Clay Subaru

Reason for Visit: Sales (Used)

I recommend this dealer: Yes

My Review of Clay Subaru:
Having read the reviews on here prior to going to Clay Subaru I had made my mind up this was going to be a test drive only experience and then go else where to buy. We went there and were greeted by Mike S (Russian guy). He was very relaxed, non pushy and basically easy to get along with. We test drove an Impreza which was nice but I was also interested in the Impreza WRX wagon (Hatch). They didn't have any new wagons on site but the Sales Manager (another Mike) was driving a 2009 Impreza WRX sedan and said take this for a drive and see what you think, he even said we could take it for the night if we wanted and bring it back the next day! So we (my wife and I) were debating the options as she was also keen on the Subaru Tribeca (we were trading a Ford Explorer and I have a Audi TT, so a Tribeca would be the obvious choice, even if the WRX was distracting me...). Both Mike's were very relaxed and not pushy at all. We didn't know what to do so Mike suggested we come back Monday and he would have a 2008 Premium Tribeca that had just been traded ready for us to look at and would get a 2009 WRX Hatch delivered too so we could look at both. We went back monday and sure enough both cars were there ready for us to look at and drive. By this point we had a good feeling about who we were working with and I had done a lot of research on pricing for both (KBB + an extensive search of inventory in a 100 mile radius) so it was now a case of which one we wanted and negotiate the price. We chose the Tribeca, which was priced right where we expected and was fair based on the research I'd done. We did though mange to get $1500 off that price which I'd like to think was based on the amount of effort they had put in (i.e. they really wanted/needed to close a sale based on the time invested) and the relationship we had built up with them over the last few days. The other key was that the amount we got for the trade was what I asked for and most importantly was agreed on when we were looking to buy brand new. This figure didn't change when we switched to the one year old Tribeca. The other very refreshing thing was after the deal was done they were very proactive and took the lead to get everything done within two days (registered, plates, sticker, etc) so it was ready for the day we asked to pick to up. We got a fully loaded one year old Tribeca for 2200 less than I had seen listed anywhere in Metro Boston and we got $500 more for our trade than KBB list (and $1500 more than we were offered when looking at the (very poor and basically rude) Mazda Gallery dealer just up the road from Clay Subaru.
So in summary I think it probably comes down to who you are dealing with, when you go in and I think having an open mind helps! We were very lucky and i can say without doubt this was the best experience we have had with any dealer.... Hope this isn't a one off and others have positive experiences too (that they would like to share)

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Reason for Visit: Sales (New)

I recommend this dealer: Yes

My Review of Clay Subaru:
I read all the bad reviews for this place..geeze maybe I should not have bought there, but when I went to Subuaru in Norwood I already knew what car I wanted, went and picked out the car for the salesman and took it for a ride. The price was no problem and got 100K warranty for car. Bought a 2005 Subaru Forester LL Bean Edition with huge roof and leather. Still own it and bring it in for service there for specific things that my neighborhood guy cant do.

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Reason for Visit: Sales (New)

I recommend this dealer: No

My Review of Clay Subaru:
Went in to trade my domestic car for a new 2009 Impreza Wrx.

Seen I really wanted a new Wrx, I seemed too eager and that was the end of my chances of getting a good price (my fault really...). The salesman, Joe C., was a quite likeable guy, even though I had in mind that he was a bit on the sleazy side.

Problems started right after the purchase and there were several of them:
- they failed to call me to follow up to see if I was satisfied of my purchase and later on said they actually tried calling me, which was completely false.
- because I had to take my car rather in a hurry and had not time to had the state inspection sticker done, the salesman told me they would simply mail me a check for $29 to reimburse me of that expense. It took me at least 10 or more phone calls before they finally did it. It took some 2 months for them to do this.
- when I purchased my new Wrx, I had them install a gps based theft recovery system. In order for its premium features to be activated, the dealership had to send the theft recovery sys. company an email providing them with my info and my car's info. Needless to say that it took almost 2 months for that to happen. And it happened only because I had to call them many more times before someone actually sent that darn email.
- while these problems (the failure to reimburse the state sticker cost and them not sending the email to activate my theft recovery system's premium features) were still not satisfactorily solved by the dealership, I was called by their cust. service manager (I don't remember his name now...) and quite rudely being asked why I had filled out a Subaru survey complaining about these issues...

