Safford Brown Honda Arlington

I used the car search program through AAA to find the vehicle that I wanted; a used Element within a certain price range. I was contacted by 4 dealerships and ended up heading out to Arlington (from Ann vehicle that I wanted; a used Element within a certain price range. I was contacted by 4 dealerships and ended up heading out to Arlington (from Annapolis) to check out this particular one. It had 50,500 miles on it, and was in very good condition. Crista was wonderful to work with, even giving me a cheeseburger from McDonald's that had been brought to her for lunch! She is extremely personable and easy to work with. She helped me through every step of the process, which isn't easy moving a sale from VA to MD, and was extremely accommodating when the car needed a couple of adjustments. They paid to cover the necessary work with no hassle whatsoever without my needing to drive back over to Arlington. 4 months later, Christa is checking in to see how I like it. There was some concern because it is a very bright red, and it is my absolute least favorite color for most things, but especially a car. I told her about a recent break-in, and she offered to check on aftermarket security systems for me. However, this '05 Element has everything I'd put in my list for my next vehicle, and I am thrilled with both the vehicle and the service that I have gotten from Christa. Additionally, the minor bits I've needed from the service department have been exceptionally easy and helpful. Not to mention that they are actually open on weekends! I'd recommend two things in contacting this dealership. Try to get them through AAA if you have it. Ask for Christa because she is fantastic. Melissa More

The worst sales experience I have ever had - for any product, much less a car. My info was submitted to this dealership (and two others) when I did a vehicle search using a car buying service (zag.com) product, much less a car. My info was submitted to this dealership (and two others) when I did a vehicle search using a car buying service (zag.com). I was in the market for a new Honda Pilot. Brown's was the last to contactme , a few days after my info was sent. By this point, I had already exchanged phone calls/emails with other dealers, and was in the process of picking the best offer. When Brown's salesperson finally got around to contacting me (at first misidentifying herself as someone from my bank), I let her know about the top offers I had on the table; she replied that she'll have to check with her manager to see if they could price match. From there, it got ugly. She called back and essentially told me that the prices I mentioned were bogus, almost to the point of calling me a liar. Wasted another 20 minutes on the phone describing all the scams that her competitors supposedly pull off, but Brown's was never actually willing to make me any offer. Five minutes after getting off the phone, the salesperson calls me back, badgering me even more - but still unwilling to quote me ANY price. I couldn't believe how hard this person worked to make sure that I wouldn't buy a car from their dealership, no matter what the circumstance.... Fast forward 24 hours, and I'm driving back from a dealership 80 miles away in Baltimore (Heritage of Parkville) in my brand new Pilot after paying the supposedly bogus price. Bottom line, do your research, be patient, and STAY AWAY FROM THIS PLACE! Update(3/3/09): I was contacted by dealerrater.com, and was asked to add some clarifying comments about the dealer mis-identifying themselves on the phone when they first called me. After the initial call, I did receive an email within an hour from the salesperson, which cleared up the initial confusion as to who she was. Unfortunately, my experience following that initial email with Brown's makes it impossible for me to recommend them. More

I went to service department to get my Honda looked at. They were very nice and told me what i needed. They were able to fix my Honda the same day which was really nice. i've been to other Honda dealers an They were very nice and told me what i needed. They were able to fix my Honda the same day which was really nice. i've been to other Honda dealers and they don't normally fix your car the same day so i give alot of credit to Arlington Honda Service Team for their hard work. I would strongly recommend this dealership to anyone EJ, More

They are looking to rip people off, in the name of preventive maintenance and safety. I went in for an oil change only. After an hour an a half of waiting the rep(Jose)came back with a shopping li preventive maintenance and safety. I went in for an oil change only. After an hour an a half of waiting the rep(Jose)came back with a shopping list from wheel alignment to brakes. I asked for this in writing as I will attend to this at a future date. I did not receive it then and am still waiting on the list after many phone calls. I asked about my remote which is malfunctioning (2008 Accord), he said I should buy a battery from them and replace it. I responded " Should this not be under warranty?" At some point later, he said the battery was replaced, but it still does not work. More

