Westgate Chrysler Jeep Dodge RAM

After finding the perfect car, our salesman, Eric, had us very happy and excited to receive a used car for a college student. Our cosigner was out of state, but he assured that it would be no problem. He s very happy and excited to receive a used car for a college student. Our cosigner was out of state, but he assured that it would be no problem. He said that they FedEx'd loan applications all the time. However, when we went back to sign the paper work, we were handed off twice to a new financial manager, who told us that they did NOT accept out of state cosigners without them being present, and that everything would have to be titled and insured in the other state. Eric was apologetic, and said that he had no idea that the policy was the way it was; that it had just recently changed. They sent us off angry and disappointed. Later that day, we went to several other dealerships who took no problem accepting out of state cosigners, contrary to what we had been told at Westgate. It was only a policy at Westgate. The next day, we called back and talked to a DIFFERENT financial manager. He told us that everything we had been told was wrong. We COULD have an out of state cosigner without them being present. So, we waited to hear back and go back to receive the car. We then received word AGAIN that the BOTH financial managers were in the wrong. Though titling and other paperwork would NOT be in that state, they refused to take a cosigner's signature in front of a notary through the mail, because there would still be no way to verify their identification, which confused us, as that is the entire point of HAVING a notary present. Finally, after speaking with Eric about receiving a check from another bank, wheels were once again in motion. Our cosigner would simply hand us the check from a bank where they lived and we'd pay for it in North Carolina with no financing through the dealership. However, after emailing, texting and calling many times to confirm that we had a deal, no one would call us back to speak. After getting someone on the line, we were told that, again, we had been mislead. We could NOT even pay someone with a check from a bank in another state without the cosigner present, despite the fact that we were told it was perfectly fine earlier. A financial manager said that if my cosigner, 500 miles away, could get up and go to the bank down the street, that they could just as easily drive down to North Carolina to sign something: a rude and severely misguided statement. A very confusing, frustrating, and upsetting experience from Westgate. We do not recommend it for people who are in a difficult bind, financially. We left angry and disappointed in the lack of communication and knowledge that their financial managers possessed. More

Bought a used vehicle from them and have had nothing but problems. Have taken it in twice and its still not fixed. Would not recommend them at all. Poor customer service. I left a message for the service ma problems. Have taken it in twice and its still not fixed. Would not recommend them at all. Poor customer service. I left a message for the service manager to call me twice and still no response. When I got home after taking it there for the second time, I had dirt and grease all over my steering wheel, floor mats, and door molding. More

