Martin Auto Gallery — Local services in Castle Shannon

Warning, this may be a long post, but this story needs to be told! Martin auto Gallery A family owned business and was by far the best buying experience for a vehicle in my entire life and I’m not a spring chicken. My wife and I seen this car on the Internet We live in Missouri and there in Pennsylvania. So I called and I talked to Brian. He called me right back we FaceTime we went over everything, very professional and answered all my questions and we FaceTime for a very long time. I called the next three days probably asked Brian and his dad Butch 1 million questions but keep in mind I never bought anything without touching it driving it checking the oil, looking underneath of it, etc.. we settled on everything and I asked Brian to do me one thing, pretend you’re buying the vehicle take it for a drive check it all out like if you were going to buy the car yourself. And he did and told me you’re not going to believe this car. I was very nervous and worried for a few days Until it arrived, they have a great shipping company. They use Beacon. The Indy 500 is in our family. My birthday is May 28. It’s a tradition before me and after me & to have number 426 out of 500 built. Let’s just say unbelievable and when the pace car arrived and I went over everything, unbelievable I still can’t believe it! It’s just as is as Brian told me & if not better, that I was not gonna believe this car 17 years old, less than 6000 miles It’s just like it rolled off the production line! I can’t, we can’t THANK YOU enough Martin Auto Sales, Brian and Butch, trust is not God giving you have to earn it and you have!!!!!! My daughter will be driving in five years and I know who I’m gonna call but I will stay in touch before that. And if I make it out that way, and there’s a very good chance, we’re having lunch and or dinner. And that’s the least I can do with your trust and honesty with this whole absolute...

My purchase experience at MAG was very positive: great vehicle, willingness to negotiate a fair deal, no pressure. I was genuinely impressed. Afterwards, though, things went downhill. On my drive home on a Wednesday in the new car, the check-engine light came on. The manual said it was drivable, so I continued home and called MAG the next a.m. Salesman Marty and two other employees drove 20+ miles to fetch the car around noon. Again, I was impressed. However, the car was not returned to me for SIX DAYS.

I expected to hear from Marty the next morning, Thursday, but I had to call to inquire. I wasn’t told until Friday noon that a part had to be ordered and it was now “too late to get the part until Monday” (suggesting no work/diagnosis was done all day Thursday). I was told to obtain a low cost, "$20 range” Friday-Monday rental. But on Monday at 4:45 p.m., Marty called to say my car was finally fixed, but it wouldn’t be returned to me until Tuesday. I assume no one wanted to drive across town at rush hour. I extended the rental by a 5th day.

The car was delivered to me on Tuesday afternoon. The service receipt listed 2 replacement parts, a gallon of coolant and 2 1/2 hours labor. Six days vs. 2 1/2 hours. Yes, MAG paid for the rental. But 6 days? The timeline was very frustrating, and Marty’s repeated, “I don’t want to keep apologizing” wasn’t an apology. Greg was very gracious, but the whole sequence of events took the fun out of buying a new car, and there’s no pleasure in leaving a negative review. Now that the car...

Do not purchase if you live out of state. Thought I was getting a decent deal until I realized the taxes weren’t included in the final “deal” price. Would’ve been a nice 2000 dollars + on top of the vehicle as soon as I brought it back. That was never explained; wiring the money ASAP was. Glad I caught it in time before paying what seemed like a fair price, but ultimately I would’ve gotten hosed for another 2 grand. If you’re buying in PA and driving or shipping the vehicle into your state, make sure the taxes for PA (despite where you’re registering) are included in your final sale price before you commit any money, OR your state taxes are included in their on the road price. Make sure it’s in writing for the MVA to see when you do register the vehicle to your state. If your taxes should be higher in your location, you would of course pay the difference, but if you’re not getting a price in writing that says PA tax included (or your home state tax included) , expect to pay 6% or whatever it is the minute you bring the vehicle to your home address. I was under the impression the OTR price was with PA/MD taxes included, despite where I was taking the car to be registered. I’d have to hesitate to ask a question because i was talked to as if I was putting someone out of their way to answer questions/concerns that I had. Tried to make me feel stupid. Sorry, but maybe a 35,000+ purchase without even seeing the car is nothing to you, but it is important for me to know major details before sending you that much cash. No wonder the deal seemed too...