EchoPark Automotive Nashville — Attraction in Nashville-Davidson

So when I first went to Echo Park, the person I was dealing with his name was Rami and he actually knew about cars and so the person that was cosigning with me and They completely messed up everything and put him on as the person that was the main person and not the cosigner and then it took two days and hours and I was paying like $438 a month for the kia rio that I had traded my Honda Civic in for and as you know Hondas, they run up to like infinite amount of miles and I really wish I would’ve kept my Honda if I could have, but I was driving for a rideshare company that said I needed a newer car so six months later I decided I wanted to trade my tiny Kia Rio in for a Kia Sorrento , Now mind you I had a different sales person named Robert and he assured me that I would be paying the same price that I did on the 2019 Rio , a month as on my 2020 kia Sorrento, And the month that my payment was due, this was after me putting $10,000 down on this SUV. They were charging me $684 a month which is not what we agreed on or What I signed off on and then in 2023 somebody hit the front end of my SUV and the person’s insurance covered what needed to be paid off and the gap insurance was supposed to cover the rest, what the gap insurance was supposed to cover is still on my credit, even though I have a receipt that says they paid it yet it’s still on my credit for $3000 that Gap insurance was supposed to pay. I would never do business with this company again. Because I literally had to contact the Sonic corporation, which is who owns them. And talk to their corporate office trying to get things done and even that was bleh. So yes, the prices are great, but unless you are paying cash out, do not finance here. You can have the best credit in the world and they would still try and charge you $600 to $700 a month. And asking them to email you anything is also a haggle because Now that I have a lawyer and I’ve asked them several times to email me the warranty and the Gap coverage so I can send it to my lawyer. They still...

So here's the thing about EchoPark.

These vehicles are in great shape, and they're priced to move. Everything on the lot is very competitively tagged, like 2k below market level at least. It looks great online, you think you're getting a fantastic deal right off the bat. Buyer beware! There's more than meets the eye here. They use those prices to get you in the door. Once you're in the lobby, the high pressure sales tactics begin.

EchoPark does not allow outside financing, they only go through their lenders. They'll plop a loan in front of you with an interest rate of 9-10% and then they'll start talking about how they might be able to get you a better one if you agree to buy their exorbitantly priced bumper to bumper warranty. In my case, this warranty was priced at 15% of the price of the vehicle, which is just bonkers. They'll automatically add gap coverage and a couple other $600-$1,000 fees on as well. And, they don't take "no" for an answer easily. Remember, manufacturer warranties almost always transfer to a new vehicle's owner, so they're selling you unneeded double coverage. They're only making money on these upcharge items due to the (honestly terrific) price on the vehicle itself, so be prepared to dig your heels in the sand and be firm about your refusal. It took us TWO HOURS of fully declining everything to finally get them to stop with the push.

Ultimately, they wouldn't do a sane interest rate without the warranty. They offered us 8% on our 820 credit score, which is just nuts. We paid cash for our car with plans to finance it through our credit union in a couple of weeks at 5.54% instead. If you can swing this method financially, it's absolutely the way to go. In my opinion, this is the only way to do business at EchoPark without losing your shirt in the process.

TL;DR: be ready to say "no" a lot and don't back down. But if you can bring cash and finance the vehicle later, there's no better way to buy a...

I tried very hard to become a customer here. I visited the Nashville location in person to test drive (and pay with cash on the spot) a specific vehicle: a 2018 Nissan Versa Note. They even left to go get the keys. Suddenly, to everyone’s surprise, I was told it was currently in the shop for a quick tire sensor fix. I was advised to wait and they would check back once the repair was finished. So I did. I waited. I followed up. I messaged multiple times. I got conflicting stories: sometimes the car wasn’t in the shop at all, sometimes no one could locate it, sometimes it was waiting for a tire sensor specialist flown in from parts unknown. Still, I was told to wait.

Eventually, after nearly a week, the listing quietly vanished from their website with no warning. When I followed up again, I was told (casually, after they had forgotten who I was and what car I was asking about, even though we had been in communication every day they were open) that the vehicle I’d been waiting for was actually located in Charlotte, North Carolina. Not Nashville. Something they only mentioned after it sold. (And no, they reminded me, they don’t transfer cars between locations. Just so I’m aware.)

So I guess I imagined the in-person visit. The keys. The conversation about the tire sensor. My bad.

I’m not sure what happened. Miscommunication? Flat-out deception? Quantum teleportation? Either way, it was a spectacular waste of time.

If this is how they treat serious buyers before a sale, I can only imagine the thrilling adventures awaiting anyone who buys a car here. I ann taking my business elsewhere, but wanted to leave this little souvenir of my experience behind. It’s a fantastic dealership if you enjoy Unsolved Mysteries, Choose Your Own Adventure books, or possibly even...