Hi.. I just started working at camelback subaru.. I would really like to hear your honest opinions on the place if any of you have been there. From what I've seen on this site so far.. no one seems to like them. But anyhow.. any opinions or suggestions would be great.

thanks

Hi, bring the Forester STI over here and I'll trade my XT in. Thank you.

uhm.. yeh

It was worth a shot wasn't it? :lol:

Hi, bring the Forester STI over here and I'll trade my XT in. Thank you.


I concur...except I don't have an XT...but I'll trade in my wrx if you get the forester STI here.

Back to your topic...I have been to Camelback 3 times. Once when I wanted to buy a car, another time for service and the last time to get parts...horrible experience each time. I will never go there again unless forced to. That's pretty funny too, considering camelback is like 5 miles from my work and I'd rather drive to any other dealership instead. Just my opinion. I'm sure other people on here love camelback.

I've had 3 experiences with Camelback when it comes to purchasing/leasing cars. I'll probably get flamed for the stupidity and lack of self control that I exhibited when I was there, but I'll tell you guys about them anyway.

In May of 2004 I went in there looking to test drive a 2004 WRX, didn't even think about an STi because of the price. I looked around at the used ones and couldn't find anything that looked any good and I liked the front end better on the '04's better than the bugeyes too, so I decided to go after a 2004 WRX. I test drove a silver one and loved it, but wasn't quite ready to buy yet. The salesman I was working with was an older guy that was more than a little pushy, but I've never bought a new car before and didn't know the difference. He basically told me that I was out "shopping for cars" so I must be willing to drop the money on one right then and there, kind of guilt tripping me into buying one. A couple months later when it came time for the first service, he wasn't even employed by them any more.

About August of 2004 I went back to Camelback to get the windows tinted on my '04 WRX. I was told it wouldn't be more than 2 hours or so, so I went out and killed some time at Circuit City and Blockbuster and came back about 2 hours and 15 minutes later. The car was still being tinted so I just figured I'd watch TV in the waiting room and wait. While I was waiting, about 2 or three different salespeople asked me what I was doing and after telling them what my car was and what I was doing, they each asked me if I might be interested in an '05 STi. I turned down the first few, but decided to go test drive one with the third salesperson. I drove the crap out of the STi and decided I needed one. With my credit the way it was, and my lack of a significant down payment, the best they could do on a purchase was about 1000 per month over 60 months. Then they suggested a lease, and after about an hour of talking, I agreed to it at 736 per month for 48 months.

736 per month on a lease ended up being too expensive for me and after about a year or so, I decided I'd trade in the '05 STi for a used '03 or '04 wagon, both of which they had in stock at the time. BTW about 2 services into the time I had the STi, I noticed that the salesman I worked with to start leasing it didn't work for them any more. I called ahead to make sure both cars were still there, and they assured me that they were. I got there and the '04 had sold already (110 miles from home,) which obviously pissed me off. I decided I'd be happy with the '03 wagon and started the paperwork on it. After a little bit, they realized that to deal with the inequity I had in the STi, they couldn't make a deal payment wise on a used vehicle and could only bury the lease in a purchase of a new vehicle. I then ended up getting a WRB '06 WRX TR, and have been happy with it ever since (about 1 month) although I can't drive it right now due to medical issues.

All three experiences were very different, and the third was the only time I ever felt like the salesperson was actually trying to help me out and get the best option for me. The first time the salesman pushed me into a purchase that I wasn't quite ready for, second time the guy pushed me into a freaking lease, but the third time it felt like they wanted to help me out. I don't remember the sales lady's name for sure, but she was probably in her 40's, blonde lady, with an english accent, and if I remember correctly her first name was Denice, cool lady that made a good impression on me.

damn, long post, sorry about that guys.

I have taken my car there for all its service appointments along with warranty work. Bret the service rep there is awesome, I think they are great. They get my vote :)

I bought my car at Camelback because it was close to my work at the time. I didn't deal with any sales people.

I have my oil changed there since it's free for me, and they do a detail every 6 months. I like their service department. They never seem to have the part I want in stock, so I usually order online (for less, anyway).

Camelback's a small dealer and I like that--I do recommend them.

