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Chitown dealership recomendations

Cjburn

Passed Driver's Ed
Location
Illinois
Hey guys just wondering if anyone has had good or bad experiences with dealers in the area. Live in Rockford and looking for a 2017 SE used or leftover and just looking for some advice. Thanks guys!
 

elwood1

Ready to race!
Location
Highland Park, IL
Car(s)
2024 GTI SE DSG
I have had excellent buying and service experiences at Muller VW in Highland Park, IL. with both my MK 6 GTI and now my MK 7 R. Note that my car is not tuned.
 

heiney9

Go Kart Champion
Location
Illinois
Car(s)
2017 GTi Sport DSG
I live in Rockford also. Autobarn is a complete joke...........stay far away. I wouldn't give them the time of day, what a waste of time over and over again.

I bought my Sport, pretty much over the internet from Elgin VW. Everyone was great except I was a bit annoyed with the finance guy. If you can go in with your own financing. Don't tell them, let them try and run the numbers and when they shoot you a high rate just mention you have better financing at home. If they match or better it, go for it.

My brother has bought a couple cars in Glenview. Also check out Frank Boucher in Janesville. They didn't have any stock when I bought my Sport or I would have gone there.

Stay away from Bachrodt here in town..........nothing but crooks with attitude when it comes to VW sales.
 

heiney9

Go Kart Champion
Location
Illinois
Car(s)
2017 GTi Sport DSG
Hey guys just wondering if anyone has had good or bad experiences with dealers in the area. Live in Rockford and looking for a 2017 SE used or leftover and just looking for some advice. Thanks guys!


There is a guy in Rockford that posted his GTi for sale here on the boards. Let me see if I can find his post.
 

Cjburn

Passed Driver's Ed
Location
Illinois
Thanks for the headx up. I am trading in a vehicle so private party is out of the question. I called Autobarn today and the guy was pretty dense, didnt understand the difference between a dsg and manual trans.
 

heiney9

Go Kart Champion
Location
Illinois
Car(s)
2017 GTi Sport DSG
Do yourself a favor and don't waste your time at Autobarn. Both my brother and I were treated terribly there. It was a waste of time to try and deal with them.
 

Fastlax16

Autocross Newbie
Location
Chitown
Car(s)
2019 DBP R
Bought my R at autobarn. To date the only thing I don't enjoy about the car is thinking back to the purchase experience. Horrible dealership. Fletcher jones downtown was always good to deal with. Not sure if that has changed with new ownership that just took over. Think its just Volkswagen of Downtown Chicago now.
 
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DanJoy

Ready to race!
Location
Aurora, IL
I bought my CPO MK6 at auto barn in Mt. Prospect. Once Whatver glaze and sealant they used washed off the paint on the car was trashed. I liked the service department but I’ll never be back. Bought my MK7 at Bill Jacobs and besides pretending their $6K below MSRP price listed online was a mistake and wasting 4 hours of my day while I told them that was the only price I was buying at, I did like the salesman I worked with. That being said I go to fox valley for service now. Basically I haven’t found a local VW dealer I really like that much.
 

Cjburn

Passed Driver's Ed
Location
Illinois
Thanks for the input guys. The lack of manual trans cars is going to hinder the car search. I do want the upgraded brakes and diff, so its a SE or Autobahn, very few cars in the country available. I just might have to wait for the 2018s to be discounted more heavily. Elgin VW was by far the most responsive and quickest to follow up. I am just really surprised how many dealers arent really that interested in selling a car and the lack of product knowledge is frightening.
 

heiney9

Go Kart Champion
Location
Illinois
Car(s)
2017 GTi Sport DSG
Thanks for the input guys. The lack of manual trans cars is going to hinder the car search. I do want the upgraded brakes and diff, so its a SE or Autobahn, very few cars in the country available. I just might have to wait for the 2018s to be discounted more heavily. Elgin VW was by far the most responsive and quickest to follow up. I am just really surprised how many dealers arent really that interested in selling a car and the lack of product knowledge is frightening.

As I said, Elgin is solid and they are the closest that direction from Rockford. I too was amazed at the difficulty I had getting responses and trying to do a deal as I was ready to buy a car.

The guys in Mount Prospect at Autobarn (salesman and sales manager) were so argumentative when I laid some logic on them. The sales guy was new and knew very little about the car. The sales manager was just a straight up dick. Shortest negotiation ever when we started talking price. They didn't budge off the asking price of a used 2016 S w/pp and lighting.

I bought a new Sport for about $1700 more than I offered for the used 2016 which by my market analysis was close to $3K too high. I checked weekly with them and they had that same 2016 for 6 months on the lot (reducing $200 every week or so) and finally sold it for $1800 less than I offered and they rejected.

IIRC, they were asking $26,500 and I offered $23K to start and they said they can't take less than $26,500. The sales manager told me, "don't be embarrassed if you have to call us back and take it at that price". The last listing I saw for it had it at $21,800.

In the end it was a blessing they totally ran me out of the dealership with their attitude.

Elgin gave me such a good price via email that I actually thought it was a mistake. I printed the email and took it with me just in case.
 

Cjburn

Passed Driver's Ed
Location
Illinois
Yeah I didn't spend too much time talking with them when I talked pricing on used 2017 and what i expected to pay for one with a manual, using dsg models as points of reference. It was a pretty pointless conversation. I do not know how you can try to sell a car or cars in general when I have to explain to you features of said model. If that were my chosen profession I wouldn't embarrass myself with such minimal knowledge like these people often do.
 
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