Lake City Motors

(Sorry I’m writing this on my iPad if the spelling is messed up that’s why)
Ok so I already have bad credit so I was nervous about getting approved so I call them and they said they would fill out my application and also find a bank that would approve me and the 2 agents I talked to were very nice was pretty sure just from talking to them that I wanted a car from them. Well it took them days to get back to me whether I was finally approved so I are the trip all the way from port hadlock which is an hour out from Bremerton for N idea how far I drove. I come in only expensive cars out front no used really and I am seated in this office waiting having to fill out another application because I guess they didn’t care enough to do one over the phone like they promised. And the top guy I’m assuming the manager double teams me with the guy Lazaro I talked to on the phone who I liked. The manager was gruff with me and had this whole speel and was talking down to me not a people person and he didn’t give me a straight answer and based off my credit I guess and the face they were waiting for the bank to get back I would only be approved for 2 cars out of like3 lots guys thTs a lot of cars these people have and I’m sure I would have qualified for more but he was trying too hard to get me to put more money down then I had $ 2000 at $ 200 to $ 300 down payment a I felt I was very reasonable and at a 536 credit score with only 2 bad things very small and a positive plus this guy told, e I didn’t even have a score which was a lie. So after waisting my time for an hour I decided to check out another lot. Told the guy to call me if the bank approved and I never got a call back you guys he didn’t care enough to sell to me.
Ok so I go over to first national autos and you guys ALOT of cars and options these guys were smart they had out used cars two with lower numbers to appeal to bad credit buyers like me. I was there a while it was worth it I was not pressured into filling out an application and I got to look around at cars they thought fit my budget and when I finally got approved by the bank they worked with me and my low income I got to buy a 04 Volvo I love this car and they were amazing and had awesome customer service I would Redmond you not go here to lake city especially if you have bad credit. The sales guys are nice but when hey don’t even try to show me cars or work with me then that’s a sign that this place is a no go. The fnlauto place was amazing I would definitely go there and there’s even some around the corner that looked decent. Just if go into this place ask to see some cars first don’t let his swindle you
I will give them that they have a huge selection of cars and certainly if you have decent credit and a bad chunk of down payment like $ 3000 to $ 4000 then yes I would go here

Red Flags all over this place. I can’t believe BMW Northwest would actually sponsor this dealership (they are «sister» dealers). My wife and I looked at an Acura RL. I had done my research and was looking for this specific model.
The car looked good, but there was a big red flag as the AC was running. A very large puddle of water was accumulating under the car as the engine and AC ran. I specifically asked Steve about it (I already knew what it was, just wanted to see what he would say) and he said that was completely normal and it was just condensation dripping off the AC unit… I don’t think so. This was seriously a large puddle. The Acura I ended up buying doesn’t do that, and it’s the same year, make and model. Also, none of the other RL’s I looked at did that either.
They really dinged our overall credit scores by running our credit with multiple lenders without our permission. We were already pre-​approved with BECU. I don’t know what these jokers were doing, but they cancelled our pre-​approval, and ran it again under their dealership, which required another hard inquiry. Not only that, we didn’t end up buying the car from them because we didn’t trust them, so when we bought one from a private party, BECU had to run our credit a third time because of what Lake City Motors had done. And it doesn’t end there… for whatever reason, they also ran our credit through Chase, and Alaska Fed CU, both of which we did NOT consent to. So all in all, they are responsible for 4 hard inquiries in a 2 day period which looks TERRIBLE on our credit report, and they have cost us roughly 10 points on our credit score over a 2 day period! Hard inquiries stay on your report for 2 – 3 years! We didn’t give them permission to do any of this! Even the rep at BECU confirmed they should not have done any of this.
Another huge red flag is they didn’t really want us taking it to a local shop to have it checked out. Their excuse was «some mechanic might say there is something wrong with it to try and make some money on repairs that aren’t needed». Come on…
We ended up buying a car from a private party with less miles on it, for less money, and it’s solid. I’ve had Acura check it out and they signed off on it. They also confirmed that the AC compressor would not dump that much water from just condensation (which I already knew).
Steer clear of this dealership. Go to an actual branded dealership like BMW, Acura, Honda, Toyota, whatever brand you’re interested in. These guys aren’t on the «up and up».
And in response to their response below… what kind of professional dealership would blast my last name on a website like this? Pretty darn professional if you ask me.
And cars don’t dump water out of the AC unit just from condensation… come on.
Free warranty??? That’s funny, you sure didn’t mention that when we were negotiating.
And yes they did cancel my pre-​approval from BECU, why would the BECU rep lie to me and have to run my credit again for a fresh loan?
We never asked them to beat BECU’s rate… THEY asked US if we would like to try, and we said no, because we were already pre-​approved through BECU and we are comfortable with BECU. Come on guys… this is the epitome of used car salesmen.
The owner of the RL that I ended up buying was up front with me about the accident, which just smudged the paint on the front bumper a little. They even provided me with the accident report from the Sheriff that gives all of the details. An accident could be any kind of little fender bender, or scratched paint. It doesn’t mean the car was smashed in. But of course dealerships use this as a scare tactic because most people won’t take the time to actually research the accident and get supporting documentation.
I rest my case…