I bought my 05 WRX from Camelback. The deal went ok until the information the salesman was giving me suddenly changed when I began talking with the finance people. I was also told to bring the car back to have the windows tinted (part of the deal), when I brought the car back the salesman I had been dealing with was no longer employed and no one wanted to help.

I took the car to Camelback for the first couple of services and was appreciative of the loaner cars. The service people were great, had no complaints there.

I haven't taken the car back in a while as I've moved and am closer to another dealer.

Just my $.02

I've got a little more than $.02 worth. I did time at Camelback for 11 months over a year ago and was the Fleet manager for gregr01's STi. I am now a sales manager and Internet manager at Steven Jory Subaru, formerly 21Bell Subaru and I love it here. Although Camelback is small and also privately owned like we are, their techniques are usually pushier than our style and this is due to the owners tendacies to train sales people in that manner. The one thing to remember here is that this is a very transient business especially in the sales end and sometimes to no fault of the person moving but rather to the owner constantly moving people around in search of the right chemistry instead of actually training them for the task assigned.
There are good and bad folks at virtually every dealer in every department and I know a few of the folks still there at Camelback like Denise mentioned earlier as a helpful salesperson. I also know some of the service techs there and can not say anything but good things about them. Shaun, the lead tech at Camelback may be one of, if not the best all around Subaru techs in the area and if Aaron is still there then they make a great team. They know what they're doing even if the Service advisor or Parts people may not seem to.
As to pushy sales people, there's no place in a modern, informed society for these tactics and anyone who falls for such tricks or guilt trips needs to do more research before signing on the bottom line. That's my nickles worth.
P.S. Good Luck ZeroSpace!

Bret is an awesome guy.... he always takes care of me when i need something... just dont try and stop in without calling first if you want your car worked on they have a small service department

- dan -

i used to work there is freddy there still?

Most of the people i have delt with there so far have been ok, but one guy can't remember his name...did the appraisal on my 02 wrx when i traded her in for an 05 sti....let me tell you this guy was a @#$@#%@#$!@#$!#% i swear to you if i see him in public its going to be on like donkey kong i don't deal well with pushy people in dealerships but thats just me... as for the rest of the staff they were all very nice, and Bret the service guy is top notch.

I'm at Power Subaru. I like the way my managers do business, it's pretty laid back. You are all welcome to come see me if you need assistance in the purchase of a suby and you are all welcome to call me with any questions even if you choose to buy elsewhere.

I have had alot of experience with Camelback so I will assign grades to each department.

Service: A. Great service and attention to detail. Knowlegible mechanics. They were supposed to work on my '04 WRX that was later totalled, and I was happy with the work they did to diagnose the engine. I talked to the mechanic personally, who proceeded to tell me t even though my insurance company would have paid them for all the work on the engine and stuff, he preferred not to simply because it was a giant pain in the @$$ to rebuild a blown engine and it usually just lead them to more headaches down the road. I was extremely surprised at this honesty in that situation.

Parts: C. The few times I have asked questions, the guy had no clue, but went to great lengths to help me.

Sales. B+ the first time, D the second time. Michael Ehle sold me my '04 WRX when he was there, and I had a good experience. Michael is a great guy and I highly recommend buying from him over at Stephn Jory if you need a car.

My second purchase wasn't so nice. I had arranged the deal with the internet manager over the phone, and I didn't have a trade so it was a very simple transaction. When I arrived I wsa handed over to a young hotshot sales guy and I made sure the price was correct, then asked him what my payment would be without seeing anything else. This is standard practice for me as this is how I can tell if a dealership is playing clean. I knew ahead of time what all the fees would be(tax, title, doc, etc), how much the car was, and I calculated precisely how much my payment would be over xyz time. However, when the sales guy brought back the famous payment sheet, the payment was about $50 more per month than it should have been. I instantly wipped out my calculator, listed out all the pricing, and showed him exactly what the payment SHOULD have been. At this point I knew I had the guy by the balls because they were trying to add in a full extended warranty and everything behind my back. He went back to see his manager, then came back with the REAL payment, and said he was sorry for the "mistake". Later that evening I recalculated my payment, adding in the extended warranty price, and came up with the same payment they WANTED me to pay. I felt really good about catching them in their own game.

finance: F. Both times I have been at the finance group at Camelback were absolutely brutal. Both times they made me wait over an hour before starting my paperwork. The second time I could see in the office and I knew they weren't helping another customer, they were in there shooting the breeze while I grew more and more impatient. I knew all they were trying to do was butter me up so they could try to screw me up the @$$. When I finally got in there, the finance person made me felt like a complete d$%khead for not getting the extended warranty, almost to the point of calling me names. I held me ground because I really wanted the car and it was the only '05 STI left in the Southwest in WRB.


