Hawk Ford of St. Charles — Local services in St. Charles

I recently purchased a new ‘21 Mustang GT from Hawk Ford after test driving it just for fun and absolutely falling in love with the car. My sales experience was less than perfect, however it was honestly smoother than most other dealerships I’ve dealt with so I feel 4/5 is a fair rating.

Test drive: Very enjoyable, no complaints. I drove the Ecoboost first and the GT second, as I requested. My salesman, Jeff, was very professional and knowledgeable about the cars. During the test drive of the GT, the power of the engine startled me so much that I accidentally hit one of the paddle shifters to engage manual mode, but the salesman quickly explained how to get back to auto. After that I knew I was hooked; I had a huge smile on my face. I appreciated that he took the time to walk me through the Sync 3 system and hook up my phone, let me test the speakers on a high volume, etc.

Pricing: The entire process, from start of negotiations to me driving away in the mustang, took 3 hours. The dealer was flexible enough with the negotiations that my out-the-door price was ultimately what I was aiming for. I was offered MSRP on the mustang, no markup; which, considering the current market, I felt was fair. The things I did negotiate were the price of my trade-in and the extra addons (see below).

Trade in: KBB market value of my vehicle (good condition) was $16,000-$16,400. Dealer lowballed at $14,000, settled on $15,000. Fair.

Addons: Initial offer sheet came with a couple of BS addons, as expected. One was a Ford Paint Protection package, which I declined immediately. The other was an “environmental package”, which I also tried to decline, however they claimed it was already “installed” on the vehicle so they couldn’t remove it. I negotiated the price down from $1700 to $1200. I realize the dealership has to make money and put food on the table, so whatever.

Financing: Initial offer was through Ford Credit. I knew the interest rate was a bit high considering the proposed monthly payment and the sticker price of the vehicle. Fortunately, the dealership worked with me and was able to secure a low interest loan through PNC bank. When I received the bill of sale, I was happy to see no additional BS fees attached. I was offered extended warranty & gap insurance, but they weren’t pushy with it. Overall, my experience with the finance guy was positive; I was happy with the offer and signed it immediately.

In conclusion, yes I would recommend Hawk Ford to friends & family. Everyone I dealt with was very professional & friendly. No...

TL/DR: there are better options close by.

The business relationship with Hawk Ford started off ok. Ordered a new Maverick for business in December 2021 and delivered in July. The initial purchase was straightforward but then radio silence for the next six months which they chalked up to salespeople no longer working there. Some options had become production restrained, but there was zero communication from them that my order was about to be pushed to 2023 for what amounted to simple changes. Vehicle was finally delivered after two days of prep only to “forget” to install the bed-liner. They did turn this around relatively quickly after bringing it back the next week.

This vehicle sees a lot of miles requiring regular trips to their “quick lube”. I always made an appointment for oil changes at least a week in advance, only to wait at least an hour each time; twice almost two hours. I always provided feedback through the Ford survey and always got the generic response of “we always strive to provide the best service at Hawk”.

Before order banks opened for 2024, I let them know we wanted to order another one. Multiple emails and phone calls went without response. Two weeks before orders opened July 17th, I stopped by. “Just come in on the 17th and we will get it ordered”. I made an appointment that day for oil change and air bag recall for the 17th…the day they lost my business.

July 17th, as I’m checking in the truck for service, they inform me that orders don’t open until 5. No problem, I’ll pick it up later and do it then. Par for the course. As I’m walking out, the salesman causally gets my attention and says “not my call, but I’m being told they are adding $5K to all orders”. 20% markup with a warning they might not even get an allotment for the order. Later that morning, the service advisor calls to say “they need to order the parts”…for a recall that was scheduled weeks ago.

That same day I went across town and ordered just after noon for $500 under sticker with a much more inviting experience. A few days later Hawk service calls and says the parts are in but they will need the truck for 3 days. I called the new dealer and they completed it the next day in under two hours. Three days for a two hour repair really sounds like they wanted a demo unit for a few days.

Since then, we have placed an order for a third Maverick and performed service elsewhere. Two new sales and 100K miles worth the service a year plus all future sales lost over poor communication, mediocre service, and a greedy...

Angelia was my first contact, and James received my emails of my income etc for my credit application. I had been to other places and been turned down for my poor credit, bamboozled, treated poorly, and I was afraid to go to a dealership. Going to Right Way (I'm reviewing them as well) was another bad experience. But DJ met me at the door of Hawk Ford and held it open. He treated me and my adult daughter with the utmost kindness and respect from the start. We are both disabled and do not always get the most respect from people in the Fox Valley area. I know it's a technique of car salesmen to show you either the worst car first, or one that is beyond your ability to get financing for or pay for. Getting into the smallest SUV, DJ encouraged our honest opinion, which we gave. It was too cramped and didn't fit my needs for carrying equipment for work. He then showed us an even newer used car. It was a Ford Escape only 2 years old and 21k miles. It was comfy and had more features than I even asked for! But with my credit I really didn't think we could get financing or payments low enough. He and the financing guy, (I forget his name) worked together to get me a much better interest rate than other places. And they helped get a lower monthly payment we could afford. In the past 7 years I have owned a 2001 GMC Sonoma (needed more seating so I sold it) a 2010 Chevy Equinox (the timing chain broke and destroyed the motor) a 2010 Legacy (totaled in an accident) and a 2013 Ford Focus (transmission). I have had older used cars that needed repairs all of my life. I've never bought a newer car.

I thought I HAD to go to buy here pay here places because that's what my late husband always did. On my Dad's advice I went to Hawk Ford.

And I came out with the keys to a practically new car I love!

The service was friendly, respectful and swift. I never felt pressured or out of place.

They took my crappy trade in and valued it enough to help with financing.

When my daughter and I went to clean it out, DJ offered to help us.

I drove away leaving my disabled placard in my trade in. DJ called me right away and also returned my pill box I left in the console.

I saw DJ running- literally- here there and everywhere in the building and on the car lot to take care of things quickly. Nothing but smiles on his face.

He deserves this 5 star review more...