The Car Place

Reviews

Reviews are sorted by relevance, with the most helpful and insightful feedback listed first for easy reference.

  Tom LaRussa
3 months ago
I just bought a car from The Car Place in Somers Ct. It is a 2009 Hyundai Sante Fe and I love it! It was a great buying experience. Dave was really down to earth and there was never any high-pressure tactics or false promises like you get from most other places. If you need a quality used car and don't stop here, you are doing yourself a disservice.

  christine
4 months ago
We purchased a used car here from Dave, the owner of The Car Place, and so far, I have had no issues with the car. He made the purchase easy and registered the vehicle for us. It's only been about two weeks, but this far, I like the used car. Thanks, Dave, for the good experience!

  Ricardo Soto
3 months ago
Bought 3 cars from him over the past 6 years. No junkers here, hence the small amount of cars in his lot because he plays no games and takes his time to find cars of reliability

  Brian Herrity
8 months ago
Bought car from this place the oil plug wasn t an all the way in ran out of oil. There was a hole in the gas tank. All the belts were bad. Pay the guy cash for the car. I would not recommend buying any vehicles from this place at all auction junk yet he says they re dependable vehicles that he sells.

  Christopher Moquin
3 years ago
First, I am writing this review 6 months and 5k miles from my purchase, so as to have an accurate and through review process.I had a great experience with Dave, et. al.. An independent mechanic reviewed the work he did and it was proper and completed as stated. He replaced all four tires and struts, among other parts, which is often overlooked at other lots. He was pleasant and easy going, I did not feel pressured or button-holed into a sale. I was even able to negotiate a great price. Took a test drive and owned the vehicle an hour later. I love my Hyundai; it was a great replacement for my Honda Accord that was totaled in a deer collision.I never had to take advantage of the 50/50 warranty so I cannot speak to its veracity. However, it is a limited warranty that doesn't cover everything but many used dealers don't offer any guarantee at all. There is always a risk when purchasing a used car and you should always fully read and understand the contract you are signing. I believe this is the reason why some other reviewers are having issues; they did not read or understand what they signed and expected more than what was offered.I would definitely recommend purchasing a car from Dave Sarno/The Car Place, Inc.. It should be noted that purchasing a used car always comes with a risk. It is imperative that you fully inspect the vehicle and know what you're looking at. You cannot blame the dealer if you did not do your research (Auto Check report, title reviews, dealer reviews, background check on dealer/business, state sanctions, ect.) or inspect the car thoroughly. Even the best dealer in the world cannot possibly prevent all problems from occurring or ascertain all problems on a vehicle.I shopped around at several used car dealerships throughout the state before settling on The Car Place. I found that many places had excessive conveyance fees ($200+) as well as aggressive sales tactics. They also sold the cars as is. None of these things are true at The Car Place.Bottom-line, It's pretty simple: know what you're buying, do through research (not just a 30 second Carfax report or Google search), read the contract fully, negotiate and cross your fingers because it's a used car and you just can't be sure no matter where you buy it but you're improving your odds significantly by going through this dealer. Remember you're saving significant money by not buying a certified pre-owned or new vehicle which comes with guaranteed assurances.

  Nemony Markoth
a year ago
I bought my 2008 kia rio from Dave and it runs so smoothly! Everything was new with the timing belt to the tires and Dave went above and beyond to help make purchasing the vehicle an easy process. Definitely will come again and will send people his way.

  Martin Rubino
3 years ago
My wife and I bought a Tucson from Dave over a year ago and we couldn't be happier - it's still running strong! Good price for a quality used vehicle. There's always risk involved with older / higher mileage cars so it is important to purchase one from someone who is trustworthy. Dave checks the cars and if necessary makes repairs before he sells them - he won't try to sell of something that he knows has problems. People looking to purchase used cars should be aware there's always a risk that it could fall short of their expectations, but at the Car Place the odds are in your favor that the vehicle you buy will exceed those expectations. It certainly exceeded ours!

  Matthew Traber
3 years ago
I purchased an eleven year old car with 102K miles on it for my teenager. A couple weeks later we heard a knocking sound in the front suspension. I had a local garage look at the car and they found issues that needed to be addressed and the repair was going to be "expensive". I called Dave, furious, and argued to the point neither one of us had anything good to say. Three days later I called back after sending pictures of the parts and invoice. We had a better discussion this time. Dave had no contractual/legal obligation to cover any costs because I didn't have the work done at his shop. None-the-less, he mailed me a check with the amount I had asked for to help with the expense. I thought that to be a professional and stand-up gesture. My daughter loves her car and we're happy to support The Car Place as a local business that works with their customers.