I will say that I tried to buy the same cars from Pitre/Power, and contrary to what everyone here says I didn't like working with Dave at all. Both times I felt like I was being taken for a spin around the block so I left.

Sorry for the long post but I thought it was relevant.

MF

Bought my '02 wrx at Camelback (traded in at Avodale for the '05 STi) I'd never go back there for anything.

I went through with the deal because when the WRX first came out they were so hard to find.

Basic problem was the deal changed everytime I saw a new face... from sale to sales manager to finance. I ended up getting an acceptable deal but they sure took any joy out of the experience.. felt like I had violated when I finally got out of there.

Interestingly enough, last week I just got another feedback form from Subaru to eval my '02 purchase. I did do a negative one after the initial purchase, guess they want to see if my mind has been changed.
Avondale was great. Almost too easy. :eek: Almost.

I bought my 05 STi from Camelback in June since a very good friend of mine (salesperson for BMW) recommended me to Bob (VW Fleet Mgr). I had a set price in my mind to pay for the car OTD and I told them if they can't/won't give it to me I'll walk. So I got pretty much what I wanted.

I've been there for service once at 800 miles for an oil change ( a little early I know) and Bret told me that "Subaru recommends changing the oil only at 3,000 miles." I shrugged and told him since it's a freebie, I wanted it done anyways. So they did.

I *might* go back for my 2nd oil change as I have a whopping 2,100 miles now ont he car but only because I work on 44th and Indian School. And with their loaner and proximity, it's just convenient. Bret seems a good guy and so is Donnie at the part dept. By the way, Bob gave me a 20% discount on ALL parts at the dealership for as long as I own the car so.....yeah..not a bad little dealership.

i tell ya what, some POS over there tried telling me that my car was over due for its "12000 mile" service and that if i dont have them perform it, my car's warranty would be voided. So I inform the gentleman that my father is a factory trained subaru mechanic and he owns his own shop and we do all the work needed on my car, he still proceeds to tell me, "you better be able to show a reciept for this service." So, i'm like fine, i can do that. Anyways, to make a long story short, if you check your owner's manual, there is no 12000 mile service. theres one at 7500 and 15000 and all of those just require INSPECTION of fluids and brakes and crap. No replacements or changing. I think his name was PEPE or something like that. i dunno, i could be wrong though.

Wow, thanks for all the replies. Yes, Denise does still work there, she's pretty cool.. and If anyone wants to be brave and work with a rookie, you can come see me too. ( I would say more, but I don't want to get fired if anyone reads this, hah)

P.S speaking of the forester sti, does anyone know if and when it's coming to the US?


Thanks,

Heather

Oh your name is Heather... well in that case I'll come see you when I'm ready for a new STi. :lol:

Oh that makes a difference does it? :p

girls n cars dude.

is ernie still in parts? is bill balles still the manager?

I was in the market recently. I checked out Camelback. Spoke with Heaher. She seemed relaxed and straight forward, if new.

I stop by because their website showed an 06 WRX wagon. When I got to the dealership there where none to be found. So we drove a sedan. Heather directed us to a nice triwsty road, and made sure I wasn't hard on the car. The 06 is what I wanted out of the 02-05 WRX.

I ended up getting an 05 FXT out of state.

that subaru dealer sucks. i have had dealing with the service and parts. they were slow, and ignorant. i will never go back again, not to them, the power dealer gets my business now. sorry dude, they F*ck up.

well i bought my06 sti from eddie k and the process was long, it was the first 06 sti on the lot and if i wasnt in such a hurry and needed a vehicle i would have waited longer. i ended up getting a really good deal, just slightly over invoice, but i had to get 1100 in options that i didnt want. so in the end i paid too much. but it was a good experience overall. i live in avondale so they will get my service buisness except for my free oil changes. all in all a good dealership if there is such a thing.

but i had to get 1100 in options that i didnt want. so in the end i paid too much. but it was a good experience overall.

