Disclaimer: This review only applies to Chris, who you can reach at 415-999-7292. I do not have experience with any other aspects of autoworld or their personnel. If you are looking to purchase, sell, or repair a used Subaru, I would start with a call to Chris and then go from there. Chris has helped me out several times and has never made a dollar off of me. If I were in his area, he would certainly be my mechanic. He not only knows how to replace stuff, but he knows how to identify and solve problems in a cost effective way. Based on my phone interactions with him, he is an extremely knowledgable mechanic who has integrity and takes pride in his work for its own sake. It's too bad his shop is 7 hours away, but for my next auto purchase (which I hope is awhile from now...) I will be checking his inventory. Let me list the times I can remember him helping him. 1.) Three or four years years ago, I almost bought a Subaru from him; he was very helpful on the phone and when I decided to purchase my forester from a private seller in my area, he gave me a run down of the most common serious problems to look for and how to to tell various things a seller might cover up (e.g. head gasket issue, etc.). In hindsight, it would have been better to just drive down and buy from him... would have been cheaper and a lot less hassle... can't say he didn't warn me :). But the point is, he knows his stuff, his used prices are the best value I've seen, and his "sales" style is a no-pressure style with an eye toward what is best for the customer. And he can afford to do that because his business model is set up to offer the best value in his space. 2.) Fast forward a couple years. I'm troubleshooting a problem and I need to figure out bolt size for a specific bolt that is missing. (It actually turned out I didn't need that bolt, but at the time I thought I absolutely did). I call up Chris again and he refers me to an expert parts guy he knows who tells me the exact specs of the bolt I need... all while I'm in the parts store 3.) Last week, I'm having an ignition cylinder issue. I get the thing apart and it looks like I'm going to have to replace the entire assembly because my model of forester doesn't have the push button release, so I call Chris to verify that what I'm seeing is true. Instead of just answering, he troubleshoots the jam situation over the phone, then he asks me if I've tried some pretty simple fixes, tells me he has never had that specific part fail, suggests I try some specific lubrication and get a new key from a local dealership, and saves me 150 bucks and a lot of hassle. Had I called him before starting I would have saved myself even more hassle. read more

Generally, I never write reviews, but my most recent 2015 experience with Auto World was so exceptional, I feel obligated to broadcast my Auto World experience. I am a repeat customer that has been working with Chris and his Auto World staff for almost 10 years. I have bought three different cars for myself and my children and Chris has always delivered more than I expected. Few, if any, businesses, in any consumer area, meet the high standards, promptness, integrity and dedication to meeting customer needs of Chris and his Auto World staff. Every time I purchased a car, Chris gave me his undivided attention. Chris is the quintessential effective listener who pays attention to details. That is how Chris has been continually able to satisfy my needs for safe and dependable transportation at a very affordable price. Chris always makes himself available to answer questions. If I call while he working with another customer, Chris will follow-up and reschedule a call. I have observed first hand how Chris works with his other customers just the same as Chris takes the time to know me. Chris adept at anticipating our needs and Chris goes well beyond his duty outlined in the sales contract. Innumerable time times has provided extra service, work-around, and minor repairs that he was not obligated to perform. Chris always looks for ways to help me, long after the sales transactions have been concluded, and that is why I am a repeat customer. Chris is a "can-do" person, who looks for ways to make doing business, always does what he says he is going to do. Invariably he tries to fulfill my requests and I do my best to keep it is reasonable. When a problem came up, Chris dealt with the problem immediately and let me know what needs to be done to fix it. While, other dealers may get upset, Chris valued my input. Chris is very personable and made it simple for me and customers to voice any concerns. I feel that Chris really values our concerns and customer feedback. I think Chris welcomes feedback because he uses it as opportunity to constantly improve his business and the customer experience. Even as busy as he is, Chris will always make time go out of his way to make me feel comfortable, even if I am having a bad day. I really hope that other businesses would follow Auto World's example, In the big scheme of things, Auto World is also very environmentally friendly, as they recycle older cars so they can continued and Auto World is very helpful at keeping their cars running Chris is an extremely hard worker who is dedicated to providing the best possible customer experience. I can recommend Auto World without any reservation or hesitation. read more

