Ellis Brooks Auto Center

Bought our first car from Mike Hollywood here. Aside from all the anaylis paraylis jargon, we got the car we wanted, paid a little more than we liked, but got a decent deal in the end.

As an update to the dealers comment, please read the reviews on Unilocal for Mike «Hollywoods» behavior. He is known to be very unpleasant. Also, I wasn’t alone when I went. I took my 52 year old Caucasian friend with me who drove an Audi, whom the gentleman at Ellis Brooks decided to address… instead of me the purchaser. Ironic? I think not.
Oddly enough, my friend was looking for a used Porsche 911 which he was willing to shell a ton of money out for… but not at this place. He thought it was quite sad that a company that used to have an amazing reputation in the bay area took a serious down hill turn.
You want a decent vehicle and be treated with respect, go to a REAL car dealership. Avoid this place like the plague.
OH! And as a side note, the vehicle had illegal, out of state smog equipment on it. The mechanics could have passed the visual inspection because that’s all the DMV requires, however, if I had purchased the vehicle and tried to get it smogged myself, I would have had to pay an addition $ 900 for the new catalytic converter/​exhaust manifold combination set that the state of California requires these vehicles to have. This is on top of also noticing the aftermarket part had already cracked and been fixed with a TIG weld. Tsk! Tsk! Ellis Brooks! Glad I bought the exact same vehicle at Honda of Saramonte for half the price with no problems.

I bought a truck from them in Jan. and in Feb. after the first rain came I noticed the headliner getting wet. I called them and spoke with Don and explained what was going on, I was expecting to get the «it’s not our problem» B.S. but instead Don was very helpful and asked me to drop it off at Chris’s smog and service station to get it checked out. I dropped it off and within a couple hours they had replaced the brake light lens on the top of the cab, the seal was bad and it was leaking. Ellis Brooks took care of the problem without any hesitation and no charge to me!!! As a business owner myself I know first class customer service when I see it and my whole experience with Ellis Brooks was awesome!

This summer I bought a pre-​owned Mercedes Benz from Mike Hollywood for my daughter. At the time of purchase I noticed that the cars allignment was off and the battery was old. Mike had both issues taken care of without questions before we picked up the car. He was the nicest car salesman I have ever done business with.
Just recently the car had other minor tire issues. I called Ellis Brooks and spoke to Sales Manager Don Henschke. He was very understanding and helpful. He took care of all the issues without any questions at all. It was a pleasure doing business with both of these individuals.
I will, without reservations, recommend Ellis Brooks Auto Center to all my family members and friends who are looking to purchase a pre-​owned vehicle.

I was interested in buying a Mini I saw on the website. I filled out an interest card and Mike Hollywood contacted me and left continuous emails. A bit desperate? Couldnt justify the price so I did not go in to see the car. This is what Mike wrote back to me;
«Howabout today? Monday is next month. People who are ready to buy, just do it, no endless emails, no putting things off for five days, justdo it. I don’t think you are a serious buyer. Make offers and put the transaction off for a week.. I’ve sold cars for 33 years successfully and I sense when a shopper who is not a buyer. Best of luck to you in the future.»
Plain and simple… Do not buy from Mike. You will regret it.

I bought a RAV4 on January 2013 and my experience was great. At first I was undecided to go because I had never bought from a car dealer before and the reviews were mixed.
Mike and George were extremely helpful and took care of me on a Sunday when most of the staff was gone.
I got a super deal way below KBB with a warranty and the transaction was smooth no pressure at all.

I had a great experience working with Ellis Brooks last month. They gave us financing options but didn’t apply any pressure when we decided to go with our own bank. The staff was helpful and knowledgable (even on a Sunday), and the service from Mike Hollywood (his real name) was flexible and personable throughout the process. Very happy with our new car :-)

John Brooks knows more about cars than anyone you ever met. Very helpful. I was going after the wrong vehicle and am much happier with my used Ford Focus. And the company cares and has been around forever.

I was shopping for a used vehicle and had liked a Honda CR-​V they had in stock. After asking some details about the vehicle they have now added my name to their SPAM list.
Thank you Jose Rivera or Mike Hollywood. I really needed more junk mail.

