Podium Auto Sales Inc

Reviews 3

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Devon Charest

Absolutely the worst car buying experience EVER. I picked up my 2008 BMW 650i and the check engine light had come on. Rod said dont worry, it just needs to be driven to reset. By the time I got on 95, smoke was coming from under the engine, hood area and also I could see huge clouds of back smoke coming from the rear of the car. Called Shop Owner Rod who advised since the gaskets were just changed that day, all the old oil and grease needed to burn off. This sounded terribly wrong but I drove home 20 minutes, and when I woke up to go to work there was a puddle of oil under my car that I just paid $19k for. I had it towed back to this dealer and Rod ended up stating BMW sent the wrong gaskets. I didnt get my car back for at least 2weeks. Rod had originally assured me that this was a clean car with no accidents. CarFax confirmed this but I later found out about auto check (another history resource like CarFax) and found that my car was sold to the Honorable Rod 07/2016. Auto check showed my car was announced at a Fort Lauderdale Auto Auction as having had frame damage repaired, although upon further inspection it was confirmed to not have been properly repaired and Rod bold face lied. I found this all out because I had to keep bringing my car in for parking sensor issues because he couldnt get them to work on the pass side front where the previous damage was. This car was a total loss due to unrelated incident and over $1k was deducted for poor quality of repairs (but as a consumer I didnt notice this until a professional inspected the car and showed me close up how unlicensed shops put crashed cars back together without reporting an insurance claim to sell the car without a reduced value). As a note: Rod will most likely talk you out of purchasing an aftermarket warranty because he says you cant trust them and they always deny claims, he stated it would be best to work with his mechanic. From my experience its clear that his prior customers warranty repair claims were denied as the warranty company was able to verify the issues were pre-existing as were mine... so he did save me a little by talking me out of a warranty. I must say that I am truely thankful for this experience as I have now learned to never trust a used car salesman or even entertain the thought of buying a car from anyone who is not a new car dealer. *** Buyer beware ***. I understand when buying a used car there may be some things that need attention but I mean Rod is mostly working on the exterior to take great photos, and he does a great job marketing his vehicles. If youve read this long, take a look at the range of vehicles he has online, some older cars with super low mileage and really overpriced and other great deals- or what appears to be. I am walking away with a positive outlook and am thankful that Im in my cert preowned BMW from BMW whom has loaners and answers the phone. That was another thing, he never answered my calls while Id wait weeks without my car so he could order cheap sensors off EBay. Then Id call from a different number and hed say he meant to call me, wrong sensors came in, and it should just be another week. When I did get my car back the last time I let him "take care of the parking sensors", my starter went a week later. That was a $560 job out of my pocket and over a week long project (meanwhile I paid for a rental car). He continued to promise he was still working on getting the right sensors but no shock when of course never called. I owned this nightmare or a car for 3 months and drove her less than 1k miles, still lost money, but most importantly I have been blessed with knowledge. I hope my awful experience helps somone. Ive never felt so alone and just taken advantage of (and not be able to do anything about it because the state of Fl doesnt have consumer protection laws in place when buying a used vehicle). Good luck and HAPPY 2017!!!

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debbiestephenson1

I never take the time to write reviews but i had such a positive experience that i wanted to take a moment to share and encourage anyone looking to purchase a car to consider Podium. I accompanied my parents to Podium Auto Sales to purchase a 2005 Lexus on 10-24-2016. Prior to that day, my mom had several phone conversations with Rob Souza (president) and felt so comfortable with the level of professionalism and care that she decided to take steps to buying the car which was over an hour away. Even more telling, my mom asked Mr Souza if she could send her Lexus mechanic to inspect the car, prior to her driving down to take a look it. His response was "absolutely." The mechanic inspected the car and two wonderful outcomes. First, he said the car was in very good shape, was exactly as was described on their website, and recommended that my mom purchase it. But even more important, our mechanic commented on how much he liked Podium and felt that Rod Souza was extremely welcoming, answered all his questions, and professional. He mentioned to my parents that "you will like him when you meet him". With that information, my brother, myself, and my dad accompanied my mom to purchase the car. And from there, the experience continued to be positive. They also worked with Bob (i hope i have the name correct :-) for the financing and that too was a great experience. It was quick, accurate, and we were all out of there with a beautiful car in a short amount of time. My mom felt so good about what she experienced, that she hugged everyone on the way out! On a personal note, i have never considered buying a car from anywhere other than a large dealership. After going thru this experience with my mom, i will buy my next car from Podium. I was drooling over a gorgeous Fiat and if i were ready to buy, that day we would have walked out with the Lexus and the Fiat! In the next few months, ill need to replace my convertible mustang and will start with Podium before looking anywhere else. I absolutely recommend Podium for your next car purchase.

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Kendric Coleman

This is the first car I bought online. After during a lot of research, Podium Auto was the choice because of their thorough presentation of the car on the ebay. I had already done an auto check on the car myself before bidding on the car, but Im sure one would have been provided if I had asked. Since I was so close, I decided to fly down and check the car out. Bob was a delight. He is the type of person that when you talk to him; it seems like you have known him for years. He picked me up at the airport. He was dressed in jeans and tee-shirt. This made me very comfortable and indicates to me that he is someone who is very hands on at his dealership. When we arrive at his dealership, he walked me through the car, showing me the minor things the pictures did not show. We then went for a test drive. There were no dash warning lights. The Jaguar XJ8 was just as impressive in person. Since I was driving the car back to Georgia, Bob had the car inspected because he was concerned that if something went wrong with a belt or hose I would be stranded. This can happen to any car whether used or not. But I greatly appreciated that. However, I understood I was buying a used car "as is" with no warranty; therefore, I had already had my insurance and roadside assistance transferred to the car. The paper work was done quickly and efficiently by Bob. Then Ron took me to the bank, and we closed the deal. There was never any pressure to buy. The car and its performance pretty much spoke for itself. I flew down and drove the car back the same day. It performed and drove well without any issues. If you are petty person, then you should not be buying a used car from anyone. But if you are looking for good quality high end used cars and excellent laid back customer service, Podium Auto sales is the place to go.