Cartelligent came highly recommended by a friend of mine, so I tried it out. First, I checked out the website. I couldn't really find any information about what kind of service it does exactly, so I figured I just put in some quick contact info to get started. All I know is that I want the best possible deal, financial advice, car buying advice, and never to have to deal with a pushy salesman. So ultimately, I'm paying for convenience. I figure that Cartelligent is the equivalent of using H and R Block is to doing your taxes, but for cars. I did get this experience, but all I'm not so sure about is the price tag. It's $500. Maybe it's worth it, maybe it's not. I'm only hesitant about it because it feels like a rather big number. When I told a friend I was using a broker, she asked me how much the service was. I was a bit embarrassed to say the price, and she told me she doesn't know if it's worth it, or how much I'd really save in the end. I don't have buyer's remorse when it comes to the car. I got a high-in-demand Prius C, and it's great. But I have reservations about whether the cost of the service was worth it. I just feel like I could've called a friend who's good at haggling to help me out. I think if it's indeed worth 500, they should better communicate that. What deals were made? What did they help me avoid? What advantages did they give me? I appreciated that I can speak with someone who had no interest in pushing a sale on me, or pulling the wool over my eyes. However, I did have to deal with a salesman when I took the car for a test drive, who kept on insisting I bought it that day, or went with a Yaris. To Cartelligent's credit, however, I was "briefed" as to how to best handle them in that situation. I feel like for 500, I'm at the very least paying to not have to deal with any salesman whatsoever, and at best, get the best possible deal for the exact car I wanted, sans salespeople. *7/3/12 - I'm amending to my original post because I just found out that they had a $295 option, in addition to the 500, and the even more luxurious 995 option. Dwight asked me what I was looking for in Cartelligent's services, and based on what I said, he should've informed me about the 295, which I would've been more comfortable paying. Instead, he gave me the impression that there's just a 500 option, which includes services on the leasing and delivery (at least here in Southern California.) In the feedback survey, there was a question about whether I'd recommend Cartelligent to a friend or use the service again. I think I would for 295, but not 500. Learn from my mistake and be aware of the price options! read more

OK, so I only Yelp when I have an extraordinary experience. And dealing with these guys at Cartelligent in San Jose was extraordinary. First, they're a bunch of nice guys - that's one thing. Then, they're GREAT at what they do. At first I was thinking, "how can they possibly know all the details (or even MOST of them) for so many different cars?" But, folks, they do. They are knowledgeable, helpful, NOT pushy, and simply good at what they do. They under-promised and over-delivered! This was my first purchase through Cartelligent. Don Horrigan handled my transaction front-to-back, and It was seamless. My wife and I were torn between a few cars, and were not completely sure which one to pursue. Don asked for me to answer a few simple questions about what the car was needed for - simple stuff - then we narrowed our choices down. Don then told us to go to the websites of the manufacturers and pick out the packages and options that we wanted - so we built a few out, printed them and gave them to Don, and he took it from there and kept me posted. I made our choice, and they went to work on finding the car and pricing it out....we got a better deal than we possibly could have at a Dealership! Billy Moore did a lot of the legwork as well, and is generally an all-around helpful, knowledgeable nice guy. He delivered the car with white-glove service, Christmas Eve, and helped for me to make it a surprise on Christmas morning, big red bow and everything! Now how can't you call that extraordinary?? It was awesome. The best Christmas ever! Thank you, Billy, for making it so special!! I have NO IDEA why anyone would EVER go to a dealership again - sorry, car dealership salespersons of the world, but I think that this is the only and best way to buy a car! I got a GREAT deal, no hidden crap, no haggling, no "let me talk to my manager" (yuck), delivered on time, simple.....these guys are my people, period. I could be a walking, talking commercial for these guys. I would be if they did that stuff! Thank you Don, Billy, and the entire Cartelligent team for the best car buying experience of my entire life! read more

