I'd been looking for a Saab 9-5 for months on Craigslist, and a beautiful dark grey one popped up with suspiciously low mileage. When I called, I spoke with Marc. We set up an appointment, and I test drove the car. Marc was incredibly friendly and took the time to find the answers to any questions and concerns I had. I've purchased probably a half dozen used cars in my lifetime, but this was the first time I DIDN'T take it to my own mechanic for a check. I know I violated the single most important rule of buying a used car (by not having a third party look it over), but oddly, I felt very at ease with this car and Auto Advantage. Cosmetically, the car looked almost new. Mechanically, I'm pretty illiterate, but the few items I was concerned with were immediately addressed by their mechanic before I even bought the car. Speaking of which, it appears that Erik is in charge of finding nice used cars, Gil is the mechanic tasked with reviewing and fixing anything that needs fixing, and Marc does a lot of sales and DMV paperwork. They obviously make a great team, because everything went so smoothly, and I'm thrilled with my car. Heck, Marc even drove to my home 20+ miles away to allow me to pick up my new Saab. Of course I was a little nervous about what would happen AFTER I bought the car, but I'm writing this a month after I drove the car home, and I can say that I've had ZERO issues with my car, and I'm thoroughly enjoying it! The wife, kids, and friends who've seen it and ridden in it are all impressed. Incidentally, I didn't finance this car, and I actually paid more than Kelly Blue Book used-car dealer price. But I can say it was worth every penny. I'll gladly pay a premium for a thoroughly scrutinized car. Peace of mind is priceless. I certainly got the impression that Erik only deals in cars he knows the seller took good care of...he doesn't buy pieces of crap from auctions and spray a new coat of paint over (like too many used car dealerships that sell nice European sedans). I did my own homework after I bought the car, and found out my newly purchased Saab was previously owned by a retired judge living in a $2 million ocean-view home in Carlsbad...with all the regular auto services performed and documented. Maybe I got lucky with this car? I'll give Erik, Marc, and Gil credit for it. Thanks! read more

Look no further! All the reviews about Auto Advantage are spot on. This was the absolute best experience I have ever had buying a car. I saw the ad for my 06 Nissan Pathfinder online, with detailed photos showing my excellent condition SUV with great mileage. Not to mention the price was outstanding, coming in at the lower suggested price on KBB online. To be honest at first take it seemed to good to be true. I had the pleasure of running into Marc at AA, just as he was closing down the shop for the day, literally pulling the fence closed. I needed a car that day, being set to travel that night, and that very morning having my Caddy SUV breakdown, of which I was not willing to put another dime into. Marc told me that he had to run an errand, but that he could be back to open up for me in 20 minutes. While, Marc was gone I wandered the lot and looked at some of the other cars. I was like woah! All these used cars seemed to be in great condition, and with my phone in hand, I was actively comparing prices to KBB and they were all being sold at a great deals. When Marc took me back to see my Pathfinder, I was surprised to see that the majority of cars on the lot were all under car covers, you could tell they take care of the vehicles there. The Pathfinder came alive before my eyes, better looking than what I saw in the ad, fresh smelling, and feeling great on the test drive. After the drive, Marc went through a notebook having all documents on the vehicle, including a detailed clean carfax history report. Next came business at the table. Marc is a dynamite sensationally pleasant guy, who imparts a trustworthy sense that other car salesman lack. He laid out the deal for me, fully telling all important details, with no uncomfortable sales pressure. I was absolutely impressed with the ease of the transaction, and the overwhelming satisfaction that I was treated right, and got one hell of a car for a great deal. I would absolutely recommend anyone to go to Auto Advantage to have a great experience and satisfaction in buying a used car. Thank you very much Marc and Auto Advantage. read more

I had been looking for an older Mercedes for several months. I had seen and driven many cars in this price range but all were in pretty poor condition or had obvious problems. I saw a '95 C280 from Auto Advantage on Craigslist and gave Erik a call. Erik's price was at the high end of the scale as published by KBB, Carfax and other reputable sources but I have seen many cars in worse condition for nearly twice what Erik was asking. And no other dealer had the service history for their cars, Erik did. That is very rare from a dealer and made the car worth much more to me. I took the day off work and drove down to San Diego and looked at the car. It was as advertised with no surprises. My first clue that this was the right car happened when Erik drove it around the building. He drove into the parking lot and the car made no clunk or noise at all from the suspension. The engine idled so smoothly I couldn't feel it vibrate in any way. The car ran perfectly and drove straight with no squeaks or rattles. I'm surprised how many dealers don't even do a simple alignment on their cars. I bought the car and opted for the 3 day CA contract cancellation (This is a state program Erik of course complies with) and drove it straight to an independent Mercedes service shop in my town who did a new car inspection. It drove great from San Diego to the Inland Empire. The mechanic gave it a clean bill of health with a few optional fixes that stem from the age of the car (some cracked suspension bushings a small leak in the valve cover gasket). These things do not reflect poorly on Erik. I expect them in an older car and it's not something that is cost effective for a dealer to address and as as I described above they did not affect the way the car ran or drove. I can't recommend Auto Advantage more highly. An honest, low pressure car sales business with a product that is exactly as advertised at a very fair price with service after the sale....what's not to like! I would (and will) definitely buy from Erik the owner of Auto Advantage again. read more