NEVER GO HERE! I had the worst service experience of my life here and don't recommend Brown's to anyone. I went at 6:30 a.m. for a VA inspection and emissions test. I was the second person there, but h life here and don't recommend Brown's to anyone. I went at 6:30 a.m. for a VA inspection and emissions test. I was the second person there, but had to wait for an hour and a half while they looked at my car. They informed me that I had failed the emissions test because the catalytic converter needed to be replaced. Apparently this also made it impossible for them to conduct the VA inspection. They still charged me $16. The quote for the new catalytic converter was $1,690!!! (Catalytic converters for my car cost $150 at most online.) This did not include the $44 they were going to charge me for re-testing the car. When I took my car for a second opinion, I found there was nothing wrong with the catalytic converter at all (there was a hole in my exhaust pipe). The other place fixed my car and tested it for a fraction of the price Brown's quoted. I called Brown's service department, where I spoke to Ken Najiy and Oscar Mencia. Ken was somewhat helpful and referred my complaints to the Service Manager, Oscar. Oscar denied that they did anything wrong and claimed to be confused. He wasn't outright rude, but was condescending. I strongly advise you go elsewhere for service and do not trust this dealership at all. More

The car that I brought from the dealership was in no way acceptable to be sold to anyone. After being assured that the car was not wrecked in the past, in addition to two sales individuals reassuring me tha acceptable to be sold to anyone. After being assured that the car was not wrecked in the past, in addition to two sales individuals reassuring me that the car was not wrecked, I discovered after two months that they lied to me. I pulled a new carfax and the wreck was reported and I contacted the previous owner and both confirmed the 2005 wreck. I brought the car for $24,000 and the car was previous repair totalling $16,000. I asked the dealership if they were aware of the issues with the car and they replied no, but the previous owner did report the accident to them when she traded it in and that was the reason why she received a lower amount of money for the trade-in. Luckily, they brought the car back from me for the same price as I brought it, but the hassle of the whole situation should not have occurred. They should have disclosed the issues before I brought the car, but did not because of the shady dealing at the dealership. I recommend to future purchasers to stay away and you better get a second opinion on any used car. The car is a 2004 Acura TL, Grey, with only 18,014 miles. The car is only worth $16,500 based on appraisals from CarMax and Radley's. Any questions, contact me via email. Beware. More

This person needs to learn how to sell but not quick the customer away. i had really bad experience over there just with him, all the other employee were helpful and willing there work, but that he did not customer away. i had really bad experience over there just with him, all the other employee were helpful and willing there work, but that he did not want help at all. the rood thing he has done, he open the door to me to leave the place. that was really bad. More

STAY AWAY FROM THIS HONDA DEALER! We had a terrible STAY AWAY FROM THIS HONDA DEALER! We had a terrible experience on December 30th 2006: (a) We were assured by the dealer's sales person that the Ho STAY AWAY FROM THIS HONDA DEALER! We had a terrible experience on December 30th 2006: (a) We were assured by the dealer's sales person that the Honda Civic LX we were interested about had been already submitted to a complete inspection. (b) We wanted to buy the car and completed the paper work (including a phone call to Geico to get our car insurance) (c) After that, they wanted our money, however, they would not give us the car, arguing that the car still needed to pass the Virginia State inspection, in evident contradiction with part (a). Additionally, they mentioned the car would not be available until the first days of January 2007. (d) We asked to borrow a car from them, while the car was fully inspected. Their answer was no. (e) We asked to leave a deposit instead of the full amount, given that they wanted the money but we would not receive a car in exchange. Their answer was no. At that point, the store manager was absolutely rude, with a "let's get rid of these people" attitude. We cancelled the deal and left the place very frustrated. As mentioned at the beginning, you will do better by staying away from this Honda dealer. They have a total lack of professionalism and poor manners to deal with their customers. Honda should do something about this dealer. They are, by far, the worst. More

Overall, their service dept is ok, average. They have not yet updated their facilities like other dealerships in the area, so it looks old and dirty. The service waiting area is small, cramped, and dingy. yet updated their facilities like other dealerships in the area, so it looks old and dirty. The service waiting area is small, cramped, and dingy. The prices are ok, but since they are smaller, be prepared to wait longer than you would expect. Their "express" oil change took 1 hr 45 minutes; other dealers will have you out the door in 30 minutes or less. More