I loath buying a car and this past time was no different. I knew exactly what I wanted, market rates, and availability of the car with the features and color I wanted. I prenegotiated with dealers and STILL Cartelligent got me a better rate - I was in and out in 20 minutes versus the 4 hours the last time I bought from a dealer. I will NEVER EVER buy from a dealer again. Dean was straight up - there wasn't a feeling I was being messed with, no "selling" me anything, just information, and it was left to me to make my decisions. I could not have been happier with the process. read more

If you want to make buying a car easy and pleasant (not kidding!), call Cartelligent. Dwight listened to what I wanted, used his connections to set up a test drive, found me the car of my dreams (the only one in the Western U.S. in the colors I wanted!), then called me up and said "Come and get it!" I had the car in less than a week. I went to Cartelligent, signed the papers, and off I drove. And with his savvy negotiations and connections, I paid less than I would at a dealership. Wonderful experience. I hate buying from dealerships and will never do so again. At Cartelligent I was treated with respect and great customer service (even though I am "just a woman..."). Thanks, Dwight! read more

Ryan Mize is great and sincerely puts in the effort to make sure his clients are satisfied! My first Car (a Honda Civic) was purchased through a dealer instead of Cartelligent. While I gave that dealer a decent review, I did not realize that they are so good at baiting and switching...anyways, I regretted having made the purchase on such an impulse instead (initially I was skeptical of Cartelligent and when the dealer initially quoted me a price better than Cartelligent's, I went along with it instead). This time around, I was determined not to make the same mistake. After test-driving and knowing what I wanted, I called up Ryan. The process was great! Had my car within a week...smooth process and everything worked out well. Didn't waste time calling around, but instead trusted Cartelligent to do all the work. Got me what I wanted (a Nissan Altima 2.5S), at a great price (better than the best I found with calling around maybe 1 or 2 places at most). This is by far the best way to buy..just go to a local dealer to test drive if you want to get a feel for the car and decide exactly what you want, and then once you know exactly what you want, you can trust Cartelligent with the rest! Great job!!!! I will make my future purchases through Cartelligent :) Only 1 suggestion: Hire a receptionist/someone to pick up the phone, and perhaps expand the size of the team so that phone calls could be promptly answered/returned. read more

I had a really good experience buying a new car from Don and Billy at Cartelligent. I went in knowing which car I wanted. They found exactly that. Within a few days I was a proud new Jeep owner. I went to two dealerships looking for a jeep. None of the sales men took me seriously. It was really frustrating. They were pushy. I found they even lied to me. They tried to sell me a jeep that was already sold. No pressure with Cartelligent!!! Paperwork was so fast and easy. There is no other way to purchase a vehicle.I will definitely refer the San Jose branch. Thank you again Don and Billy for making my car buying experience easy! read more

Cartelligent - This is my dream!!! Thank you Cartelligent for making this happen. Don and Billy you are the best! - Car Dealers Near Me - Menlo Park, California

Great customer service provided by Dwight and the Cartelligent team! I had an easy, painless process when purchasing my new car. Definitely beats the hassle of going to the dealership. The team was able to find me a better loan rate than what I had already lined up, saving me even more money in addition to the great price they negotiated with the dealer. Pick up was simple enough, paper work for about 10 minutes then a walk through of my new car. This is what the car buying experience should be, not the tired old sales process at the dealership! read more

Thanks to Milton, Kenji and the rest of the Cartelligent team, we were able to lease a new Honda CR-V, and trade in our old Ford Escape with zero effort. It was a phenomenal experience, not just an evolution, but a REVOLUTION in the car buying or leasing experience. Buy or lease a car from a company that cares about YOUR interests first. I'm certainly happy I did! read more

This really is the only way to buy a car! I just purchased a car through Don at the San Jose office. I decided on a whim that I wanted to lease a Prius and had used Cartelligent before so I sent them an email. I received an answer within minutes and was on the phone with Don a couple of minutes after that. After outlining what I wanted, the Cartelligent team went to work. Within a few hours they found the exact car that I was looking for at an amazing price! It took only 6 hours from me reaching out to them to them finding my car. Amazing! I could not recommend this service enough to anyone looking to buy a car. It can be so frustrating, or it can be easier than a trip to the grocery store by using this service...really. When I stopped by the San Jose office to pick up my car, it was waiting for me on the platform out front. I signed paperwork (10 minutes), got a tour of the features and I was on my way. Thanks, Don for the amazing experience! read more

