BMW of Akron

I am more than a little dissappointed with this dealer... I currently own 2 BMWs and several other cars. I have owned 11 BMWs since 1976. I've been looking for a 535XI and higher miles does not worry me mu I currently own 2 BMWs and several other cars. I have owned 11 BMWs since 1976. I've been looking for a 535XI and higher miles does not worry me much if the car is close to flawless. I don't mind driving or flying someplace to pick up the right car and have done this several times. They had a high mileage (109k) 2008 535XI listed at Dave Walter BMW for $18,985, which is about average for a car with these miles. I called and spoke to Michelle, who was very professional. I told her I was interested in this particular car. She confirmed it was still there, asked when I would be there to see it and assured me they would prepare the car for a test drive. She also got my name and cell phone number. I was impressed. She did a very nice job of closing me for the visit without so much as a brief conversation with a salesman. And when I looked up the dealer, the reviews were really good! So, off to Akron we went! My wife and I drove over to Akron from Western Pennsylvania arriving about 3 hours later, maybe 20 minutes later than I had told Michelle. I had a pre-approved bank "ready check" in hand and was prepared to buy the car if it was right. The only problem was that my wife needed to be back in Pittsburgh that afternoon and that only gave us about an hour at the dealer. I figured that once I looked over and drove the car, if I wanted it and the paperwork took longer than that, I would stay behind...or if there were things they needed to fix, they could keep it and I could come back another day to pick it up... ...Except it never came to that. When I arrived, Michelle was at lunch and the salesman that helped me (thankful, I'm sure, that I can't remember his name) said that when they pulled the car it had a dead battery, so they first put it on the charge and then after charging it for a while they discovered the battery needed to be replaced so they were doing that now and it would take 30 minutes. Really??!! I called over 3 hours ago. My charger at home is capable of telling me within seconds that a battery needs to be replaced. BMW doesn't have a tool for that? I can also swap a battery, even one in the trunk, in about 5 minutes. Red flag number 1. While we waited for them to replace the battery, I asked the salesman to bring me another 535xi to test drive. He brought out the next least expensive car they had, which was not in a color combination I wanted. I sat in the car for a moment waiting for the salesman to go get a tag and copy my DL and then decided not to drive that car as I really wanted to drive the car I HAD COME TO SEE! While I waited, I noticed that the used car sticker on this car was for $4000 more than the price they had the car listed for on the Internet. Hmm. Different prices for walk-ins than for those who shopped on-line....Might have been an oversight, but often something dealers do. Either way, red flag number 2. I wandered over to the used car lot to see what else they had. Lots of expensive, clean 5-series cars in the front. A lot of slightly older, much dirtier cars that had not moved much in the back...well, if you consider 2006 old. Most seemed to be in pretty good shape. The salesman drove the car I did not demo back over and put it in the back. It was a four year old $24,000 (or $28,000 if you walked in) 2008 with 70,500 miles on it...apparently second or third class in the eyes of BMW dealers everywhere. When we walked back over, I asked the salesman if I could at least SEE the car I had come there to look at. He said it was in the shop and should be out soon. He also said it was "really nice" and had been owned by a Microsoft Exec....hmm....OK...I guess we'll wait. My wife called to arrange to have somebody else pick up our kids as we were clearly going to be late. After wandering around the sales floor (several other folks politely asked if we needed water or coffee or anything at all) and waiting in the service area for 30 more minutes, I asked about the car again. The salesman said I could see it through the window of the service area...right...there. Wait a minute.....IT WAS ON A LIFT! Excuse me? The battery is in the trunk! The salesman THEN explained that they were checking the car over as it might have thrown a code when they replaced the battery. I expressed concern to the salesman and he said I could talk to the mechanic when he was done. I never saw the mechanic again. ...red flag number 3...at least. An hour and 20 minutes after we showed up to demo the car, the salesman appeared, told me it was ready, and said they had it on the lift because there was a small oil leak they wanted to fix. Hello?? Oil Leak?? I had been waiting to see and drive the car for well over an hour. If it was an oil leak, they could have told me they wanted to go over the car and that I could pick it up later...AFTER I SAW AND DROVE IT! Something else was going on...no clue what...flag number 4? My wife and I walked out to look at the car. Approaching it from the back, I noticed that somebody must have been dragging steamer trunks in and out of the trunk. The top of the bumper at the trunk was all scratched up with deep, unrepairable scratches. I opened the trunk and it was full of leaves! What?? Had it ever been cleaned?? Then the rest of the car kind of came into focus. The driver's side rear bumper, wheel well and quarter panel had apparently lost an argument with a concrete pole at a drive-through bank teller or fast food place. The driver's side front fender didn't look much better. There were scrapes and scratches all over the car that could only be resolved with a complete repaint. When I sat inside it, I could immediately tell that this was not an execumobile. It was "MOM" car! There were the indentations from a car seat, dents in the back of the front passenger seat and even some melted chocolate (I certainly HOPE it was chocolate) on the front passenger side seat. This once beautiful 4 year old 535XI was now, sadly, pretty much a wreck. The salesman then tried to say that the car had been driven by a granny. Now it was a granny??? A Microsoft Exec granny??? C'mon, get the story straight! I had driven for two hours and waited another hour and 20 minutes at this dealer to see a car that needed two bumpers, a complete repaint and who knows what kind of engine work.. ..Perhaps more importantly, this dealership had the nerve to try to sell it to me, dirty, damaged and apparently in serious disrepair. I never even looked under the hood. My wife and I expressed our utter dissapointment and immediately left for the two hour drive back to western Pennsylvania. What a total and complete waste of time. On the drive back, I looked at the Dave Walter reviews again on my IPad. That's when I realized that most of the 5 star ratings were from people who bought new cars... Look, if you want a brand new car and have $40,000-100,000 I'm sure these guys will treat you like a god. But if you only want to spend a mere $20,000-$30,000 on a BMW, be prepared to be a second class citizen at this dealership. And for you guys at Dave Walter. Send all those dirty, neglected 3-5 year old BMWs in the back row of your used car lot to auction! You clearly don't care enough about them to take care of them. By auctioning them, they can be sold, seen, driven and appreciated by first generation BMW owners who might come get their next (new) BMW from you! And others like me, who nievely think that a BMW dealer is going to have a really nice off-lease high mileage car for a reasonable price, won't be wasting our time. More

