Cityside Subaru

This was my second time buying a car from cityside Subaru, and i would go back there again. They are strong at customer service and competitive at pricing. Peter Rosenberg is an enjoyable person to Subaru, and i would go back there again. They are strong at customer service and competitive at pricing. Peter Rosenberg is an enjoyable person to do business with and cares about about the process. More

Cityside Subaru came highly recommend from a friend and colleague. This friend and colleague actually made our sales appointment and came along to that appointment to make introductions. That is how we w colleague. This friend and colleague actually made our sales appointment and came along to that appointment to make introductions. That is how we were introduced to Peter Rosenburg. Peter seemed very pleasant and easy to work with. He quickly set us up with for a test drive of a car similar to the one we wanted to purchase - the exact model we wanted was not available for test drive. I really appreciated that we were allowed to take the test drive without the sales person present as it makes for a much more relaxed test drive where one can really get a feel for the car. We returned from the test drive confident in the car we wanted. Working with Peter we came to an agreement relatively quickly and were on our way expecting our new car to arrive in 1-2 weeks. Fast forward to a bit over a week later, we were at the dealership, as requested, to take delivery of our new Subaru. Unfortunately upon inspecting the car we discovered that the clear bra that we had requested be installed had numerous installation defects/mistakes. Also, while I’m not going to make assertions here about who caused the problem, there were obvious moderate to severe swirl marks in the clear coat on the hood of the car, and also, to a lesser extent, above the rear hatch. This is obviously unacceptable on a brand new car, and I made this known as politely as possible to Mr. Rosenburg. As we were walking back inside Peter even mentioned “perhaps we can locate you another car.” After Speaking with someone “in the back,” who I believe was Dan Rosengarten, the Cityside staff inspected the car more closely. I was then informed that while they admitted the Clear bra install was bad, and they would have it removed, they were unwilling to locate me another vehicle and I could take this one or leave it. At this point it was like we were talking to a different person. Peter was very rude and dismissive while trying to remain polite, which just came off as cheap and false. He was all but handing us our old keys and showing us the door. Peter even asserted that I, not we (this was apparently directed specifically at me and not my wife) would never be happy with a Subaru. Peter also stated that all Subarus come “like that.” Angry and frustrated but still wanting a Subaru, my wife and I decided to take a moment alone to look at the car again and think it over. We ultimately decided we would proceed with this car, if Cityside would simply pay for a detailer, other than their in-house staff, to do their best to try to remedy the swirl situation. I expect a job like that would be in the $200-$300 range. When presented with this fair compromise, Dan and Peter responded with an insulting offer to “contribute $25” towards a “receipted” detailing. Add to that the stress placed on the word receipted and it felt even more like they were simply telling us to get lost. Peter did make one last attempt to convince Dan to locate another car for us, at my request, but that request was denied. At this point, as we were leaving, Peter would no longer even look us in the face, he was busy shuffling papers on his desk as we said our goodbyes trying to keep things professional as possible. [TL;DR] I’ve bought quite a few cars in my time. I care for them very well, as we evidenced by my “excellent” condition trades Cityside was only paying me “fair” for. When I buy a new car I expect it to be in NEW condition when it's purchased NEW. Not in LIKE-NEW condition. The simple fact is Cityside attempted to sell me a NEW car that had been damaged while in their care, and when I called them on it, they backed out of the deal rather than doing right by me, their new customer, and even more importantly by friend and colleague, who by their own account has purchased 6 cars from them and referred many others. It's easy to be a good salesperson when your customers are happy, but when you're customers are unhappy, that's when a salesperson shows their true colors. My wife and I still intend to purchase a Subaru; however it certainly won't be from Cityside. We highly recommend you look elsewhere as well. More

Having previously heard negative comments about this dealership we bought our last two Subarus from Village Subaru. We recently heard better things about Cityside and decided to stop in rather than make dealership we bought our last two Subarus from Village Subaru. We recently heard better things about Cityside and decided to stop in rather than make the trip out to Acton for this purchase. The sales help was low-key and straightforward and we enjoyed the experience. More

John Melvin helped us narrow down what we wanted (we decided on an Impreza Sport with Nav) - he was friendly, low-pressure, and really went the extra mile to make our whole experience easy and pleasant. decided on an Impreza Sport with Nav) - he was friendly, low-pressure, and really went the extra mile to make our whole experience easy and pleasant. Everyone else who helped us out was also very nice and friendly. Great dealership to buy a car at. More

Excellent experience, John was very helpful, answered all my questions and kept me up to date on the ordering process. I would highly recommend Cityside Subaru and John Melvin. my questions and kept me up to date on the ordering process. I would highly recommend Cityside Subaru and John Melvin. More

I had a great experience at Cityside Subaru. John was upfront, helpful, and did not pressure me into buying the car. It was a refreshing experience. The price was a bit high from the research I had done, upfront, helpful, and did not pressure me into buying the car. It was a refreshing experience. The price was a bit high from the research I had done, but not enough for me to really care. More

I had a great experience purchasing my new Crosstrek. This was my third time purchasing a new car from a dealer and this was a pleasurable experience. The salesperson John Melvin was great. He answered a This was my third time purchasing a new car from a dealer and this was a pleasurable experience. The salesperson John Melvin was great. He answered all my questions and wasnt like a typical car salesperson. He made the process very easy and hassle free. I would definitely recommend cityside for anyone looking to buy a subaru! More

John Melvin was straightforward, friendly and knowledgeable and expedited our transaction efficiently and answered all our questions. The transfer of plates and insurance was handled with a mini knowledgeable and expedited our transaction efficiently and answered all our questions. The transfer of plates and insurance was handled with a minimum of work for us. So far our used Impreza has met all our expectations. More

I had a very good experience with CitySide Subaru. John Melvin was helpful and easy to work with, and was very accommodating to my schedule and appointment changes. I love my new car and I'm happy with the Melvin was helpful and easy to work with, and was very accommodating to my schedule and appointment changes. I love my new car and I'm happy with the deal I got for it, and the staff I worked with just made the experience that much better. Both John and Donald Ratcliffe were nice, funny guys who made this first time purchase a little less intimidating and easier for me. I would highly recommend this dealership to anyone looking for a Subaru. More

The gentleman who dealt with the financing and completing our paperwork (who I apologize, but his name escapes me) did a fantastic job. We walked into the dealership for the first time on a weekend, asked a our paperwork (who I apologize, but his name escapes me) did a fantastic job. We walked into the dealership for the first time on a weekend, asked a few questions, test drove a car, and with a great deal of help from the financing manager we were out of the dealership a couple of hours later with a new Impreza in hand. We were in a rush to complete the deal the same day. We had our information prepared before we went there (USAA had an online buyer program which guaranteed a pre-negotiated price with the dealership), which helped, but it was also because the financing person worked quickly and diligently to get everything squared away. Everyone was pleasant. We also used our WBUR member discount, which was wonderful. Further, I took the Impreza in recently for our first service. The service was done quickly, even though there was a waiting area filled with people getting a service that day. The waiting area emptied as quickly as it filled. The best part is that when I got home later that day I was checking my calendar and realized that I had actually had the service scheduled for the next day. Apparently I had read my calendar incorrectly and brought the car in a day early. The service folks totally could have balked at that and given me a hard time, but not once did anyone mention it to me. I feel like a jerk for bringing it in on the wrong day, but I greatly appreciate that they did not make feel like a jerk at all and that they went ahead and quickly serviced my car (and cleaned the outside of it as well!). More