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Marvin K. Brown Auto Center
San Diego, CA
37 Reviews
Historically, California begins in San Diego. America's finest city is known throughout the world for its unique climate, natural harbor, canyons and tablelands. But most of all it's known for all its cherished traditions of hospitality and neighborliness. It's a place where a handshake on a deal still means something.
Marvin K. Brown, born in Detroit, Michigan and founder of Marvin K. Brown Auto Center in Mission Valley, believed in those respected traditions. He came to California in 1911. He loved San Diego and made it his home in 1938. He served as Sales Manager for San Diego's Don Lee Cadillac and, through the war years, as its General Manager. After supervising various Los Angeles GM Dealerships, he knew the finest city was the place to be. In 1950, he had the opportunity to buy a dealership of his own in San Diego and opened for business in downtown. He loved the town and the people and saw opportunity and exciting development in store for the future.
And San Diego loved him too. His pre-high rise downtown dealership flourished. He was a popular figure in San Diego life: President of the San Diego Motor Car Dealers Association, active in the Lions Club, La Jolla Presbyterian Church and a seven year board member of the San Diego Chamber of Commerce. Brown always had his eyes open for expansion and growth; the kind of vision that marks each and every successful San Diegan.
Jim Brown joined his father in the business in the 1960's after college and a stint at the General Motors Institute in Flint, Michigan. Jim Brown learned the family well, from parts runner to Used Car Manager, and succeeded his father as dealer principal in 1964. Brown Senior's vision of San Diego's growth rubbed off on son Jim. And in 1967, Jim Brown chose one of the wild sides of the San Diego river for the new expanded home of Marvin K. Brown Auto Center. It stands there today, overlooking the incredible economic development his dad foresaw. He has also been very involved in the community and served as President of the following: San Diego Hall of Champions, San Diego Holiday Bowl, New Car Dealers Association of San Diego, San Diego Crime Commission, San Diego Chapter - Multiple Sclerosis Society, Chairman of Super Bowl XXXII...just to name a few.
Marvin K. Brown broke ground for new expansion in 1965 in Mission Valley. Marvin K. Brown is San Diego's exclusive and largest Cadillac dealer in the County. It's professional staff is committed to the same quality and exacting standards that go into each vehicle produced by the prestigious Cadillac motor car division.
"Buying a car at Marvin K. Brown Auto Center is different," says Jim Brown. "We want San Diego‘s GM car and truck business now and in the future. We‘ve sold and serviced many thousands of cars here since 1950 and we have a reputation for quality that our friends and neighbors expect from us. We want to continue earning their respect."
Jennifer Brown is now the Dealer / Operator and a third generation family member. Visit us today!
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Hours
Sales/Showroom
Monday 9:00 AM - 7:00 PM
Tuesday 9:00 AM - 7:00 PM
Wednesday 9:00 AM - 7:00 PM
Thursday 9:00 AM - 7:00 PM
Friday 9:30 AM - 7:00 PM
Saturday 9:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Sunday 11:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Service
Monday 7:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Tuesday 7:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Wednesday 7:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Thursday 7:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Friday 7:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Saturday 8:00 AM - 3:00 PM
Sunday Closed
Parts
Monday 7:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Tuesday 7:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Wednesday 7:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Thursday 7:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Friday 7:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Saturday 8:00 AM - 3:00 PM
Sunday Closed
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Showing 37 reviews
January 05, 2021
This place talked me into buying a GAP insurance policy that was 1000% higher (no exaggeration)than the GAP insurance through my current insurance policy and has been a nightmare to cancel. Now I'm stuck w that was 1000% higher (no exaggeration)than the GAP insurance through my current insurance policy and has been a nightmare to cancel. Now I'm stuck with a payment much higher than I wanted and will cost me 1600 throughout the life of the loan. Not happy at all. More
by Jklein1060
Employees Worked With
December 18, 2020
I came across a used 2019 Ford Mustang GT Convertible this dealership had advertised. The car was a near perfect fit for what I was looking for and the price seemed right so I contacted them for more det this dealership had advertised. The car was a near perfect fit for what I was looking for and the price seemed right so I contacted them for more details. They were very responsive and I made an appointment to come see the car on November 11th. When I arrived it was somewhat confusing as to where to go but I eventually found an employee who contacted my salesperson (who incidentally was different than the person I had been dealing with online). I learned later they were remodeling the showrooms, thus the confusion at the beginning. We took the car for a test drive and though I identified a couple of issues I offered to purchase the vehicle if they could fix one of the problems, which was the passenger rear window not fully closing. We worked through the numbers and though they weren't able to honor the $500 True Car discount, we were able to come to an agreement and I purchased the car that night. The entire transaction was very smooth and went fairly quickly as they are open by appointment only. They wrote the window fix into my contract and I drove the Mustang home, very happy with my purchase and the experience. I marked them down 1 star for follow-through as they never called to make an appointment to get the window fixed. The salesperson told me he'd talk with the service manager and have them call me when they were ready to take the car in. As it is now December 18th I can safely assume they aren't planning to do so. Fortunately since the Mustang is an enthusiast vehicle I was able to identify the fix in one of the many Mustang forums and have since resolved the window issue myself. Overall I'd recommend MKB to anyone looking for a straightforward buying experience with little hassle. More
