I'm really sad to write this, because up until now my experience with Carter has been great. My husband and I purchased a used car from Carter in May 2013. We brought it in for an oil change this month, and were told there is almost $3,000 of work that needs to be done on the exhaust system. We asked them to take responsibility for this, since we've had the car just over 6 months (if there is that much damage, it was clearly there when we bought it) and they refused. We bought it "as is" (because they wouldn't allow us to buy a warranty) so legally, it is our responsibility. However, since this damage was noticed during an oil change, then whoever did the oil change before we purchased the car must have seen it, and they sold it to us anyway. This is clearly not the type of thing we would be able to determine during a test drive, and we purchased the car from them in good faith. I have been a loyal customer of Carter for years, but will never come back. read more

I read all the reviews and was prompted to tell my experience. I decided I wanted a TDI Jetta...a 2009. My Audi Quattro qualified as a "Clunker"...a $700.00 Audi 90 - 20 valve with more than 238 K on the odometer...was now worth $5000.00!!! Yayyy! My salesperson @ Carter was the one we had been recommended when my wife bought her GTI. I told him what I wanted and he was astonished that I was going to turn my Audi 90 twenty valve into scrap. (He loves the 20 valve engine, as it's a work of art.) He showed me the only TDI Jetta they had and it was all "Pimped-OUT" with this ridiculous body work. I told him I was not interested and he questioned me..."Why not?". I replied..."Duhhh...it's ugly and not my style. Why would anyone do that to an effin' diesel???" I asked him to locate one for me, as "I'm a loyal customer and I want to purchase a car from you". (I actually used to work at Carter.) So, he went into the Sales Manager to do a locate and came back to me and said..."There are no more out there." Then, he attempted to sell me the ugly white beast that he DOES have. I walk. (Weasel activity!) At home, I started calling all the V. W. Dealerships. None at Roger Jobs in B'ham. TWO in Burlington...but they're automatics. Bummer. I call every dealership I can think of...even Portland. No 6 speeds...but, there ARE TDI's "out there". Finally, I remember Larson in Tacoma. They're HUGE! BAM! They've just gotten a 6 speed in on a Dealer Trade from Chaplin's; 5 minute previous to my call. It's got a sunroof and I give the sales guy a deposit over the phone. The transaction was smooth and the Finance Manager was really great. I paid cash and she didn't even question my check. V. W. gave me another $500.00 off on the car and it is currently worth MORE than I paid for it. Cool...when does THAT ever happen??? So, I did not appreciate being lied to and having a sales person try to slam me into something I obviously hated. I can't recommend Carter...although I wish I could. ADDENDUM: This place just continues to disappoint. First, it was built in 1950 something and hasn't been remodeled since. It's a decadent dump. I counted 10 salespeople starving there and crawling all over each other to get the straggler customers who wander in...perhaps 2-a-day. Those poor salespeople. The Service Department used to be great...until all the loyal long time Service Writers became disgusted and fled the scene. The story I got was that they were overworked and suffering in an old and cramped environment that must have been dismal and depressing. I quit going there...they don't even wash or vacuum your car. You get a coupon to go to Brown Bear. If you have a Car Rack...forget THAT. I gave mine to my neighbor. I never even get a notice from this dilapidated dealership letting me know it's time for an oil change. My advice...Go somewhere else. Honestly, I don't know how they remain in business...??? read more

We buy all of our cars here and I've yet to have a bad experience. I normally take the cars in for servicing since I work nearby and I've never had any problems with the loaners. The reviewer below me claims that because she is a girl she is not given a loaner, but I have to disagree. People call ahead of time for routine maintenance appointments and make loaner reservations then - It sucks that they don't have enough loaners for her last minute repairs, but that's the reality of scheduling. Also, the service department is really professional and helpful. read more

Purchased a preowned Car here 6 months ago and experienced great service here - from the sales, financing and service teams. Highly recommend Carter to anyone looking for their next vehicle. read more

