shop gave me a sweet discount and did a very good job on the tint. I could keep going on and on about how happy I am with every aspect of purchasing a car from SoCal Auto Group but take it from a former car salesman himself, this is the greatest, friendliest, and most professional dealer I have ever dealt with.
Thank you guys!

I want to share with anyone who is looking for a good and quality car with No hassle.
I went in thinking with my current credit score that, they would either persuade me to get a lesser car that i don’t want or simply say that they couldn’t work with me.
SURPRISINGLY… They heard me out, played with several options to fit or satisfy my needs.
Excellent price, great Customer Service, Friendly and Professional. The helped me so much and gave me a great deal. they had me leave with the car i wanted, with a great payment plan that i had no intention of receiving based on my current credit score.
Thank you Denis and Demetri for making this one the best Experience i have ever had.
I HIGHLY RECOMMEND THEM !!!
thanks Socal Auto Group .
Sincerely,
Paul

I would have given them six-​stars if I could. AMAZING CUSTOMER SERVICE!
They don’t negotiate on their prices but at the end I received more than I expected. Avoid the hassle and runaround — just call Dimitry at Socal Auto Group!

I purchased a vehicle from Dimitri today, he was extremely helpful and honest. Spent time talking on the phone the day before, he said the car was in great condition and encouraged me to get it inspected, i did so and he was right, car was in excellent condition for its age. I couldn’t be happier w my new car, got a amazing deal on it. This was my second experience at a car dealership and this was by far more smooth and relaxing and I actually enjoyed talking to him as suppose to your typical dealer sharks. Thanks again for getting me into my car!, I would recommend this place to anyone looking to buy a nice used car.

I have purchased two different BMWs from So Cal, I dealt with both Dennis and Dmitri. I have had a wonderful experience and no complaints whatsoever, they really know how to pick them. Both cars they sold me had a certified warranty thru BMW. Paid a fraction of the cost of a brand new vehicle, and I still got all the perks of a brand new car. I really can’t find anything bad to say, great business to deal with.
Thanks guys

They specialize in ultra-​low mileage used luxury cars, but for that they ask for a pretty big price premium.
They were very open to me doing a long test drive and taking the car to my mechanic. I liked that.
Unfortunately, at least for the three cars I looked at, the only advantage their cars had over other dealerships was the low mileage. This didn’t translate into a better condition. For the prices they were charging, I expected to find absolutely no flaws whatsoever. They weren’t willing to come down on the price enough to pay for the repairs, so I had to go elsewhere.
The staff is very friendly, but didn’t seem to be tremendously knowledgeable about the cars — perhaps that was to cover up prior knowledge of the defects — or perhaps not. I can’t read people very well.

My husband had been looking for a clean older Mercedes for the longest time, and everyone he found was a mess. We finally found a dealer that had a bunch of older cars that were very clean and had low miles, and that’s where we found his dream car… Dennis was very helpful and honest guy, and he hooked us up with a great car. I would highly recommend Socal Auto group to anyone looking for a great used car. Thanks again Dennis!

I ended up purchasing a car from another dealer due to financing issues with the company i used for the loan. During the pre buying process Dimitry was extremely helpful with getting me into the vehicles i was interested in on his lot and test driving them. He was also helpful with getting paperwork over to the my financing company to review. In the end it didn’t pan out as expected but with customer service like this he should have no problem getting more customers.

I would be confident in betting that 9 out of 10 «good reviews» for this company have been written by family and friends of these absolute CON ARTISTS. Look at most of their names. 5 stars come from «Oleg», «Una», etc, etc…
Whether someone has bought a good car from these guys or a bad car is not ultimately the point. Rather — it is how these men choose to handle the difficult situations that their company and character will be judged and their reputation formed. You know the quote, «hard times will always reveal true friends»? I believe the same can be translated for good, honest, business men.
In trying to get a «deal» or cut corners — you end up paying somewhere and somehow. I am broken hearted that I had to endure this experience with these CON ARTISTS. PLEASE TAKE MY ADVICE AND STEER CLEAR. It is too much of a gamble to do business here that you do not need to take — especially in buying something so important as a car (in this town!).
Jarod — it seems you and I were in the same boat. I too waited some time to see how things played out to write this review and it is finally time. I DO SO IN HOPES THAT THE NEXT HONEST, HARD WORKING PERSON LOOKING FOR A GOOD DEAL ON A CAR WILL STUMBLE UPON THIS REVIEW AND THINK NOT ONCE OR TWICE BUT AVOID DOING BUSINESS WITH SO CAL AUTO GROUP ALL TOGETHER. TAKE THE ADVICE OF THE ONE STAR RATERS — and AVOID THEM ENTIRELY.
Dimitri and Dennis. Oh so charming. What salesmen! The true definition of USED CAR SALESMEN — you both are!
«I bought a car from RUSSIAN USED CAR SALESMEN in the Valley.» When I tell people this story I bow my head in shame realizing how absolutely moronic that sounds. Laughter engulfs my entire audience as immediately they know a true tale of LEMON chaos is about to unfold for their ears. This experience is one of the best lessons I have yet to learn in life.
PLEASE LEARN FROM MY MISTAKES (as mother always says) — AND DO NOT DO BUSINESS WITH THESE MEN.
I bought a car– outside pristine! Here I was thinking I was cleaver. I was so excited. I had taken it to a mechanic in hollywood who hooked it up to the computers and nothing came back as problematic. Lucky for them. Three weeks later my little LEMON was already showing her true colors. We called Dimitri and Dennis. My mechanic looked at the problems. Then theirs. We all went back and forth many times. I tried to get them to buy it back from me. They wouldnt. HOW COULD WE KNOW THESE THINGS WOULD HAPPEN? Was their response. People who have good reputations and good hearts and morals do not do business this way. They have no legacy to uphold. Basically their response to everything was «FUCK OFF!»
Longest story ever cut a litter shorter — I ENDED UP FINALLY HAVING TO GET RID OF THE CAR two months ago AT A MAJOR LOSS!!! On top of it I also had to buy another car. Now I’m deeper into the hole than ever. I am thankful only that I can wash them from my hands and that their dues for the countless mis doings to good people will be paid in time.