You have no choice, because Subaru ships 95% of STIs with the same options, and no dealer in there right mind is going to take them off.

is ernie still in parts? is bill balles still the manager?


Nope... and Nope

I was in the market recently. I checked out Camelback. Spoke with Heaher. She seemed relaxed and straight forward, if new.

I stop by because their website showed an 06 WRX wagon. When I got to the dealership there where none to be found. So we drove a sedan. Heather directed us to a nice triwsty road, and made sure I wasn't hard on the car. The 06 is what I wanted out of the 02-05 WRX.

I ended up getting an 05 FXT out of state.


Haha I remeber you.. you tried to kill me in that car.. just kidding. :p

Ok, last one for now...anyone had any experience with the dealers in cali? I'm thinking about movin there

its really exspensive there and they have SMOG! I say **** That! you live in the greatest state in the country! tell denise Justin said Hi and i will bring by the baby for her to see. and tell cory Yournot gonna fall for a banna in the tailpipe!

^^^^^^^^^^^

Why on earth would anyone voluntarily life in California????:eek::huh::confused:

subys are cheaper in cali... i just moved from LA.. dont go to Big Valley subaru... try South Coast Subaru... their a mod friendly dealership... and if your still in Arizona go check out Avondale Subaru.. i work there... so if you need anything just let me know

Any of you guys hiring ? I need a service or parts job. I know to much to be a sales guy!....lol

Any of you guys hiring ? I need a service or parts job. I know to much to be a sales guy!....lol


but do you know how to sell? thats the question... :devil:

seriously though i think we need some day porters...

hello! I'm in the market for a 06 impreza 2.5i wagon 5sd and stopped by camelback for the first time last week (last Monday to be exact - 10/17).

To say the least - my experience was odd. Denise was there, However they were so 'busy' that the car porter was asked to go on the test drive with me and my guests (parents came in from out of town to visit). This turned out to be a good thing - as she(the porter) wasn't there to sell a car, so I got to drive the car and really pay attention to how it handled.

The car porter did recommend that I see you, Heather, and she did say you were very laid back and easy to get along with. However Denise already jumped all over me.

Denise claimed that they had exactly what I wanted, a white 2.5i aspen white wagon 5 spd arriving that friday. So of course I left (happy as a lark) and called friday after she did not call me, and the sales guy I spoke with was like "uhhh, what on earth are you talking about - we didn't get any impreza's in". So, needless to say I left a message & she called me back and promised that the car would most likely be there within a week, as they are arriving 'all the time' and that I should come down to work out the numbers. End result - they offer some bogus super low OTD price, take my info, and I leave - expecting that the car should be in at any time -they wanted a deposit but I refused until they could give me a vin and a delivery date - which of course she couldn't come up with (read further).

During this whole period Denise also walked off with my keys to my trade - and did not return them for the entire time I was there...stupid me, I fell for that trick. She also would disapear for 20-30 minutes at a time to talk to here 'sales mgr' and wouldn't come back until they noticed me randomly walking about the lot or talking on my cell. She also tried to sell me up to a WRX wagon with 910 miles - turns out the car is Anthony's (another Sales mgr) demo. This is after I made it very clear that I was not going to purchase a car with more than 10 miles on it (had to be never test driven). She also tried telling me that insurance was no more on the WRX than on the 2.5i and that the WRX takes 87 octane....she even said "that's all we put in them" ....if that's true than I feel real bad for anybody who buys a WRX from Camelback.....

Anthony (sales mgr) and Denise both lied through their teeth to try to get some type of down payment/commitment out of me. I have no respect for either of them because of the way they treated me - they took me for a fool. I can not and will not buy my next vehicle from them.

It turns out, they only have one impreza wagon on the way for the remainder of 06, a red one, and that if I want a white one from them, they said I could not get it until Dec (I'd have to order it -but they didn't really state it as such...). This I had to find out from Eddie K, as Anthony doesn't seem to exist anymore. Eddie seemed like a decent guy and was the only one at camelback that was even slightly truthful, although he wasn't good about call backs, & he tried passing off denise as an individual who gets 'ahead' of hereself (instead of an outright dishonest person)

I just can't understand how some individuals can lie so well, so often, & with a straight face. No person should put up with sales people like these.

