Northway Automotive of Newton NJ — Local services in Andover Township

I went to this dealership today to look at a cargo van they had on a lot for around $11,000. Salesman Jeff was super nice not pushy. I looked at the cargo van and I realized that the hood latch doesn't work so the hood couldn't open. Then I realized the parking brake release doesn't work so the car couldn't be driven. They say that all the cars are serviced well. If the cars are serviced that means you would have to actually open the hood and since the hood doesn't open, that means the car cannot be serviced

I also noticed that the rims were painted to cover the rust and they paint it not only the rims. They also paint it over the calipers and there's paint on the braking area of the surface. I could see the paint as well and smell it the recent paint in the door sills where the rust is coming through and they just try to mask it with the paint so it didn't look as bad. Obviously this is a used vehicle and you're going to have issues. It's not a brand new vehicle. The major issues is that you're saying you service a vehicle and the hood doesn't open. The parking brake doesn't work. These things wouldn't even allow the vehicle to pass inspection. So basically you're selling a vehicle that is not even roadworthy. You did not take the time to ensure that the vehicle safe for even a test drive. Why would you trust this dealership with your life or your family?

This is a follow-up reply from Albert who reached out to me via text message this morning talking about how I should remove the review. Obviously Albert is more concerned about a bad review, then customer safety. Albert was also not their during the inspection of the vehicle, so his response or anyones response is based off assumptions.

Albert concern or argument was about how the parking brake was functional, which was not. I pushed the parking brake down to see if it actually worked and when it wouldn't release. Therefore I did not drive the vehicle off the lot. The license plate was placed on the back of the vehicle and never driven because the parking brake was not releasing. Also the hood was not opening so they're saying they're servicing the vehicle which is not true. So they're more concerned about the actual reviews and reputation of their business, which in my opinion is not safe. I would avoid this place if you actually want to find a good used vehicle in my opinion because it might be unsafe for yourself and your family and obviously when an emergency break is not working it will not pass inspection nor can you drive the vehicle. Buyer beware

Also Albert is stating that it was a human error and I was pulling the wrong handle , not the case. I'm very mechanically inclined and have been working on vehicles for over 20 years. I attempted numerous times to pull both handles which neither would work. Also I didn't mention this, the heat was working only when pushing on the gas pedal. It could have a coolant , thermostat, water pump issue since you shouldn't have to step on the gas to get the temperature hot. Obviously couldn't drive the vehicle because the parking brake...

I got in contact with Scott and Albert during my search for the perfect, lightly used car.

Scott is as honest as they come. A lot of dealers (NY and NJ alike) play games when you ask for an OTD price; Scott gave one right away, and there were no BS fees like "Tire Nitrogen Fees" or "Ceramic Plating Fees" on the OTD price breakdown. Scott was also very responsive when I asked for specific pictures of the car.

They're a little out of the way from major metropolitan areas but I think that's part of the reason why they're so friendly and honest. They had no issues with me asking a local mechanic to do a pre-purchase inspection for me (we used the guys next door to them -- no affiliation).

I have nothing but positive feelings for Scott and Albert, and I truly think they deserve 5 stars.

That said, I have some caveats/nitpicks --- pointers for both first-time car buyers as well as things Northway Automotive could improve on.

There were several areas of cosmetic damage/poor repainting on the car. I wish the photos were a bit more honest with things like the ding on the front passenger door, the sprayed paint on one of the headlights, the gash on the tinted rear window, and the scuffs on the cargo door. I don't regret my purchase, and maybe I should've asked more questions, but still would've liked to have known about these before I made the trip out there. Unfortunately, fixing these issues is almost not worth the hundreds of dollars it would cost to fix.

The Odometer showed almost 1,000miles more on it than advertised. Maybe this is just a normal part of buying used, but again, I wish I knew that before I made the trip there.

The Northway Automotive team was super responsive about sending me a second temporary license when my first one expired, and I really appreciate them for that, but it took almost 7 weeks to get my actual license plates and they didn't notify me when they got them. More frequent updates from the team would've been appreciated, especially since it shouldn't have taken more than 4 weeks max to get plates.

Again, nobody's perfect, and these guys are friendly, kind, and very responsive and helpful. I would not hesitate to recommend them, despite the minor...

Jeff was a great salesman. I called ahead about the vehicle I was interested in, and as soon as I pulled up, I saw it ready for a test drive, sitting right out front. By the way: the car, a 2015 Honda Civic, was super clean, had relatively low miles (64k), and I just fell in love with it on the test drive. Then I was right back into the office to discuss numbers.

Jeff had the Carfax report on the desk. I felt that he was honest with me, and really cared about helping me make the right purchase. He wasn’t just trying to boost his sales and get me out the door. Thanks for being so genuine Jeff.

There was a $700 charge for a Lojack application that was installed on the vehicle, but I couldn’t afford it, so thankfully they were able to remove it.

I was in and out in maybe an hour - hour and a half.

I got the car about a week ago. It’s been running great, and I LOVE it. I’m ready to make this vehicle my forever car, and I’m grateful to have purchased it at Northway Auto. You guys have no idea how much this purchase means to me, and the stress it...