  Catherine Black
3 years ago
I love my car! Dave was wonderful and there was no pressure. I looked everywhere for a particular vehicle and found it here. I will definitely buy another car from here. I can't say enough nice things about this place. The transaction was smooth and quick and I haven't had any issues with my car. Thank you so much!

  Terry Kelliher
6 years ago
I've bought 10 vans from the Car Place over 12 years for my courier business. High miles! Dave has standard operating procedures that are appropriate to buying a used vehicle. His staff are very good mechanics each car are gone through before sale. Dave is in business to sell affordable vehicles. You stay in business by repeat customers I'm one! If your complaining you should buy new and see problems are there also!

  Colraine Greenfield
10 years ago
The car I bought was clean top to bottom. But the real mess was under the hood. Bought the car at just above blue book. I test drove it and the clutch was bad, so Dave put a new one in after saying it never slipped before. Then within a week the throttle control coded and I took it to my mechanic to confirm. Dave called me because he saw the car over at my regular mechanic. When I called him back with the list of issues he said he was busy and would get back to me. Never did. I asked before I bought the car if the timing belt had been checked, was told it was new. List of things wrong with the car at sale, original timing belt with over 100,000 (it slipped and was off 7 degrees), head gasket bad (leaked between cylinders 3 &4), with in four months the "new brakes" fell apart, not worn out. And now the power steering hoses are leaking. Get cars looked at closely before buying. Cost me an extra $2,000 to get all fixed within first month. And the warranty he buys is worthless. They said it was pre-existing. Even if I did take the car back to the Car Place it would have cost me a $1,000, and with the quality I saw in what they did fix I felt it was better going to my own mechanic I trust.

  Peter Doward
8 years ago
Purchased a car around 3 months ago for 2950.00 12 years old 126000 miles had the car for a month had a starter problem and transmission leak, called Dave the owner, told me to bring it in,He replaced the starter and serviced the transmission right away. The bill was 350.00. Dave split the bill with me .per his warranty, I did realize I wasn' t buying a new car , But didn't think I would get out so CHEEP!!!!!!! kudos to Dave and The Car Place

  Julie Abare
6 years ago
We've bought 4 cats off of Dave in the past years. Most of his cars are under 5K. Great starter cars for a teenager. And he stands behind what he sells. He's doing a repair for me know. I asked he keep it under $200.00. He has done that. He's got some good reasonably priced cars.

  Jennifer Love
9 years ago
I would not EVER shop at The Car Place in Somersville, CT. Dave Sarno is the stereotypical car dealer. He comes off as a nice, friendly guy, seemingly wanting to help you out. HOWEVER, not so much the case. I bought a used car from him quite a few years ago. The car seemed to test drive fine, so I bought it. A week or less later I had to go back to have work done to the vehicle. The car barely made it two years and then the engine completely died. I don't even know how I made it two years. A few years later, I was sitting with a group of friends and TWO of them had their own HORROR stories from vehicles they purchased from The Car Place. I couldn't believe it. After that, one night on the news there was a story titled "Numerous Complaints against The Car Place and it was about a girl who purchased a vehicle from The Car Place and her car died shortly after and Dave of course did not take responsibility for it. There have been complaints after complaints regarding The Car Place, and people suing. PLEASE do yourself a favor and NEVER shop from The Car Place.

  Dean Diamond
9 years ago
I called The Car Place about a 2000 Durango, the price was $2950. This dealership is 1hr and 45 minutes from where I live so I spoke with the owner, Dave, and he was so confident in this car that I figured I would give it a shot. After reading the reviews I was very disappointed and felt maybe I shouldn't., Well after 2 weeks and going around to other dealers that received better reviews which turned out to be a total waste of time as they were all horrendous. I decided to call Dave back to see if the car was still available. Surprised that it was and Dave was still very friendly on the phone and assured me the car was in excellent shape. So I took the ride on a Sunday and Dave met me at the lot. I was shocked at how clean the car was and how well it drove. I decided to buy it as I was desperate for a car and was taking my family down to NC for a vacation in 2 weeks. When Dave went to register the car for me he was told I owed taxes on one of my other cars so he couldn't register it. I went to my town hall and was told I owed $22 from a year ago on a car that I didn't have anymore. Got to love CT DMV. So I drove out with the stamped registration and got to DMV in Somers at 4:08pm, they just locked the doors and wouldn't let me in. The 2 women at the door couldn't have been any nastier. Ct DMV is run by a bunch of morons who could care less about the public. I went back to Dave's and told him what happened. Being almost 2hrs away and to have to come back again was a major inconvenience. Dave offered me his dealer plate for the car so I could take the car home and register it at the DMV near my house the next day. I mailed Dave his plates back and can't say how thankful I was to him for going out of his way for us. The car has been great. Took it all the way down to the OBX, 1200 miles round trip and have now had the car for almost 2 months without an issue. I am glad I did not listen to the reviews above and gave Dave a shot. I am looking to sell both of my older vehicles and will then call Dave for another car for myself. We need to understand that when we buy a used vehicle it is just that, used! Used vehicles usually need work that is why people get rid of them. Dave gave me 50/50 warranty from bumper to bumper that thankfully I didn't need and I would highly recommend The Car Place to anyone. His place is neat, clean and organized. He is friendly and honest and am very happy that I took the chance. I own a pizzeria myself and know how a bad review can hurt a small business. Realize this, 1000 people can be happy with your business and you are lucky if 10 people would take the time to write a good review but make one person unhappy and they will tell everyone and write a bad review immediately. No one is perfect, we all make mistakes, it is how we handle the mistakes that count. Give Dave and The Car Place a shot, you won't be disappointed.Dean Diamond (Lakeville CT)

