Ray Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram — Local services in Fox Lake

My experience with Ray, and specifically Nate Winoker in sales was fantastic. I went down to the dealership to look at a specific truck they had posted on their site. I happened to already make arrangements to look at another truck at another dealership, but I was in the area, and figured I'd give them a chance.

The dealership was very clean compared to the one I had just visited. I felt initially like I was under dressed and thought that the sales staff would not take me as a serious buyer as I was asking about an used vehicle. I was introduced to Nate and we discussed what I wanted to look at, and then he had me wait for a bit while he wrapped up with another scheduled appointment. Since I just walked in and did not make an appointment, I politely obliged to a wait my turn like any reasonable customer should.

Nate finished up with his prior appointment and then I had his full attention. He accompanied me on the test drive where we discussed my needs for the vehicle. He made sure that every personal need I had was met by the vehicle I was there to look at. He established great rapport with me during the test drive and then was able to maintain the rapport throughout the rest of the transaction.

The next step was to discuss finances. I initially went to two previous dealerships and had an idea of what my trade was worth. I have a general understanding of depreciation and vehicle values. I also have a good understanding on how trade values are calculated into selling a new vehicle. Nate fought to get me the best value for my trade in, while maintaining a very low sales price on the vehicle I was looking at. He was also able to mix humor to lighten the mood (I was just a bit under water on my previous truck, but I definitely needed a replacement).

Unfortunately I had to leave mid-way during the transaction to pick up my kid from day care. Nate and the rest of the staff worked it out to let me take my new purchase home with me to get my daughter, and then return to finalize the sales contract. I was able to get comfortable with my new truck, show my wife and neighbors, and really consider my purchase rather than be forced to make a hasty decision. I have never gotten this service from any other dealership before.

I obtained my own financing from my own credit union, which was extremely important to me. I hate when dealerships shotgun my credit score through their system of lenders and then I end up with junk mail and credit score hits. Then the staff went above and beyond to let me keep the truck while I waited for my credit union to FedEx me the draft. One employee mentioned only once that he could find a lender for me, and when I declined, he did not continue to press the subject.

While there was a little bit of a wait time on the finance office, the dealership went out of my way to make me comfortable. They took my down payment, were able to work through the issues of out of state registration, and got me on my way. I returned home with a decade newer truck in my drive way and a lot of compliments from my neighbors and co-workers. I could not be happier with my decision to purchase this vehicle from this dealership.

I will caveat this review by saying that I am a reasonable person with a reasonable expectation during a car buying experience. I do market research before and during my car buying process to get the best deal. I also understand that this is a major purchase that TAKES TIME. I have this thing called patience that some people in this society do not understand. I also know that not everyone is "out to get them." Sometimes just being a respectful and decent person is the best way to get a good experience. I had a great experience at this dealership and truly believe that Nate and the staff at Ray CDJR did everything on their end to take care of me as a customer. For that, they earned a repeat customer, even if it is a bit of a drive and out of the way.

TL:DR - They were not pushy, they were very respectful, and they listened to what I wanted...

Well. After 7 years of going to Ray CDJR I had one of the worst experiences ever and I don’t like to say that as a regular customer and one that is laid back about everything. It started on Friday when I first contacted them and spoke to Amanda. Nothing could really be done then. So I was told to call back Saturday when Service was in. Can’t remember what day but Amanda gave me a ballpark idea. And I told her that I’m on a REALLY tight budget and that I need to stay around a certain price. She said she will let them know and do what she can. Amanda was even going to come pick me up if need be to help me out due to my current situation. Thank You Amanda. Jeep got towed on Saturday and I got a text almost immediately saying who my advisor will be. Monday roles around and I call around 8 am ask for Dave and he was busy and left a message. Next thing I know it is about noon and I call back to get answers. I get a quick run down of what they found and then I asked about the total. He said I’m looking at around 900 plus tax ok. I then asked will it be ready today. He told be it should since it will only take a couple hours. Well I need to find a ride so I kind of need to know. He said I would start looking for a ride. I found a ride and I call back around 430 to make sure we are still good for pick up. He said it will be done by 6. I said ok cause I have someone coming to get me and they get off at 5 then coming to get me and then we are coming straight up. So however long it takes to get from me to you is when we will be there. He then called me back at 515 telling me my Jeep is finished and the total is now 1124. So we started around 850 then 900 then in 5 hours went to 1124 for a starter and oil change. I told him oh no. I know there isn’t 200 in taxes. So he had an issue with everything that was going on. So this morning Tuesday I called back up to CDJR and talked to Ron. It’s not like they don’t know me up there. I told Ron what happened and explained the situation. And he is going to take care of it and if need be to start going through him. It shouldn’t have to get to this point. Oh and my Jeep wasn’t even washed afterwards. There are other CDJRs out there and I choose Ray for a reason. They have always gone above and beyond in the service department in just communication with me. I always got a text first thing in the morning and every couple hours with an update if they are not busy. Ron I’m going to give Ray CDJR service another chance but they drop the ball again. I’m out. You know I’m laid back I just need up front numbers. I wasn’t holding Amanda to her numbers since she wasn’t 100% which is why I budgeted for 850...

First of all, I’d like to start with, if you looking for a car, and even it is far away from you, contact this dealership first. I’ll explain why, they are not pushy, they don’t think about money first, their priority is to provide a exceptional customer experience, and the reason for that, is because incentives and promotion to purchase a car you can get everywhere, but to provide a service that will be memorable for you it is a lot harder to achieve now days, and they accomplished that with the highest score! First let me start with the sales manager, I contacted him during the week and explained over the phone my whole situation. Compare to the other 2 dealership who thought they’re wasting their time on me, Dan’s answered all the question with much respect and gratitude. You could hear over the phone that he is here to help first before he even start to sell anything. Dan made it so easy for me, we went over the specific car I wanted and the credit application over the phone, and when I already told him I agree to the terms (and that happened without any negotiation), he asked me to talk to my wife first to make sure we are on the same terms. The calm and positive attitude from this person made me feel that I’m doing the right thing with the right dealership. Later that night I came to sign the paperwork, one of the sales associates, Ashley greeted me outside and sat down with me. Even though I already knew exactly what car I wanted and I test drove it in other dealerships, she asked me to drive that specific vehicle to make sure I’m comfortable with my decision. Ashley was courteous and professional, she knew everything about the car and when she was asked by me a question that she did not know, instead of coming up with a weird explanation, she told me she wanted to verify the answer to my question and I respect that! I rather hear the honest truth instead of a mix answer that will confuse me more. The whole process in the dealership took no more than 1.5 hours and that’s including cleaning and finalizing everything with a great finance guy who explained everything thoroughly and professionally. Just to add about Ashley, because most of the cleaning crew left, she stayed and cleaned that car by HERSELF!!! The dealership is well maintained and clean. Me and my wife serviced our car there a few times before, and the service department is very nice as well!

Exceptional service and...