After getting the runaround at a dealership when trying to buy a new car I decided there has to be an easier way. I learned about Cartelligent from a friend and found out they just opened a new location in San Jose close to my office. I worked with Ryan Mize who got me exactly the car I wanted at a price that was way better than even the promises I got from the slick salespeople at the dealership. It was fast and easy and I'm recommending Cartelligent to all my friends and family! read more

Top notch service. Second time I used their service and not the last one. After Harvey, Don is my new man. He really understood my needs and customize the solution for what I needed. The process is so easy: - Go test drive few cars that you like and settle on one - As soon as you know which car you want give them your top 3 choices for colors, option, etc.. - Tell them your budget and they will work with you to get the best deal (be reasonable of course, don't expect a Ferrari for $100/month). - Then they'll let you know when to go pick up your car. The paper work takes only 25 minutes and you are gone with your car. I experienced the dealership nightmare before and I would never deal with a dealership again. I hate their stupid game: "Let me ask my manager to see if we can get you a deal". This was the old way. Cartelligent is the new way. I have recommended them before and will continue to do so. read more

This review is for our purchase of a 2013 Audi Q7 S Line Prestige with almost all the bells and whistles added -- so it was very difficult to find and very few dealers had it especially given that we were picky about the exterior and interior colors in addition to the options and packages. We dealt with Antonio Contreras from Cartelligent. Extremely happy with how everything went and how quickly things moved, effectively and efficiently. Most work was done over quick phone calls and emails. If you are looking to buy a new car, and you know what you want after test driving at dealerships etc, just give these guys a call. We'll be replacing another car of ours pretty soon and we're sure it'll be through Cartelligent. read more

If you're in the market for a purchase or lease, this should be your first and last stop. Don't even bother with dealerships unless you're just browsing, and figuring out your options and accessories. This was our second transaction with Dwight McCarty and in short: I got a deal I could not have gotten on my own, on basically a 24 hour timeline, and 5 minutes of paperwork. There's simply no better way to lease or purchase a car than with Cartelligent. Without question, they live up to their name. I would recommend them to any friend or family member without reservation. read more

I have seen many mixed reviews so i decided to try it for myself. I went on line submitted a request. I left a request on line after calling 3 times all hours of the day and not getting any reply. I got an e mail from some one i replied to him with great details what car i am specifically looking for and that was the last tome i heard from that person or Cartelligent. I ended up getting a car and not using this service. I doubt i will try it in the future for my next car but i am willing to keep an open mind and maybe try in the future. read more

We recently bought an all electric car through Cartelligent of Menlo Park. Ricardo greeted us warmly, explained the paperwork that had to be signed all in a competent but relaxed manner, putting my husband & I at ease. Not only did he explained the car's features but he even helped us hook up an app on our old car. He urged us to come again, if we had any questions. I assumed that comment is what every one says but most businesses don't follow through when you do return. Two days later we did return because Toyota's auxillary computer system is not at all user friendly. Ricardo and Jonathan spent nearly two hours with us puzzling out the technology with pateince and humor. We had been to two different Toyota dealerships where we talked to five different employees. None of them knew the ins & outs of the Toyota's computer. Ricardo & Jonathan were a great help. I highly recommend them & Cartelligent of Menlo Park, CA. read more

