William Hopkins at Russell & Smith Mazda

William was very friendly, informed about my car, and efficient.
I would recommend him to a friend. He recognized my time constraints and worked
around them.

Was this review helpful to you?    Yes | No Thank you

On 8/13/2011 my wife and I visited Russell & Smith Mazda in Houston. We weren't totally committed to buying a new vehicle but were open to the possibility if we found a CX-9 and a price that appealed to us. I asked for Delroy Worrell as we entered the dealership (based on recommendation by Jerry Reynolds, the Car Pro along with numerous online reviews of the dealership). Delroy made us feel comfortable and turned us over to William Hopkins, the salesman who worked with us for the remainder of our time at the dealership.

I explained to both Delroy and William that we hated buying cars. For one thing, we always pay off our cars and keep them for a long time (current car was a 2001 Maxima). And more importantly, I hate the car-buying process (high-pressure, back-and-forth to the manager to review the deal, etc.) I don't think we have ever really left a dealership with a car without thinking that we left money on the table. I am sure this is a common story that they hear. The difference this time was that I was prepared at anytime to walk away from the dealership because I in today's economic climate I know dealerships are making good deals.

Another factor in this equation is that in the past we have always had to "settle" for a car we could afford instead of getting one with as many options as we wanted. It is not that "money was no object" but at this point in our life, my wife and I were looking for a vehicle that we can take into retirement in a couple of years. We were willing to spend a little more in order to avoid just settling for a vehicle that wasn't what we really wanted.

We were interested in a white CX-9 with leather interior but did not want the cream colored leather so William showed us a silver Grand Touring CX-9 with black leather interior, Bose entertainment system, backup camera, moon roof, etc. It had way more options than we have ever had on a vehicle. We test drove it and found that we really liked it. My wife liked it enough to be serious about buying it if we could get a fair price.

We drove back to the dealership to start what I have always considered the most aggravating part of the car-buying process, the negotiations. William presented a price to us that was more than we wanted to pay. I presented a price to William based on information from Edmonds.com regarding the average selling price of that vehicle in that zip code area. William took my information to Delroy and a few minutes later both returned and we negotiated a final price that was very close to my original offer.

My wife and I were happy with the transaction. We got 0% interest with some incentive cash to sweeten the deal. No high pressure tactics either during the sale or during the meeting with the finance person.

When I returned later in the day to pickup the CX-9, William met me and presented me with the keys and placed the temp tag on the vehicle. I was pleasantly surprised to find the CX-9 had a full tank of gas. I don't know if this is common practice with other dealerships but William said it was their practice. (Remember it has been over 10 years since we bought a car.)

We are driving a 2011 Mazda CX-9 today because of the pleasant experience with William and Delroy at Russell & Smith Mazda. I would gladly recommend Russell & Smith Mazda to anyone considering buying a Mazda in the Houston area.

Was this review helpful to you?    Yes | No Thank you

I can't say enough great things about the sales experience when I bought my Mazda5! William is an outstanding salesman, and knows his products!! There is nothing worse than having a salesman showcase a car and not know the vehicle - and I never experienced that with William. The test drive was fun, he was able to answer all of my questions, and he was a joy to work with. I have always purchased Subaru vehicles because the sales staff knows how to show you all the benefits, and Mazda is right up there with them! I had my 3 year old with me for the test drive and William was so accomodating to us and encouraged me to test it out with the car seats and didn't bat an eye when my son was sitting in each seat. That made the sale that much easier for me. The manager Delroy was so friendly and made every effort to make sure I was happy with their service. The entire sales team really made me feel welcomed and lived up to the saying that "they want to earn your business".

The entire process from test drive, pricing and financing was so easy! The finance manager, Roy, has a great personality and gets you in and out without the stress that other dealerships put you through.

I went to Russell and Smith because of their location as I planned to utilize their service department for routine maintenance. Unfortunately they don't live up to the same standard as their sales team, and I will be looking elsewhere for my vehicle maintenance.

Overall, if you are looking for a trustworthy Mazda dealer - I definitely promote the Russell and Smith Sales Team.

Was this review helpful to you?    Yes | No Thank you