by Cntrygynsd
Employees Worked With
Josh Hayes, Joe Combs
July 18, 2020
Worse car buying experience ever Buying a Cadillac from you guys has been one of the worse experiences in my whole life of buying dozens o cars. I came to my beach house in Baja to pl Buying a Cadillac from you guys has been one of the worse experiences in my whole life of buying dozens o cars. I came to my beach house in Baja to play golf, as I have done in the past with my Volvo, Range Rover, Mercedes, Audi, Toyota and other cars and never had an issue. The XT4 with only 200 miles, left me stranded in the middle of the road. I already had to spend $300 in towing trucks to take it to the local Cadillac dealer in Tijuana as I was advised by Antonio Chavez in your service department to do so, as he kindly explained to me that in the past you guys service Cadillacs from Mexico under their warranty. . He told me that Cadillac Mexico would honor the warranty which the Service Manager in Tijuana Cadillac says is not true. His name is Manuel Verduzco of Cadillac Tijuana he as been very helpful but explained to me that I have to pay out of pocket to fix the car. But, the worse part, is that they can NOT FIND what is wrong with the car. It has been THREE DAYS that the are is that the Tijuana service department and they do not know what is wrong with it. I have called Cadillac and GM Customer Care and Road Side Asístase in the US and Mexico and have obtained no help what so ever. I was told to tow the car at my own expense (which is about $500) from Tijuana to the US and that I was not going to get any refund. But there are hardly any towing trucks going to the US right now, and I have to go along with the tow truck. And I am NOT going to go on a tow truck when I am supposed to be on vacation and with the pandemic going on. So at this point I don’t know what to do. Please be so kind to advise. I own a Cadillac with 200 miles that does NOT work at all and it has wasted hours of my valuable time trying to fix the problem. Thank GOD I own a Mercedes and Range Rover as well, and a Volvo and and Avalon and a Tacoma. More
by evp.wholesale
Employees Worked With
Juan Rodriguez
May 02, 2019
Tried to buy, wouldnt sell. Called the dealer and asked to talk to the sales manager. Was interested in purchasing a new YukonXL Denali. Was told he was busy and he would call me Called the dealer and asked to talk to the sales manager. Was interested in purchasing a new YukonXL Denali. Was told he was busy and he would call me back. Left all my info. Never heard back. Called a few days later, spoke with someone else. Told them exactly what I was looking for, told them I had the money all ready just needed the vehicle and could be down there at any time. Again... was told someone would call me back. Again.. never heard back. So my review is only based on the fact that twice I contacted them. Twice I was blown off. So I went elsewhere and purchased what I needed. My mind was blown. More
by jeremywatco
Employees Worked With
Was never given their names.
January 21, 2018
Great Experience from out of state! I live in Colorado Springs and had been looking all over..." I live in Colorado Springs and had been looking all over the country for a great Honda I live in Colorado Springs and had been looking all over..." I live in Colorado Springs and had been looking all over the country for a great Honda Crosstour at a great price. Steve Long was great to work with, and an honest salesman. I bought this vehicle sight unseen and went solely off of the information Steve provided and pictures on their website. This is the CLEANEST, 1-owner, Crosstour I found anywhere in the US at an incredible price! I flew to San Diego one-way, Steve picked me up from the airport, completed all the paperwork, and was on the road driving back to Colorado in under around an hour (actually, I went to the beach for a couple hours first). All combined, the cost of the vehicle, one way flight, one night hotel (drive home), and gas back to CO all added up to far less than comparable Crosstour's with the miles and year I'd looked at. Thank you!!!! More
by westjames45
Employees Worked With
Steve Long
January 08, 2018
Luxury Dealer Substandard Product So I gave MKB a 1 star for a variety of reasons. I was borderline between whether a 1 or 2 was deserved and as you read my review you can decide wheth So I gave MKB a 1 star for a variety of reasons. I was borderline between whether a 1 or 2 was deserved and as you read my review you can decide whether you think it's a 1 or 2 but I'm sure most will agree it's definitely not worthy of being considered average or better. My experience begins with purchasing the vehicle. I bought a 2014 Terrain from them certified pre-owned (CPO) from their dealer. The sales people were nice and the process was no pressure. This is where the great experience stopped.....literally dead in the tracks. From there I've noticed a variety of challenges many of which were obviously arranged by service to not fail or cause challenges during test drive or non daily driving. The most serious was getting a code for a malfunctioned camshaft sensor during the first 30 days of ownership. This failure caused the car to stall under low speed, idle, and low speed/high load. Additionally the navigation screen is 60% non responsive. Other screens work okay. Additionally the bluetooth function only works clearly if I run the vehicle