CMA's Colonial Auto Center

Redfined Expectations of an Auto Dealership Bottom Line Up Front (BLUF): Colonial Auto Center has changed how I expect to be treated when shopping for a new or used vehicle. My wife and I ended Bottom Line Up Front (BLUF): Colonial Auto Center has changed how I expect to be treated when shopping for a new or used vehicle. My wife and I ended up purchasing two vehicles from Colonial, a 2009 Volvo XC70 and a 2014 Nissan Quest. Chili Childress’ professionalism is now the standard in which I will gauge all future vehicle sales associate interactions against. I’m sure at some point in the distant future; he’ll eventually want to retire. Until then or 180,000 miles, whichever comes first, my wife and I will be going directly to him. My wife and I have (had) two vehicles, a 2002 Nissan Frontier we bought new and a 2010 Ford Fusion Hybrid that had one previous owner. We were looking to replace my truck as it's getting up there in miles (180k miles) and quite frankly, needs a lot of work. After pouring over online resources and checking local dealership inventory, we narrowed the field down to a couple of dealerships, vehicles and models. Of the two dealerships we visited prior to Colonial, one was as you'd expect; nice enough employees with a decent inventory. Nothing "jumped out" at us as the vehicle to buy and we didn't really connect with any of the employees. The second dealership was also extremely nice and was very willing to go out of their way to help us make the right decision. There was one particular vehicle on the lot I was interested in and took it for a drive around Charlottesville. Nice vehicle but higher mileage than I would have liked. There were also some unexplained markings in the back interior of the car that couldn't be explained. My wife and I got the business card of the sales rep and thanked her very much for her time. The sales rep was extremely professional in her demeanor but it was clear she was inexperienced. You've got to start somewhere, I understand this, but you should also do your homework and be able to answer basic questions about makes and models of vehicles to a potential customer, who (presumably) knows nothing about a particular vehicle. The next evening, my wife said she had a short list of a couple of vehicles on Colonial Auto Sales lot she wanted me to look at. Shortly after arriving on the lot, we were greeted by William "Chili" Childress. He was very courteous to me and my wife and inquired if we needed any assistance in a pleasant, disarming manner. He then assisted us in going through my wife's list of previously identified vehicles to look at and test drive. The two vehicles I narrowed it down to was an '08 Nissan Frontier and an '09 Volvo XC70. The former was in a position on the lot that Chili only had to put a dealer plate on it and I was behind the wheel. Having an older model Frontier, this one was very familiar to me. Although the body style changed in 05, A Nissan is a Nissan is a Nissan. We've had other Nissans in the past and will always consider one when looking to make a new vehicle purchase. The truck drove very well and felt very familiar. My wife was also looking for a vehicle to purchase and use her hybrid as a trade-in. She wasn't looking at purchasing right away but was going to continue shopping for 2-3 months. That plan was quickly put to the test when we were walking through the lot and she spotted a 2014 Nissan Quest with the features she wanted. Now it was my turn to watch our kids while she took the Quest for a drive. She was hooked. If we could get a decent number for her car as a trade in, that was the vehicle she wanted. The Ford Fusion hybrid is a great car but whenever we had family come visit, we invariably needed to rent a minivan or full-sized SUV. You can’t put two car seats and an adult in the back seat. It’s not going to happen. On a side note, while I watching our kids and she was driving, my 2 1/2 year old daughter was thoroughly impressed at all the balloons that were on the lot. I mentioned to Chili, that if we were to make any auto purchase, it would have to include a balloon. He said he'd see what he could do. He ended up getting each of them two. I guess we all go to dealerships looking for different things… I wanted to then drive the Volvo XC70, but it was getting late in the evening and we had our two daughters with us who in spite of being real troopers through the process, were nearing the end of their rope and needed to go to bed. Chili offered to let us take the Frontier home for the evening to get a better feel for it. We took him up on his offer. We owned our Frontier since 2002 when we bought it new in California. This one handled great and as you'd expect a truck to handle. Still, I felt like I might be simply replacing one old vehicle for a newer version. I liked the prospect of having a newer more reliable vehicle, but I wasn't excited about it. The next day before returning the truck to Colonial, I called and left Chili a message, that if the Volvo was still on the lot, I'd like to test drive it. It was and off I went down Highway 29 again to the highway and give the vehicle a good run. This was my car. If we were going to be able to make the numbers work, this was the vehicle I wanted. Having the truck for 12 years and doing “truck” things with it the entire time, I unexpectedly realized I was ready for a change. I also want to give credit to Scott Draper, the financier we worked with while purchasing our vehicles. Scott was extremely professional and very thorough in explaining every step of the financing process to us. My wife was the lead in our purchases and she interacted with him more than I was able to (see previous comments about two kids with us. I was the kid wrangler). She is also writing a review about our experience at Colonial Auto Sales, but I wanted to ensure Scott was recognized for his professionalism. More

