STAY AWAY FROM CARSON CARS! Or shop at your own risk. The place is run by liars, crooks, and con-artists. Specifically Mike Carson, Robert Stokes, and Garrett Newman. They knowingly sold a lemon to us with dishonest assurances that the car was well maintained. They said the car had 2 prior owners, Carfax said 5. They gave us a phony 90-day warranty, phony money back guarantee, and refused to fix the car after selling it. The car was a 2009 VW passat Komfort sedan, for which we paid in full. Not even a day after the sale, the check engine light came on. Soon we found out that it had a broken fuel pump, major motor oil leaks, missing timing belt cover, missing valve cover gasket, only 10% left on the rear brakes and 35% on the front brakes. When we asked them to fix the car, Robert Stokes (Sales Manager) dismissed the 90 day warranty and said that we should foot half-the repair bill. When asked why did he knowingly sell a busted car? He replied: "Had we fixed it, we could have sold it for more money." Suffice it to say that Stokes is the biggest bag of slime in Pacific Northwest. His card says 15 years of experience. Surely he means 15 years of experience scamming hard-working Americans. This guy needs to be behind bars. Not far behind is his bald lackey, Garett Newman. To call Newman a deceitful man would be a gross understatement. Newman was our salesman and not one thing he said about the car or the "service" of "family-owned Carson Cars" has turned out to be true. When we asked him to fix the busted car, he replied: "That car is a total loss for us," and refused. They should put him and Stokes in the same cell as bunk buddies and toss the keys in Sound. The head of this Ponzi scheme is Mike Carson. This man has no regrets about taking advantage of hardworking people. Unclear how this man has been operating a "family business" for so long without any consequences. A brief conversation with his employees over at the Carson repair shop revealed, that such business practices are the norm for Carson cars. All the mechanics know that Carson should not be selling these broken cars to people but they do it anyways because they don't care. They sell cars, which are not ready to be driven and are clearly unsafe. It goes to show you how little they value their customer and the customer's life. So here is the clincher folks, there are multiple open investigations into Carson Cars from the state of Washington regarding their deceitful and criminal business practices. Here is Carson Cars' bond information for any customers out there who have been cheated and taken advantage of by these crooks, and wish to sue them: Bond Number: WA13284 Bonding Company: MERCHANTS BONDING CO So if you are in the market for a new car and happen to have the misfortune of looking at Carson's Cars. Ask yourself one question: "Do I really want to a buy a car from a dealership, who is currently under investigation for fraud?" You as the customer have all the power, and the hassle of buying a car from here is not worth it. There are plenty of reputable dealerships out there, who will treat you with respect, honesty, and dignity. Don't waste your money and time here. P.S. Robert, Garett, and Mike. I bet you wish you did the right thing now don't you. read more

Bought my 2004 Chysler Pacifica in January 2015 from Carson Cars. All seemed fine until it rained 2 days after I bought it. Water was leaking from the sunroof into my dash area. I called Carson Cars and they offered to fix it at no charge. They told me that the drains for the sunroof were plugged and they could fix quickly at their shop. They fixed the issue and checked my fluid levels for me. Sounds good right? Well about a week later my car over heats on the highway and the state patrol helps me while I am waiting on the roadside assistance that they included free of charge in my sale (only available sometimes because their tow truck only works part time). The state trooper tells me that the radiator cap is loose and was not screwed on when he checked it....thanks for checking my fluids guys. I have the vehicle towed to Carson Cars Auto Repair shop (because the extra warrantee they sold me for $1295.00 said I can not operate the vehicle until the dealership shop looks at it) and then they call me the next day saying that they cannot find anything wrong with it. I took my car home expecting that my car was now operating normally, but the engine had begun making a ticking sound. I asked them about the ticking sound and they told me that it should go away if I get an oil change (it did not). My check engine light came on in late July and they diagnosed as transmission issues and said that the transmission should be worked on at a transmission shop (they do not work on transmissions). They told me that the warrantee I bought will not cover taxes or fluids (really?), okay... how much will that cost? around $550.00 ...why did I buy the $1,295.00 warrantee? It is now September and my car has again over heated and they again cannot diagnose the reason. they told me to get the fuel system cleaned and put in a new PCV valve (this part regulates oil usage). I am fed up. I met with the General Manager James Hamilton of Carson Cars and found out the sales person that helped me no longer works there and when I told him about the issues i am having with his shop, he rolled his eyes and told me that his repair shop is not very good at diagnosing problems, they think they are good, but he said they really aren't. He suggested that I take the car to another shop to have it diagnosed and then tell his shop what to fix, because they can swap out parts just fine. He rushed me out of the office telling me that I should hurry back to the shop so that I can get a better loaner vehicle (I ended up with a beat up mini van with dents and rust all over it). I now have my vehicle back (still overheating after I replaced the thermostat and PVC valve and added a fuel system cleaner). The General Manager James Hamilton will not return my phone calls now and I am stuck with a car that is not operating and an expensive warrantee that will not cover repairs. I have a family of 6 and no car. I have missed a lot of work dealing with the issues and need my car for both work (traveling sales representative) and family use. DO NOT USE THIS DEALERSHIP! I cannot believe they are still in business. I just want a decent looking reliable car for my family and livelihood. I AM ABSOLUTELY SICK ABOUT HOW CARSON CARS IS TREATING ME. read more