Wow! As a single woman shopping alone for cars, I experienced the best and worst of car dealers, and Carter was definitely the best. I got a great deal, and I can absolutely say their customer service is SUPERB compared to the 7 or so dealers I encountered while shopping around. I was REALLY lucky to get paired up with a new addition to Carter, Ryan Driscoll, who helped me find exactly what I was looking for and took the extra time to answer all of my questions. I had complete confidence in him and his knowledge of Volkswagen vehicles -- he even has a tattoo to prove it! I am also studying for the WA Bar exam right now and didn't have the time to play games, but I felt like Ryan was playing for my team throughout the negotiations and financing. He has called several times to check up on me and my new whip since I brought it home, and I couldn't be happier with the product and his attention to detail. On top of the great treatment, he is a funny and nice person in general to be around -- a nice change from your stereotypical salesmen. Thanks to Ryan and the rest of Carter for your excellent service -- I'll probably go back with my boyfriend in the fall to pick out his new Subaru! read more

ZERO stars for horrible service. I was lied to, manipulated, conned and taken to the cleaners when I drove my VW Passat to the Carter VW mechanic to have a problem checked out. After promising numerous discounts on what they claimed to be a $3,000 repair job on a car that had been serviced only by them in the past 5 years, I began protesting when they reneged on their 'discounts' and in the final estimate "forgot to include the parts cost" which brought the total to over $500 from the initial estimate. They refused to give me a loaner car, claiming they had none left, which was untrue as I saw several sitting in the lot upon leaving one day and returning the next. After calling around to several other dealers, I found their prices MUCH higher, even with their claimed, but never applied 'discount.' I took my car down the street to Arne's Auto Service, and received a full, thorough, honest repair in only 2 days time (left car at Carter's for 2 days - with nothing done), with ONE price that remained the same before and after the repair (almost half of what Carter estimated). Do NOT take your car to Carter's VW, they are glorified 'scam-artists.' read more

Took my Jetta to get a routine mileage check up as well as some upgrades that were still under warranty. I called and made an appointment which was easy and the time I wanted was available. All was looking like an easy day getting my car serviced. When I arrived to drop off my car, there was an issue with the upgrade I was to receive because they couldn't locate it in their records even though when I made the appointment they needed to VIN number to order the part and I had the letter stating I was eligible for the upgrade. The service guy said he would talk to the woman in charge of that when she came in (which wasn't for another couple hours) and sort it out and let me know if they can proceed with the update. Service never called and I had to call to check in to see if they were doing the work. I had also asked service to check something out with my tire because I recently had it replaced but no one ever wrote it down in the file so no one look at it. Their shuttle service is great! I was taken home and taken back to the dealership with a friendly driver. On my way back to the service department, the shuttle was running late but we arrived at 6:02 and service closes at 6 pm. They knew the shuttle was late because I got a call from them informing me but no one waited to explain to me any of the work that was done on my car. I was given my paperwork and my car back with a voucher for a free car wash. I've owned/leased a Jetta for the past 12 years and every service, I get my car washed and vacuumed. No vacuum and a car wash voucher. After a whole day experience (drop off at 9:30 am and pick up at 6 pm) which they said would not take more than couple of hours and then a dirty car, I can say for sure that I will not return to this dealership/service department. I even filled out their service and received a phone call back to explain my comments. The voicemail that was left was condescending and made it seem that I did not request anything but they were willing to work with me. I did not return that phone call and instead went to buy my Jetta at University VW. I recommend, go somewhere else for service. read more

Seemed great at first. Lots of pressure when we bought the car but I figured, that's a car dealer for you. We love our Jetta Wagon, but we've put a lot of repairs on it. The more we go there, the less I like it. The repair guys are pretty rude to us and are not very helpful. I would consider buying another car there but I'll be taking my repairs and maintenance elsewhere. read more

I feel really sad to write this review. I used to love Carter Saab even after it was no longer a Saab dealership. Unfortunately, they seemed to have changed. I wanted to get my oil changed and in the old days they used to fit me in. But I tried twice to get my car in and they were all booked up and then on the third try they asked me how many miles I had. I said close to 60,000 miles and they said that I should have the 60,000 mile maintenance. I said that I wanted an oil change only and they said that they were booked up. So, then I decided to ask if I were to do the 60,000 mile service would they be able to fit me in and they said yes. So, it felt like they didn't want my business for a simple oil change but if I wanted to spend more, then they could help me. This is not how the old Carter Saab used to be. read more

