Younker Nissan — Attraction in Renton

I purchased a used car from Younker Nissan back in February after getting into a car accident. I was really desperate for a car and was hoping to purchase something within budget so I wouldn't have to finance. Stephan was the salesperson who helped me out and seemed to genuinely care about my situation and wanted to provide me with a car I truly liked and felt safe in. The sales portion of the vehicle went very smoothly. However, my reason for the 3 stars is because of a lack of communication and follow through.

When I purchased the vehicle, I asked about some minor chip repairs on the windshield, which they said they had a guy for and would fix it for me. The first time I asked about it, they said the guy wasn't available and the second time I asked, they said they would lock in a date. I don't think they asked because they didn't mention a scheduled time.

Secondly, when I test drove the car, I did not use the headlights because it was mid-day. However, after purchasing and driving it at night, I noticed that the left blinker was not working. It needed to be changed but I felt that that should have been taken care of prior to it being put on the lot. I also noticed that there was an issue in the middle console and something was loose, as every time I turned, I heard something moving around. At this point, I knew it would be productive for me to speak to someone in person about the issues, to see if my warranty covered anything.

I ended up going to Younker to speak to someone face to face on March 14th. There, I shared the issues and was told that an appointment would be set up and they would contact me. I didn't hear from Stephan all week so I texted him on the 19th, with which he responded back on the 20th. He said he'd talk to the general sales manager and get back to me ASAP. At this point, I didn't hear from him for over 2 weeks so I decided to go in. There, Stephan described to me that used cars are obviously not prioritized, which I completely understand!! My frustrations were more from the lack of communication and follow-through. Don't tell me you're going to do something and then not do it.

Eventually, I got a service appointment scheduled for April 13th. When I texted Stephan to confirm the day prior, he didn't get back to me until the evening of the 12th that I had to reschedule... so that was frustrating. Eventually, I was able to get an appointment on the 15th. Stephan said his guy would take a look at the issues I stated and that he would cover costs, which I greatly appreciated!! The blinker issue was resolved and I was told that a flap of some sort was tightened in the middle console. The blinker is good but I still hear something moving around in the middle console, which tells me that they probably didn't fix it.

If you're looking for a new car, based off of other reviews, this place seems like a great place to go. However, if you're looking for a used car, you're more than likely going to be taken care of for the sale but issues that follow will probably be ignored. It's understandably not as great a priority as a customer purchasing a new car but don't say you're going to do something...

After getting everything squared away and essentially cutting ties with the dealership, I figured I’d share my experience. It’s your typical dealership that uses the usual framing and sales tactics to meet their objective: making a sale.

First, when my wife and I arrived to look at my dream car (a GTR), I went to the restroom before any conversations began. While I was gone, my wife overheard another salesman say to the one working with us, “I doubt they’re serious.” not sure if it was because of the way we were dressed, but we definitely weren’t taken seriously.

As we looked at the car, the salesman talked about its features, add-ons from the previous owner, and even mentioned that it still had the manufacturer’s warranty (2024 with 5k miles). Knowing that any modifications to the car would void the warranty, I took a mental note but found it interesting that the dealership was still advertising it as being under warranty. We discussed numbers and came to an agreement, part of which included removing their GPS tracking system.

Later, while speaking with the finance manager, they adjusted the numbers, claiming that the doc fees had “slightly changed.” Since doc fees don’t fluctuate, I found this odd. It seemed like an attempt to squeeze a bit more money out of me because I had declined their add-ons.

As we wrapped up the paperwork, I asked about the warranty and their advertised 12 months of maintenance. The salesman admitted that both were invalid due to the modifications, something I had suspected. I also inquired about a spare key, and he said he believed it was locked upstairs and would look for it in the morning. However, it turned out there was never a spare key. Despite promises from the finance manager that they would look into it for me, I never heard back from him. Instead, the only communication I received was about additional licensing fees.

When I addressed the spare key issue with them, I suggested they at least cover the $50 licensing fee since they had failed to provide a $400 spare key. They agreed, paid the $50, and got me my plates, but I’ll most likely never step foot in that dealership again unless I absolutely have to.

One positive thing I’d like to mention is that I noticed one of the side markers was out, so I asked if they could take a look and repair it. The salesman told me he’d talked with the service department and they will fix it since the following day I was already planning to come in to drop off some documents. However, when I arrived, the service department informed me that they had already told the salesman they couldn’t see me that day and that I’d need to schedule a date. It seems like the salesman lied just to ensure I came in to turn in the documents. Just my perception of what happened and what was said to me. In the end, I rescheduled, and they fixed the issue.

Final advice: Get everything in writing, do your research, and always follow up.

UPDATE If the dealership genuinely wants to make things right, they should take the initiative to reach out directly instead of giving generic, copy-and-paste responses to "reach out." My contact information is...

I have to say that the young lady I worked with is great. Your front desk folks are overall, pretty good. When I originally brought my car in I was served by a gentleman, and when I went to go get something out of my car by the time I got back (it's about five steps from the desk to my car) - he'd left but didn't give a word. I was standing there looking around wondering what in the heck had just happened (who does that!? Just disappear without saying a word?)... when a young lady asked to help me. When I told her that I was already being helped, she told me that he'd had an emergency and had to leave. I asked.. Really? In the middle of helping me without letting me know? (very odd)

The young lady took over from there and I appreciated her willingness to work with me. The only thing I might suggest is that she return calls when she says she is going to. I know things get busy, but if someone says to you they will call you at a certain day or time I would expect that to happen. At least twice I didn't get a return phone call, and I waited an entire Saturday to hear about the status on my car. Of course since you're closed on the weekend, I didn't hear anything until she returned. On Tuesday. That's a rather long wait to hear about your car - from the Thursday before until the Tuesday of the following week.

I brought my car in for several things. I bought it at Younker. The on board computer system wasn't working, the rear kick to open hatch wasn't working, and a few other minor things. Most of the minor things were repaired, thank you.

What has not been fixed is the on board computer system. It's still not working even though it was replaced. Before the on board system said I was in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. Now it says i am in Long Beach, CA.

What really upsets me is that I paid 500 dollars to have some trim around the radio and the trim/fan above it replaced. I purchased the car with a ton of scratches (just cosmetic) and I wanted the car to look nicer, so I paid for the trim pieces to be replaced. Since the on-board system was replaced, they did it for "free" but I am pretty upset about the replacement. While they did a nice job on the actual trim, they made a ton of cuts on the underside of the dash board above the system. I took pictures and sent them to the young lady I was working with. I don't understand how this could happen - ESPECIALLY since I paid 500 dollars to have the trim fixed. Of course I would notice that there was other damage!

When I sent the pictures the next day to the young lady helping me, I didn't hear anything from her until several days later and I needed to follow up with an additional email. She told me that she had to talk to her supervisor before she responded. Seems reasonable.

I will be back to have oil changes for the car as I purchased that as part of the package when I bought the vehicle. I wish I hadn't because I am concerned about the quality of service.

I have taken my car to another dealership and I have found them to be very responsive. I am hopeful that they can replace the dash that was damaged and actually fix the on board navigation...