BUYER BEWARE
Now, I’ve taken quite some time before I wrote this review. It is a vehicle and for the layperson sometimes you don’t know exactly what you are really buying for quite some time.
I don’t just give the establishment this one lonely star, but I’m giving myself only one star also. I was excited and frankly I was just tired of searching by the time I found the vehicle that I wanted.
I purchased a 1999 Lexus LX 470 from these guys back in October 2013. I was going to take it to lexus for the pre purchase inspection, but I fell for the «My guy already checked it out» line instead. I was already low on cash too. SPEND THE MONEY FOR THE INSPECTION SOME PLACE YOU CHOOSE. NO EXCEPTIONS.
Dennis is the particular hustler that I had the pleasure of dealing with. He buttered me up by telling me that «his guy» just did $ 700.00 worth of work consisting of new brake pads and RR on CV boots etc. He also told me that the 90k service was done. It wasn’t.
I drove the truck home about 600 miles north and it didn’t start the next morning. After tons of research I discovered that I needed to rebuild or replace the starter. So, I took the job on myself. All good. Starts right up.
Two weeks later I’m hearing a high pitched whining noise and am having a coolant leak. That’s when I realized the 90k was never done. He lied. So I purchased a new timing belt, water pump, idler pulley, t belt tensioner pulley, tensioner, drive belt, drive belt tensioner pulley, d belt idler pulley and again I did the work myself. Running great except the whine was still there. With the help of a stethoscope I found that it’s the alternator bearings going bad. A new alternator is now on its way and I’m going to rebuild the old one for future problems.
Also, I know nothing about body work and paint, at least previously I didn’t. After I got it home I realized that this thing has been in an accident. The frame looks good as far as I can tell, but there has been a super shitty paint job done across at least half of the car, if not the entire thing that is now starting to bubble. DONT TRUST CARFAX.
I know for a fact that Dennis knew of this cars condition prior to selling it to me, but him being the swindler that he is, he wouldn’t disclose any of this info to me prior to my 600 mile trip to buy this car.
I’ve had to fix and am still fixing so much on this rig, I should be ASE certified by now.
Another thing. Before you end up like me and think you found a pot of gold at the end of a rainbow, you have got to question why these guys are selling all these SUPER low mileage vehicles for so damn cheap. It’s fools gold. These cars, at least most of them have some kind of problems that somebody has tried really hard to cover up. They are obviously doing a damn good job because they are still in business. You are not getting a smoking deal. That smoke you smell is you getting burned by Dennis or one of the other hustlers on that crappy little lot.
So, who’s to blame?
Me…I guess. I should be smart enough to not get taken advantage of by some hustler in reseda.
On the other hand, it’s a shame that these guys just can’t do honest business. I still would have bought this truck if he would have disclosed everything and dropped the price in the amount of the parts needed for repair… not even labor. But instead, Dennis made me feel like he was doing me the favor by coming down a measly $ 300.
If you’ve made it this far then just know: be smart out there. Especially when you are dealing with used cars and hustlers who are advertising the lowest prices with the lowest mileage.
I have to admit, it is a good hustle. I hope you sleep well at night Dennis, you tool.

While staff is friendly and hands off in the beginning… I had a pretty negative experience trying to negotiate the price of a car I happened to be interested in. After test driving an SUV I came back the next day with my mechanic to check things out. The car was in very good condition but as my mechanic noted that a few things (timing belt, shocks, transmission fluids, etc) prevented this car from being worth full book value.
When I pointed this out during our negotiation, the guys at Socal:
1. Tried to tell me that my mechanic didn’t know what he was talking about.
2. In the case of the timing belt actually said that Southern California doesn’t have a dry climate resulting in a longer lifespan of rubber parts.
3. My mechanic noted that the front shocks needed to be replaced. They replied that the shocks were in fact new (when I asked for the proof this transformed into «our mechanic says they look like new»…)
4.Reasoned that the price they were asking (book value) meant that there were no major problems/​things seriously wrong. Keeping up with manufacturer recommended maintenance was not a factor.
There was more but these are the biggies. I’m going to assume that the other folks who reviewed this dealership paid book value and disagree with me (or didn’t bother to do their research) on my 4^th point. Maybe I am being picky but to me, book value doesn’t mean no major problems… it means perfect in every way: if youre suppose to change a belt at 105K or 7 years… it is done. If it isn’t… the car isn’t worth book value.
I didn’t end up coming to an agreement with Socal Auto which happens in business.