What do you consider to be the most important part of a vehicle purchase? The research to find the perfect one? Seeking out the best price? Securing the best-possible financing option for the unique demands of your budget and lifestyle? The fact is that any one of those steps could contain a role to be played by the dealership themselves. That’s why our choice of the most important part of a vehicle purchase might be the selection of a dealership that you trust to facilitate one of the most extravagant purchases that you’ll make in the next year. In fact, there’s probably a prospective car buyer in the process of reviewing dealerships in Colorado Springs right now! (Yes, I know, I could have picked anywhere, but I’m sort of wishing I was back in the springs, enjoying a pre-dinner cocktail at Carlos Bistro right now…)
But if you happen to be in Colorado Springs, we’re not ‘just’ here to help you pick the place to get a near-perfect paella. With that in mind, let’s take a closer look at some of the most recognized dealerships in your area, each one different from the one named before, to see if any of them stand out as superior choices. Of course, we expect a mix of positive and negative comments regarding each one, but let’s see if we can learn anything.
Mile High Car Company
Our friends are certainly off to the right start with their motto, “It’s time to expect more from your car dealership”. To paraphrase DiCaprio (in ‘Django Unchained’), “You had my curiosity, but now you have my attention”. After all, any dealership who leads with a commitment to set themselves apart from competitors, balanced with a hint of introspection needs to have some idea of what’s going on. Right?
Well, over the last two decades ‘Mile High’ has distinguished themselves as one of the premier used car dealerships in Southern Colorado, having even been named “Best of the Springs” as a result of their high-quality service offered.
Unsolicited reviews on YELP! Seem to reiterate this with recent customers applauding certain employees for going above and beyond, during and after the purchase. And yet the ever-present criticisms are just as present. Some comments single out specific employees (or at least their practices) while others criticize delays in service or a lack of communication. And yet, service awards speak for themselves and every customer experience is different. Based on those unique expectations we talked about, there’s a very good chance that ‘Mile High’ and their diversity of inventory is a good fit for you.
Phil Long Dealerships
Another example of diversity in selection comes from the family of Phil Long dealerships present throughout Colorado and New Mexico since been 1945. Priding themselves on offering a healthy environment for customers and employees alike, Phil Long dealerships might just be the perfect example of a union between traditional car sales and a true Colorado mindset.
Of course, the convenience of doing business with a family of dealerships does a lot to increase selection, and Phil Ford offers an extensive selection of Audi, Ford and Kia (among lineups from a number of other automakers). That said, there seemed to be a lot of negative online reviews which (to us) seemed to contradict the goal of ‘offering a healthy environment for customers’, in fact, many seem downright agitated and willing to name names. This is simply an observation, but it’s certainly enough to make you want to dig deeper in the hopes of discerning fact from fiction.
Colorado Springs Dodge
If Dodge and RAM lineups are what sets a fire under you to buy something new (or new to you) ‘Colorado Springs’ rates as the #1 Volume dealer in Colorado while earning the #2 spot globally within the last decade. But the dealership claims that service is more important to them than volume. That said, ‘Colorado Springs Dodge’ must be proud to have been named the 2018 recipient of the “Customer First Award of Excellence”.
And yet, the most recent and accessible of their online reviews are both negative and critical, citing names and timelines with absolute specificity. But what does this mean? It certainly should not render us blind to the strength of positive commentary (of which there is also plenty) but then again a dealership could never remain successful and operational if they didn’t do right by their customers. Just another reminder why negative reviews should be taken with a grain of salt.
Perkins Motors
Considering that most car-buying kicks off with an online search, Perkins Motors certainly kicks things off with a subtle, tastefully designed website rife with content and easy to navigate. With several hundred vehicles available at any given point, it’s easy to appreciate how helpful the site must be for online shoppers to access so many vehicles.
And in terms of sales experiences, Perkins’ team rates fairly high with many kind things being said in the public reviews. There does seem to be criticism levied at the Service Team but, once again, understand the subjective nature of experience and be willing to find out for yourself.
Final Thoughts
Perhaps the bottom-line of this exercise is to recognize that online reviews are a dicey resource when it comes to learning the truth. Driven solely by perspective, even the smallest situation can be both irritated and inflated, with even the most articulate summary jaded by interpretation.
Everyone’s looking for something different, be in terms of vehicle selection, financing and service. We all come into the process with our own expectations and, ideally, we will have the opportunity to do business with a partner who meets, if not exceeds, those expectations. After all, dealerships are so eager to claim their intent as a desire to build lasting relationships with their customers. That said, we simply need to find the best fit for us. While you might choose a completely different dealership for any number of reasons, we hope this helpful in recognizing some of the strengths and shortcomings that we found among area dealers.