John Lamm--that's who you want looking after you. Leased from him 4 years ago and I was back this week to buy. He was patient over the last few months helping find the car I wanted within my budget. And we found the car I wanted, the color I wanted, the amenities I didn't need but wanted (sunroof! bluetooth!). It was a great experience all around. Driving off with that new Golf was pure VW-happiness. read more

Not helpful. Not friendly. All about making a dime and not about customer service in any way. Paul is terrible. Never going back. Wish I could give them negative stars. Convinced that dealerships are not the way to go for service on a car. read more

DO NOT TAKE YOUR CAR HERE TO BE SERVICED. I had my car towed here after it died on me. After hearing my car's symptoms three people from AAA were convinced it was my alternator but was told by the service adviser it was a failed battery. I specifically asked if they'd checked the alternator and was told no it was the battery. They replaced it and I went home. The very next day my car died again. Towed it back to Carter and was told now... it's the alternator. When I reminded the service adviser of my question, I was told that would have required extra tests to determine. I told the adviser this was not offered to me and therefore I did not feel they were taking the necessary steps to ensure I was getting the best possible service they could provide. I also brought up that it wasn't noted on my service report the customer requested the alternator to be looked at and it wasn't necessary. They cited it as a clerical error. Which they weren't willing to fix or budge on. I asked for the supervisor to call me and I didn't hear anything for hours. Had to callback only to find out he'd left for the day. I went in the next day to speak with him in person and he was beyond rude. I will never take my car here nor buy from them. I've heard Carl's on 55th by UVillage is good. I'm trying him out next time. read more

Absolutely the worst service technicians on the planet. Sure, they fixed my car, but it was $1500 later and way later than they promised. Plus, it was a few hundred more than what they quoted me, but rather than taking a customer is always right stance, they hemmed and hawed their way into my pocket book. Perhaps prematurely, I decided to give them ONE LAST CHANCE to fix my lemon of a Jetta, only to be treated just as rudely as ever by the same car tech (Hadi, I think his name is) and was literally hung up on. I will never take my Jetta there again (it will probably be set on fire and pushed off the nearest cliff at this rate). read more

My main issue with Carter VW is their aggressive customer service/sales. I bought a Tiguan from Carter in 2009. 6 years later and they still hound me. When my warranty expired they called relentlessly in an attempt to sell me an extended warranty. When I told them I wasn't interested they chastised me for my "stupidity." Literally said in a sarcastic voice, "well that's real smart!" then hung up. As mentioned by previous reviewers, they must have some kind of commission associated with survey scores. Can't tell you how many times I was told to fill out the survey and make sure to give a full 5 stars. How is that effective?! To top it off, although not directly their fault, the car has endless electrical problems, fuel pump issues, recalls, etc. Other than the random nice service person this place is a major disappointment. Poor business practices resulting in disgruntled employees, perhaps? Won't be returning. read more

I had hoped not to have to write this review re: Carter VW, after having an unpleasant experience at University VW recently. I called Carter and was told the leak repair on my 1999 Jetta would take a half day, and so I scheduled the appt for this Wed, thinking I'd hang out in Ballard while my car's leak was fixed. When I arrived at the dealership, the service representative Alex was very pleasant and helpful, but I did learn that the car would take all day to be serviced - and so I caught their shuttle back to my house. I didn't hear back from Carter the rest of the day, and so I waited until the following morning to call them back. I then learned that my car likely wouldn't be serviced until next week since there were four cars with leaks ahead of mine. As I told Alex, customers deserve total transparency re: matters like this, and then I arranged to pick up my car today without it being repaired. What a surprise when I discovered that another problem with my car mysteriously occurred while it was at the dealership. When the attendant was driving the car to where I stood, I could hear my car's horn sounding. When I drove the car home, I confirmed that the horn now sounds when I brake and turn the car. How ironic that, instead of my car getting a much-needed repair fixed, that problem is still unresolved and I have a new issue to address with the broken horn. I appreciated the free car wash coupon that Alex gave me, but I will not be bringing my Jetta or my Eos to Carter for servicing going forward. read more

