Insider Pages Reviews for Balboa Motors

1 Stars: Balboa Motors is to be avoided. (by Stuart R.)

Stuart R. — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 06:03:00 GMT

Would not recommend this dealership. I purchased a used 2005 Frontier 2/8/09. Got a good deal on the truck but everything else went downhill from then on. Had to take the truck back twice, at their request, once to put the correct temporary registration on the windshield, then a week later they asked me to bring it back again to take off the license plates as I was told the wrong plates were on the truck. Met Ray, the owner, he told me then I would be getting new plates & registration soon. Over a month later I received another phone call from the dealership telling me I owed another $193.00 for the registration. When questioned I got a song'n' dance from the Sales Manager, Ed Martinez. He told me the $193.00 owed was due to penalties as the previous owner had paid the DMV with a bad check. I told Ed that wasn't my fault and then he said the $193.00 was not for penalties. Spoke with the DMV the next day & they said that there was &193.00 owed due to penalties that was holding up the registration process. Ed sent me a letter, at my request, trying to explain the situation. Now saying I owed $173.00. He claimed he usually estimates the license & registration to be $250.00 on all vehicles he sells but made a mistake on my sales contract, being off by $109.57. He wrote he can't always estimate to the exact penny! I wrote him back telling him I expected the dealership to pay for their mistakes & to get me my license & registration promptly. On 3/27/09 I received another letter from Mr. Martinez telling me the dealership had paid all the fees & penalties & to have the truck re-smogged, (they would pay for the smog), & "the matter would be put rest" ,I "would receive my plates & registration". All through April & May I called the DMV. I was told they were behind in their paperwork but I would receive my plates/registration shortly. Got my title in late April. On 5/14/09 I got another phone call from the dealership telling me they had my plates/registration. I first was told they had received them in the mail but when I ques-tioned that they then said they had gone to the DMV & picked them up. Then Ray got on the phone & told me that I owed him $173.00 & I would not get my documents until I paid him that amount. I attempted to read him Mr. Martinez;s letter saying the matter was put to rest. Ray refused to acknowledge the letter & then proceeded to tell me I had got a good deal & I had tricked Mr. Martinez when I purchased the truck. He also said I was smarter then Mr. Martinez. I told Ray he had signed off on the deal but he told me that if he had been on the lot the day I purchased the truck he would not have approved the deal as he thought I was not a nice person & had lied. I again attempted to reseon with this rude man but he said I would not get my documents unless I paid $173.00. He then hung up. I have filed a complaint with the BBB & the DMV. The DMV is now processing my claim. They said they mailed plates & registration to me in late March??? The DMV is now processing me new plates/registration. Would I recommend this dealership? What do you think? Read some of the other reviews about Ray Rafiei, the owner.From my experience he is not to be trusted.

1 Stars: Balboa motors??never again (by Tommy K.)

Tommy K. — Sat, 25 Apr 2009 04:34:00 GMT

Well, In august 2008 I bought Subaru 2003, from Balboa Motors. The very next day I notice that I cant open my trunk with original key, so I went back to them to see why.They told that lock is stuck and that they don t want to deal with this problem!! Hello! I bought this car yesterday!!! Also I bought warranty for the next 3 years , or 36000Miles. Also they promised me to fix anything wrong on the car in that period of time!Just 2 months after that , I notice disturbing noise from the steering system, so I came back to Balboa Motors, cause I have warranty on the car, and Ray ( owner) told me that every car in his dealership is making the same noise like my car. What are you talking about Ray? So, again, no use of my WARRANTY!! And I went to Subaru dealer and fix that , of course not for free!! A month after that turbo pipe got cracked.Balboa Motors refused to fix that to, like it s my fault... Mechanic in Subaru dealer said that car was sold to me with a small crack which after a 3 months got bigger.. Price of the pipe is $363+ taxes, and + labor.So around 600 Dollars!Again,I can t use warranty in BALBOA MOTORS! I never get CAR FAX, I never get spare key!They never mention that this Subaru 2003 has aftermarket parts whole exhaust system was after market.
I really don t recommend this dealership to anyone, they do not check cars before they put it for sale. Subaru Dealer confirm me that there is no way that they checked this car! Just in a 3 months after I purchased this car I had already more than a $1000 to invest in repairs. Really BAD DEALERSHIP, hope that you won t have problems like me. I filed already complains to BBB, and CONSUMERS AFFAIRS CA.. So states agents can invest their business. If you have same issues with car purchased there feel free to contact me:
tommy-kopas@net.hr

5 Stars: Wonderful Car. (by Kelly R.)

Kelly R. — Sat, 18 Oct 2008 10:30:00 GMT

I just bought my 2002 Honda Civic at Balboa Motors, and I love it! I bought it in August of 2008. Every time I get in it I realize that I really got a great car. I even got it checked out by my mechanic and he said I bought a really good car, and it should give me no problems if I keep up on the regular maintenance.

5 Stars: Satisfied Customer (by Jisam B.)

Jisam B. — Thu, 29 Nov 2007 17:04:00 GMT

I bought my first car here almost 10 years ago. A Nissan Pathfinder that ran great with no problems. I decided to trade it in for something more fuel-efficient - a Honda Accord, also in great shape (and I was able to sell it for a good price). Since then I have switched into a Honda Civic, and most recently into a newer Honda Civic (all from Balboa Motors!). I always receive great treatment from the manager (Ray works amazing deals, and I think he really tries to keep customers happy), and I get fair trade-in values. I have recently moved to the bay area, but I think I'll make the trip down to SD to get my next car (I'm thinking about getting a hybrid). I know, I change cars a lot (what is that? 4 times in less than 10 years?), but with such great deals, I can afford to drive the car I want.

4 Stars: Good Buy (by Julie C.)

Julie C. — Mon, 01 May 2006 21:03:00 GMT

We bought a Toyota 4Runner here about a year ago. We were pretty happy with the service we got (as much as you can be from a used-car sale :-) They gave us a good trade-in value and we got a great car....I would say that the salesman was nice, but aren't they all? We haven't had any problems with the car and are very happy with the purchase.