Cityside Subaru

I had the pleasure of working with Mark Lidano who was a terrific salesperson. He was straightforward and patient which were qualities that enabled me to trust him almost instantaneously. He was very prof terrific salesperson. He was straightforward and patient which were qualities that enabled me to trust him almost instantaneously. He was very professional and reserved judgment with regard to identifying which of the two car models would be the best one for me so as to allow me to come to the conclusion myself. He allowed me to test drive both models and took me on a route that allowed me to see how the cars drove in both city and highway traffic which I appreciated. The buying process went so smoothly from start to finish that it really took the terror out of the car buying process for me. This was the first time that I purchased a car from a dealership and if this is how smoothly the process can go then CitySide Subaru sets a very high bar for other dealerships. Michael Nelson was extremely organized and made the process of securing a great interest rate for my car loan and the signing of the paperwork a breeze. Robert Krasow was attentive as well and responded to my initial email in a timely manner. He helped to remove my City of Boston parking sticker from my trade in vehicle and did a great job of maintaining the integrity of sticker. All in all, I had an outstanding experience at Cityside Subaru and believe that I purchased a vehicle that is a perfect fit for me. Thank you all for helping to make that happen for me:). More

So I drove out to CitySide Subaru in our battered, scratched, dented, dog-infested, and whiny 2004 Forester, which we'd bought new from the same dealership (and of which our English setter, Zack, in h scratched, dented, dog-infested, and whiny 2004 Forester, which we'd bought new from the same dealership (and of which our English setter, Zack, in his puppyhood, had eaten the entire back of the back seat). My intention was to get an oil change and an 82,000-mile checkup, which involved checking the brakes and rotating the tires and a few other things. Waited in the very pleasant upstairs lounge/showroom, wandered around, admired the current models. And then it turned out that we absolutely needed, immediately, to repair the brakes, both front and back, and also that we would soon need to do something about a leaky strut, which would mean sinking quite a lot of money into this beat-up car. So I decided to talk with a salesman about possibly trading up to a younger, healthier used Forester. Was introduced to Mark Lidano, who was wonderfully helpful, kind, and patient. He listened carefully to my concerns about finances, pointed me to the perfect 2009 model, rode with me a few minutes to offer pointers on my (now quite rusty) stick-shifting technique (or lack of same), and let me take the car home to collect my husband and bring him back to the dealership for the dreaded negotiations on price. But those went surprisingly smoothly and fast, and we ended up with a combination of price, trade-in value, and extended warranty that seemed eminently fair to us. And then Mark personally took our aftermarket roof rack off the old car so that we could put it on the new one, and also removed our FastLane transponder, which we'd forgotten, and gave us new velcro to attach it to our new steed. Long story short, we went in for an oil change on a jalopy and came away with a real beauty of a car, pristine and immaculate, a gleaming silvery-green/blue with a moon roof and the most comfortable seats I've ever sat in. The next day we drove it to Manhattan, with both of our large dogs in the rear storage area, and a fine time was had by all. THANK YOU, MARK!!! More

Peter is exceptional. Certainly "not your average car salesman" as others have said. In fact, he is far above his peers. He approaches his work with integrity, patience, knowledge, and good humor. car salesman" as others have said. In fact, he is far above his peers. He approaches his work with integrity, patience, knowledge, and good humor. He really believes in his product (in our case the impreza) but more important (and we believe this is what sets him apart) - he truly cares about his customers. Through every phase of the car-buying process, Peter treated us with respect and care. We felt he appreciated us as people, even when we might have made him crazy through our long and obsessional car-buying process! He's also great company and we really enjoyed the time we spent with him. Overall, a great person who believes in his work and seems to really enjoy it. many thanks!! More

This is the first time we have bought a Subaru and we are pleased, so far, with the friendliness of the sales department. We recommend John Melvin and like our car. pleased, so far, with the friendliness of the sales department. We recommend John Melvin and like our car. More