I'm not really a fan of car dealerships, but I enjoy working with Carter. I moved to Ballard from Capitol Hill and needed a place to bring my VW for service. I've brought it in a few times now and have found their staff to be very friendly and helpful. I appreciate the free shuttle service after dropping my car off. My only real complaint is that there are some services they don't do in-house (like detailing and body work). Still, they have great service and I would recommend them. If I'm ever in the market for another VW I'll definitely give them a shot. read more

I don't care about their service or their cars. The drivers at this place have almost killed me about 25 times over the past year. They move their cars from lot to lot, driving like maniacs, not even slowing to check for traffic. Not okay. read more

Been here several times for service to my 2008 Jetta and 2010 cc. They try hard, but seem phony and like they're reciting from a cheesy customer service playbook, but secretly seething under their breath at who knows what resentment. It just feels like the management is all high pressure sales, and the attitude is that all customers are prey. I would never try to buy or lease a car here for that reason, but for service it is okay, except instead of washing the car they give a Brown Bear coupon. The shuttle is okay. Once I got a loaner which was nice. Overall, convenient location makes me go back, but the atmosphere is strangely off-putting. Except when I brought the dogs, and the receptionist went out of her way to give them treats. The salespeople looked as if they'd like to shoot the little guys though:) read more

I didn't end up purchasing a vehicle here, but I was very pleased with the service offered by Bill Stutzman. I'm a 26-year-old woman who came in to test drive a vehicle alone. I was fully expecting to be hassled, pressured, and persuaded into buying a car right then and there. That didn't happen. Only reason I didn't purchase the car is because it was too expensive and there's wasn't much wiggle room. I tend to be a bit thrifty and frugal, and it was simply out of my budget. read more

Such a frustrating experience. I had my eye on an Eos and we thought we'd pay a visit to Carter VW and see what kind of a deal we could get on a lease. We obviously knew it was more expensive than our original budget but were willing to spend a little extra for the 'fun factor' of this car. We opened with that when we met our sales person and he assured us he could work with us on reducing the advertized $369/month lease price. So, we're there for about 1.5 hours while they are doing whatever they're doing and imagine our surprise when our sales guy comes back with a HIGHER price than the advertized one!! We balked and he then began insulting us saying things like 'How did you think you could afford a $35,000 car?' So, not only did he waste our time but he insulted us to boot. Awesome. We fully anticipated to spend over our initial budget but if you say you're going to be able to reduce the monthly cost of a vehicle, it's poor form to come back with a higher price and then say 'Well, that's our rock bottom price'. We could have saved everyone's time if they'd been honest with us in the first place. We went to Honda of Seattle that same night and signed a deal for a top of the line car and had a very pleasant experience. read more

The service department got me in right away without hesitation, (unlike Chaplin's in Bellevue) and the Carter service department actually answers their phone during business hours (unlike Campbell Nelson in Edmonds). They finished my car faster than I expected too! But getting a sales person to help didn't happen and their selection wasn't great anyways. They gave me a car wash voucher for Big Bear too!!! read more

I've got to agree with Lauren L. below and say I'm really surprised at the bad reviews on here. I got my 1998 Jetta with my parents here and just took it in for service. After being told by another garage that my brakes, timing belt, and serpentine belt (both belts new 18 months ago) needed to be replaced, I freaked out. My dad told me to take it to Carter and I'm glad I did. They adjusted my brakes and took care of a coolant leak but assured me both belts are fine. Bart in service was extremely helpful and I in no way felt pressured or taken advantage of just because I don't know anything about cars. The communication was great. They shuttled me to work and when I picked up my car, it was clean and done on time. It may be a little more expensive than some places, but they have online coupons! read more

Brought our 2011 VW Jetta in to have it checked out and a couple issues that we knew of fixed, mainly that the locks didn't work. Mechanic said they'd get back to me within a day. A couple weeks later I finally hear back. They found a lot of damage. Quoted over 5k. $500+ just for the estimate. Then the mechanic suddenly stops responding. Later I'm told he no longer works there and to just come get the car, no charge. No repairs done either. I say please fix the locks. Eventually I bring in the part for the locks and a stereo. They charge me $400+ to put in those two parts. I pay it and pick up the car. The locks still don't work. I make a new appointment, wanting the locks fixed and some other things looked at, for which I was prepared to pay them more. They refuse to honor it, saying they took too much of a loss on my car already Too much of a loss? They gave me a price and I paid it, wtf? I'm told I will get a written estimate and a referral for another shop to bring it into, that was months ago. I have yet to receive either. read more