(June 6th, 2012) I checked out 3 used cars at Westgate (June 6th, 2012) I checked out 3 used cars at Westgate recently. Real quick before moving forward, the Saleman Eric was pleasant to work with. No (June 6th, 2012) I checked out 3 used cars at Westgate recently. Real quick before moving forward, the Saleman Eric was pleasant to work with. Nothing in this write up relates to his character and effort. He is top notch, non aggressive and there to help. The vehicles however............ different story. I test drove three vehicles. The last two vehicles had major issues. The first vehicle I am sure would have had I given it more time to check out the engine, etc. I'll explain: First I checked out a used Commander. (2006, 48k miles, $13k and change asking price). The vehicle itself drove great, but there were some key indicators that suggested this would have been a money pit in operational and future repair costs..... This forecast was evident in the starting price ($13k and change). Most other Commanders of this model year, even with competitive mileage, start out a few thousand higher in price. The lower price starting out is immediately a red flag, but hey, who am I to not check out a deal ;) (Don't tell me you are a rock bottom, haggle free dealership. That just tells me you have a good marketing director. There is always room to deal.....) Next, with this Commander there were some clear performance issues that suggested engine trouble. There are common issues with the 06 Commander drivetrain. Do a google search and your will find a large amount of evidence. The MPG for city driving was as much as 4 under the model year average. The HWY MPG was between 1 and 2 under. Granted, this could be reflective of poor oil, but it can also be an indicator of other issues. I would hate to think that they just want to let something like this slide by and hope they sell it. I would also hate to think that they have a lazy or underachieving service staff. Anyway, not worth the risk for me especially considering Carfax showed that the dealership performed it's last maitenance while THEY were the title holder. That means if it was a garbage oil issue, its on them. This last statement will carry more weight as we move forward..... If I was to make a move on this vehicle, a real deal would have to be presented to me with a tacked on warranty. Next I checked out out a used 07 Sante Fe by Hyundai. Instantly I new this was a joke. Right from the start there was a noticeable engine ping. Either a timing belt, starter (likely the malfunction based on the sound) or a spark plug issue. It sounded similar to a starter trying to ignite with a dead battery (a rapid click*click*click*click*click long pause, click*click*click*click*click). Then while driving I noticed a huge chip in the window with a running crack that started. The run was about an inch in length already. Also, the "oh crap!" handle on the passenger side was half hanging from the ceiling and the seal on the back passenger door was half hanging into the car. Not to mention the interior was gross with stains and marks everywhere. The car itself drove stiff. I took it about a half mile and knew this was nothing that I was interested in. I am very surprised this vehicle passed any in house inspection. This got me to thinking further about the Commander and if there were any hidden issues that might have caused my MPG worries. If the Sante Fe could pass inspection like it was, a problem on the Commander is a definite possibility. To allow such surface level and OBVIOUS malfuntions with this Sante Fe into your used car lot, there is no way they are doing any kind of in depth servicing on their inventory. Not of any respectable nature anyway and I expect they are cutting corners on maitenance / passing the buck onto the consumer. Lastly, for the heck of it, I drove an early 2k model Dodge Caravan. The van was an '03 and only had 44k miles. That in itself is impressive so I had to see it. The vehicle handled GREAT and the engine sounded/looked good. I was pleasantly surprised with its performance. I did however notice a mold/mildew smell, but didn't think much of this..... until I did a walk around on the car. Eric assumed it was "from when they cleaned the carpets and didn't let it air out properly". Sure, ok....but I am not that quick to jump to conclusion. While walking around the car I looked for water marks and sealant errors. I found that the driver's side, top corner of the windshield had it's seal pulled out about three inches in each direction. This was very noticeable. It was very clear that rain water traveled down the inside of the windshield and into the front panel. You could even clearly see condensation that remained under the glass and down the framing. The mold/mildew smell was literally water inside the panel and foot well. Think about it..... the elevated humidity behind plastic paneling is going to set havoc on the wiring inside and behind the steering column. That simple seal has set a ticking metal-oxidizing time bomb (look up "Rust"). Once the wires and connections rust out, there will be trouble with this vehicle. The rusting has started. I don't need to see it to know this. I work with electrical wiring every day (indoor and out)and I promise that the sheaths and connections inside the panel are not weather rated. Even if sealed, sitting water and extreme humidity will set the wheel rolling for rust. Nothing short of rewiring and resealing will fix this. It's a shame too.... an 03 with that few miles could be a great family buy. It was clear that NO attempt to fix the seal on the windshield had ever happened. This was kind of the final straw for me and enforced what I was already feeling about Westgate as a dealership. When they let these obvious malfuntions pass inhouse inspection I have to assume they are either sloppy and lazy, or making a thought out effort to pass the buck onto an unassuming consumer. All three of these vehicles would have been perfect for budget minded families. That worries me for a million reasons. I give Eric the benefit of the doubt. He is a salesman that seems to want to genuinely help. I am not sure he is much of a "car guy" as he seemed completely unaware of any of the issues until I pointed them out. I do not know if its this or "the salesman" in him, but he seemed to have an answer for everything. He did some of the classic pity-party salemsan techniques, but whatever. I guess thats expected. In the end, I still think he has good intent that favors the customer. I decided to stick around and deal on the Commander just for the fun of it. I cut myself and chummed the water to bring in the sharks by