McGrath Honda of Elgin

I purchased a car from this dealer in 2008. I was glad to see their price from the requested quotes from the Honda website was the lowest. When I went in to discuss the details, is when I began to have t to see their price from the requested quotes from the Honda website was the lowest. When I went in to discuss the details, is when I began to have the "car dealer" experience consumers all dread: I knew from internet research no local dealer had the model and color I wanted in stock. Of course McGrath was willing to go get it for me--for an extra $500 above their quoted price. Mind you, when you request a quote through the Honda website, it is specific to model, trim line, and color. So already they have shown that their quote was a misrepresentation. Then I am told the additional $500 is because they will either have to drive to Madison, WI or Aims, IA to get the car. Then began the obligatory push for the $500 deposit. During the "talk to the manager" phase about the loan financing, was another disappointment. I was looking to put down 75% of the total cost as a down payment. I was told by the salesperson, that such a thing was overkill. I was reminded that I could do whatever I wanted, but over the term of a loan we were talking a small difference in monthly payment. As this purchase was not an urgent need I left with no exchange of funds or purchase agreement. When I called the competitor with the most competitive price, they were indeed honoring their quoted price for the color I wanted. Imagine my further surprise, that there were six of the vehicle I wanted within 75 miles of Elgin and they were willing to get one for me at no additional cost. They were also more than willing to let me make my substantial down payment--further they revealed that a dealer's motivation for having a consumer borrow more is that the dealer gets a bigger kickback from the finance company. The lesson: it seems McGrath is living in a bygone day when the consumer cannot access competitors within seconds to see if they have been told the truth. When entering business dealings with this dealership, ALWAYS compare information and prices with a competitor. More

The salesperson (Michael Malak) and the manager (Dave McGrath) were very helpful on getting the car with all the accessories I wanted at a fair price. The overall customer service was great although th McGrath) were very helpful on getting the car with all the accessories I wanted at a fair price. The overall customer service was great although the financing process could be easier and faster. I highly recommend this dealer and I'll consider them on my next purchase. More

This is a very friendly and courteous company. I gave it a "good" overall experience instead of "great" for the following reason. When I went in to purchase the CRV-XL they showed me an EX that was in the a "good" overall experience instead of "great" for the following reason. When I went in to purchase the CRV-XL they showed me an EX that was in the showroom and was told the interior was the same in both cars with fabric differences. The car I looked at had arm rests on both the driver's and passenger's side. I picked up my car in the evening and when I got home we noticed it didn't have the arm rest on the passenger side. This is very important to us because my wife has a prosthesis in her left shoulder and needs an arm rest on mid to long trips. When I called the dealer the next day I was told the arm rest only comes on the driver's side in the XL (which doesn't make sense to me) and not on the passenger's side. Some how this information fell through the cracks when I was making the purchase. I asked what we could do to get this corrected on the passenger's side and they told me they would look into it and get back to me. So far they haven't and I certainly hope they'll be able to resolve this issue. Overall though I did have a good experience with the purchase and would recommend them to my friends. More

Karli was very knowledgeable about the Honda CR-V and her dealership. She made us feel like welcomed guests, which was truly a refreshing experience. While she asked us for the "sale" we never felt unduly dealership. She made us feel like welcomed guests, which was truly a refreshing experience. While she asked us for the "sale" we never felt unduly pressured to buy a vehicle that wasn't right for us. We believe Karli's approach to car sales can go a long way in dis-spelling the consumer's negative view of the used car salesperson. Others can learn from her. We will definitely recommend Karli Cooper at McGrath Honda in Elgin to all our friends and associates. More

My mom recently bought a car through McGrath Honda with the help of Sales manager Chris Houlis. I wanted to make a point of saying what a pleasure it was to deal with Chris. He made the process so easy the help of Sales manager Chris Houlis. I wanted to make a point of saying what a pleasure it was to deal with Chris. He made the process so easy and he was so kind and helpful to us. Chris went above and beyond and exceeded our expectations in what could of been very stressful experience for my mom. We would recommended McGrath Honda and Chris Houlis to anyone. More

Great experience! Will do business again. I was so excited to see my new white civic coming off the truck! Well worth the wait! With great technology! excited to see my new white civic coming off the truck! Well worth the wait! With great technology! More

Very smooth transaction. Whole deal went very fast. We are pleased with our new Honda. We plan to purchase our next car at McGrath in the next 6 months. are pleased with our new Honda. We plan to purchase our next car at McGrath in the next 6 months. More

The dealership lied to us to get us into their store. We called the day before going and I spoke with someone who said the car I wanted to see was sold. My husband called back later that day and all of sud called the day before going and I spoke with someone who said the car I wanted to see was sold. My husband called back later that day and all of sudden the car was available. That it must have been on a test drive before and that is why they told me it was gone. The following day we drove 3 hours to get there and of course the car wasn't there. The admitted to lying to us and claimed they weren't sure how it happened. That it must have been the first time that it has occurred. Despite our instincts we still looked at other vehicles and ended up buying a used 2011 Honda Odyssey. LEMON!! We have owned the car for two months and it has already been in the shop 3 times. Needless to say we are frustrated and highly annoyed with the whole process. I would not recommend this dealership to anyone. Shady and sneaky. More

I have bought a Honda Odyssey from McGrath Honda in Elgin. My experience has been excellent. I was dealing with Manager Chris Houlis. He was very polite, professional and nice. I plan to buy another c Elgin. My experience has been excellent. I was dealing with Manager Chris Houlis. He was very polite, professional and nice. I plan to buy another car from this dealer in the near future and would highly recommend McGrath Honda in Elgin to anyone. More

I purchased a used 2006 Honda Odyssey for over $10k, and the dealership apparently was deceptive about issues with the vehicle, they were selling as-is, so I knew the risk was mine, however I was completely the dealership apparently was deceptive about issues with the vehicle, they were selling as-is, so I knew the risk was mine, however I was completely mislead about the condition of the vehicle on very serious safety issues with the air bags. There was a broken trim piece which they said they would fix, but then the price had to change to accomidate the fix. I also found there were issues with sliding doors, within 24 hrs of purchase. Additionally, they also had a pretty hard sell approach, one more reason I was not happy with my experience. Finally, they made me sit and wait over 4 hours with 2 young children before they did the paperwork on the sale. To their credit, McGrath Honda did finally agree to take the vehicle back (if I would acknowledge in this review that they had resolved the problem.) I can't give a good rating, however they did finally do the right thing by taking the vehicle back. Unfortunately it was also difficult to get my money back when they did finally agree to take the vehicle back. My calls were not returned, and I went through several rounds of excuses why they couldn't give me a check before finally refunding my cash deposit. More