Ericson Auto

Reviews

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

  CulturalArtisans Music
5 months ago
Great service, these guys are amazing, the job they do to fix my cars every time is needed is very good, very reliable and affordable price. So glad we have them. If you need help with you vehicle Ericson Auto is the best company in town.

  Hassania Zbyto
a month ago
Bought a car from him that was in okay condition, I drove it for a couple weeks and everything started going bad lights started turning on when I would send it it back he would make me pay for the repairs although it has been a issue since I bought it!If you wanna get scammed for a used car go to him !

  christopher wilson
6 months ago
Was looking for used affordable car and came across Ericson Auto. I was in the market for a Toyota camry and after talking to Dayton he was able to get me a Toyota camry in the price range I could afford. Friendly people here, took care of me and made sure the car was good to go before I pick it up. If you're looking for a used car I would recommend Ericson Auto. Yes keep in mind when buying a used cheap car it will have some problems cuz obviously it's not brand new, but that should be expected when buying a used car. Other than that good experience.

  dimitri makedonsky
7 months ago
I purchased a vehicle from him earlier this year. Needless to say, I would never purchase another thing from this guy. He buys cars at auction, hides numerous defects, and simply lies. He runs a very shady business, and is one of the most dishonest people I ve ever met. Do not walk, run from this place. He picks up cars very cheaply at auction, and does nothing with them and goes out of his way to hide defects. And, to top it off, he s extremely rude. you can probably tell by his comments.

  Jayson Mears
a year ago
Went to get a tire fixed that had been fixed poorly a month prior and Dayton did a fantastic job! He took me in right away, fixed it quickly, and it was cheap. I also appreciate that he seemed to have a lot of knowledge, even compared to other mechanics, as he was able to point out where the previous work went wrong, showing why that wasn't the best option, and then fixed it up. Overall had a fantastic time, and Dayton was extremely friendly and helpful, would highly recommend!

  Jolee Stoddard
6 months ago
Purchased an 07 Nissan from Ericson Auto. Knowledgeable and upfront about everything about the car. He even fixed an minor issue late at night so we didn't have to travel back the next day.

  Katelyn Tehan
11 months ago
I bought an '03 Santa Fe back in October of 22 and it is now April 23. I bought a car for a decent price and hadn't even driven it more than 3000 miles in the several months I've had it. the transmission completely gave out - there's no way a successful body shop couldn't tell if there was this type of problem with a car. "Who knows what you did to it during the winter but yet somehow you want to blame me for problem you caused on a 20-year-old vehicle? That's quite a stretch" - The Owner. Not a great way to interact with a disgruntled customer, and not a great idea to assume in the months I had driven it, with very little mileage added, that I, or anyone, could have ruined an entire transmission.Updated a week ago from my original review: "People always looking for someone to blame" - The Owner. I'm wondering how a used car that the owner had gone over, checked to make sure it was running well, and miss something so big like a transmission issue. In the six to seven months I've had this car there is no way that I can ruin a completely fine transmission, as the owner did not mention ANY problems with the transmission, even when asked.When the owner of a shop can't take responsibility for an important problem with a car, I wouldn't call this owner an actual "mechanic". This is just a man who flips cars to people who are desperate.Do not trust this auto shop.

  Melisa Rowe
7 months ago
I was traveling through Des Moines, and my car was making sounds that were making me really uncomfortable to continue my trip without getting it checked out first. It late in the day and I was worried I wouldn t be able to find a mechanic who would be willing to see me last minute. Sooo grateful for Dayton being willing to let me swing by and spend time assessing the situation. He gave me peace of mind to finish out my trip. Thank you Ericson Auto!

  chad gilbert
4 months ago
Guy was respectful and too the point, help me get into a great car and on my way. Highly recommend!

  Darrah Oswalt
6 months ago
Last night my old food truck decided she wanted a new starter...of course until Gary at Ericson Auto was so kind to help my husband discover this, we were dead in the water! Thank you Gary!! A very nice mechanic that went above and beyond!

  Sharon Spriggs
a year ago
Made appointment to see a listed car for 17 yo but it turned out not so great. Owner called us back as brakes were leaking. We test drove another newer car and ended up buying it. Dayton was a straight talking, no-nonsense kind of guy. He was willing at 5:30 to move cars around for test-driving. Mechanic was nice guy to chat a bit; paper work down to a gnat's eyebrows, on the road we went.Sharon SpriggsKnoxvillenewer

  Dee dee Sanger
a year ago
Dayton Erickson was upfront about everything with the car I bought. Even after the sale, he fixed my seat belt for me. Good man. Plus I liked his dog Chase.

