MINI of Escondido

I originally went to the Mini Dealership in Kearny Mesa. That was one of the worst experiences I have ever had. The sales associate was rude and unfriendly, left us out in the rain (literally, it was raini That was one of the worst experiences I have ever had. The sales associate was rude and unfriendly, left us out in the rain (literally, it was raining that day) said he would be right back and never came back. We were so upset with the service we drove half an hour away to Escondido Mini. We called them ahead of time and asked if there was someone we could speak to that could answer all of our questions because we have already had a bad experience. as soon as we got there we were greeted at the door and directed to Amanda Perez who was so friendly and personable! This would be the first car we are purchasing on our own and is a very scary and big deal for us. She answered EVERY question we had and answered questions that we didn't even think to ask. She explained everything to us and didn't pressure us to buy anything. My dad had suggested using Costco auto save program and unfortunately Escondido wasn't part of the program but only Kearny Mesa. We thought that we would try and give Kearny Mesa another chance because their price through Costco was cheaper but let me tell you..that was a HUGE mistake. Amanda had kept contact with us via e-mail and when she heard about our situation she immediately asked her manager if there was anything they could do for us. they gave us a very great quote. Unfortunately when we got the e-mail from her we were already speaking to the sales person at Kearny Mesa. he was friendly enough but VERY pushy. we wanted the cold weather package because we might move to the east coast and he made a comment that we don't need that and we should purchase the car we test drove which had premium everything and would have cost us a lot more. he pretty much tried to rush everything and everything happened so fast. next thing i know he's asking me for my card so he can put in the deposit. when my boyfriend crunched the numbers (which by the way he didn't go over anything with us) the price that Amanda quoted us was significantly cheaper than what Kearny mesa was going to sell us the car for even WITH the Costco discount!! I called Amanda and she was really helpful and told us that if we don't feel comfortable that it is OK to stop the process. When we told the sales associate that we wanted to wait, he became mean very quickly. he started shuffling/tossing the papers at us and became VERY rude. we didn't know what to tell him so we said that my dad wanted us to wait. He then said that he knows more than my dad, that we would have to branch out from our parents some time and "hey maybe your dad knows something that i don't, i doubt it since we are the only dealership that does Costco but you can waste your time and drive all around. go ahead and call all of the dealerships." at that point i KNEW we made the right decision to stop business with them. we apologized for wasting his time but it was amazing how shady he was. so quick to change from polite to rude and condescending. Keep in mind this was my first car buying experience and he was not making it a good experience for us. we pretty much ran out the door, tore up his business card and drove 30 minutes to Escondido. We were welcomed by Amanda and her manager who apologized on behalf of Mini for our terrible experiences with Kearny Mesa. I can't tell you enough how terrible it was over there!!! Amanda made everything so much better! She explained EVERYTHING! she went through all of the paperwork, ran my credit report right then and got me the information i needed (which the Kearny Mesa guy said that he won't know anything until later) and broke everything down for us and really explained everything. She even suggested to shop around at other loan places (credit union and my bank) just in case they can't give us the best deal. She even gave me suggestions on which auto insurance to look into. She didn't push anything that we didn't want and would triple check everything with us. THEN she calls me at home to tell me that I do not need a cosigner on the loan and I can buy this car on my own and congratulated me. Every concern I had washed away with Escondido Mini. I can't tell you enough how awesome they are! Everyone..and i mean EVERYONE there is so friendly and would greet us. Do you know how many people greeted us at Kearny Mesa both times? one. ONE PERSON. I was SO happy with everything that I even gave Amanda a hug! Yes Kearny Mesa's Mini dealership is cute with their fancy building but looks are deceiving. If you want great customer service and a great car buying experience overall, go to Escondido! Ask for Amanda, she was great!!! (But I'm sure everyone that works at Escondido is amazing!) Thank you Amanda and the whole Mini Escondido team. You guys really made this experience a great one.. I can't thank you guys enough!!! More

