Russ Darrow Mazda of Madison

Awful Sales Experience - Avoid Dealership Delayed posting review until I left the area and was confident I wouldn't have to interact with this dealership anymore or fear retribution in the event of a posting review until I left the area and was confident I wouldn't have to interact with this dealership anymore or fear retribution in the event of a service issue. If you really must have a Mazda I would recommend making the > 1 hour drive somewhere else, as inconvenient as that may be. Purchased new CX-5 in Sept 2022. At the time, there was a severe vehicle shortage and I needed a new vehicle right away, so after learning that Madison Subaru, Honda, and Toyota dealerships had no vehicles in stock, I had relatively low expectations. Russ Darrow Mazda was even worse than expected. Trade in was undervalued in comparison to KBB, Carmax, and local Honda dealership. They valued it at $12,000 and listed it for sale for $18,000 the following week. Salesman, Keith, was pushy, rude, made disparaging remarks about co-workers during the sale, and repeatedly avoided discussing the final price tag, saying Dan in financing would handle it. He provided no useful information about the vehicle and seemed intent on pushing things through to the finance room as fast as possible. He said he used to work at Lexus and kept talking about how Mazda was modeling itself after Lexus. Dan was fine, mostly he seemed confused that Keith had not discussed any details of the price breakdown with me. Business practices were questionable. I declined financing and wanted to pay in cash and learned that the dealership charges over $1,000 for a post factory stain protectant which is waived if you use their financing. If you pay cash, they charge you for it in addition to MSRP and other non-negotiable post-factory add-ons. When I asked for proof that the protectant had actually been applied to the vehicle, they discovered it had not and blamed this on the Mazda dealership in Milwaukee from whom they said they had received the car. They eventually waived the fee after haggling me for an additional 10 minutes about extended warranty plans I did not want. Had I not been insistent about the stain protectant and threatened to walk out on the deal, I would have paid in excess of $1,000 for a service that was not provided. Makes me wonder how often this happens at their dealership to unsuspecting buyers. VIN etching amounted to several hundred dollars and could not be declined because it was already done. Vehicle presentation was poor. The detailer left for the day and I left with sticker adhesive on multiple windows and the windshield. They did provide a coupon for a free detail which I used later. Following the sale I received at least 3 phone calls to my personal cell phone asking for me to complete a survey about the experience. The salesman mentioned needing to receive favorable reviews at least five times during the sale. I made a later trip to the service side where they also talked about needing favorable reviews multiple times. The perseveration on reviews was very tacky. Overall, I left with a vehicle for which I had to fight and argue just to pay slightly over MSRP in cash, which is totally ridiculous. Given the sales environment of the time and the need for a vehicle that day, I just accepted this and moved on. Needless to say my family will not be doing business with any Mazda dealership in the future. More

Just bought our first Mazda. Kyle was very helpful and the entire process was transparent from the start. He really made us feel comfortable with our purchase decision. Kyle was very helpful and the entire process was transparent from the start. He really made us feel comfortable with our purchase decision. More

Randy was wonderful to work with. He wasn't pushy, asked great questions and was patient while I asked questions and tried to figure out the right fit for me. He wasn't pushy, asked great questions and was patient while I asked questions and tried to figure out the right fit for me. More

Friendly and helpful sales people and staff. There was no pressure to buy or to upsell. It was a comfortable experience. There was no pressure to buy or to upsell. It was a comfortable experience. More

This team made me and my husband feel very comfortable and welcomed. Their attention to detail is top notch! and welcomed. Their attention to detail is top notch! More

Jesse at the Russ Darrow Mazda dealership was always fast to respond and communicated well, even while I was texting him. I appreciated how easy they made it to communicate. to respond and communicated well, even while I was texting him. I appreciated how easy they made it to communicate. More

Tim was an exceptional and knowledgeable sales man. Dylan provided a fantastic experience during financial process. Dan, Nick and Kim great job as sales manager. Dylan provided a fantastic experience during financial process. Dan, Nick and Kim great job as sales manager. More

Great service, nice installations. My salesman, Tim, did a great job helping me finding my new vehicle. Dylan at the finance office made the paperwork process smooth and sales managers My salesman, Tim, did a great job helping me finding my new vehicle. Dylan at the finance office made the paperwork process smooth and sales managers, Kim, Jeff, Dan and Nick gave me great deal. More

I had a very good overall experience working with Kyle for a second time to purchase a car. The dealership has a nice facility and I have had good experiences with their service center over the years. for a second time to purchase a car. The dealership has a nice facility and I have had good experiences with their service center over the years. More

I had a very good overall experience working with Kyle for a second time to purchase a car. The dealership has a nice facility and I have had good experiences with their service center over the years. for a second time to purchase a car. The dealership has a nice facility and I have had good experiences with their service center over the years. More