  Scot P
3 years ago
Bought a car from Dayton and had maintenance work done twice. Had a great experience all three times. Communicates back to me fast. He sends pictures of the problem he's fixing. Got the work done fast and at a good price. Very knowledgeable about the vehicle models he sells.

  Emily Eppens
3 years ago
High school through college and into adulthood, I've bought from Ericson Auto. He offers fair prices, is very knowledgeable about his vehicles and I've never had an immediate issue with any of the cars I have bought from him. He's an honest, no nonsense and to the point business owner - he'll tell you what's good, what's being worked on and what he'd avoid. He expects the same in return from his customers, so don't be a flake. If you say you want a car fixed before you buy it, he'll go above and beyond to get it done. I trust buying cars from him, getting my cars repaired through him, and I can count on him to even go the extra mile if he knows you can get a good deal.Highly recommend checking Ericson Auto out if you're in the business of finding a new ride, or you need trustworthy car repairs. 6/5 stars from me!

  Dexter west
2 years ago
The responses given to lower star reviews definitely showcase the horrendous customer service at this place. Steve was nice but owner was deplorable. Drove over 35 minutes to see a car that had a large dent conveniently not pictured in his listing. Which made me think if he s hiding this, what else is he hiding? After being unimpressed we looked at other vehicles. Saw one we liked priced higher and the entire time the owner was being unnecessarily condescending. When we asked about the price he asked how much cash we had (we planned on buying a specific car and that s why we brought that amount) before even trying to see if we were interested or could get the cash, he told us that a completely different car than we even came for was all that we could afford. Absolutely LAUGHABLE customer service. Truly in disbelief he s still in business with the way he talks to people. Will do the opposite of recommend and tell everyone so steer very clear of this place.Wouldn t bother speaking to anyone but Steve and he can t even barter with you, so good luck.

  Meghan Zaragoza
7 years ago
Dayton Ericson, the owner, helped my daughter and I find an inexpensive car for her to have at college. He showed us around the lot, only showed me cars in our price range. He was very honest and upfront, told me what was good or lacking about each car. He let us put down a small down payment while we waited for a loan to come in. In the mean time he put in a stereo, fixed a handle and had the car ready to go for us. He was easy to get a hold of and very flexible. I would definitely recommend going to his dealership and will buy again from him if we need another older car.

  Justin Devers
2 years ago
Best car dealership in the Des Moines area. Fair prices and honest salesman, you get exactly what you re looking for. If you re interested in a affordable reliable vehicle I highly recommend Erickson auto. You get very thorough rundown about the car no cover ups or bad deals, upfront about everything I appreciated the honesty. 10 out of 10 for me.

  Rocky Gabriel
3 years ago
Worst experience ever! While looking for a car, I scheduled before hand to look at a vehicle he didn t even have it ready. I wanted to hear the engine cold start and was not given the opportunity, once he finally arrived with the vehicle he left it running and forgot his battery pack (used to jump a car) in the passenger seat. While listening to the engine you could definitely tell it was misfiring. I ran the codes and guess what?Cylinder 1,2,3 and 4 Misfire and a fuel evap leak. There was damage to the body of the car (the hood latch and tail light cover) which I had been told would be fixed before our appointment, needless to say it was not fixed. I gave him a week in advance that I would be looking at this car. Showed no professionalism, rude, and takes potential customers for granted. Apparently if I was naive I would have made a better costumer. His website is BS he is not honest and he even tried to raise the price when we agreed over a set amount.

  Dana Robinson
4 years ago
Today I bought a car from Dayton Ericson. We were shown MANY options. Dayton worked with us and I went home with a fabulous car. Thank you Dayton for taking the time, out of your busy schedule, to show us all the cars that you did. I'm glad we met Dayton Ericson and his sweet dog Cooper. Thanks again and I love the car and my new steering wheel cover!!!

  Carol Reynolds
6 years ago
My experience with Dayton was exceptional. I needed welding and straightening on my four wheeler. He got it in promptly. He gave me a verbal estimate that he stuck with even though it took him longer than anticipated. Great work, great price and prompt. I would highly recommend him. Rick S.

  Haley Ruiz-Pittman
11 months ago
I enjoyed my experience a EricsonAuto. It was super fast, simple and friendly. I highly recommend to anyone looking for a used car fixed right.