I have never had such an amazing car buying experience. Marc was awesome during the entire process! After searching for a car for two weeks, I came across this one online. The information about the car was very detailed, and the pictures were great. I knew exactly what I was getting before I even test drove it. Marc was very flexible with our schedule for the appointment for the test drive. When we got to there, the car was ready right away (he knew we were on a time crunch). I have to say he was very prepared, with the carfax and details about the car. We also had funding with USAA and he had knowledge with their loan process which was also very helpful. I have never bought a car from someone who I felt was so trustworthy, upfront and honest. Like one of the other reviews said, I never felt being pushed into buying it. He gave me and my husband time to discuss it on our own. I would love to buy from Auto Advantage again once we are in the market for another car. Thank you Marc for your extraordinary service and going out of your way to help our family! ~ Josh and Josie read more

Eric was very easy to deal with. He made the transaction very smooth and easy and was able get the deal done very quickly. We purchased a late model Audi that had 95K miles on it but seemed to be very well taken care of. The Good - the car is very solid and was very well cared for. My mechanic was impressed in the overall shape of the car and how well it operated. Price was very good and Eric was very fair. The Bad- Unfortunately upon inspection on a rack it was determined to needed the upper control arms replaced before my daughter took it on a 8 hour road trip to college. Upon getting into the replacement we discovered that the radiator had been leaking and stop leak had been put in the radiator. The radiator was still slowly leaking and we had to replace it. Not Eric's fault but a surprise none the less. Post the repair work the car has been running great and seems to be a safe and reliable car. read more

I was looking for a particular model car when I ran across one for sale on Eric's website. It looked to be in pretty good condition from the photos. The photo collection on his site was pretty complete so I could get a pretty good idea of the condition of the car from the photos. On the same day I looked at and test drove 5 others of the same model in the area. Even though some were more expensive none were in any where near as good of condition. So Eric's claim of having clean used cars under 10K is indeed accurate. The car which I purchased for my daughter has been a big hit with the whole family. Everybody likes driving it, it gets great gas mileage, and after a very complete engine bay detailing, the removal of some old stickers from the windows, new wheel covers and a couple of coats of wax most people are convinced that it is a brand new car even though it is 12 years old. Thank you Eric! read more

Erik is a casual professional. Easy to talk to, punctual and well organized. Even though the vehicle we purchased was "As is", Erik has continued to provide support post-sale, replacing a broken part and providing a missing toolkit. Purchasing a pre-owned vehicles always entails some risk. After looking at similar vehicles at 5 other locations, I chose to purchase from Erik because he is a picky buyer - rather than buying random vehicles at auction, he invests time and money evaluating the vehicles he sells before purchasing them. His business is more like a professional buying service than a used car dealership. I believe that he works on behalf of his customers to find the best vehicles available rather than just trying to turn over inventory. Finally, integrity is often hard to assess before a purchase. Erik has integrity - He kept his word and stood behind his product after the sale. read more

My husband and I were looking to buy a car right away and I was researching cars like crazy. I really wanted a Mazda 6 and looked and looked. I kept going back to Auto Advantages website and liked the prices of the cars and especially the reviews they had on Yelp! We just got home from there and we brought home our new (used) car! Erik was friendly, professional and worked with us COMPLETELY to get us a great deal on the Mazda 6 that I was first interested in! The whole process took about two hours and that included the test drive and signing the papers. I would recommend Erik and Auto Advantage to anyone looking for an honest deal. I love my new car and I especially love feeling like I got a great deal and overall we left EXTREMELY satisfied! Again, I will recommend Auto Advantage to my friends and anyone looking for a new car! Thank you Erik! read more

First Thanks Marc and Erik, All I can say is that every vehicle on there lot look like they took care of it, low miles and they had them covered so they would not get damaged with the son or dust, my Honda Accord fully detailed and drove as described and pictured online did not give it justice, Marc's customer service was above and beyond what I could have expected from a small used car dealership or even one of those New car dealerships, he treated me and my family with respect offered candy, water, and worked hard to helped me getting the best financed for my credit... Great Overall Experience. When I buy my next car for my son I will for sure go see Marc at Auto Advantage 1st also Erik was great! Thanks guys love my Honda Accord, see you soon! Gladys read more