100% recommend!! My coworker had the car I was interested in and I inquired and she went on and on about Cartelligent. I have never gotten a car this way but now that I had a toddler and a full-time work schedule their fee was WORTH the endless hours/weekends I would've spent shopping/inquiring/negotiating at dealerships. I was ready to try something new and EASY!! Boy, am I so glad I did. Hilary was amazing!! We talked weekly and she was so patient and supportive as the style/make I wanted evolved. She was so professional and knowledgable, I trusted her immediately and felt relieved she was at the helm, taking this huge stress of returning my lease and getting a new car off my plate. From the moment the deal was made, the communication to the next team Billy & Ricardo was seamless. Hilary held my hand through it all (through email, texts, and phone calls) and it was a cinch! The car arrived within a few days (made the appointment during my toddler's naptime) and there she was... IN MY DRIVEWAY like a dream!! (Yes, I did not have to go to a dealership to return my lease). That was incredible. Ricardo helped me set up my phone immediately to my car (amazing!) and showed me the basics. I've already told all my friends and coworkers about Cartelligent and now YOU! Best $$ I ever spent. read more

My expectations were high. I wanted nothing to do with a dealership. Worked with Brian. Easy easy easy! Showed up, signed few papers, wrote a check, got keys, drove off. Came back another day to get lesson regarding operation car. Billy took an over an hour to show me everything. Very patient man. Basically, cars are computers now. :) Highly professional transaction. I can't imagine any busy individual would want to buy a new car any other way. read more

If you're not buying your car from these guys you're crazy. I worked with Antonio Contreras who helped me get a new Audi Q5. He got a price on the car better than what I could have negotiated myself (despite the fact that I have the Audi Supplier Discount). No time negotiating with the financing person, refusing 40 different options, etc. To top it all off, when Antonio showed me the car, he stopped for a second and said "look at this, it's dirty. I'm so sorry. It's been out in the rain. Take it back here any time to get et detailed". I was somewhat surprised as the car looked pristine. He wiped his finger on the tailgate and showed me a little bit of dirt. I told him I couldn't ask him to re-detail the car. He wouldn't take no for an answer. Eventually I suggested that he could detail my old car, which I was going to give to my sister. When I came back a few days later to give my sister the old car, it was spotless. If you want to purchase your next car pain free, do it with Cartelligent. read more

We needed a car quickly since our car died rather quickly. Cartelligent was able to find the car we wanted for the best price within 24 hours. They also offered us a trade-in value for our old car. Very professional, easy and painless process! read more

Cartelligent is the best !! I filled out the contact form on cartelligent.com and soon Dwight called me back. After a great conversation, Dwight and his team were off looking for just what I wanted: A 2013 Honda CR-V EX-L AWD White with Beige leather interior. After a couple of days, it was clear that there just weren't any cars with this particular combo on the West Coast ... but wait!! Dwight found me a 2014 Honda CR-V EX-L AWD White with Beige leather interior for about what I was expecting to pay for a 2013! Doing the paperwork at their office was pleasant and painless. Dwight's colleague Billy was very knowledgeable about my new car and explained all the features to us. I drove my new CR-V away from their office knowing that I just had my best car buying experience ever! I've purchased a lot of cars over the years, and the hassle of going into auto dealerships and putting up with their nonsense made buying a new car seem like a real drag. Dwight and Cartelligent have turned that all around for me. When you are serious about buying a new vehicle and want that experience to be a real pleasure, Cartelligent is the place to go! read more

No surprise here due to the numerous other stellar reviews, but these guys are totally awesome. You'll never go back to those sleazy dealerships again once you purchase a car from Cartelligent! The staff was great to work with. They located the exact vehicle we wanted through one of their partner dealerships, and the car was ready for pick up at their San Jose office in just a matter of days! It almost seems too good to be true-- but it's not. The paperwork took less than 15 minutes and they gave us a short tour of our new car. We were out of there in less than an hour with our shiny new ride! To top everything off, they got us an unbelievably good deal on the car, making their fee completely worth it. They'll even help sell your old vehicle for a great price with another small fee! You have to give Cartelligent a call if you are in the market for a new vehicle. You'll be amazed with their service and never want to go through the painful dealership process again. read more