This is an excellent place to find a great deal on a used Subaru - I've bought two here ('97 Impreza Outback Sport, '00 Legacy Outback).This place mostly sells Subarus, but I've seen some Volvos and Mercedes around. Chris specializes in finding good value cars for the money. Naturally Subarus fit this category well, and other makes/models on the lot seem to be of similar caliber. Some of these cars are salvage title, but don't let that scare you away (both of my purchases here had salvage titles). Auto insurance companies have a tendency to "total" out perfectly good cars after minor collisions, causing many owners to abandon otherwise fine vehicles. One decent fender bender is all it takes for a car with a few years and few miles to get salvaged and auctioned off by the insurance company. Chris goes to a lot of these auctions, and he's good at finding diamonds in the rough that he can fix up and turn around at a decent price. These cars often just need some body work and minor parts fixed, the important things like engines and transmissions are pretty solid. He does this work with Stevenson Auto in Fremont, and they do a quality job. This gets to the next great thing about Auto World - Chris has a lifetime service policy that gets you wholesale parts and labor for all repairs and maintenance (through his connection with Stevenson Auto). This alone has made working with Auto World a very good deal for me. (My first purchase suffered a couple separate collisions, and the money I saved working with Chris for these and for separate maintenance was well worth driving down to Fremont from Oakland to do it.) Anyway, if you're looking for a good deal on a Subaru or something similar, you should definitely check out the inventory online and talk to Chris. If he doesn't have what you're looking for right away, there's a good chance he can find it soon. He gets a lot of these, and he seems to have a good trade-in stream from loving Subaru owners around the area. I'm not one to trust used car dealerships, but I trust Chris, he's been honest and dependable. He's pretty straight-up/no-nonsense, which is nice if you don't want to deal with a lot of sales BS. The man stands behind his work, and his cars are solid. (He uses the inventory as his primary transportation for QA purposes.) When I needed to replace the Impreza (ANOTHER collision - RIP) he was the first person I called. I got a good deal on a nice '00 Outback that I have been pretty happy with so far. If I decide to get another fast little Impreza cheap I know where I'll look first... :) read more

So last November my ' 95 Escort Wagon gave up the ghost. Decided to look for newer vehicles, as I had some more money, but the high gas mileage Ford Escorts or Focus wagons were not to be found unless the sales looked dodgy or the dealer was dodgy or the whole deal looked dodgy.. Since I was also interested in the AWD Subarus I finally went to Auto World last week and asked Chris, the owner, to give me the whole rundown on Subaru makes and models since I knew next to nothing. Was instantly aware that I was talking with a full blown fanatic. Being a Ford Escort fanatic I easily recognized the symptoms. An acute familiarity with the pluses and minuses of each model, what would work best in given situations, etc etc.. Just so happened he had a rather rare 5-speed 96 Legacy Outback with the older 2.2 liter motor. Yes it has 265K on it. Didn't bother me as I have had a lot of high mileage cars including one Escort that ran well into the 300K range. Test drove the car several times, test drove others as well. Bought it. So here was the other deal that impressed me. All mechanicals were fixed or replaced as needed including the clutch. Also smogged. Other odds and ends. There's also a free lifetime service plan for any purchaser which includes free diagnostics, wholesale parts and labor prices on any future maintenance or repairs. So much better than my past experience with a certain shady dealer in San Leandro. Final note. Noticed after two days that the check engine light went on. Chris invited me to come over to his place, which is near mine, and he plugged in the tester, found a simple vacuum leak. Temp fixed until i bought a bit of vacuum hose and clamp for a more permanent one. In turn I showed him a new diagnostic trick with the cruise control. I had had a similar problem with the Escort and had a spare rubber tab from a Ford dealer. Fit perfectly on the clutch lever. CC now works fine as does everything else. Only disappointment was the expected one. Max gas mileage on the Subaru is only 27mpg. Sort of a come down for someone used to the Escort's 37mpg, However I do look forward to dirt roads that I would not take the Escort on. And the price of the car was about $4000 less than the last Focus I had looked at. So by all means, shop here first for your used Subaru. Chris is fanatical about the service as he is about the cars. read more