It's gone way down hill over the last few years. The service staff has poor communication and lack good customer service skills. They don't provide regular updates on status or completion times. read more

My boyfriend and I recently leased a car at Carter VW, and I cannot recommend it highly enough. Donielle Tarsi helped us, and was helpful, knowledgeable, and respectful from the second we walked in. We had so many questions and she took the time to help and make sure that we got the best deal possible. The rest of the staff was just as friendly, and everyone was extremely upfront in terms of costs. I can't imagine a better situation for our first time leasing. read more

Service Department: Do Not Use These Guys! They are like most dealer service departments. They are expensive. They sell parts at a premium and they will find 10 things to fix that you don't need done. They are slow and are uncompetitive. There are so many other options. You can get most VW parts online for less than half the price this dealer charges. I know a lot of people take their cars to the dealer, but you have to get the pricing up front. read more

I wanted to call out the exceptional sales experience I had with Donielle Tarsi. After months of researching and driving a bunch of different manufacturers vehicles, she was the most patient, knowledgeable, and easiest to work with of everyone I'd talked to. I've purchased a lot of vehicles and have had some awful experiences, so to be honest I wasn't looking forward to the process again. But she was extremely helpful in not only showing me all the features of the car and going on an extended test drive, but in presenting the best possible proposal that put it over the top. I don't think you can go wrong with Donielle or Carter VW. Well done! read more

Part 1 (Sales) I bought my GTI at Carter about two months ago. I was extremely unsatisfied with the sales department. To be specific Ron. I sat down with Ron after I took the car for a spin (I absolutely love the car) and he started puting me through the normal "if I could do this would you" routine. I told him what I needed for my trade and after waiting there for 5 hours!!!! He said that he would call me in the morning. I never got a call from Ron that morning. It took three days for him to call me and he said to come down because he has the manager where he wants him and they would give me what I needed for the trade. I drove down there and the manager took my car for a spin. He said that he could meet me in the middle.... I told them what I want if you can't do it fine! I know what the car is worth! I know what KBB trade value is! Ron said he would call me the next day. No call from Ron... I called I wanted the car. Come to find out from another sales guy Ron doesn't even work on that day! The next day Ron calls me and says the manager gave the ok. He will call me back in a half hour to see if we could do the deal that night. Now 5 days after I test drove the car. No call from Ron. I called the sales department to ask about the situation. They said oh yeah Ron said he spoke with you and you will be down in a half hour. What! He hasn't even called me back! I did go down and by the car. But the first thing I did after I left was remove those Carter Plate Frames. I am not proud or pleased that I bought my vehicle at Carter. Part 2 (Service) When I bought my vehicle there was a small tear in the seat. I was written an IOU to fix it at a later date. I made my appointment a week ago. I was very specific on the phone about what was to be done. That the panel would have to be replaced. Everything is fine I am slowly making my way to Seattle on a Friday morning in traffic. I get to the dealership and pull into the service drive. I go inside to "See the man in the grey shirt". The "man in the grey shirt" tells me that he's very sorry, but they do not have the part to fix it. As a matter of fact he is not even sure how to get it! I took the time off work and gas to make my way to Seattle and have it fixed to find out they scheduled my service without even ordering the parts?!!!! I should've known that the service dept would be about the same quality as the sales...piss poor. if I don't have to I will NEVER go back to this place again. Writing this Novel of a review is worth it if people will pay attention to it and stay away from this trap. Who cares if they have history in Ballard...yada yada yada... What do you want quality? or the place thats been ripping people off since 1960? read more