These guys are unethical liars. Do not trust anything they say, get EVERYTHING IN WRITING no matter how little it may seem. We were told that our warranty began 6 weeks prior to our purchase in January 2009. We accepted this information as fact. Plausible as we purchased a new vehicle with less than 100 miles on it. There franchise had been pulled and they were selling New as «Used.»
In actuality the vehicle warranty had been started by them in 2006! When we contacted them they basically told us «tough #$%^» we are no longer a GM dealership, your on your own. «Did you get it in writing…» was the flippant remark.
So we have a vehicle purchased from an EX-​GM dealer… purchased with 55 miles on it, less than 18 months ago, that is now out of warranty with a failure with less than 25K miles. Why is it so difficult for these people to tell the truth?
Scott
Edit: For clarity, yes I have a specialty truck dealership and this was being purchased as a dealership demo. All the more reason we would ask about the warranty. Considering that Jose was not involved in any of our discussions, it’s laughable that he would comment on what was said or not said by their salesman. Does it sound reasonable that any cognizant person would buy a new car with 55 miles on it in 2009, when the warranty had been started on it in 2006? No, and we did not. Our mistake was trusting the information that was given to us by this dealership. Not to mention the paperwork was hosed as well. Not surprised they can’t sell new cars anymore!!!

I bought a used car here & of course you get the typical salesperson sleezebag runaround like evry other dealer.
but my sleezebag salesmen Mike Hollywood was the biggest idiot i have ever encountered. this guy tried to tell me the car was a non smoking vehicle even though the only smell it had was SMOKE. i still havent gotten the smell fully out of the interior yet and its been 4 months. i guess he didnt see the custom car lighter the previous owner left in the glovebox that had a charcoal black fillament.
ontop of this, while talking about the car he leans on the trunk and scratches the paint with his cheap watch. i could not believe my eyes.
to top it off, i told the finance lady i was going to come back the next day to purchase because i wanted to use my credit unions financing instead of theres, & mr hollywood has a bitch fit about how hes going to sell the car that day & some other misc. crybaby unprofessional bs.
if it wasnt for Heidi, i would have bought my car somewhere else. but she was super nice & apologized for mike being such a dumbass. i dealt with only her from then on and i came back like i said, and bought the freakin car.
anyway dont deal with crybaby hollywood.

I did not buy a car from Ellis Brooks.
Because I didn’t feel like i was getting a good deal.
I’ve dealt with 2 people at Ellis Brooks. Both were OK. A more senior sales person named John. And a younger, but seasoned, associate named Kevin (i think).
John did the initial pitch, and Kevin was the one who joined me on the test drive and for the sales process.
The whole thing was mostly ok, and the sales staff were friendly and professional.
However, at the end i started getting a very strong «used car salesman vibe». The kinda vibe Unilocal,you get from someone who is repeating, Unilocal,your name too many times Unilocal.And Unilocal,that person, tells you Unilocal,dumb things like «i want to put you in that car today, Unilocal.»
STFU you dumb cliché.
The dumb lines were delivered with a sort of indignant authority, and dismissal, with a dash of annoyance, of my offer (which was something like $ 13 000 plus my awesome altima (which i could and did keep on driving) to a $ 15 000 asking price)
A big part of why i dislike buying cars, like most people, is the dealers, and dealerships. Lack of transparency pretty much sucks anything positive out of the whole experience.
They may have been offering me a stellar deal. But i wouldn’t know it.
They do this crap 10 times a day, so they’re very good at applying pressure while saying words that give them «plausible deniability» (that they do this), i hear this is kind of like the Japanese Yakuza operates. When a reporter writes an embarrassing story, the goons come over and politely ask him to make a retraction, when the naïve reporter declines they say something like — «there is a family that currently exists», and everything becomes clear, even though no threats are made.
Im not implying i was threatened, but the language and demeanor of used car dealers is very similar, in the sense that they say things in a way that makes you feel like you did something wrong ((when you didn’t), when you stated the price you want to pay), without ever necessarily saying you did or said something wrong.
That to me is the essence of shit customer service.
Because they’re not coming from a place of trying to bring you value, they’re coming from a place of patronizing superiority. Superiority which they do possess, by the virtue of going thru the process way more than any customer. The fact that they use it against you, and for their own profit makes them unscrupulous people, con men really, who take advantage of their «customers» (victims really).
I have worked with dealers who don’t do this crap, unfortunately the dealer im referring to, was bought out by his partner and left used car business which was beneath him anyway because he actually was a cool person.
This review is more of a review of general practices in the used car sales industry, than the Ellis Brooks people. But unfortunately they’re not a part of the solution.