This place is an honest-to-god holy grail of great cars for great prices. I found them on a Sunday through google after an exasperating day dealing with belligerent and pushy salesmen to ones that were too busy texting to show us anything of value. I was left with a bitter taste in my mouth and took to google, where I came across Auto World while looking for used Subarus (what I was most interested in). Despite it saying they're closed on Sundays, I gave it a shot and must have been directly connected to Chris' cellphone. I didn't have the pleasure of meeting the man of action, but over the phone he was warm, receptive, and bubbly. I felt like I could trust him immediately. I told him I came out from Turlock and he offered me a straight 500 off the top for being a long-distance customer. I was amazed! I prowled his site for a bit to get an idea, finished some business in the area, and then made an appointment with his assistant Heidi, who is an angel in her own right. A short drive later and we meet with Heidi, who has already pulled out a few I mentioned over the phone. I appreciate the time she took to help us and her personality is great. Most car dealers don't know what it's like to be on the receiving end, but Chris and Heidi know and understand this. She gave us space when we needed and educated and thoughtful advice when we asked. We test drove a couple with some idle chit-chat and I was blown away at how well some of them look and run for the age. There are a few dings, but just like Chris says: "Auto World Subarus may not be the newest, the prettiest, the lowest mileage, or even the cheapest -- but they are the best value for the $$$." And indeed they are. I walked off the lot with a 2001 Forester that I adore to bits and pieces, and that runs like new, instead of a 15 year old car! I had to wonder what keeps Chris in business with such low prices, but it's his dedication and loyalty to his customers that's plain to see. When you first walk into the office, the wall is patterned with thank you cards, photos, notes, and all the like, each singing a tune of praise. If you want a memorable and incredible experience and the best bang for your buck, you won't find any place better than Fremont Auto World. read more

I discovered Autoworld Fremont after looking around on craigslist and other sources for a used Subaru wagon or similar vehicle. Chris, at Autoworld, had several good looking used Subarus on c.list so after seeing the extensive inventory on his own website and his outstanding reputation on yelp I decided to give a Chris a call. We talked on the phone for a bit and he confirmed that information on his website was up to date and that the cars which I had my eyes on were indeed still for sale and in the condition described on the site. He even kindly informed me of the ideal time that day when he would be least busy and most likely to be able to help me without delay. I was impressed with his inventory of Subarus and especially his kind professional manners and the unexpected feeling of trust that I was already beginning to feel. Without hesitation I decided it was worth the drive across the bay to Fremont and agreed to meet Chris later that afternoon. When I arrived Chris was finishing up some business with another customer but I was politely invited to start looking around at the cars on the lot and after just a minute or two Chris was already assisting me in finding which car was most suitable for my needs. Chris was very informative and straightforward with all the questions i had about the cars and after a few test drives I was already quite confidant that I had found the Subaru that was just right for me. By now, it was getting close to closing time so I thanked Chris for all his help and told him I'd think about the decision for a night or two and return later that week when we would have enough time to complete the deal. When i came back to Autoworld Chris' guys were just finishing up getting the car washed and detailed one last time. When it came down to the time for paperwork he even took the time to go through everything step by step and make sure that i understood it all clearly. I honestly have to say that Chris made the experience of buying a used car better than I would ever have imagined it could be. Thanks again Chris! read more

If you are looking for a used Subaru, you MUST go here. Even if it is an hour or more out of your way. I had an excellent buying experience. Chris knows how to be friendly and helpful, but also will stand back and not breathe over your shoulder while you kick tires and discuss pros and cons with whomever else you brought. He is the best car dealer I've ever met and is helpful to the extreme. For instance, I noticed the car I was interested in had no working A/C. No problem! Chris took it to a local mechanic and had it filled and working within 10 minutes. I asked about a roof rack. No problem! He threw that in as well. I even asked for a complete spare tire (I hate donuts) and got that as well. He will offer to drive you places if you need it. After our deal was finished, my girlfriend offhandedly mentioned her car was making a weird sound when she turned. He took it to a local shop and they fixed it for free! That is incredible service! I've been driving the Legacy I bought there for over a month at least and have had zero problems except I noticed it was slightly drifting to the right, but this is something that had happened to all my subarus after they get up in miles. They simple don't hold an alignment as long. I was extremely pleased with our price "negotiation" which basically consisted of Chris offering me substantially less than I was expecting, without any dickering on my part! He takes care of all the paperwork so you can just drive away in your new car immediately. Chris, don't ever change. I will be back to buy another car once the one you sold me cracks 300,000 miles, which I feel confident it will. It was hard for me to believe that a used car dealership could have such a high rating, but all of these reviews are true! My last thought is to give Chris a break on the phone. You should know he is the only guy dealing with customers on the lot while at the same time answering every incoming call to the dealership. So keep your calls brief and don't be offended if he has to take a call in the middle of talking to you on the lot. read more