Stay Clear of Carter Volkwagen. If your thinking of buying a Extended Warranty for your VW from these people, be very carefull. Do not take them at there word.They do not have your best interests in mind they have theirs. While having our 2002 W8 serviced in May of 2005 shew bought a 4 year Extended Warranty. My wife decided that she loved the car and planned on keeping well past the Factory Warranty which lasted till June of 2007.She told them that she didn't put many miles on the car so time was more an issue than mileage. NO PROBLEM. A 4year Extended warranty would give her piece of mind till mid 2011 and she paid her money and picked up here car. FAST FORWARD to July 2010 Just after having Carter do the 60,000 required service the car developes a little ticking sound. Have it towed to CarterVW. Bad news.You need a new motor. That will be $ 14,000.00 thankyou. We don't fix W8 motors we just change them like gold plated diapers. Oh yah, the Extended Warranty. Its as bad as the car. Seems she didn't get the 4 year Extended Warranty she asked for. She got a 2 year Warranty that said 48 months but they started it the day she bought it knowing that she still had over 2 years of VW Factory Warranty left. She driving around thinking she got coverage till 2011 and they let her walk out thinking she just added 4 years to here Factory Warranty. Now she got a beautiful black W8 Passat with only 60,000 miles on the clock thats yard art. Had they told here that she was really only going to get 2 years coverage out of their 4 year Extended Warranty do you think she would have bought it. A simple you might consider waiting coming back in a couple years,or your buying this warranty to early or get real honest and say your wasting 2 years of Extended Warrranty cause were going to start it to day and your wasting 2 years cause you already have a warranty for 2 more years. Nah, screw the customer, were here to make money. Wade senior, the founder of Carter VW must be rolling in his grave. No VW Dealer could be worse,be care full about trusting Carter,their not the old Carter Family Store read more

If i could give zero stars I would!. I recently had to change some headlights for a friend in her VW. Since the car has the HID projector headlights the bulbs are very pricey, I called a Oreilys auto parts and they had them for around $180 for the pair, I called carter VW in ballard said they had them for $176 for the pair. since it was a little closer I chose carter vw. When I drove down to pick them up the next day the guy said that they were $176 a piece!!!!!!. I told the guy no thank you and he proceded to tell me "go ahead and try to find them on my own" So i called Napa autoparts on 4th ave and they told they had them for 72 bucks a piece. awesome! long story short, carter is ripping people off HUGE!!!!!!!!!!!. If you want to get hosed go to carter. read more

Recently leased a new VW Golf from Tony Robertson. He was fabulous, patient and honest. They have a nice program on their leases- no repair bills for 3 years.36000 miles. i life the trouble free nature of that! thank you for the good service. read more

I've going to Carter for over 20 years and I think they are the most honest car dealers around for servicing. I highly recommend them. They have serviced 5 of my VWs and each time, they never tried to sell me things I didn't need and even told me to go to other places to save money on things like tires, brake pads. They're great. I trust them to do only the work thst's needed, and do it right. read more

Vasco was simply wonderful. He provided me everything i needed to know before I even arrived at the dealership. He was patient with me while i decided if VW was the direction I wanted to go again (had a VW before and a bad experience) with my next car. When i did go into the dealership, He didn't try to up sell me or make me pay more than what I could afford. His team got me a great trade-in deal on a car that other dealerships would have given me half for. He was honest and clear with each part of the transaction. I am pretty sure my experience with Vasco and his team have made me VW fan for life :-) read more

I will not be coming here again. I had my car towed in with two flats and an alignment issue. It has now been a week since it was towed in and I still don't have my car back. In addition to the infrequent updates regarding the status of my car, I called them this morning and was told that a third tire had been added to my car after the advisor told them not to put it on, leading to yet more wait time. It has been about four and a half hours since I called this morning and I have not heard anything - leading me to believe it'll probably be another week before I get my car back. If you're looking for service, go to University Volkswagen, at least they will communicate with you. read more

Loved our experience here. We looked at several cars at different dealerships before coming here. We worked with Mark Fry and got a great deal on a Tiguan. Mark was great because he put zero pressure on us and was super knowledgeable and honest. I felt comfortable around him, which is something I couldn't say about all of the other people we talked to at different dealerships. That was a year ago and I'm still loving my Tiguan! Will definitely be back when it's time for the next car. read more

As have other yelpers have hinted at, I'm shocked with all the bad reviews. I had nothing but excellent,friendly, and professional service at Carter Volkswagen. This December I purchased a 2004 Saab 9-3 from Zach who was nothing short than extremely friendly and knowledgable about the car. From scheduling the test drive to having the keys in my hand, I was impressed about the amazing customer service I encountered. Since I did not have a car at the current time, Zach picked me pick and dropped me off at my house everytime we met concerning the car. Additionally, there were a couple of scratches on the body of the car that they are buffering out for free. I would certainly buy another car from Zach at CVS. read more