I just bought my third car at Cityside Subaru since 2003. My new Subaru Forester is a great car at a very reasonable price. I highly recommend Mark Lidano in sales. Mark is personable, honest and profess My new Subaru Forester is a great car at a very reasonable price. I highly recommend Mark Lidano in sales. Mark is personable, honest and professional. More

We hate buying cars because we do not know anything about them and the ignorance makes us feel very insecure. This time we actually enjoyed buying our new Subaru. Peter was great, he was patient, respectful, them and the ignorance makes us feel very insecure. This time we actually enjoyed buying our new Subaru. Peter was great, he was patient, respectful, informative, intelligent, nice. We felt thoroughly comfortable and understood in our needs. We are completely satisfied and will enjoy coming back for service and seeing Peter again. More

Cityside was our 3rd dealer encounter and the best by far. USAA affiliation was key; the guaranteed discount also guarantees a hassle-free negotiation. Mark did a great job answering our questions and far. USAA affiliation was key; the guaranteed discount also guarantees a hassle-free negotiation. Mark did a great job answering our questions and guiding us to the vehicle that best met our needs. He has also responded promptly to a few follow-up questions. Cityside exceeded expectations re: the USAA discount, and also provided a significant discount for the extended warranty. Our only issue re: pricing was the lack of an itemized accounting for the dealer-installed options that we selected for our Outback. Mark Nelson cleared up most of these questions before we closed the deal, but I still had trouble making the numbers add up for those options. A little more transparency in the contract paperwork would have been helpful. In the future, we might wait for a vehicle that has all of the desired options factory-installed. No complaint re: Cityside workmanship, but it's obviously a lot cheaper to limit the dealer add-ons. More

I was referred to Cityside through a contact at Subaru of New England. I had visited Quirk Subaru to test drive cars and had an alright experience there but the experience I had at Cityside was far better. I New England. I had visited Quirk Subaru to test drive cars and had an alright experience there but the experience I had at Cityside was far better. I was not looking to make my car purchase into a big ordeal and Cityside understood and accommodated me accordingly. I was very impressed with Mark's level of expertise and professionalism. The car buying experience can be arduous if you are stuck with an inexperienced or unprofessional salesman but Mark was just the opposite. Mark along with Nate were able to get me to the price I desired. I will recommend Cityside to others and will be sure to consider them first for future purchases. Great job! More

This is the first Subaru I've ever bought. I decided it was time for AWD and I thought I should go with the pioneers. Buying the Impreza hatchback at CitySide was the best car buying experience I've eve it was time for AWD and I thought I should go with the pioneers. Buying the Impreza hatchback at CitySide was the best car buying experience I've ever had in 45 years! Flavio Fonseca was so easy to work with. He knew what I wanted and didn't try to push any extra things that I didn't need. He was so pleasant and polite. His calm manner made us feel very much at ease. He spoke highly of the owner of the dealership and how well he treats his employees. Don Ratcliffe, the finance manager was also very easy to work with....again explaining the extras that were available, but not pushing them on me. He also was pleasant and easy-going, very efficient. We did end up buying an extended warranty and the maintenance plan which seemed like a good deal. I'm looking forward to driving my new Impreza and I'm sure when it's time for my husband to replace his car, we'll definitely be calling Flavio. THANKS, FLAVIO! More

I brought my Impreza in Sat, 3/2/13 for a repair and a wash. Apparently, as part of the service, they scraped off my 2013 Cambridge Resident Parking Sticker, leaving intact 2010, 2011, 2012. I discovere wash. Apparently, as part of the service, they scraped off my 2013 Cambridge Resident Parking Sticker, leaving intact 2010, 2011, 2012. I discovered this only after getting a ticket for parking in a resident parking zone the same day. Now I'll have to pay the ticket and see if I'm able to replace the permit. I called the service center and was told that a manager will call me back on Monday. I had similarly bad experiences when I purchased my car and only returned to the dealership because the repair was covered by the warranty. I will avoid this dealership in future. Just a warning to remove all valuables and check any parking stickers when using this dealership. More