Over all experience with service was great. I was in and out in no time at all. It was a simple oil change and tire rotation. I was told my car would be done in less thn an hour and I only. 35 mintues. The out in no time at all. It was a simple oil change and tire rotation. I was told my car would be done in less thn an hour and I only. 35 mintues. The service dept. My my day by getting me tken care of so quickly. I will definitely return and recomend this dealership for anyone to have their Mini serviced here. More

I am always so pleased to bring my mini in for service at Mini Escondido. Brandon helped me every step of the way. He was so patient with me. Explained the entire process and kept me posted on the status Mini Escondido. Brandon helped me every step of the way. He was so patient with me. Explained the entire process and kept me posted on the status of my car. I didnt have to keep calling to find out what was going on. The constant communication was so refreshing! I will be back!!! Thank you for great service! More

My experiance with Brecht Mini service center has been exceptional! When I arrive I am greeted professionally by someone and my car door is opened for me every time; this may seem minor but this small act exceptional! When I arrive I am greeted professionally by someone and my car door is opened for me every time; this may seem minor but this small action stands out when compared to other service centers. My service advisor(s) are always pleasant and friendly; one of the advisors even suggested a great resturant for lunch and then offered to print me directions as well. My service is always thorough and so far I haven't had to pay a dime because the service plan is so great. Both Brandon and Brian have been excelent and a pleasure to work with! More

I had the pleasure of working with Brandon in the Minni service department. Everything was explained to me. The car was promsied at a specific time and was ready when I came to pick it up. I was very pl service department. Everything was explained to me. The car was promsied at a specific time and was ready when I came to pick it up. I was very pleased with the service I received and the way I was treated. I will definetly be back. More

Brian Sanford is my service advisor. HE is AWESOME!! The best! Working with him is a pleasure, and he makes sure my mini is well taken care of!! I've been working with Brian since 2007 and he knows his stuf best! Working with him is a pleasure, and he makes sure my mini is well taken care of!! I've been working with Brian since 2007 and he knows his stuff. If you need someone terrific to work with at Mini Service (in Escondido) be sure to contact him. More

I call my Service Advisor, Brian Sanford, the friendliest and the most knowledgeable service advisor. His approach is personalized, my husband and I felt like he is a member of our family. He lets me know and the most knowledgeable service advisor. His approach is personalized, my husband and I felt like he is a member of our family. He lets me know ahead of time when my next service is due and what it would entail, no guesswork. I could even ask him for an approximate cost, so no surprises. I feel that Brian is well liked by his peers. In one of my visits, Brian happened to be off, however, another service advisor assisted me as if I were his own. I could go on and on and on about Brian. We live in the South Bay area and could have gone to another Mini dealership for service, but we do not mind driving all the way to Escondido to have my Mini Cooper serviced. It is all because of Brian Sanford. Our experience with him is THE BEST BAR NONE! More

Brian Sanford is the best service advisor that I could ask for. I look forward to my service appointments because I know that I will be taken care of. I trust him to give me honest advice & I would not ta ask for. I look forward to my service appointments because I know that I will be taken care of. I trust him to give me honest advice & I would not take my Mini anywhere else. I've been so happy with my experiences that I want to keep my Mini Forever!!! More

I had a very wonderful experience. I have been to many dealership before that don't really care about how they treat u they just want your money but I felt very comfortable at this dealership and didn't f dealership before that don't really care about how they treat u they just want your money but I felt very comfortable at this dealership and didn't feel like I was being taken advantage of. I would recommend anyone to go here. More

Very Polite and goes out of his way to make things right, to bad there aren't more employees like this young man. Great Employee I have been to a lot of Dealerships that just do not compare to this dealershi to bad there aren't more employees like this young man. Great Employee I have been to a lot of Dealerships that just do not compare to this dealership. Great job with all of the associates that I have had contact with. More