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Honda of Kirkland -- Personal ExperienceJul 26 '04 (Updated Jul 27 '04) Write an essay on this topic.
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The Bottom Line "The Honda of Kirkland Connection" (their jingle) does not seem to be one of consistency. Have your homework done and your own financing secured before you walk in.
Honda of Kirkland http://www.kirklandhonda.com/en_US/ is located in the Rose Hill area of Kirkland, WA. I purchased my Acura Integra from them in 1998 that I thought I had researched well. It was my first time buying and had little clue what I was getting into, especially with a used vehicle. If you look in my other reviews you can read about my little Integra, and in retrospect I probably should not have bought the car as quickly and witlessly as I did. I should have taken it to a competing Honda dealer (or Acura dealer as I eventually did) to get a complete inspection. I was assured by the licentious salesman that it had passed their multipoint inspection and that it was clean. We did determine that the screws needed to be turned down on the folding back seat hinges (it had been removed for cleaning) and that one of the tires was low. I foolishly agreed to buy it for the price posted as it was reasonable given its age, mileage, and (perceived) condition. Even though things seemed to go well on the test drive, things did not go well that night or the next day. First the tire was still flat by the time I picked it up and the same salesman says, "yep, all the air jigs have been put away, but there's a gas station down the street that has free air, you can fill it there." Stupidly, I drove it off the lot and filled it up myself. The guy was probably laughing the whole way. Oh well, I deserved it. Second, by the time I got back to my place of work, the front end was suddenly no longer solid and quiet. When I got to work, I noticed that the entire nose molding was not secure. My fishy feelings about the whole deal were confirmed -- and I was now teed-off! I took it to Acura of Belleuve to have a complete and proper inspection and they gave me a huge list of items that were VERY concerning. I had been duped. Upon returning to Honda of Kirkland, there were few people left to talk to that night (my former salesperson was not there, either). So, I confronted the used car acquisition manager (hey, he was the one who had produced this vehicle for them). I was agitated, and ended up being quite short with him, but I did try to keep a civilized tone. He EXPLODED at me, asking me who did I think I was confronting him with a laundry list of fixes from some shop that he didn't know (sure, Honda of Kirkland doesn't deal with Acura of Bellevue!) and expect him to make everything right. Fortunately, I brought a friend (that I should have brought with me in the first place when I went looking for a vehicle) who calmed both our nerves and talked some sense into the acquisition manager's head. Here's where I have to give Honda of Kirkland some props: they fixed nearly every last thing on that list. Re-keying one of the locks did take some extra time (and the dealership manager *tried to charge me* for that at one point even though they had said they would do it at no cost to me), but in the end they finally came through (but not without some serious complaining on my part). That is my used car experience. I have further testimony from friends that have attempted to, or actually did, purchase vehicles (new and used) from them. All experiences are different and further demonstrate inconsistencies in service. If you are thinking of visiting Honda of Kirkland, go in prepared. Like many dealerships, they will have little room to wiggle when you have your own loan (or have your own cash) established, know exactly what you want, and are ready to walk when they don't have what you need.  |
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