The Colonial experience was exceptional The purchasing experience with Colonial's salesman J. R. Kennedy and manager Jim Childress was exceptional. They provided great information in helpi The purchasing experience with Colonial's salesman J. R. Kennedy and manager Jim Childress was exceptional. They provided great information in helping me to chose a vehicle that would meet my family's needs. I would recommend them over all there dealers. My next purchase will be with this dealership. More

COLONIAL AUTO CENTER IS A FIRST RATE DEALERSHIP !!! A Refreshing Fantastic Auto Buying Experience In All Respects.... We purchased a new Cadillac SRX in early September 2014 and would most certainly A Refreshing Fantastic Auto Buying Experience In All Respects.... We purchased a new Cadillac SRX in early September 2014 and would most certainly recommend the Colonial Auto Center to all our friends and acquaintances.... Felicia Schultz and Scott Draper made the experience actually most enjoyable. Professional and knowledgeable at every turn at Colonial. They certainly have the resources and the vast inventory to provide every customer with their requirements. I have and will definite recommend them !!! Regards, Jim Jackson Lewisburg, WV 24901 More

Excellent experience with Maggie Brown, Colonial Auto I would recommend Maggie Brown at Colonial Auto to anyone who is looking to buy a new Nissan or used vehicle. I did my homework, spent hours online, I would recommend Maggie Brown at Colonial Auto to anyone who is looking to buy a new Nissan or used vehicle. I did my homework, spent hours online, and shopped around A LOT, and Maggie was the most honest, patient, and transparent sales person I encountered. And that's what earned her my business. What started as a used vehicle search, ended with a new vehicle purchase because she gave me a fair price on my trade, and a great deal on a 2015 Nissan Xterra! Thank you to Maggie and the Colonial sales team for their top-notch service! I will be sure to recommend you to family and friends! More

Recent used truck purchase I think of a vehicle purchase in the same way I think of a visit to the dentist or having a colonoscopy. Having said that, I was very pleasantly surpr I think of a vehicle purchase in the same way I think of a visit to the dentist or having a colonoscopy. Having said that, I was very pleasantly surprised how painless and simple my purchase was at Colonial. Bob Kemp was outstanding in streamlining the process and addressing my needs. Thank you Bob and Colonial! More

car trade-in We worked with William (Chili) Childress. After searching all over Charlottesville and beyond for what we were looking for....we found it at Colonia We worked with William (Chili) Childress. After searching all over Charlottesville and beyond for what we were looking for....we found it at Colonial. We also found a GREAT salesman to work with... So nice, no pressure! Overall, a GREAT experience. I highly recommend Chili and Colonial Auto Center! More

Thinking of buying? Ask for Chili William Childress aka "Chili" is not a sales person, he is an information guy. He helps his clients during the process and lets them make an informed William Childress aka "Chili" is not a sales person, he is an information guy. He helps his clients during the process and lets them make an informed and educated decision. This is what we all want when looking for a new car. No high pressure, no hassles, just a great experience! More

No pressure, excellent customer service My husband and I have bought several cars from Colonial in the past 20+ years so this was an easy choice for us when we needed another car. Our sales My husband and I have bought several cars from Colonial in the past 20+ years so this was an easy choice for us when we needed another car. Our salesman was Bob Kemp. He did not pressure us to buy any particular model or brand but when we told him that we were going to replace a GMC Jimmy (previously purchased from Colonial) and that we wanted a good dependable car in our price range, he suggested that we try a Nissan Rogue. We loved it! Scott Draper also made our financial payments fit our budget, and he explained the terms/price with ease while Bob showed us all about the operation of the car. Both Bob and Scott went the extra mile to make us happy. We will definitely go there again! It was a pleasure working with Bob and Scott. More

Awesome expirence! The expirence was great and the entire car buying process was smooth and efficient. Will definetly come through again and highly recommend to anyone l The expirence was great and the entire car buying process was smooth and efficient. Will definetly come through again and highly recommend to anyone looking to buy a vehichle. More

happy Nissan owner We came in to trade out of our prius and wanted to start leasing because we purchase new cars every couple years. We had negative equity in our prius We came in to trade out of our prius and wanted to start leasing because we purchase new cars every couple years. We had negative equity in our prius so it was a struggle and at first we were worried but they went above and beyond to get to a payment that we could afford and a vehicle we loved and we will be again. More