I used Cartelligent for the first time recently, and it was a great experience. I knew the exact model I was looking for (a 2013 Hyundai Santa Fe Sport with a very specific trim), and had already done a test-drive. The agent I worked with, Brendan, was super nice, got the details of my request right, kept things simple, and quickly found a car that matched my request--at a price that was better than I had managed after talking to two local dealerships. I will absolutely use Cartelligent the next time I'm looking for a car, and I highly recommend them. read more

Don and the folks there made it so easy to buy my car. They asked me all the key questions and even came up ideas on buying a model that was less money. When was the last time that happened to you. I strongly urge anyone to use them and avoid the horrors on going to a dealer. They are five star folks. Charles read more

I loathe the car-buying experience, hate might even be a better word. This was the first time I used a car broker, and I am SO THRILLED WITH MY EXPERIENCE I HAVE TO TYPE IN CAPS!!! Hilary Lucas was my contact person out of Danville, she is absolutely stellar - responsive, personable, helpful, knowledgeable, the whole package! I live down in the San Jose area, so she connected me with Don and Billy to complete the car exchange and they are equally stellar. The whole Cartelligent team went above and beyond to help us - in every instance possible. We are a young growing family with a baby at home, and Billy even offered to bring my new car to my house when I didn't have a ride in to get it! I am super excited to buy our next car (albeit in twenty years) but I know I will be in good hands with the Cartelligent team. read more

Billy and Nick are rockstars! They found the exact car we were looking for as a surprise for mom. AND... they moved mountains to help us make the surprise happen. Can't thank them enough. They took ALL the hassle out of the car buying experience. Highly recommend them! read more

I used Cartelligent once ten years ago and was extremely pleased. I just got off the phone with a sales person and sadly it appears both their business model and quality of customer service have changed. The sales person seemed very annoyed that I had already spoken to a couple of dealers and gotten quotes. She even went so far as to ask why I didn't just go with one of those dealers! She kept repeating, "We don't compete on price, we are a consierge car buying service." Overall her tone was snooty and offensive. I'm afraid that price is still going to be an important factor for most customers. Unfortunately I will no longer be recommending this service to my friends, which I have done many times over the years. read more

They quoted me very high price but the good thi ng was they gave me the refund for the entire amount. Had to email multiple times but finally after posting review on yelp they listened. I think it might be a good service if they get there pricing inline. read more

Everyone in my family has used Cartelligent and finally it was my turn to step up to the plate and get a new car. I knew I did not want to waste time at dealerships, so I went straight to Ryan Mize. I told him what I was looking for and her was there to help me every step of the way. Ryan made the process efficient and painless! The whole process only took about 2 weeks and when I arrived to pick up my car, it was all ready for me parked out front of the building. Big thanks to Ryan and his job well done! read more

Received a check for my old car and verified that the remaining balance is paid off. Again, as good as it gets! read more

These guys work hard to get u a Gud deal but try to do ur homework first and see wats the best deal U can get on ur own . Otherwise if u have no time then go to Em . read more

Cartelligent - Car Dealers Near Me - Menlo Park, California

Excellent service! Helped with the purchase of our new car with the specifications we were looking for and BEYOND helpful with the return of our old car- even removed our Yakima us! Above and beyond! Can't say enough great things about Billy and Dwight! read more

For a customer service oriented company that markets itself as making car buying easy and pleasant, I was disappointed. I felt like i got the run around like I would get at a dealership. I purchased a new car through Cartelligent and they were going to take my old car as a trade-in. The price on the new car was fine, but I felt that i could have gotten as good a price by going to a dealer myself. I wanted to buy thru Cartelligent for the convenience they offered, including making it easy to trade in my used car. I made an appointment to pick up my new car and have them inspect my old car and tell me what they would give me for it. When I arrived, the person who does the trade-in valuation work was not there and would not be back for several hours. This felt like a bait and swtich, especially as I made an appointment to see them to evaluate the used car. It has now been 4 days and i still don't have an answer on the old car, which I had to leave with them. At this point, the hassle in driving out to go pick up the old car will be significant. As the trade-in weighs in on the economics of the deal, I don't feel I've been treated well from a price perspective and certainly feel that the service has been poor. read more