All in all, while I would give them a passing grade while purchasing a car with them, I must admit that if they after sale service is what it is, they should be in business.

I will NOT buy any car from them again and I suggest no one does.

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Reason for Visit: Sales (New)

I recommend this dealer: No

My Review of Clay Subaru:
They are a bunch of crooks. STAY AWAY FROM THIS DEALERSHIP. I bought a new STi and paid an additional $600 for the bluetooth connectivity. Well, they installed an aftermarket bluetooth that was junk rather than the Subaru official OEM bluetooth. After numerous telephone calls to the dealer, they eventually "manned up" and admitted that they installed an aftermarket bluetooth. They eventually agreed to swap it out with the factory bluetooth, but the salesman said that they didn't have to make the swap because the paperwork didn't specify what kind of bluetooth they had to install!!! He then told me that the aftermarket bluetooth was more expensive. So of course, if it was more expensive, I asked for a refund on the difference. He told me that they lost enough money on this car.

They also installed the front license plate crooked, and the fix required an extra hole in my front bumper.

They were also extremely rude. This is what you get when you spend $42,000 for a new car. This is the worst dealership I have ever been to, and I buy new cars every 3-4 years. If they were the last dealership on earth, I'd rather bike to work than buy anything from them.

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Reason for Visit: Sales (New)

I recommend this dealer: Yes

My Review of Clay Subaru:
back in may of 2008 my wife and were looking for a new vehicle. we live about 1 mile from planet subaru, but we took the ride out to norwood to clay subaru, the sales people we delt with were awesome, they knew everything about the vehicle and answered all quiestions we had. we ended up buying a 2009 subaru forester from clay. i strongly recommend going to that dealership. since buying the vehicle i have had it in there for maint., the service department there is very friedly and the service was the best.

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Reason for Visit: Sales (New)

I recommend this dealer: No

My Review of Clay Subaru:
This dealership was the worst! We went here to buy a 2009 forester. We had such an awful experience. They took us for a test drive and then sat us down to talk about prices. We told them we were not going to buy that day, but it was like they were not listening. I had quotes from other dealers and had a good idea of what I could get the car for. They asked what I wanted for my trade-in and I asked for $1000 more than it was worth. They came back and said they could do it without even seeing my car. They were not willing to negotiate on the sticker price of the new car. When I told them I had lower estimates they started to wheel and deal with the finance options and offer lower monthly payments. They were not at all specific about what they were doing other than the final cost to me. They wanted a deposit without seeing my car or running a credit check. It was all so sketchy. Once we said we needed time to think the pressure started. Finally, I had enough and we left while they followed us out. This was such a stressful environment to but a car! DON'T GO HERE!!!

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Reason for Visit: Sales

I recommend this dealer: No

My Review of Clay Subaru:
Went in with my father to look at a used Camry. Took the car out for a drive, came back, and went inside to negotiate a price. I asked the sales person what they were willing to sell the car for, he said, "Just give me an offer, and I'll give it to my sales manager, and we'll go from there." I said ok, how about $7500. I knew very well that I was not gonna buy the car for that price, and that they were not going to sell it for that price. But I figured, here's a number, and we'll negotiate. I had absolutely no problem spending up to $9500 on the car (they were asking $10,900). He took the price to his sales manager, who looks at us and with a fairly loud voice says, "What?! Get the hell out of my dealership! Thats an insult." So my father and I got up, I politely asked the manager, "Do you guys not negotiate on prices at all." and he responds, "No! in my 15 years I've never had to negotiate a price with someone. Now just get out, that's an insult."

If that's the way they treat customers who want to buy a car, I can't even imagine what service is like. The sales manager (Mike Q) was the most disrespectful person I have ever met. I will never set foot in that dealership again, even if they were giving away cars. I am shocked at how pathetic he is, and how he can expect to sell cars that way.

If you wanted to be treated with respect, stay away from this dealership.

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