This was my first BMW purchase & I'd have to say it's one of the best dealer experiences I've ever had. I feel that I got an immaculate CPO vehicle for a very fair price! Shab, and everyone else I encoun one of the best dealer experiences I've ever had. I feel that I got an immaculate CPO vehicle for a very fair price! Shab, and everyone else I encountered, from financing to delivery, was extremely professional and helpful!! I didn't sense even a bit of pressure and it made the whole experience that much more enjoyable. Would definitely recommend Dave Walter BMW to anyone! More

Had a great experience with David Theado. I purchased a new car and set it up for a European Delivery from the BMW factory in Munich and he helped me out tremendously! I have worked with him on other pu new car and set it up for a European Delivery from the BMW factory in Munich and he helped me out tremendously! I have worked with him on other purchases and each time he treats me like a valued customer. I have promoted David Theado & Dave Walter BMW to many people as I know they will be treated fairly. Great overall experience and VERY professional group of people. More

We truly enjoyed our experience. Mr. Dave Theado and Mr. Shujaat Siddiqui were courteous, professional, and provided exceptional service. Look forward to our next purchase! Shujaat Siddiqui were courteous, professional, and provided exceptional service. Look forward to our next purchase! More

We were replacing my Wife's 2010 528xi that was totaled in an auto accident. What a tremendous experience. Every person we came in contact with was friendly, caring and willing to assist us with all aspect in an auto accident. What a tremendous experience. Every person we came in contact with was friendly, caring and willing to assist us with all aspects of our purchase. This is our 3rd BMW, and first from Dave Walter, it will not be our last. We highly recommend Dave Walter BMW. More

I've bought three new BMWs from this dealership and two VWs from its sister dealership across the street over the last decade. All my service is done there. I have never had a problem -- and I'm really pi VWs from its sister dealership across the street over the last decade. All my service is done there. I have never had a problem -- and I'm really picky. They know me now, but even as a brand new customer I was treated like I was their #1 client. Once I had particularly tricky electronic problem on a past-warranty BMW. One of the mechanics was so committed to solving the problem, he took the component home and kept working on it. He fixed it. I wasn't charged for his personal time (though I would have paid it because dedication like that is remarkable). That same car has 170,000+ miles and still runs great - - and the electrical problem never came back. I could not be more pleased. #customerforlife More