Selling dangerous cars and lies upon lies upon lies! Worst experience buying a car in my lifetime, by far. Where do I begin? We were buying a first car for our son. They advertised a Ford Explorer which is what he wanted and we went to take a look at it. We noticed the air conditioning wasn't working and they assured us that they would fix it and have it done as part of their "money back guarantee". We told them we would be getting it checked out by our mechanic to see if it was a good buy. Well, we did get it checked out. Our mechanic was shocked! He couldn't believe we were allowed to actually drive the vehicle off the lot in the unsafe condition it was in. The front wheel was literally almost falling off the vehicle. We got that part fixed on our dime and he also noticed the transmission was going bad on the vehicle which he couldn't tell at first because the wheels were making such a loud noise. So we took the car back in better condition than we bought it and returned it to them. Showed them the fix we did on the car and in good faith, we exchanged the vehicle for another one. Even speaking to the owner Mike, and sales manager Robert and salesperson Jack (who by the way kept putting his pen in his month and giving it to me, apologizing, I stopped taking his pen. Yuck) They assured us it was an even exchange since we put in money to make the original car drivable. We again took it to our mechanic and he checked it out, and they said if we didn't contact them, they would send us the title and key since we paid in full. Our mechanic found it to be in "decent" shape. We thought that was that. Oh no. They shook us down for another $1000 and said they would not give us the title or the extra key unless we gave them the extra money. We paid the extra money just to be done with it and get the title. They sent us a title that showed that we were selling the car to them and they were the owners! What???? You have got to be kidding. Then after many phone calls we finally got the correct title, but no spare key. Where is it? They obviously don't know where it is or ever knew where it was. So we don't even have a spare key. And Robert will not return our phone calls. We don't live close and a phone call with Robert or Mike is warranted, but they don't know how to use the phone. So, we have a car with no extra key they promised us, we paid extra for it after we fixed the other car on our dime and they are laughing all the way to the bank. Shame on you Carson Cars, you took advantage of a teenager. Do you feel good about that? Do not use this car dealer..... They are outright liars.... We have learned our lesson with them, please don't fall victim to their dishonest and predatory business ethics. read more

