Auto Boutique — Attraction in Jacksonville

Pro tip: buy your own gap insurance - and only if you are upside down in the value of the car you are purchasing. If you do need it, buy it from your insurance company, which typically offers gap at a fraction of the price. Also, skip the extended warranty, as statistically, you have less than a 50/50 chance of getting your money's worth out of it. If you do want the peace of mind of an extended warranty - shop around for a better price first.

We have purchased three cars from Auto Boutique over the last five years. Overall, we have been pleased. Their prices are often lower than other dealerships. They are willing to fix things on vehicles prior to purchase as well (for example, on the vehicle we just purchased, they replaced the motor mounts after I noticed a vibration on the test drive). Our first two experiences were great, though our most recent experience felt far too much like a stereotypical used car dealership.

While they offer no haggle pricing, their process this time used a lot of the old car dealer tactics to persuade/trick/push buyers into spending more than they planned. Likewise, the purchasing process is still unnecessarily slow.

With this last experience, I found myself frustrated at times and almost walked away. I work in the automotive industry and am very familiar with car sales. So, after our test drive, I did my research at home, ran the numbers, and sent a comprehensive offer to our sales person. The offer included valuations for our trades, listed known issues, and provided reasoning for the valuation. He called and said his manager said we had a deal and to come in. I was a little surprised there wasn't a counter offer, but since it was the last day of the month, I thought they may be eager to make a sale. So, we rearranged plans on an already very busy day, and arrived about 3 PM. The sales person and his manager knew we had a tight schedule going into this. After waiting about an hour for them to test drive our two trades, we were given an offer that was $5,000 over our deal (on a $9,000 car). Of that $5,000, about $1,100 was in the dealer's lower valuation of the trades, but the rest was in added fees and add-ons (as a note, I had included the dealer fees in my initial offer), and no adjustment to the price of the car.

When I asked what had happened to the deal we had agreed to, the manager said he had never agreed to that. I asked my sales person, and he claimed that the manager had accepted the offer (always get it in writing folks!) It took another hour and a half of back and forth negotiations and waiting for the manger to "see what he could do", to come to an agreement. This was the part that felt especially pushy and slimy, and it seemed at times that I was being lied to and manipulated. It still took another couple of hours to finalize the sale and sign the paperwork - making me almost an hour late for an event for our youth group which we were hosting at our house.

Sadly, despite the good deal we were able to get, and the kindness of our sales person, it was overall an unpleasant experience this...

CRAZY DEALER FEES! These guys have lost their minds! They bate you in with a "good deal" and then jack the price up by $4000 in "dealer fees."" Went in to purchase a car priced at $4500. Offered them cash, and they said it would be $8,000+ after tag, tax, title, and dealer fees. I looked up the tax, tag, and title fees, and they were only $315. WILD

Response to GM Ali:

Can you show me where on your website the dealer fee is mentioned and how much it actually is? The only time this fee is brought up is at the front desk or when making a cash offer. If you were truly transparent about your pricing online, you wouldn’t have nearly as many people walking through your doors under false expectations.

I messaged back and forth with your team for over a week, ensuring I wasn’t making a pointless two-hour trip. Had one of your team members been upfront about this fee and its actual cost, I would have never driven to Florida to look at the car.

The advertised price was $4,500, which initially caught my interest—it seemed reasonable for a 2008 model with 177,112 miles. However, after the test drive, the price suddenly jumped from $4,500 to over $8,000, far exceeding its Kelley Blue Book value. Your sales rep claimed the increase covered dealer fees, tax, tag, and title. But as a Georgia resident, I would pay those fees in my own state, and according to my local tag office, those costs total only $315. So, what exactly is the fee again?

If the extra cost had been within reason, you wouldn’t be receiving this review. But you wasted my time. I understand how dealerships operate—this isn’t my first experience. I visited four other dealers before coming to yours, and each had its own questionable practices. However, none were as blatantly overpriced as yours.

Ultimately, I purchased from another dealer and paid the sticker price in cash—no surprises, no hidden fees, NO...

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I cannot say enough good things about Lou at Auto Boutique Jacksonville! From the moment we arrived, Lou was attentive, patient, kind, and incredibly knowledgeable. He took the time to explain everything in detail and made the entire process feel stress-free and seamless.

What really stood out the most was that Lou was never pushy. He wasn’t focused on making a sale for himself, he was genuinely focused on us, our comfort, and our happiness. You can tell he’s there for far more than just a paycheck; he truly cares about people and wants to make sure you leave feeling confident and taken care of.

Although we didn’t end up purchasing a vehicle this time simply because the exact car we wanted wasn’t on the lot, I can honestly say if it had been there, Lou would have been the one we bought from. That’s how outstanding his service and dedication were to us.

He went above and beyond in every way, and because of the experience we had with him, we’re planning to bring our son back when it’s time to find his car.

If you want a car-buying experience that’s honest, pressure-free, and focused on YOUR needs, ask for Lou at Auto Boutique. He truly deserves recognition for the way he treats his customers, and I highly recommend anyone looking for a vehicle to work with him. You won’t regret it!

Sincerely, Phillip...