I just recently enjoyed purchasing my car from Dave Walter BMW. Mark Stacey was the salesman, and with his help I was able to find the right car for me! His service was excellent. During my short visit Walter BMW. Mark Stacey was the salesman, and with his help I was able to find the right car for me! His service was excellent. During my short visit Mark gave me a beverage and was very easy to work with. Mark was great, what I was most impressed with was the tenacity of finance manager Erik Parkinson. Erik very diligently went to work finding the best rate for my car. Not only was he very personable as well, but the information he was able to provide me in purchasing my first vehicle was incredible. It can be an overwhelming process but when you work with a fantastic finance manager like Erik it makes the process smooth. I was very happy with my whole experience and plan on making my next purchase at Dave Walter BMW and hope to work with these gentlemen again. More

I am very impressed with Dave Walter BMW in Akron, Ohio. The facility is modern and well-equipped, the location is convenient, and the atmosphere is very pleasant. However, what really distinguishes Dave Wa The facility is modern and well-equipped, the location is convenient, and the atmosphere is very pleasant. However, what really distinguishes Dave Walter BMW is the staff. Everyone from the receptionist and service technicians to the sales staff and management exemplify professionalism, product knowledge, quality customer service, and are enjoyable people to work with. In particular I want to recognize Client Advisor Eric Eisenhart and General Manager Shujaat Siddiqui. I ended up purchasing the exact CPO BMW I was interested in. Eric Eisenhart answered my questions and made me feel comfortable as I was evaluating the vehicle and making decisions. He was friendly, helpful, and efficient with no sales pressure whatsoever. He simply wanted to make sure I was getting what I wanted in an expert manner. Likewise when it came to dealing on the car, General Manager Shujaat Siddiqui was equally impressive. I enjoyed working with Shujaat because of his professionalism, personable demeanor, and because I think he is genuinely passionate about developing relationships and making certain the customer is satisfied. He is an outstanding representative of the franchise that Dave Walter BMW has developed. In short I would definately do business again at Dave Walter BMW and recommend it to my friends and business associates. More

This is now the 4th car I've bought from Dave Walter and second car I've bought from Eric. All of the folks at Dave Walter make you feel welcome, provide excellent customer service and make you want to ret second car I've bought from Eric. All of the folks at Dave Walter make you feel welcome, provide excellent customer service and make you want to return. how many times have you ever heard a car dealership described that way?! While signing my papers today, the owner popped his head in and the the General Manager, Shujaat, stopped by several times... Dave Walter BMW is not your typical dealer, they are fantastic! And Eric...how many times are you buying cars directly with the Finance Manager? Through the purchase of my last car we became friends and when the car he knew I was looking for showed up on the lot he gave me a call-- I'm now the happy owner of an X6 xDrive50i. Eric is a model employee for BMW when it comes to making you feel welcome, trusting how he is handling your financial information and confident he is going to provide a fair deal for both the customer and BMW. You walk away feeling happy not only with your new car, but that you purchased it with Eric from Dave Walter BMW-- amazing! Now as for the X6 xDrive50i...if you haven't driven one, go take one for a drive, but be careful keeping it over night, you'll never return it! I was happy when I got my Z4 MSeries several cars ago, but this vehicle rocks! Good job BMW and thanks Eric and Dave Walter BMW!! More

This was my very first BMW purchase and Dave Walter BMW made it AMAZING. I drove 2 hours from Columbus to Akron to get the vehicle I was looking for and also found the experience I was looking for. The made it AMAZING. I drove 2 hours from Columbus to Akron to get the vehicle I was looking for and also found the experience I was looking for. The whole reason I even drove that far to look at the car was because of the first conversation I had on the phone with Erik Parkinson. He made me feel like an old friend and wanted to help me find the right car. If it weren't for him I would have just kept looking in Columbus until I found the vehicle local. Erik has a great attitude and is very easy to talk to which made the dreaded paperwork process painless. My sales consultant Robert Noetzel was also very helpful. I know that sound real cliche so let me explain. He was busy helping another customer but checked in on me from time to time as I worked with David Theado to see if I needed anything. Also, by the time I completed the whole process it was about 5 PM which coincides with the time the dealership closes but Robert offered to give me a tutorial of the BMW 530xi. Now when I say tutorial it was exactly that; he went over the whole vehicle inside and out. He even went as far as syncing my phone to bluetooth, program my garage door openers and tried to program my HOME location in the navigation (my house was not recognized by the older navigation disk but he tried). Even as the clock approached 6 PM he did not make me feel rushed and answered all of my questions about the BMW and I am an engineer so I had lots of questions. I am loving my BMW and enjoying driving it everyday. More