offering a trade in and use the dealership as creditor. Quickly John in middle management got involved and got me a little money then claimed to be "all in on this one" (do they learn to use that line in Dealership College? haha! Seriously, that line is pretty lame). Aside from that, his entire demeanor and presentation was poor. He was clearly either having a bad day or just is a jerk. If he weren't involved, my customer service rating and friendliness rating would easily be a 5. Again, Eric was top notch. After a brief period of joyful negotiating, we shook hands and I departed. With all the classic sales techniques used, I am surprised they never called me while driving down the road to offer me another $500 off or something. :) In the end, my experience with the used car department at Westgate was extremely sub par. I chose 3 vehicles at random. All three of them had issues and two of them had obvious problems. The Commander would be a great purchase if you or a trusted mechanic could give the drivetrain a clean bill of health. But given the obvious problems with a the other two vehicles, I am certain the 06 Commander (48,000 miles) has an underlying problem just waiting to be surfaced. The biggest problem I have with the whole thing is that these all would have been perfect vehicles for a budget minded family. Instead, they are money traps with clear potential to leave you stranded or vehicless for an extended amount of time. I would be extremely hesitant buying anything used from Westgate Jeep/Chrysler/Dodge/Ram. They said they do mostly internet sales. I would NEVER consider a vehicle from this dealership sight unseen. ============================================================== ********************************UPDATE************************************** (6-9-11) I spoke with Ed Scarborough from Westgate yesterday, via phone. Ed comes across as a good guy and we had a good conversation about inventory processing, etc at Westgate. He was very apologetic, as you would assume. We discussed the situation and moved forward. In recap: 1. For used vehicles, most (all?) servicing and detailing is hired out to a third party. As Ed explained this to me, I took in all in with a grain of salt. It's still Westgate's final say as to whether or not a car is sold. Ed and I discussed this, and he agreed. Whether they hired out the service or not, it's still Westgate's responsibility when concerning a customer. Westgate made a goof. I can understand that. I have dropped the ball more than once in my life, and I am sure all of you reading this have too. My issue was and still is that multiple issues on multiple family vehicles were found at random. ----> Still worth suggesting (when dealing with ANY used vehicles from ANY dealer): Inspect to the best of your ability. Furthermore, makes friends with a trusted mechanic or motorhead that is able to also inspect your potential purchase. If either of you have any concern at all, just give it some serious thought. Never be attached to a vehicle. Do your research, people. 2. I am told at least one of the vehicles mentioned above has had a formal complaint written to the refurbisher that Westgate hires out. This was a result of the above review. If there was a complaint, it happened yesterday. note -------> As of right this minute (8:21 am), roughly 15 hours after our convo, all three vehicles are still listed for sale on the Westgate website. If the complaint was made by Westgate to the refurbisher, which I am not doubting, they are still listed as being for sale. I do hope the issues, especially with the Dodge and Hyundai, are being addressed immediately. 3. Ed was willing to work on the price of things regarding the Commander. LOL, maybe this was the $500 call back that I was expecting in the original entry. That is roughly what the price shift ended up totalling. It's still a no go on my end for the reasons mentioned in my original post. 4. Ed made a fantastic point during the conversation. Used cars are USED. This was stated and is meant to be restated as a simple matter of general fact. Yes, used cars will almost ALWAYS have dings, pings, scratches, bumps, stains, scrapes, etc etc etc. You will find things on a blank slide if you hold it under the microscope long enough. Never expect prefection when buying used, but always hold your decision to certain set standards. 5. There was a lot of small talk regarding many different vehicles. Ed took the time to figure out what I was seeking as a consumer. He took a vested interest in learning about my particular situation. I have a lot of respect for the conversation that we had. In closing: I sincerely hope that anyone reading this does not see my complaints as knitpicking. As a consumer, I have never bought a new car. I never will either. Not a single I've purchased has ever been blemish free. I don't expect a blemish free used car, ever. My particular situation at Westgate of having 2 out of 3 random cars with what I consider to be way beyond the normal expected wear and tear of a typical used car is unusual. But it still happened and it's worth being addressed in a public forum. These issues were beyond cosmetic. The last two cars had potential issues that could compromise the longevity of each respective vehicle. -I stand by my observations of all three vehicles + any DealerRater ratings associated with this. -I am ammending some of the interpersonal observations and ratings: 1. I am changing my rating from a 3 to a 5 after the conversation with Ed. I will still give John the benefit of the doubt even though my initial interaction was poor. Eric was awesome to work with. 2. My overall experience is going from a 1 to 2. The situation was not Great by far, nor was it Good or Ok. 3. Customer service is being moved from Ok to Good. I think that a deal can be found anywhere, not excluding Westgate. Would I recommend Westgate? Based on my particular situation and nothng else.... no. But by all means, my review and experience is not the only one out there. See what other people experience and make an educated decision based on the total sum. For me personally, a vehicle is a vehicle. I try my best to be loyal to good dealerships that have treated me well in the past, but still, a dealership is simply a channel of getting a vehicle from the lot to my driveway. I would work with Westgate on a future purchase, but not without really playing the field of dealerships throughout Central and Eastern NC. I still stand by my Internet Purchase comment. I would never buy / negotiate a vehicle with Westgate sight unseen (nor anyone else for that matter. This is nonsense unless a 100% buyback guarantee was in place.) More