Excellent customer service and care free auto purchasing! I was very satisfied with everything Auto Advantage did to make my purchasing a car stress free, rewarding and easy! By far the best price I could find around. I scored craigslist, used car lots, auto trader, you name it I tried it. I found my car and immediately knew it was right. Auto advantage = buying with confidence. The process was very easy for me just signing a few papers and I was ready to drive, no trip to the dmv! I would definitely recommend these guys to anyone in search of reliable used cars at outstanding price without any of the usual headaches that come with buying a used car. read more

I'm glad I found Auto Advantage on Kelly Blue Book's website. I saw a nice car for a great deal that I wanted to get my hands on. Then I went to Auto Advantage website to read more about the car. Everything that I wanted to know about the car before buying it was there. After that, I went to go see the car and it turned out to be a great car like the website said. Erick help me with the process of buying the car with great patience and understanding. I was able to ask him any question I had and he did not pressure me into buying the car at all. I will definitely buy my next car from Erick and will recommend to my family and friends. read more

New to San Diego, new to America, I searched for weeks for a quality used SUV which would be safe and reliable for my wife and baby girl. I saw the ad for the car and contacted Erik (be sure to call him and arrange times to meet). I had previously had very poor experiences of car salesmen, (see my other reviews), thankfully Erik was the exception to the rule. He is an honest and upfront owner operator and it was a breath of fresh air. He sold me a great car, I got it checked out at an independent mechanic and have owned it for two weeks and I am very very happy. If we need another car, we will be back. read more

My wife and I were looking for a car and I just happen to come across an ad on craigslist posted by Erik. I called and within a few hours I was looking at the car. 24 hours later I drove home in the car!! Erik is extremely professional and ethical. I was amazed at how easy it was to purchase a car. I will be purchasing all my future cars from Erik. In fact I have him looking for a car for my 16 year old! Thank you Erik for instilling confidence in the car business. It's not easy finding "ethics" in the used car business! I found it with Auto Advantage! Shawn and Kristi - Mission Beach read more

I had the pleasure of buying a great car from Erik. I owned my previous used car for almost 12 years with 210k miles in it. It was time to purchase another reliable one and that's when I contacted Erik. I submitted my finance application and was quickly approved. Within one day, I was able to meet with him and view the car I wanted. After a brief test drive, I decided to purchase the car. The transaction was smooth from beginning to end. Erik was professional and reliable. Less than 2 hours, I drove off my car from the lot. I highly recommend anyone to do business with him. read more

I called Erik about a car he had for sale. He informed me that the car I was interested in had been sold, but he had another car that was similar. This car was not on my radar, but after quick research I realized this brand was very reliable too. I met with him, drove the car, thought about it. I called him back, came & bought it. During my dealings with him, I noticed how easy going & mellow he was. He never tried to steer me into something that was not appropriate. Nor was he a high pressure sort of guy. He took care of the paperwork too which is a convenience. read more

Pleasure doing business with Eric. I was looking for a reliable compact for my college son, and within my price range. I feel I got a great value car for a very fair price. Eric seemed really keen on ensuring the car was 'right' before it left his place. For example, he replaced the worn wiper blades, installed 2 new tires, repaired and replaced some needed important engine maintenance items, and made sure ALL the electrics and features worked just like as new. You're not going to get that kind of care or service from a private party! read more

Wow, this is the way car buying should be! I traded in my Hyundai Genesis and got the Exact truck I wanted. I'd been researching trucks for over a month and the Chevy I bought was priced Very well! I had been quoted as low as $3000 less for selling my Hyundai, and Eric beat the highest trade in offer by nearly $500! So, I got more value for my trade in AND bought my dream truck for a better price than I could have elsewhere. Great, hassle-free dealership, I totally recommend buying and selling to them. read more

I've bought and sold many cars. Erik is an honest and knowledgeable expert on foreign and domestic autos. They specialize in well maintained, low mileage cars with clean histories. I was very pleased with the GS car I purchased from him and proud of the way he displayed and sold my trade-in. As a collector, I keep an eye on his inventory as he seems to attract the best specimens in the local market. After-sales support was also excellent. Go here if you want to by something you will keep! Wayne L. read more

I sold my car to Erik from Auto Advantage. I was impressed with his professionalism and his no nonsense approach to the transaction. Erik was extremely thorough in both his questions about and inspection of my car. It is clear he knows what he is looking for in purchasing cars for his business. He is looking for well maintained cars like the one he purchased from me. I would buy a car from Auto Advantage because my experience with Erik has demonstrated to me that he only sells quality cars. read more