  killer parrakeet
4 years ago
This guy is top notch. Very honest and trustworthy. Give him your business. You won t be disappointed. Gave him a deposit several months ago and moved out of town. Any other dealer might have just avoided me, but he made good with no question.

  Elvin Blanco
6 years ago
***DO NOT BUY A CAR FROM THE CAR PLACE*** I purchased a car for my wife and 3 days later the check engine light came on so I called and he asked me to reset the check engine light to see if it come back up so I did another 3 days later the check engine light came right back on. I called back and we got into a little bit of a heated discussion then he continued to try to blame me for "hesitating" getting the car inspected when the light wasn't on. I had seven days to get the car inspected and the check engine light came on twice before I even could. And when I checked the engine light it had to do with the catalytic converter so when we spoke he claimed that was too expensive of a repair for him and that I would have to pay half of the labor and parts which was in the contract but the car needed to pass inspection first and couldn't even do that so how could you try to charge me for something that can't even pass inspection. So I took the car back so he can look at it and he tried changing the CO2 sensor when it clearly said the catalytic converter need to be changed. Long story short nothing got fixed the light just turns on and off now for some reason I did manage to get it inspected before the light came back on but I would rather pay someone else to fix the job correctly then to give him any more of my money. Do yourself a favor and do not buy a car from the car place

  Kate Phillips
10 years ago
I bought my first car here. Wasn't the greastest experience, wasn't the worst. I had the car for 5 months and it's now sitting in a salvage yard because my control arm snapped and I totalled the car. My insurance appraiser said it had to of been cracked when I bought the car. Needless to say, check every inch of the car before you commit to buying.

  Justin
5 years ago
Had a good experience buying my first car, obviously with any used car you should do you homework and know what to look for and understand any agreements / warranties before you sign them, that seems to be a lot of the problems with the other reviewers' experience. I would definitely buy a car from here again

  mike thomas
4 years ago
I personally never had purchased a vehicle from Dave... but when I see him greet potential customers he treats them with respect , He's very Attentive but doesn't push a sale on you like other CAR dealers... He gives you the facts about the vehicle an let's you make up your own mind.. I would recommend The Car Place if your in the market for a vehicle that's budget friendly with great service...

  Timothy Chase
2 years ago
revently bought a car and hes super fair. He even let me finance a pittle bit at zero interest. hes old school but the kind of guy who sticks to his word and provides a solid car at a low price.

  Zach Dupuis
a year ago
Known Dave for 15 years, bought several cars and gone back for service many times. Great place to go

  John Schreindorfee
6 years ago
I bought a blazer from Dave and it had a issue and he got me fixed up asap and on my way. Daves a good guy in my book. Thanks to you and your guys Dave!

  Alisa Marra
3 years ago
Very good service. Made sure I was comfortable buying the car that I did. I would buy from them again very affordable.

  Paul S
5 years ago
Best car, best price, Dave great guy. Never get a car from anyone else.

  Douglas Curtis
4 years ago
The best dealership I've ever been too and the owner and the mechanics are top notch

  john Doe
5 years ago
Very good business, excellent paint shop in back. Mike runs paint shop.

  S C
4 years ago
In a single day, the body shop at The Car Place allowed me to put this mistake behind me at an incredibly low price.

  Theresa Swart
4 years ago
Friendly owner very helpful nice assortment of cars

  waleska marcial
2 years ago
I went to check a car for my granddaughter and next week she's going to get it