Chris and his gang are awesome! I drove down all the way from Arcata and he told me on the phone before I even got there to expect a nice discount on account of my long drive just to buy from him! And sure enough, he totally hooked it up and I got a great deal.. What really blew my mind was that , of the 3 models I was looking at on the lot, 1)The 96 silver legacy with just the basics, no roof rack, cassette only, , etc.. 2) The outback with the cd player, leather seats and roofrack and 3) the forester with sunroof, , wood paneling, etc.etc.. The silver one was the cheapest of the 3 by far, by more than $1,000 and I kept liking the most expensive one, ooing and aahing over the sunroof and fancy paneling Chris kept saying , "No, I'm tellin' ya.. it might have more miles on it, but this is the 2.2 liter engine! this is the best Subaru engine.. If you're gonna be road-trippin' all over the place and driving up and down those Humboldt dirt roads.. this is the one you want.. it might not look as pretty as the other two, but it will be the best one for you. This engine is bullet proof!" I thought, "wow.. this guy MUST be an honest car salesman if he's trying to sell me on the CHEAPER of the 3 that I was eyeing! So I got it.. and she ran great, no problems at all... until some stupid woman ran a red light while I was in New Mexico and totaled my subaru! :( but until then, she drove all over.. Arcata to SF, SF to LA, LA back to Arcata, up to Eugene, back to Arcata, then up and down and all over the dirt roads of garberville, then back to SFbay , then LA .. then all the way to Santa Fe and Taos, NM And I'm sure she woulda made my next trip back and everywhere else for a long time. I was so impressed with Chris's service at Auto World of Fremont ( he does all the DMV stuff for you so all you have to do is pay and drive off the lot) that I sent my newly wed friends to him and they bought a subaru from him and had a great experience as well as my boyfriend at the time got a great subie then that's still going strong. Thanks Chris! :) Sara Rose read more

We've now had our Subi Legacy wagon we bought from Chris for 6 years! 6 years. it runs like a watch, uses NO oil - and other than standard maint., not one single problem after our first month of ownership. I will always buy my Subi's from Chris - the guy really stands out. And to address the other comment about 'ripoff salvage' - the guy has spent too much time in the sun I think. My review isn't fake, it wasn't asked for and it's from my heart. Yes, some of the cars have a past salvage record, but know that insurance companies wholesale smash'n'dump cars for the silliest of reasons...what could be easily repaired in our Dad's day..like a quarter panel fender-bender, most insurance companies won't take the time for. Hence, some of the cars needed repairs, which are totally perfect/OK with me by the time I buy it, so more savings! In no way did I ever feel the car was unsafe, even with my two small children in the car. Note when I bought the car, we were in tough shape financially. I had just started a new job and I had recently just gotten back from the Gulf. We wanted/needed a Subaru but didn't have a whole lot to spend - Chris hooked us up, let us drive it for a day and we all settled on a price that was fair. Note we had one after-sale issue, and this is where the guy shines - the tranny had a part in it that was the wrong one/wrong model. About two weeks after the sale, it started making weird noises/shudder. We took it back to Chris...and within two days we had a new rebuilt tranny in the car! This would have cost us quite a bit to do ourselves, but Chris backed up his product. Do you know how good that made us feel? How safe I felt buying from the guy? So here we are, 6 years later. Other than belts, struts and normal maint., the car has been outstanding. Here is a guy who stands behind his cars...really, it's safe with the guy. A fair deal, can't say this enough...he helped us when we were really, really vulnerable and made sure I got to work to support my family. And that is the best recommendation I can give. read more