Carson Cars sold me a Lemon 2009 F-150. I purchased it in December 2018 and have put approximately 600 miles on it since purchase. I use it to transport my wife who is in a wheel chair and has many major medical issues. Long story short, They sold me a truck with timing chain issue and engine damage being in the cam cap/camshaft. Ford suggested a brand new engine as it would be more expensive to fully diagnose and tear-down this engine. (Brand new engine est, $8,100 + tax). 2 year/24,000 Mile warranty covering ANYTHING that goes wrong in that time. free of charge. Carson cars just wants to put a used engine with 100k miles in the truck and charge me 2K + use my 3rd party warranty and leave me with no warranty if that used engine fails. (unless I make them another sale and buy ANOTHER 3rd party warranty) and then i'm still in the same boat as the warranty doesn't even cover the entire cost of the engine. And this is all dependent on if they can even find a used engine. If that engine has issues i'll be responsible for labor, diagnostics and parts. which could be thousands of dollars if that used engine has issues as well!. Carson cars stopped responding to me when they realized I had these problems And wanted them to cover the balance left over after my warranty company offered to pay $4,000 to ford for the brand new engine. Carson cars would be responsible for the balance, Approx $5,000 Instead, they have ignored me and sold me a lemon. The correct solution by carson cars would be to pay ford the remaining balance and have a new engine put in the truck for me, so I will be covered. Rather than being responsible for even more money and putting a used engine in. Absolutely pointless. If they did not know this damage existed, they should have inspected their vehicles better. I will make sure everyone I talk to knows the truth about Carson Cars, Iv'e already begun telling my customers how this business treated me and I go everywhere. I know the people I have told, and WILL continue to tell more about this don't sound happy, And I'm sure they will express that here as I share this terrible experience with everyone I meet/know!. As carson cars has not given me ANY resolution to this problem! :) I thought carson cars was a car lot, Not a grocery store... I bought a lemon!. I'll continue to call the paramedics when my wife has medical issues and needs transportation, As the beautiful looking truck in my drive way isn't reliable or safe for that purpose!. In the mean time, If carson cars would like to pay that $5,000 to ford and cover their own mistake, They have my number!. read more

This is the worst car buying experience I have ever had. My husband and I were looking for a car for me in January. He raved to me about how people love Carson Cars for their selection and in house financing. I'm young and don't have the best credit so I was more enthusiastic about this place than others. We went to test drive a few cars we saw online. The salesman let us check out the cars on the lot for a while and when we asked to test drive one he said he would need "at least 500 down first" Since when do you need a down payment ready just to test drive a car? This put us off a bit so we left and said we would be back when we got our tax refund. We should have left it at that, but the reviews online were so positive and I needed a car so we gave it the benefit of the doubt and went back. We looked at a Honda Civic that seemed ok, but as we drove around we noticed the automatic windows didn't work and it had no radio in it. we moved on to some SUVs we saw online. One of them had mold growing on the inside and smelled terrible, when I mentioned the smell to the salesman he said " I don't smell anything" and just dismissed it. Another had a dead battery so we just sat in it for a few minutes. I decided it was too big for my taste and told the salesman who just tried to challenge what I told him... This is not how you sell a car. He was just trying to push these garbage cars on us and didn't listen to anything we wanted. we were about to leave when I saw a really nice Mercedes that I just had to test drive. It seemed in good condition and the car fax made me feel really good about the purchase. It needed an alignment and the salesman said they would pay for it if we bought the car. There was also an issue with the key as it came with one key and the casing on it was cracked and held together with scotch tape so it just flopped around. The salesman said he had a contact with a locksmith who could cut another key. He never followed up with this and when we asked about it he said they couldn't do it because they had to pay for the alignment and two tires after one blew up on the way to the shop for the alignment. They said it cost them 600 dollars but I saw the invoice from Firestone and the whole thing cost them 250 dollars. This is not a trustworthy business. (I have also been dealing with their repair shop for the past 3 months and wrote a separate review for that) I am now stuck making payments on a car I haven't even seen since the end of February. BEWARE OF CARSON CARS read more

My experience with Carson Cars can only be described as a nightmare, riddled with deceit, manipulation, and disregard for customer concerns. From my initial contact, I was misled over the phone, setting the stage for a series of regrettable events. Upon arrival at Carson Cars, I was confronted with the stark reality that the information provided over the phone was false, leading to feelings of shame and vulnerability. Instead of rectifying the situation, my vulnerability was exploited, coercing me into purchasing a vehicle that was not only grossly overpriced but also unbelievably falsely advertised in terms of its condition. This experience left me with a sense of urgency and anxiety, pushing me into a decision I deeply regretted. The dealership did agree to replace a few items and detail the vehicle, but this was only a partial attempt to rectify the situation. My first written contact with the finance manager went unanswered, setting the tone for subsequent communication breakdowns. After picking up the vehicle, I quickly discovered serious issues with it. Despite assuming the risks associated with purchasing a used car, I reached out regarding the agreed-upon repairs, only to be met with silence. My requests for a secure online payment option, made months later due to a debit card replacement, were repeatedly ignored. Subsequent follow-up emails went unanswered, with the finance manager claiming ignorance of the unresolved repairs, which I find difficult to believe. As I sought answers, I was bombarded with harassing phone calls and generic repossession threats, all while attempting to communicate with the finance manager, who consistently failed to address my concerns. Despite never refusing payment, my requests for a secure payment option were disregarded, leading to the repossession of my vehicle. Throughout this ordeal, not once did Carson Cars offer a satisfactory response or solution. The lack of transparency and accountability displayed by the dealership is appalling. I implore anyone considering Carson Cars to proceed with extreme caution or seek alternative options altogether. This experience has left me deeply disillusioned and distrustful of Carson Cars' integrity. read more

