Sarasota Ford — Local services in Sarasota

What does a Mother and Son from South Carolina, a Salesman from South Africa, a Chevrolet Silverado 1500 LTZ, the Sarasota Ford Dealership and the BEST BEEF BRISKET in the World have in common? Please allow me to tell you! This may be a little lengthy but WELL WORTH IT, if you're remotely considering purchasing your next vehicle!

I have the ABSOLUTE WORST anxiety when it comes to buying a new car. Unlike some people, the process of buying a car makes me reluctant to upgrade vehicles unless I have no other option. I feel this way, primarily because of the Sales Team. I don't appreciate all the pressure, phony concern, rude undertones and shady behavior in general. They just make me disinterested in walking into a Car Dealership! Until I met Kehan of Sarasota Ford in Sarasota Florida.

I had done a lot of research about the tyoe truck I wanted. I went to numerous local and several more regional locations near South Carolina. I searched countless online resources, such as Cargurus.com and others. Needless to say, i was almost at the point of giving up. I knew what I wanted and juat couldn't find the right combination. And almost miraculously, while i was randomly searching, THERE IT WAS! All the way in Sarasota, Florida! I am in South Carolina, that's almost 8 hours away. Is it worth all the hassle?

Kehan was the answer to my prayers. From the moment he, expeditiously returned my phone call, I was convinced we had a connection. For me, it's more than a mechanical process, it's about the seemless blend of professionalism and "energy"! Kehan has both. His tone and knowledge made me feel like he cared about what i needed. We spoke frequently for several days, concerning the nuances and features of the vehicle. On numerous occasions I would text him, randomly, when another question came to mind. He sent me countless videos of the truck from different angles both inside and out. He allowed me to hear the sound system and the exhaust. Every detail that I would have inspected in person, he did virtually. This was the FIRST time I ever purchased a vehicle virtually. I needed an experience that only Kehan could've provided. Additionally, he did ALL of this pre-work without interrogating me about my buying capabilities. That made me comfortable with his intentions. YES, his job is to sell vehicles; but his purpose was to make me confident in my decision.

Once I was completely sold on the purchase, how will I logistically make it work? Again, KEHAN HAS THE.ANSWER! This man had already secured flight information from Greenville to Sarasota, including time and cost. He also assisted with picking the location for my hotel accommodations. We became so comfortable with one another, we discovered our mutual love for Smoked Beef Brisket. It doesn't get more personal than that. My Mom was so excited by the things I was sharing with her, she insisted on coming with me to finalize the purchase and meet "Kehan"! What started as a stressful endeavor, quickly became a family trip to the BEAUTIFUL SARASOTA, FLORIDA!

Upon our arrival, Kehan met us at the Airport and escorted us to my Dream Truck. Now, the funniest thing, I amm1000000000000000% a Chevy Man. So, when we arrived at this WORLD CLASS, BEAUTIFUL Ford Dealership, I was very conflicted. Because I'm not a "hater", I must admit, the presentation, professionalism and "vibe" of this Dealership is unmatched. They have everything from a Theater Room to a Michelin Star Restaurant. All of this is complimentary for their guests. I recommend the Roasted Chicken, it was delicious! So, my Gorgeous Cherry Red Truck was nestled among all these FORDS! It's all good, the Best Diamonds are forged under the most intense...