Chris and Auto World Fremont are the REAL DEAL. Chris was super knowledgeable about all of his vehicles. I spent a couple of hours with him on his lot and drove about 3 or 4 cars before I decided on a Blue 1998 Legacy Outback Wagon. The entire experience was super low-stress, and no pressure. Chris is super straight-forward about the condition of the cars, the work he has done to get them road ready, etc.. The car I chose had 257K miles when I purchased it-- more than I expected when I first started looking at the cars. Nevertheless, we worked out a fair price on the ride, and it has been running great! On my first trip up to Tahoe and back I was super impressed with the overall performance and smoothness of the ride-- I felt like I was rolling "champion style." A few months out from my purchase, the rig is rolling super strong and showing no signs of slowing down whatsoever. This is part here is key: there were a few "knick-knack" things that I discovered were not fully up to par with the ride-- a missing coffee cup holder, the cigarette lighter assembly for device charging, and the rear windshield wiper arm was bent and not functioning properly. After a call to Chris, he obtained a replacement of each of the above items from another parted out car and provided them to me free of charge. All I did was pay $50 to get them all installed and I was good to go. The day I stopped down to pick them up Paul, Chris's associate was super helpful and responsive! Although these things seem small, this was an AMAZING piece of follow-up service by Chris and his crew that really speaks volumes about integrity and solid business practices. Quite simply, buying from Auto World Fremont has been a great way to go for me, offering many benefits over purchasing from a private owner or another auto dealer. I would not hesitate to recommend this business to anyone, as Chris is a great guy to deal with- he truly cares about customer satisfaction. read more

I came to the Bay area for an internship and I wanted to get a car to get around with occasional trips to Tahoe and further. I was looking mainly for older Ford Escapes and Subaru's. After trying a few ads from Craigslist and visiting an auction place in Redwood City, I decided that buying a car in this way was too much risk given my limited knowledge of cars. Auto World Fremont showed up in the Craigslist search so I decided to give it a try. The lot is not huge and most of the cars were 10-15 year old Subaru's, mostly outbacks (although there was one vintage Mercedes). Chris is a busy man, most of the time repairing cars himself. This was a huge plus for me, especially because of previous experience with true "salesman" types who are very eloquent and sleek but not credible. Chris, on the other hand, loves his cars and it shows. So I bought a 1998 Subaru with more than 200k miles. After the purchase, I took the car to Carlsen Subaru in Redwood City to be on the safe side. They "found" several minor issues and suggested fixing them for a price which was ridiculous. I contacted Chris and did some research on my own and in the end I decided to just ignore it and go by Chris' recommendation. All this was 9 months ago. Next month, I will be leaving the country and before I go I wanted to go on some bigger journey. So last week, nine months after the purchase, I took the car to Chris. He checked everything, exchanged a registration place bulb, not asking for a penny, exactly as he promised when I bought the car. I am very happy that I bought the car from Auto World. The price was reasonable and the Forester is a reliable vehicle. Obviously, the mileage shows but given the budget I had I am very happy that I bought the car from Auto World Fremont. read more

Update as of February 4, 2016. We are repeat customers of Chris, and having purchased a variety of vehicles, we still consider him to be a very straight shooter and the best source of bargains we've found on older Subaru models (which is mostly what he has, and mostly what we've been looking for). Many or most of his vehicles are salvage cars picked up at auction, and he's very straightforward about this.  He selects them knowledgeably and wisely, fixes them well, stands by his promise of ongoing support, and delivers a quality product for the price. He always fully reveals the damage (if any) that was done, and explains what he's done to fix it.  If you find some details that aren't quite right during your examination or test drive of the vehicle, he'll fix it right then and there.   These cars are sold with an "as is" caveat, but that doesn't mean that service is lacking. I discovered a problem with the heater control box in a vehicle I purchased here a few of months after we'd bought it. Chris found a replacement unit and had his mechanic replace it, an operation that took several hours. at no charge. He has also directed me to excellent resources for parts and mechanical work - his own suppliers - at excellent prices for tasks that he does not do in-house. If he can make a business like this work - and he does, bolstered by his excellent reputation - then more power to him.  He delivers excellent value: the checks I've done on Kelly Blue Book are always higher than his prices.  We'd go back to him in a heartbeat.   We were referred to him originally by other satisfied customers, have since learned of other (satisfied!) friends who've purchased cars from him, and have passed word along to still others.  We'll continue to do so. read more