I tried using these guys in the past, but I did not get the best deal from them. I actually got the best deal by going into a dealership, telling them my quote from Cartelligent and they beat it by a long shot! By a long shot I mean about 5% better on the MSRP and about 15% better on the lease payment all else being equal. They give you the impression they will get you the "best" deal but, they will not. They make money off your fee and a kickback from the dealership. I would not use these guys again. Really, it's a play on those people who just want a car and don't really care about the price so long as they don't have to get involved with the dealership. read more

AVOID AVOID AVOID. I bought my Nissan GT-R through this broker and it was a huge mistake. I should've just bought straight from a dealer. Seriously, with websites like cars.com and autotrader.com, you don't need a broker to find your car any more! But let me tell you about my story. It's long and I'll try to keep it short. I hired Ryan to find a GT-R (a $90K+ car) in the color I wanted. They were never good at communicating, so I had to call them every week or so. The car took a month to get to me. It turned out the BRAND NEW car I was supposed to get was having the windshield fixed at a shop in Southern California while Ryan and his team kept me waiting in the dark. I guess everyone's experience with Cartelligent will be a hit or miss. If they find the car you want, then it'll be smooth. But if they decide to sell you one that's being repaired without telling you (like what happened to me), then you will need a lot of prayers. I ask everyone to consider using alternatives such as cars.com and autotrader.com and STAY AWAY FROM THIS BUSINESS. read more

I recently decided to purchase a 1500 Ram Rebel. Initially, I looked around on my own but then my son suggested I contact Dwight at Cartelligent. I did and that was a really smart move. Dwight located the exact vehicle I wanted in about two weeks after I paid the finder fee, which I felt was very reasonable. The paper work to get the truck once it arrived took only a few minutes. The process was efficient and effective. I will go back to Dwight for our next car purchase. A very satisfied customer! read more

I tried using Cartelligent to buy a popular car, but the price they quoted me seemed quite high, so I decided to try myself. After 15 min I was able to get a price $1500 lower, so I decided to buy directly from the dealer. I don't mind paying for their service, but they should at least be trying to get me a good price. Using Cartelligent was just a waste of time. The only good thing I have to say is that getting a refund was easy. read more

EXCEPTIONAL Service. Not sure why anyone wouldn't use this service to buy a vehicle, they save you all of the hassle of car buying.

It says on their website "we welcome you to stop by any of our locations to speak with a car-buying expert". It doesn't say you need to make an appointment before you come by. I Uber'ed to one of their offices, 13 miles away from where I live, only to find out that no one will speak with me without an appointment. It's fine to have a "by appointment only" policy, but you could at least make that clear on your website. read more

Cartelligent - Car Dealers Near Me - Menlo Park, California

Worked with Dwight McCarty for our latest vehicle from Cartelligent. This was our 4th vehicle (purchase and lease) with this team and the process, as always, was smooth and painless. In the span of just over a week, they had identified the vehicle, negotiated the terms, streamlined the paperwork (all online), and even worked to find a deal for our trade-in. Best of all, signing the paperwork took all of FIFTEEN minutes. We are loving the new car and highly recommend this reasonably priced service! read more

I went to three dealerships looking for a fun sports car. None of the sales men took me seriously. It was really frustrating. I was actually thinking of driving to another city to see if the sales men would treat me better. Then I found Cartelligent. I am convinced they are the only way to buy a new car now. I purchased a car through Don at the San Jose office. After I gave Don a spec sheet on what I wanted, the Cartelligent team went to work and got me my custom ordered car. I recommend this service to anyone looking to buy a car. Cartelligent handles everything and they got me the car at the price I asked for. When I stopped by the San Jose office to pick up my car, it was waiting for me in the showroom. I signed the paperwork, got a tour of the car, and was driving away in about 1 hour. The tour took longer than the paperwork did. Thanks, Don for the amazing experience! Thank you Cartelligent for knowing that women like cars also! read more