We purchased a 2005 BMW X3 from Lake City Motors last Sunday. I met with Mike Warner early in the day and test-​drove a 2004 X5. This was one of a dozen or so X5’s that I looked at that day, and while it was one of the pricier ones it was also very clean and tight, definitely good value for the money. I returned at 5:00 (closing time) so that my girlfriend could also test-​drive the car.
Mike was really easy-​going and didn’t mind staying late. We tested the 2005 X3 as well, and my girlfriend fell in love with it. Long story short, we bought it on the spot. The transaction itself was efficient, and Mike explained all of the ins and outs of the paperwork. We left with the car that night, feeling good about our purchase.
Yesterday I took the X3 to my own mechanic for an inspection. It turns out that we did really well on this deal. The car is in excellent shape, the brakes are almost new (90%), the tires have lots of tread, and we didn’t even need an oil change. I did have the belt tensioner changed because it was squeaking a little, though my mechanic assured me that this presented no mechanical risk.
All in all I was really happy with Lake City Motors, especially as compared to the many other dealerships I visited that day. Like City Motors’ cars were on average nicer and in better condition that most other shops, and I felt that I was treated fairly and honestly.
A FEW TIPS FOR BUYING USED CARS:
The following has nothing to do with Lake City Motors, but I wanted to share some ideas that may help if you are in the market for a used car.
Before heading out on my car-​shopping expedition I checked the Unilocal reviews for all the shops I planned to visit. I noticed *many* reviews that were strongly positive or strongly negative. I also noticed that most of these reviews were posted from brand new accounts and that these people never posted reviews of anything else. This should make you suspicious. Put your trust in reviews from people who write lots of them about different types of businesses, aren’t afraid to post a picture of themselves, etc.
Buying a car is a big deal for anyone. It’s a lot of money, and we don’t want to get cheated out of our hard-​earned cash. You have to keep in mind that used cars are just that… Used. In the case of the X3 I bought, someone else spent 5 years with it and put 80,000 miles on it before I ever saw it. You can’t expect to get a perfect BMW for a third of the cost of a new one. Your used car *will* need more maintenance and repairs than a new car. If this makes you uncomfortable, skip the used BMW and buy a new Toyota.
If you really really want the BMW and are dead set on buying used, understand that you need to work hard to find a good deal. Used car dealers aren’t necessarily trying to cheat you, but they go through a lot of cars and they don’t know everything about the history of each car. One potential sign of a fishy deal is the «too-​clean» car. When a car is dripping with Armor-​all, the engine has been perfectly steam-​cleaned, and the insides of the tailpipes have been wiped, you need to wonder what they’re trying to hide. A clean car with a clean engine bay is a good thing, but a «too-​clean» car may be a warning sign.
Finally, get a PPI (pre-​purchase inspection) done by an independent mechanic before you buy. I had my PPI done after I purchased the vehicle and it turned out that I’d bought a great car, but I should have done it before signing the paperwork.
Car buying is hard work; hopefully the above info can help.

After an exhausted search of the car I wanted, I decided to drive out and check on a model available at this lot. What I found was the car that they had expertly advertised on Craigslist, in the lot with no surprises. No salesman rushed out the door to force a sell down my throat, and I really appreciated that. When I walked in the showroom, I was greeted kindly by Steve Bell, the Internet Sales Manager. He quickly answered some questions I had about the car, and let me take it on a test drive. Upon returning back to the lot, I told him of a noise I heard in the rear of the car, and he told me he would take it to the shop, get it checked out (their cost, that wouldn’t affect the sale price), and that I could come back in a few days to drive it again. I left fairly confident that this would be handled, and low and behold, he did just as he said he would. It was a minor fix to the rear differential, and he showed me the paperwork from the shop proving that the repair had been done, and done correctly. I test drove again, and we pushed the paperwork to finalize the deal.
All in all, I felt very confident about the sale. Keep in mind, I did a lot of homework on my end to make sure the pricing was competitive beforehand, but they had a print out of the Blue Book Value, and also the Carfax, and everything looked on the up and up. He also showed me the paperwork from the mechanic that they use to evaluate the vehicle when they buy. I didn’t feel like there were any hidden details. Also, I DID buy they extended warranty they offered, but I didn’t feel like it was forced on me either, it was just a good deal based on my research.
They had me out the door in less than 2 hours, which was great because I had to get to work, and even offered to drive my current vehicle to the U-​District to drop off with my fiancé.
In conclusion, if you see a vehicle listed on their many forms of advertising (I think Steve even told me they have an iPhone app!) do yourself a favor and go check them out.

I purchased a Honda Civic 2006 Hybrid from Lake City Motors. The car turned out to be a very good vehicle and they sold it to me at a very reasonable price. I also got freebies like one free full tank of gas and one free detailing, which I felt was nice. They also were very helpful with my queries, even after signing the deal papers. I would strongly recommend them for any prospective car buyers.