Now on the flip side, I must say that Steven Jory Subaru is a great place! Even though I had to wait quite a bit - I was on the verge of leaving before I received any assistance - I simply cannot say enough great things about their sales department. Michael Ehle and Mark Simpson are two honest individuals who were very knowledgeable (and genuinely passionate) about the products they sell. They did not try to hassel me on price (as Camelback did) and were very patient with all the questions and specifications I have for my new vehicle (I'm uh...'retentive', to say the least). Micheal took the time to answer all my questions in detail and not once did he get impatient with me. I must say Micheal at Steven Jory made an exellent recovery from my poor experience at Camelback and new car shopping in general because of his honesty & desire to assist me (not to simply sell me anything on the lot), regardless of whether or not I bought from him.

Because of the way Micheal and the rest of the people at Steven Jory treated me; I do belive I know where I'll be purchasing my next car - I just want to fly it by the girlfriend first for the sake of it :)

Sorry Heather, it sounds like your a great lady, but I think it will take a lot more than simply youself to turn Camelback into a respectable establishment....

sorry for the long post - this is all just fresh in my mind.

did i just read that someone leased an sti for $730/mo and they're mad at the dealership!?!! who in their right mind would do that deal? you should be mad at yourself only.

No experience with Camelback subaru but just chime in on subaru dealers in general:

Subaru dealership Go Subaru in Grand Rapids, MI - AWESOME SERVICE

Subaru dealership Grand Prix in Long Island, NY - HORRIBLE, clueless, aholes - my car never ran the way it was supposed there

Bell Subaru in Phoenix, OK service, although the mechanic managed to somehow break my MAF (already replaced under recall about a year ago) during test drive and I HAD TO PAY FOR IT... :furious: it's always FISHY when things "break" during those few hours when the car is in the shop

did i just read that someone leased an sti for $730/mo and they're mad at the dealership!?!! who in their right mind would do that deal? you should be mad at yourself only.

You read correctly that I leased the '05 STi for that amount, but I signed on for that deal in a weak moment, and they were more than eager to push me into that deal. I made a bad decision and I realize that, but an ethical dealer would not have made that deal either. I never once said that I was mad at the dealer, just at the sales practice that they used and them taking advantage of me in a weak moment. I am purchasing an '06 WRX TR from them at the current time and they were great in that transaction.

gotta love nabisco huh? such a warm and loving group of people..... :rolleyes:

You read correctly that I leased the '05 STi for that amount, but I signed on for that deal in a weak moment, and they were more than eager to push me into that deal. I made a bad decision and I realize that, but an ethical dealer would not have made that deal either. I never once said that I was mad at the dealer, just at the sales practice that they used and them taking advantage of me in a weak moment. I am purchasing an '06 WRX TR from them at the current time and they were great in that transaction.

gotta love nabisco huh? such a warm and loving group of people..... :rolleyes:


Not to be mean or nothing but he could've been a lot more viscious than that. Also, it's always been my experience that you should always go to dealerships with the mindset of that they are going to try and screw you and that way you won't have any weak moments. It also helps if you take one or more other people with you who can slap you upside the head if they think you are getting carried away. Remember, strength in numbers. I'm a little confused by part of your reply. Are you buying your current TR from the same dealership that sold you the STI? If so, why would you go back to a dealership who you admittedly said took advantage of you? If this isn't the same dealership then congratulations and enjoy the 06.

I needed to get out from under the lease and believed that the only way I was going to get out from under it was to sell it back to the place that I got it from. I already have the '06 TR, and am loving the car. They did use crappy selling practices (can't think of the correct term) when they convinced me that the STi lease was a good idea....

I honestly got into TR because I could not make the payment for the STi for that month, and still pay other bills, Then my dumb azz spaced it and payed 750 as the first chunk of the down payment for the '06, negating any positive effect that I could have felt from getting out from under the lease for that month.

I have made some dumb financial decisions when it comes to cars, and am sharing those here in hopes that other people won't do the same thing. I have a definite, and admitted weakness when it comes to cars. This weakness is because when I grew up, I was not necessarily poor, but went to a HS where people had a fair amount of money, so my 1980 VW Rabbit was a crappy car. Now that I have a job where I make a couple dollars, I sometimes live beyond my means, and the STi was the biggest example of that.