Anchorage Auto Mart — Car Dealer in Anchorage

ALL reviews about Anchorage Auto Mart

• Mia

  Added 2014.11.18

  As lifelong Alaskans never have we had a more positive experience than provided by Jesse Toni and their family. Also as a lifelong mechanic I fully understand and appreciate the inherited risks of buying a USED vehicle caused by previous owner neglect and the automakers intentional practice of design to fail in order to generate profits. We have never before purchased a vehicle from a used car lot and did not know what to expect, but unlike our previous purchases from new car dealers and private owners Toni and his family have gone beyond anything we have ever experienced from offering free inspections prior to purchase and repairs after our "AS IS" purchase. Even though we never expected or demanded for them to do so and regardless that any issue we may have had was either caused by previous neglect, manufacturer recall or typical of the model and age of the vehicle none of which being Toni and his family's cause or responsibility as a reseller. As a mechanic with common Knowledge to parts failure resulting from the federal liability laws only holding the automakers responsible for 10 years we were "educated" and "realistic" as what to expect in maintenance and repairs. Combined with already owning 2 additional vehicles we purchased brand NEW from the manufacturer of the exact same year and make as the USED vehicle we purchased from Toni. The manufacturer refused to honor their warranty when we began to experience issues with the NEW vehicles within only 1 year. And regardless how meticulously we maintained the NEW vehicles to manufacture specifications now that they are past the federal 10 year mark we have experienced massive system failure requiring consistent repairs and parts replacement typical of all makes and models from our 30 year mechanical experience. I would have expected nothing less from the third USED vehicle of the same age make and model we purchased from Toni and his family. But the vehicle they sold us is not only the most dependable vehicle of the 3 it is the only vehicle that has had 0 repair costs because of this family's generosity to use their resources and finances for my family's vehicle. Perhaps the greatest testament to this family has been their kindness and generosity given to my family when tragedy struck regardless that they had already provided us with 0% financing. As 20 year Alaska business owners ourselves combined with our personal experience with this family it is indisputably clear that the small lot and lack of a flashy expensive showroom is a result of and proof to their sacrifice and dedication to the customer above and beyond profitably leaving little more than the integrity and honor to be passed down to the next generation of this Alaska grown family business. We are proud to say that we came to this lot to purchase a vehicle and walked away with a lifelong friendship after being treated as nothing less than family by them. Do not buy a vehicle from these guys!!! I test drove a 2009 Pontiac vibe, and the car seemed to run well except for a check engine light, traction control, and a couple others warning annunciators. I told them no thanks, but Toni called me back a couple hours later and informed me that a sensor was just disconnected, and it was fine. I test drove it again and it seemed fine; the lights were extinguished. A day after purchasing the car, the lights came back on. After purchasing the vehicle their tone changed completely from helpful, to acting like it was my fault and my problem, which it has become. It also took weeks of prying and calling to get the title, which was not clearly advertised as rebuilt. Fast forward about 4000 miles and those lights were the precursor of a multitude of problems: overheating, running rough, limiting of power, and finally the vehicle not even starting. I have had sensors and shorts found and replaced, along with all four ignition coils, a water pump, and now it has a blown head gasket and I'm trying to decide if it's worth putting another couple thousand in it. I paid $6,000 (just over blue book) for the car. It needed a new set of summer tires, so I also got studs (together another grand). So far I have paid $1,600 to the auto shop to try and keep it running. They have now told me that they suspect the engine was swapped after it was totaled, and they don't think it's worth putting another couple thousand into for a blown head gasket. I've put almost $9,000 into a car that hasn't ever been reliable and now I'm stuck with either putting thousands more in, or cutting my losses. On top of all of this I’ve been using Uber every time I commute to anchorage for work, several times a month for almost 3 months now. I’ve since contacted Anchorage auto Mart, and after threatening to write them an honest negative review, they offered to have their shop rate for replacement of the head gasket. This was the best I could do, so I agreed to this reasonable offer. I was told by Jessie that he would pick up my car from the shop and have their’s do the work. After a week and nobody picking up the vehicle, the only way I could get a response was to threaten poor reviews again. My calls were ignored and I couldn’t get any promise of my vehicle being repaired. I needed my vehicle and didn’t trust them or their mechanics at all, so I’m now paying the other shop to do the work. These guys blatantly lied to me in order to get a car off their lot. They apparently buy totaled vehicles at auction, complete bandaid repairs, and sell them as if they are reliable. This was the worst purchase of my life, and the most shady business I have ever had the regret of being involved with. Their idea of customer service is pushing a sale, and then ignoring you afterwards. This business is full of con artists and should be shut down. Jed D. Toni Is so great and helpful!!! Makes even a first time car purchase a breeze. Not to mention, he is honest and open about each vehicle, which makes everything a lot easier! Thanks So much!! Scam artist from Eastern Europe. Your buying a salvaged/reconstruct title vehicle. STAY AWAY! NOT HONEST!