Nicholas Zinniel

When you think of buying a car from a dealership, most people cringe (for good reason). My wife and I "attempted" to purchase a vehicle from this dealership in July 2025, and had the most stereotypical ex people cringe (for good reason). My wife and I "attempted" to purchase a vehicle from this dealership in July 2025, and had the most stereotypical experience in the WORST way. Everything wrong with used car salesman, took place here. I thought about writing a review for almost a month. I could write a small book of the absolute disaster this dealership is, but I wasted 3 weeks dealing with Russ Darrow, so I am not going to give them any more of my time past this one point. The core issue with this dealership is communication and lack of leadership. Our salesman Tim, the sales manager Dylan, and Nick (head honcho the called him), provided us with the worst customer service and car buying experience I could have imagined. There is a clear inability to lead a team taking place, resulting in laughable levels of miscommunication. This dealership is borderline unethical, as they sold us a vehicle without having completed a safety inspection, and then 11 days after signing the paperwork and loan documentation (pulled my credit and the bank funded the transaction "they told me"), we still did not have our vehicle due to the issues found with the vehicle. We were promised 3 separate delivery dates for our vehicle but 3 left us without a vehicle. They "canceled" the transaction without my signature, pulled my credit, and said "sorry we can't meet your needs". Talk about gas lighting. Instead of speaking life into these people, I have no hesitation in saying I would never advise anyone to do business with this dealership. And based on the plethora of similar reviews on their website, Google, and social media sites from the most recent months in 2025, my story is not isolated. More

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Russ Darow was a good buying experiance. No pressure and honest people. I had reserched the cars and knew what i was looking for the dealership just helped with there inventory. No pressure and honest people. I had reserched the cars and knew what i was looking for the dealership just helped with there inventory. More

by VAUDETAT Verified Customer Verified Customer

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I am writing to share my recent and disappointing experience at Russ Darrow Mazda on the Beltline in Madison. On July 10th around 11:50 AM, my father-in-law—who is a senior citizen and a disabled experience at Russ Darrow Mazda on the Beltline in Madison. On July 10th around 11:50 AM, my father-in-law—who is a senior citizen and a disabled veteran—and I visited the dealership to look at a car. After a test drive and some initial discussions with the salesperson, Tony, we began the paperwork and negotiations. During the process, a female staff member mentioned that another customer was scheduled to come see the same car in about an hour and a half. Despite this, we continued with the negotiations, working closely with both her and another manager named Dan. After some back and forth, we made the decision to purchase the vehicle. At the very last minute, however, the manager returned and told us that the car had been sold to someone else. We were shocked and deeply disappointed. We had been at the dealership for over three hours and were the first ones to show interest in the car. If someone else had already placed a hold or was in line ahead of us, why waste our time? And if we were first, why sell the car to someone else? This experience was especially upsetting given that my father-in-law, a disabled veteran who served this country, was treated with such disrespect by the staff. The actions of the team at Russ Darrow Mazda were not only unprofessional but unethical. At one point, when we asked for an explanation, the general manager simply said it was a "miscommunication." If there was truly a miscommunication, then that speaks to a larger issue of poor internal coordination and customer service. In reality, it felt more like we were manipulated and played. Creating a high-pressure, chaotic environment and pitting customers against one another is unacceptable. If the staff at Russ Darrow Mazda cannot communicate with each other, they should not be in a position to serve the public—especially when dealing with vulnerable individuals like elderly veterans. This was my experience, and I plan to file a formal complaint. I also intend to share this story with others to prevent similar situations. I strongly advise against buying a car from Russ Darrow Mazda in Madison. No one—especially someone who served this country—deserves to be treated this way. More

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Great work! I really appreciate the awesome customer service and overall experience. Thank you so much! I really appreciate the awesome customer service and overall experience. Thank you so much! More

by VANESSA. Verified Customer Verified Customer

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Easy to deal with, and great community! The process felt smooth and definitely a better experience purchasing a vehicle than my previous one. Thank you! The process felt smooth and definitely a better experience purchasing a vehicle than my previous one. Thank you! More

by LHOEFLING123 Verified Customer Verified Customer

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