for 5 minutes then turn to bluetooth. When having them work on the sensor I asked them to check this out as well. When arriving my service advisor was friendly. I planned my visit to drop the car while I work as they do have shuttle service and I work maybe 10 minutes up the road. When initially arriving the place was packed and busy. I was advised initially that the shop was backed up and the car probably wouldn't get seen until the afternoon or tomorrow. Now I had booked an early morning appointment (9am) so I was obviously perturbed by this! After speaking with the service manager and the management member above him as well they did end up replacing the sensor and flashing the infotainment system and getting the car back by 3pm. The result....well it's not throwing a code anymore, but it doesn't run as smooth as during the test drive or the first week that I had the car. Since purchase I've put only about 5-7k miles on the car and the engine runs with an eternal hiccup on idle and low speeds. At highway speeds usually not there or not noticeable. Additionally until recently the TPMS sensors were being read in reverse order in the instrument cluster. My recent maintenance appointment I brought that up and it's now resolved. At the end of the day I've marked Marvin K Brown as a one star because: CPO vehicles cost more because they are supposed to be in better condition less issues and warranted to be fixed if there's an issue. On this vehicle that wasn't the case. For a 3 year old car with less than 50k miles it has an exorbatant amount of challenges. My Outback had 30k more miles on it same age and virtually no problems. Just needed new tires and replace a wheel bearing. Why this 'younger' car has 3x the issues no idea As a luxury dealer I'd expect they'd recognize and fix little issues like the TPMS sensors reading at the wrong location on their own. I don't fault them for the camshaft sensor malfunction because those things happen with little to no warning at times, but I do fault them for selling me a vehicle with a bad screen and also having it be shared with them and getting it back same issue. Also same sentiment for the bluetooth streaming problem. Lastly prepare yourself when dealing with service. They weren't honest with me during booking that they were busy. Also didn't tell me your 'scheduled time' is a booking with your service advisor not for actual service. And yeah you guessed it your service advisor may or may not be available at your scheduled time. While mine has gotten to me ASAP he's never been available when I arrived for my scheduled time. Now at the time I had my first appointment the appointment making was outsourced, I believe it's now in house so maybe better knowledge of business but be careful. Finally, I'd recommend anyone looking for a vehicle stay away from here at the moment. CPO or not it doesn't seem like they have the greatest quality vehicles available. When I purchased given my automotive experience I did several things to bring out the worst so I could get a true idea of the vehicle. On the lot everything seemed good, put normal daily driver miles on it not so much. Don't let the friendly faces fool you. There's a substandard product behind those smiles. CAVEAT EMPTOR!!! More
by CCurrie
Employees Worked With
Josh
August 26, 2017
Customer Service Non-existent This dealership is something out of a 1970s used car lot. The people and the attitude are extremely disappointing and dates. This is my first GM vehic This dealership is something out of a 1970s used car lot. The people and the attitude are extremely disappointing and dates. This is my first GM vehicle, a Buick Verano, and I really like it, but the experience in purchasing the vehicle and my recent service experience has been completely discouraging. If you plan to purchase a GM vehicle, purchase it elsewhere, and get ready for absolutely no customer service or support. Greg White, the service manager, actually lectured me, instead of helping me. They are worried more about their bottomline then interested in supporting their customers. More
by JT
Employees Worked With
Greg White, Service Manager
August 18, 2017
Top Notch I had the easiest car buying experience that I have ever had. No pressure, really friendly, and I love my new car! It can be a little intimidating f I had the easiest car buying experience that I have ever had. No pressure, really friendly, and I love my new car! It can be a little intimidating for a woman to buy a car alone, but I need not have worried. Thank you MKB! More
by Julie Oleary
Employees Worked With
Troy and Jake
August 18, 2017
Service manager stands up for client! MKB had applied a protective product in my vehicle when purchased new. The product didn't do what it guaranteed to do, so paint was damaged. Greg has MKB had applied a protective product in my vehicle when purchased new. The product didn't do what it guaranteed to do, so paint was damaged. Greg has his paint guy and a detailed all look at it and concluded that yea the paint was damaged. When Greg contacted the manufacturer, they tried to dispute the claim and had truck sent to a 3rd detailed, who agreed with all previous parties that paint was damaged. After numerous calls and taking a stand on behalf of client, Greg got the manufacturer to authorize and pay for truck to be repainted. I have been dealing w "car business" guys my entire life, and I can honestly say Greg did what others would not. So MKB is going to be my dealer every time I purchase a vehicle for my family, and I recommend everyone does the same! More
by Steve d 34
Employees Worked With
Greg white
March 25, 2017
Service I made an appointment and arrived 30 mins early. I waited two hoursr for an oil change/tire rotation. I actually had to ask the service writer the s I made an appointment and arrived 30 mins early. I waited two hoursr for an oil change/tire rotation. I actually had to ask the service writer the status of my car at the 1.5 hour mark. They hadn't even touched it More
by james melvin
Employees Worked With
Jesus