Avoid buying from Carson Cars at all costs. I bought a vehicle from Carson Cars back on June 25th, 2021. After they sent it through their "shop" before I got it shipped to me over 2000 miles away, they told me they were going to fix the issue causing the check engine light. Now to their credit, they did have the transmission repaired at no cost to me. However, communication was beyond horrible whenever I tried getting an update as to the status of my vehicle seeing I had to coordinate shipping of the vehicle to me. After a month and a half of waiting, the car was finished (only knew of this because I kept calling my salesperson Fernando and eventually hearing back days later). When the car showed up at my house, the front bumper had been pulled away from the mounting points on the passenger side fender seeing the shop Carson Cars took it to for repair neglected to install the fasteners when reconnecting the battery after the transmission rebuild. The battery access on these cars is located in the wheelwell on the passenger side. This cracked the bumper cover on a vehicle where a new bumper cover is impossible to find. Extreme gaps were notated on the bill of lading when the vehicle was picked up at the dealership after the transmission repair, however the pictures I have of the vehicle when posted for sale on the Carson Cars website do not show any gaps on the front end. Upon further inspection, not only was the perch for the rear sway bar link broken off the passenger rear strut causing a loud clunk over any bumps (their shop must've had Helen Keller working the day they checked my car over), but there is an exhaust leak up near the passenger side of the manifold most likely caused from improper installation of the transmission. Once again, when I tried to call the dealership to discuss the issues that were not disclosed during the time of purchase, neither Fernando or the owner Mike Carson were available, so I asked to leave a message. It has been a few days later, never heard back. They definitely lost out on a repeat buyer and hopefully folks will avoid buying from this dealership after reading many of the other less than stellar reviews on here. read more

i purchased a 2006 BMW 535xi from Carson Cars on 9/21/2020. I interviewed with Reliable Credit over the phone, signed finance paperwork, purchased additional warranty and insurance through Geico (full coverage) and put down 1000.00 cash. the arrangement was to pay another 1000.00 down by 10/21/2020 (30 days) and my first payment in 45 days. they requested paystub copies and those were hand delivered by my daughter the next week when we sent her in to purchase a car from them as well. On Sunday October 11th we woke up and our car was gone. We called the police and they informed us that it had been repossessed. I called Carson Cars and they said they had no knowledge of this and i needed to call Monday. Monday I called at least 10 times and was immediately dismissed and sent to voicemail. Finally that evening I spoke to Jessica from Carson Cars, her explanation was our car had no financing so they had to pick it up? How can that be true I had the car 20 days, paperwork signed on 9/21/2020 and no payment due for 10 days. Jessica requested the paystubs again they were not in file i emailed them directly to her. Then she proceeded to tell me that I can get the car back if i paid 1180.00 (before the 1000.00 was even due??? and a 500.00 repossession fee. Then she requested I pay the 1180.00 over the phone and make payment arrangements on the repo fee. How can this be common practice to take a car before the scheduled payment due? Then require 680.00 additional dollars on top of agreed amount, demanding payment before contract scheduled dates? Then exactly 10 days before my daughters additional down payment was due they repossessed her new car as well. We have no car and are out 1000.00 I do not trust this car lot and their shady practices to not take the car again should we agree to pay these additional fees. They have lied to us on several occasions and to my friend who had originally referred me there. Lies regarding repairs covered in the first 90 days, referral bonuses and a few other minor statements we have found they were just pitching us for sale. NO INTEGRITY LIARS AND THIEVES read more

