Buena Park Honda — Attraction in Buena Park

UPDATE: A few years later and I had the complete opposite experience at this dealership. Not only did they waste hours of my time trying to lowball my trade (Thousands under the going market rate for the vehicle) they wouldn't even attempt to work with me on a deal. I ended up going to Goudy Honda in Alhambra who sold me the same exact vehicle I had test drove at Buena Park, they took my trade at market value with absolutely no hassle. So, I wont be going back to this dealership ever again.

ORIGINAL Charles and Edward really made this car buying experience the best ive ever had. I originally went to Norm Reeves in West Covina looking at a 2020 Honda Insight, test drove it and went home. The following day I sent a number of questions to Norm Reeves through their website itself such as how to get the car in a specific color, how we might go about finding one, if we needed to order it, what was involved etc. The person who responded to the web inquiry and a few email exchanges lacked any sort of detailed responses, any direction, and generally felt like I was being blown off. Not only that, the emails were misspelled, badly formatted, and did not even contain an email signature. I would expect at least an email signature from someone emailing from a business.

Regardless of that, I felt I was getting nowhere with Norm Reeves in West Covina and it seemed obvious to me they didn't think I was a serious customer so I took my business elsewhere. I sent the same questions to Buena Park Honda and Edward answered my questions, sent me pictures I requested, etc. The whole 9 yards. His emails even had a proper email signature in them! I ended up purchasing the 2020 Honda Insight in the color I wanted a few days ago, at an excellent price with all the bells and whistles included at the Buena Park Honda dealer. And you know what led me to go there? Professionalism, and attention to detail. When I asked for pictures of the potential cars, they sent them to me as requested. And when I got to the dealership and decided on a color they didn't have in stock, they tracked one down, brought it to the dealership and even waxed it before I left with it. I do not ask for much as a customer other than to not waste my time. I use email as a primary correspondence due to my work schedule which I put in the original message on the website inquiry. A little attention to detail and show of effort goes a long way. Between Edward's replies to me via email, to the detailed and clear answers and info I received about the car from Charles directly when at the dealership. they got my business and I took home a beautiful new vehicle. Seriously, if the Buena Park Honda management is reading this, they both embody the sort of professional attention to detail I appreciate and look for in anyone's work.

That all being said, there are a few things I didn't like, and my management brain took a few notes while I was at the dealership. A few of the other employees were not wearing masks all of the time, or they were not wearing them correctly i.e. not covering their nose. In this climate that is a big issue. The other issue was some of the staff were having a bit of a heated argument and should have taken it behind closed doors. The conversation was clear because they were not really quiet about it. I know staff have interpersonal issues or there are disagreements sometimes, but its best to take that out of the showroom because it taints the experience for the customers.

Edward and Charles were really the standouts though, and again without that attention to detail and clear communication I would likely have not made a...

Update: I received the call that my car was ready in an hour and a half, which honestly is average for a dealership. No problem there. Once I arrived i had to check in with my agent first, who let me know that he let the manager know about how upset I was and were giving me a comp oil change. I was surprised with the developments. I just wonder if he really spoke to his manager or my reviews were read that quickly. Honestly though, I will not be returning. I'd rather make the extra drive to Anaheim or Costa Mesa than pay $10 more and have to wait like I did today. Hopefully, my car was correctly serviced and I get a better experience in Anaheim.

By far the worst customer service I have received at a Honda Dealership in the past 8 yrs. I have been a loyal customer at Costa Mesa (where I originally bought my car) and Fresno (when I lived in the Central Valley for 4 years). However, I recently moved to Fullerton, so I decided to go to Buena Park Honda which is less than 10 minutes from my house. I made an appointment, which I have never done in Costa Mesa or Fresno. The appointment was at 7:40am and was asked to wait in my car. While I waited 2 different service agents, who weren't helping anyone, said they would be with me soon. 15 minutes later one of the 2 service agents came out to begin the work order. I was upset by this point, but tried not to show it. Once at the service agents desk I asked if they accepted my Honda AutoNation Discount Card that came with the purchase of my car. He replied with a no due to their dealership policy and pointed at a notice on their counter. This particular dealership does not take any discounts nor expired coupons from their own deatersnip. What this means to me is that this dealership is only out for the money not customer satisfaction or loyalty. Also, I had to ask the price for their oil change, which was nowhere listed on their initial workorder. Their oil change for a Honda Civic at this location is $66. Once I had time I called Anaheim and thier oil change price is $54 and $54 in Costa Mesa (without my discount). I still left my car only because i'm in a rush by this point to make it to my days responsibilities. As I walked out, my car was still in line to be pulled away from the curb and still had the engine running. I or anyone else could have easily driven away with my car. At my previous dealerships they would have already turned off my car, placed a floor mat, and seat cover before walking into the service desk, much less still be outside when I am done. Mind you, I have not picked up my car yet, so this experience isn't over yet. Wish me luck. I am not the type of person to write reviews but this is how upset I am. I am going to try Anaheim next time and hope it will be better or else i will be going back...

Update (1/2024): I was visiting my family, so I had to stop by here for A1-B1. The service itself was not bad, but the valet team misplaced my key fob. We had to stay here for another 30 minutes and were late to a very important meeting. I still maintain a 1-star rating.

Update (08/25/2018): I would still give 1-star rating. I am in pain whenever I think I bought a car from here. If you are a car owner who is looking to trade-in a car to buy a car here, do not expect any value. They do not even match car websites like CarMax or Kelly Blue Book. I was so done with the take-it-or-leave-it attitude but had to purchase to car because of my parents who waited for hours. Also, I was finally able to get the Honda Care warranty back (see above) but without full amount. They cheated me and still took away money. What really pisses me off, now I think about it is, the dealer I saw left me and my parents hanging for three hours and told us "our cars are superior to other brands, we cannot give you any negotiation deal." Well, I learned later that other Honda dealers do give out better deals, unlike this place. Also, after having told us for hours that our APR is going to be around 2.49%, at the end when we were signing our contract we were told, "oops, my bad but the promo for 2.49% ended last week, we can only give you 3.99%." Seriously...? If any of you want this kind of unprofessionalism and time-wasting in your car purchase experience, this is the definite place to go.

0/5: The worst Honda dealership in the LA area! I purchased a 2017 CR-V in December 2017 here. The day of purchase was extremely painful and long. And the dealer was misinformed about the interest rate when he was giving me information and after 3 hours later when we were about to sign the contract, he told me that the promotion was apparently over after making me go through all the trouble and that the rate would be jumping by 200 basis points. Absurd! What was more disappointing is that the financial manager tried to sell me the Honda Care warranty. I asked for specifics of the coverage like oil changes, tire rotations, and tire changes and he said they would be all included. Fast forward to last week, I visited Peske Honda Ontario to find out that my contract actually only includes minimal oil changes. Such a rip off and con artist. I definitely do not recommend this place. Stay away because honestly there are so many other Honda dealers in the area. Save yourself...