ZERO STARS!
Rude, dishonest. downright despicable immoral behavior.
The worst offenders were Don Henschke (Sales Manager) and Arthur Brooks (Production Manager).
Sleazy is putting it mildly.
They do not sell reputable cars. They do not back up their claims. They do not keep their word. They are shysters. Their written word means nothing!
Please read this review and take it to heart. I would not waste my time writing this on here if it wasn’t the truth.
DO NOT TAKE YOUR BUSINESS THERE!

I have always just felt better about taking my Avalanche to an authorized Chevy service center. I think I’m over it.
These guys are always courteous and do everything they say they will do, but their prices are astronomical. Case in point: My rear door locks started to work intermittently. These guys told me the actuators would need to be replaced: $ 500. I visited my favorite Chinese auto mechanics and had it done there for $ 110.
Bottom line: I like these guys, I just can’t afford them.

I give them no stars if I could.
1) dishonest
2) disingenuous
3) insincere
4) rude
5) incompetent
6) undeserving of my future business
The service center closed for a reason, from ripping people off!

I stopped by here looking for a new car (to me) after mine was stolen. They have a nice floor and do a great job cleaning up their cars, but I found them to be a typical used car dealer. Nice to you when you first walk in and during a test drive, but once you sit down to discuss pricing, you get the typical high pressure tactics to close the deal. Needless to say, I didn’t appreciate their way of doing business and bought from a private seller instead. I’m not going back.
1 star

I just bought my new Saab 9.3 from Mike Hollywood at Ellis-​Brooks and I couldn’t be happier. It was a no-​stress transaction that didn’t involve hours of sleezy back and forth — just a good price and we were off.
Mike Hollywood was my salesperson and he was the nicest guy. Funny and friendly. He gave me a «walk through» of my car before I drove out of the garage so I wasn’t driving down Van Ness with no idea what made what turn on or what side the gas tank was on.
A great experience all the way around.

If I could, I would give them less than one star.
First quoted me $ 220 to fix my mirror. Then when I mentioned the other dealership I called was only $ 140 they lowered it to $ 125. Wow, that’s amazing. After being transfered five times and being hung up on twice… I think I’ll take it into the other dealership instead.
BAD SERVICE.

Crooks. See every Saab service review below.
Here is one illustrative anecdote: I took my car in for its 35,000 mile tune up. The estimate was $ 900.
Me: «Woah, this is a lot more than what the Saab dealer in Oakland charges. Isn’t this a standard tune-​up?»
EBS: «How much do they charge?»
Me: «$ 600»
EBS: «Okay, I can do $ 600.»
I think these people have stopped even trying to look legitimate.

Matt’s search for a new van or family vehicle continues, but has no intention of buying a Chevrolet, Pontiac, Cadillac, or Nissan here. Since Matt was closeby, let’s see what they have.
The cutey saleswoman introduced the new 2007 Chevy Tahoes, which looks nice and loaded with many option including the standard navigation system, that cost over $ 48,000 for the top of the line model. If Matt still looking for that SUV, Matt will wait for the clearance sale next year.
They also have Nissan vehicles. Matt was looking at the 2006 Quest. The van was ugly, but it is a Nissan and will outlive most humans if cared properly. She also showed me the 2006 Pathfinder and XTERRA, which sounds like another consideration. For all you people looking for a simple «A-​B» vehicle, Ellis Brooks has a ton of 2006 Nissan Sentras left, which may be the last vehicle you might buy and a «good on gas» commuter car .
Finally, the saleslady showed Matt, the Cadillac Escalade. Although it’s a nice ride with chrome rims and high-​quality options, this SUV and all Cadillacs are not Matt’s interest. Just being picky, Matt’s search for that family car continues elsewhere. Also, Matt has over 50 Unilocal-​friends and still deciding on who will be seated shotgun. HMMM?