  Jeff Duvall
10 months ago
We have purchased 2 cars from Dayton. We are very happy, anytime we have had an issue he always made it right.

  Maria King (ExecutiveKing)
a year ago
Dayton is honest and transparent. He has a great selection of affordable vehicles to choose from. I recommend doing business with him instead of any other dealership.

  Lucas Archer
6 years ago
Buying a car here was the best choice I could've made, great guy very trustworthy. Like any used car dealer I'm sure he gets a lot of idiots who get angry when their ridiculous expectations aren't fulfilled and write a bad review because they're childish. Through the entire process everything went smoothly. Car I bought was very clean had all service records and he was very transparent on all the work he did on it. Thorough, Respectable, Trustworthy and just about every great quality you can think of. Recommended him to a friend the day after I bought the car from him.

  pnowicki879
2 years ago
I would say I got a good deal on a work car purchase, nothing perfect but a low mile car at a good price. I would like to recommend this business but would not due to service after the sale and unwillingness to fix the exhaust problem. From now on my under car work will go to Iowa Muffler and Brake much more professional. 2 stars

  Bethany Gabriel
3 years ago
Yesterday (10/31) my husband had a terrible experience with Ericson Auto in Ankeny. Husband arranged an appointment to buy a used 2003 Pontiac Vibe with a rebuilt clutch and a hood latch that needed replaced (and was promised to be replaced before appointment) for a negotiated price of $3,000. Husband arrived about 20-30 minutes before schedule with cash in hand. The vehicle was not at the lot, it was apparently being picked up from a CarMax parking lot. After waiting about 30 minutes past the scheduled time my husband went into the office to see what was going on. The car had arrived and was left running with a battery jumper pack in the passenger seat. He was then told that when they arrived to pick up the car it had a dead battery and one flat & one nearly flat tire. Also at this time he was told the agreed price of $3,000 was no longer offered and the final price would be $3,500. Husband decided to inspect the car and test drive before making his decision. Due to the car being left running my husband and brother in law (who is a certified mechanic with over 15 years experience) was unable to hear a cold start of the engine. Even with the vehicle being warm you could clearly hear problems in the engine, the sales person said that it was the engine "relearning its idle after being jumped". Due to this my brother in law used his snap-on diagnostic tool to scan the vehicles computer for any codes. The vehicle came back with many, including misfires in cylinders 1-4 and an engine lean code (which can mean engine vacuum leaks). At this time they inspected the body of the vehicle and saw that the hood latch had not been replaced as promised. It also had a busted tail light assembly. My husband took it for a test drive and found that the gears shifted rough, it needed new brakes and it pulled to the left. After the test drive my husband told the salesperson that he was going to pass on purchasing the vehicle. The salesperson sarcastically replied "Good luck." After the experience my husband decided to post his first ever review onto google, the reply that he received is childish, unprofessional and rude. After reading through all the reviews we found many owner replies that were similar, if not worse. We certainly will steer clear of this business and will advise all of our friends, family and community to do the same.

  Valerie Gibbs
3 years ago
We were looking for a car for our daughter and found one at Ericson on line. We spoke to Dayton on the phone about the quality of of the car. We drove 2+ hours and were happy to see the car was just as described. The staff was helpful. We are happy with the exceptional deal we got.

  Randi Losh
6 years ago
We had a great experience with Ericson Auto! I had been having car trouble for the past few days and my Toyota Camry recently started dying at stop lights. I needed my car repaired in a timely manner due to working in Ames on an evening shift and I was worried of stalling on the interstate late at night. Dayton had my car fixed within hours of calling and was so easy to work with. He explained what he was fixing and the reason for it in a way that was easy for me to understand. He went above and beyond and made my car run like new! Great customer service and reasonable prices!

  Catherine Sager
6 years ago
I have gotten 2 cars from here that are perfect for high school/college kids. Affordable cars and good first cars for teens. He was very quick to help and tell me about the cars I was interested in. He knows all the cars in his shop inside and out. I LOVE both of the cars my family has bought from him. I always recommend this shop. Two thumbs up !!

  Collin
3 years ago
Had a lot of major work done to my 2011 Hyundai Sonata. Rebuilt transmission, new torque converter, gave me a great deal on a gasket fix in a difficult spot, oil change, new cad converter ALL for a really great price. Although I know very little about cars, he walked me through what he did by showing me under the hood, sent photos, kept me updated via text, and overall, everyone that works there is very personable. I'll be doing my automotive maintenance business with Ericson from now on. Great people.