I bought a used VW Beetle convertible at my old Chrysler dealership and decided to try Carter for my servicing needs. A friend of mine has had a terrible time at University VW and I didn't want to go through what he went through. I have been impressed with the customer service at Carter. Nice people, good communication. They even let me have a loaner car despite not meeting the criteria to do so. read more

I bought a used car from Carter VW about 6 years ago- a great Passat Wagon. Scott Taylor was my sales person, and a pleasure to work with. He answered all of my questions about the car, and was able to work with the budget I had set. I'd never bought a used car but knew that buying a warranty was a must for me, and after talking over options with Finance (Bill Deamer), I was able to leave with the car I wanted and reassurance I had good coverage should something come up. That warranty saved me a few hundred dollars a couple of times, and roughly $1200 one instance when I had an issue with the heater core! A very smart choice to opt in on a warranty. Every time I have taken my wagon in for service, Paul Dudley has been patient, thorough, and helpful in explaining what was done, or what needed to be done. He has never spoken down to me, and even went so far as to have work that was done on my rear brakes done all over again FOR FREE due to a paperwork error that made it unclear if it was the front or rear that were worked on. If that's not showing a high-level of integrity and service, I don't know what is. I returned to Carter this month to lease a new car, and made the concious choice to go see Scott and Bill again, based on my previous positive experience and overall opinion toward Carter. During the few visits I had to test drive several cars, I had the pleasure of meeting Dan Murphy, Sales Manager. Dan was able to help guide my decision toward the right car knowing my active lifestyle. He helped ensure the overall process was executed smoothly, with timely paperwork from finance, Scott helping me learn all about the car's functions and options, and seeing to it that overall I left feeling great about my overall experience. Everyone did an amazing job following up with me too- calls the day after I left the lot, and a subsequent call the day after I completed my overall survey. These guys are held to a very high-standard across the board, and take their respective jobs in sales, finance and service very seriously. I tip my hat to this kind of work ethic, and hope they get recognized for their hard work by their superiors in the right way. Had I known that a 10 on their scale of feedback is frowned upon (meaning they should have all Exceptionals), I would have marked my scores differently. Most of my responses WERE Exceptional, and I think it's unfortunate that even an 8 or a 9 send a flag that things weren't good enough- NOT TRUE! Things were FANTASTIC overall, and you have my vote and recommendation to anyone buying or leasing a used or new car. I suggest using a new survey tool or at the very least, getting management to recognize that they are doing a stellar job. Keep up the great work Carter and thank you for taking such good care of me, and my cars. read more

After a bunch of icky experiences with car dealers in the suburbs and further south, Carter VW was really amazing. I just bought a 2012 VW Certified Used Beetle. I'm in my second month driving the 2012 Beetle and I couldn't be happier. Jonathan Fredericks was the salesperson taking care of me. He was incredibly attentive, gave us a test drive that was informative, listened to our needs and talked through them without any hard sell. Though I was with my husband, it was one of the few dealerships where I think being a single woman would be totally fine. Jonathan was personable, smart and even thought it was funny when I complimented the new Beetle design by saying, "I think I like it! It's very soviet!" Got lots of good advice about my special driving needs. And Jonathan gave me intelligent feedback about the other (non-VW!) cars I was considering. I have utter confidence I made the right choice. People have talked about driving cars being "fun" before -- I never got it until this one. I didn't feel slimed at all. It's hard for me to believe these negative reviews! We did go in with our own, credit union financing, so price was the only negotiation we engaged in (the car came with a warranty because of low miles and being certified used) -- and we got a fair deal without any arm twisting. Buying from a dealer nearby, in the heart of Ballard, who planted a tree and getting unlimited Brownbear car washes is OK with me. I felt like Carter VW is part of the community. The other dealerships, that exist on expressway exits, just squick me out. I'm glad we ended up here. read more

Bought a vehicle from them about a year ago. Called in to pre-negotiate the deal and have all the paperwork ready for my arrival. Car was cleaned and waiting for me out front. Signed paperwork and was out within an hour. They made the process easy and quick. read more