I had an appointment at Carson Cars today Jan 9 2021 with David Gonzalez. Who I've had the pleasure to know for a few months now. My appointment was at 11am and right when I got there he immediately greeted me with a hand shake and a smile. I already had an idea of what car I wanted to get but I took a few minutes to walk around the lot and check a few more out. When I found several that I liked I went in to David's desk and talked about which ones I was looking at and he grabbed the keys to a couple of the cars I liked and I test drove them. I settled on one and he began the paperwork I had a couple snags hold me up from getting that car but David found a solution and figured out a way I could drive home in something decent that I liked today. He really went to bat for me and got me the best possible rates. He spent the majority of the day from 11am to about 4pm working on getting me into a car. It was a great experience working with David, laughing and joking around. And no matter the hold up's that arose David fought for me to be able to purchase the vehicle. Carson Cars is a big family and when I thought I was riding Uber home David found a way to get me in one of the vehicles I wanted and really made me feel like one of the family. I even had the pleasure to meet the owner Mike Carson before I left, and David, Mike, and I stood around for a little while Talking and laughing. I had a great time buying a vehicle from David at Carson Cars and I would recommend if you are in need of a vehicle to go down to Carson Cars and ask for David Gonzalez he is very respectful and he is definitely a go getter and went out of his way to get me into a vehicle. Not once did I feel like I was being pushed in to anything I didn't want and he listened to my wants and the hold up's and found a way around them and got me what I wanted. Thanks David!!!!!! read more

NO STARS - STAY AWAY - BEWARE - My young Son paid $8,000 for a 1997 Chevy Suburban with over 250,000 miles, which included a so called warranty. 2 hours after signing the agreement, the steering went out on the car and he almost had an accident. We felt the car was very dangerous and I did not want him driving it. He called Carson Cars immediately and they came and towed the vehicle. After getting the run around for days, my Son called me, so I called them and talked to Stephanie who said that we could sign a hold harmless agreement and void the contract and my Son could get his $800 down payment back. When I went to the dealership to sign the paperwork as instructed, (I have my Son's Power of Attorney) - I also received the run around. Stephanie said she never talked to me, I must have talked to Vicki, Robert the salesman threatened me that he was going to put a repossession on my Son's good credit. Carson Cars would not follow through with what a representative of their company promised me and void the contract and give my Son's $800 down payment back. The only way to get out of that contract was to let them keep the $800. So now they have $800 of my son's hard-earned money and my son has no car and had the worst experience ever of buying a car. I have written 3 e-mails to the owner, Mike Carson, with absolutely no courtesy of a response. This company is disgusting and offensive. read more

I recently purchased a car from Carson Cars, and I am entirely pleased with the experience. David the salesman was courteous and attentive. He listened to what I wanted and the budget I had in mind, and he guided me to an excellent car. It fit my needs perfectly, it was within my budget, and it was in magnificent condition. The experience with Kale the finance manager was also pleasant. I have poor credit, and the finance manager was upfront and honest with my options. They worked with me and offered a fair loan that was within my budget, which also included a few nice options like a drive-train warranty. Perhaps the best part of the experience was the finance manager took the time to give me a few pointers on how credit works, and he offered some tips on rebuilding and establishing a good credit record. I did run into a problem with my insurance on the vehicle, and to my surprise the staff at Carson had that covered too. The sales manager had an insurance representative give me a call, and the underwriter quoted an excellent full-coverage policy that, once again, was within my budget. My car buying experience was positive, hassle free and quick. I got a great car at a fair price from a friendly group of guys who went out of their way to be helpful, upfront and pressure-free. I would definitely recommend buying a car from them. read more

Recently I started getting angry letters from BECU because they still hadn't received the title. I investigated and came to the realization that Carson Cars screwed up the Title applicaton by not listing the bank as the lienholder. I called Carson Cars and was promised that they would take care of it and would be sending me something that I could take to the DMV to fix the problem. Weeks passed and another empty promise came to pass. I had to go down to the DMV and pay an extra $31 to have a new title created to show BECU as lienholder. This company will tell you one thing and then do exactly nothing. If you want to be faced with a total hassle with every little thing, than this is the place for you. I also had the add bonus of having to pay for their mistake. This is without a doubt the worst consumer experience I have ever had in my life of 50 plus years. Their words mean nothing. There is no reason to give them your business when there are so many others out there. Oh, by the way, they tried to blackmail me into changing my review if they helped me with the title problem, and that is a quote, if we do this, will you change your review. The funny thing is, I told them if they took care of it, I would write an update letting people know of their efforts. Well, this is that update. They did nothing again. . read more