I wanted to give a review as fitting as possible for this Ford dealership and the staff as well. I purchased a 2018 Ford F150 Lariat from them. I had a 2017 Toyota Highlander to trade in for the purchase. First off, nobody likes price haggling but it is an evil necessity when car purchasing. I did have to haggle a little, which I expected, but at the end of the day, they did not insult me or appear to take advantage of me on my trade or the price of their vehicle, like I have experienced at some other dealerships. They gave me just what I asked for. And I really appreciated that. They have a really nice restaurant, movie theater and massage room right off the showroom. So instead of having me sit in a waiting room while the did all the haggling and paperwork, they bought me dinner at the restaurant, and the food was amazing! But I really want to focus some attention on the "after the sell" experience. My truck came with a Ford issued certified warranty of 90 days or 3k miles. I had a urgent trip I had to leave for the next day to travel to Miami. This trip was going to be every week for a month. The night before, my check engine light came on and I took it to an Auto Zone to have the code read. It showed it was the catalytic converter. I looked it up in my warranty and it was a covered item. However, my truck only had 400 miles left on the warranty. I live about 60 miles from the dealership and the round trip for my first trip to Miami was going to be about 200 miles each way. So by the time I could get the truck to them, it would be over the miles. So I contacted the dealership and was put in touch with Brian the sales manager. He immediately assured me to not worry we can get around this. So he had me go into the Ford app and screenshot the check engine light and mileage just as it was when I reported it. He told me to go ahead with my trip and bring the truck in that weekend when I returned. I had a wedding to attend to so my time was very limited that weekend. So when I got there, he literally was able to hand me keys to a new truck to drive while they fixed mine. I was in and out in minutes. I ended up having to keep the loaner for about 3 weeks and drove a lot of miles. When my truck was fixed I had scheduling issues to get the loaner back and retrieve my truck. So Brian, without hesitation, sent a porter to meet me half way to exchange trucks. Now if you are reading this far into my review, ask yourself this question, Have you ever had this great of an experience with ANY company, let a lone a car dealership? I think very few have. So if you are considering purchasing a new or used vehicle, I HIGHLY recommend this dealership. They treat their customers like they would want to be treated. Both at the point of sale and after the point of sale. I hope this review helps a few people make their buying decision. It's not always about price. None of us would feel good about getting a better deal, if we had issues right after the sale that cost us a lot of money and had to argue about a resolution with the dealership. Save yourself stress and frustration and go shop at Sarasota Ford. You will be...

First of all, I was in a pinch with a hectic travel schedule and Sarasota Ford's service department got me in very quickly, despite being so busy. I knew my 2019 Raptor had an engine and possibly a transmission issue. My truck had recently crossed 100K miles and I knew I was getting close to my warranty expiration. Turns out I still had close to 40K miles left on my Premium Care warranty, so while it would have been ok for Sarasota Ford to push my appointment out further for their convenience, they made my truck a priority. Logan Lukacs was my service rep, and he was excellent. Their service center was super busy, but he took the time to fully explain what my Premium Care warranty covered and set expectations for how and when they'd service the known issue. They also fit me in for a "test drive" with the transmission expert so I could point out some of the issues I had been experiencing in different drive modes, and specific gear shifts. They probably could have given my truck back to me after just doing a "factory reset" on the transmission, but they did their own test drives and weren't satisfied with the performance. They fixed the components of the transmission and still were not satisfied that the truck was driving the way it should (or the way it's capable of) and continued to work the problem until it was perfectly resolved. While it took a while longer than I would have liked, Logan communicated with me through the entire process and, ultimately, delivered my truck performing the way it did when I first drove it off the lot. Sarasota Ford is about 40 minutes from my home, but I feel lucky that I live within 2 hours of this dealership/service center, because I've never been more satisfied with a repair/maintenance experience. I should also point out that I bought new tires from the Quick Lane center on site, and that was an excellent experience also. From the facility and the hospitality that Sarasota Ford offers, to the exceptional customer service I received from every person I interacted with whether it was Logan, the first person to answer the phone each time I called, or the gentlemen named Jeff that delivered my truck to my home, I don't think there is a better dealership/service department than Sarasota Ford. I highly recommend every service they offer, and the next time I need to buy a family vehicle, Sarasota Ford will be my first stop. In fact, I have a red, 2022 Chevy Tahoe RST with 40K miles on it and I'd be happy to talk to a salesperson about moving into an Expedition :) Lastly, for anyone considering a Ford Premium Care warranty...