Best car sales experience I have ever had, I will recommend this dealership to all my friends and family! And when its time to buy another vehicle I will be returning to see PETE, The jeep specialist recommend this dealership to all my friends and family! And when its time to buy another vehicle I will be returning to see PETE, The jeep specialist! More

I recently hit a curb and dented the rim and damaged the tire on my Dodge Viper. The tire and rim were covered by an extended warranty (which was not purchased at West Gate). At first the company servicing tire on my Dodge Viper. The tire and rim were covered by an extended warranty (which was not purchased at West Gate). At first the company servicing the warranty did not want to replace the tire and rim. Medhi, Customer Service Rep, went above and beyond to talk with warranty company, explain why they should replace both parts and ultimately convinced them to pay for everything. This saved me ~$1875. Thanks guys. I am now a loyal customer. Outstanding customer service! More

I recently had some work done on my Jeep and received exceptional service from their service department. The work was not only done on time and priced right at the original estimate, but the service man exceptional service from their service department. The work was not only done on time and priced right at the original estimate, but the service manager went out of his way to answer any questions I had about my repair. Highly recommend this place to anyone looking to service their cars. More

We just purchased a new 2012 Grand Cherokee from Westgate Jeep...I wanted to make the car purchase a surprise for my wife because she had over 125,000 on her 6 year old Jeep Commander...she reallyed loved th Jeep...I wanted to make the car purchase a surprise for my wife because she had over 125,000 on her 6 year old Jeep Commander...she reallyed loved the car but it was time to get a new Jeep...She really loved the Grand Cherokees new body style, but I kept telling her the Liberty was the car we were getting....Everyone at the dealership was wonderful at making her continue to beleive we were getting a Liberty and not the Grand Cherokee which she really wanted. When she got to the Dealership for delivery of her new car and we walked outside they had a huge bow on her car and she was truely surprised. Thanks to everyone there for making it a special event for both of us. The quality of care and service is way beyond what we have received at other Jeep Dealerships in the past. I would recommend Westgate Jeep for anyone looking for a new or used car. More

My wife and I went to Westgate to inquire about used Honda Odysseys. We had seen several listed over the past several months and stopped by to see what was on the lot. We found out there was an Odysse Honda Odysseys. We had seen several listed over the past several months and stopped by to see what was on the lot. We found out there was an Odyssey they had just acquired as a trade in and we returned the next day to look at the van (which we purchased). Tommy Graves was a pleasure to work with. I do not normally like the process of buying a car because I generally feel very pressured by the sales reps that I have dealt with at other dealerships in the past. This couldn't be farther from the truth with the individuals we came into contact with at Westgate. Everyone was helpful. There were several things on the van that needed attention (the weather stripping on one back door, an upholstery problem on the passenger chair, a stain on a back seat and a battery that needed to be replaced. Tommy and the Westgate team took care of those problems in a timely manner and to our satisfaction. More