Baldwin Subaru

Reviews 5

CH

Chase Thompson

THE ONLY REVIEW YOU NEED TO SEE! You know, its been several years since I bought my 2010 Subaru Impreza WRX STi SE from Baldwin Subaru, but I received my "Happy Anniversary" email from them today and I felt compelled to write a review of this outstanding dealership. I had just gotten out of the military a few months before and at 24 years old had only ever driven family hand me down type vehicles, but when I saw the LA Auto Show promo pic for the 2010 STi SE I knew it was time to pull the trigger on a car that I had dreamed of owning since I was a teen. The only problem was that this particular model was a limited run of 125 production units. I immediately assumed I would be looking at paying some unspecified amount above the MSRP as I began calling around dealerships in the Texas/Louisiana area. At the time I was working away in Minnesota, so I couldn’t just walk into a dealership and have a face to face conversation with any of these dealers. Anyway, I must’ve called 6 or 7 dealers to inquire about the car, and I got responses ranging anywhere from, “you’re definitely going to pay far above MSRP,” to, “keep dreaming.” I basically had dealers laughing at me for wanting to get my hands on one of these cars. Then I called Baldwin Motors in Covington, Louisiana and John Baldwin Jr. answered my call. Basically, John had a conversation with me about how he and his family raced these cars on the weekend and how passionate he was about Subaru and motorsport in general. We must’ve talked at least 45 mins to an hour. The thing that struck me about John Jr. was that he was sincerely passionate about these cars and about making sure his customers got exactly what they wanted. There was never even an inkling of pressure to make a sale or to put me in anything other than exactly what I was wanting. He was courteous, respectful, and unlike other dealerships, he took me serious about wanting this car. By the end of the call I had put down an approximate $1k deposit just to get the ball rolling, as this car wasn’t even in production yet. After the deposit was placed, I was told that John Sr. wrote several letters to people at Subaru on behalf of me to ensure that I got this car. That, to me, is above and beyond service to me, and it made a very lasting impression on me. John Jr. actually agreed to sale this limited production car to me below ask price. I was shocked and thoroughly satisfied with my experience and still tell people all over the country that, if they are looking for a Subaru, make the trip down to Covington, LA and pay Baldwin Motors a visit. You’ll be glad you did.

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BR

Bronson Fong

Do not come here. A year ago I was in the market for a BRZ. This was the dealership closest to my house so I wanted to buy it from here. I was simple in what I wanted and was willing to work with the dealership, time and price wise. Long story short, I ended up going to the Baton Rouge dealership who was much more friendly and had everything done in an hour. Fast forward to now (5000 miles later), I saw my door was misaligned and wouldnt close properly. This is a known problem and was resolved free of charge by other subaru dealerships according to an internet forum. After going in twice, the first time the mechanic wasnt there, the lady told me it was my fault the door was misaligned and that something as simple as leaning on the door could cause this to happen. She told me they wouldnt be able to resolve the problem and that I should go to a body shop. She also told me that I probably should get insurance involved. Truthfully, I think they wouldnt be paid for the repair so they sent me elsewhere. If a dealership is unable to fix known factory problems, it shouldnt be allowed to sell cars. I am reluctantly going back to Baton Rouge Subaru to get my car repaired. Even though this drive is much longer, I expect to be treated much better than I have been treated at Baldwin Subaru. Addendum: 1 week later I went to Baton Rouge Subaru. The service department had me in and out within 20 minutes and it was all done for free. They even showed me how to fix this problem in the future if it were to occur again. They told me this is a fairly common problem in the BRZ and somewhat common in other Subaru models. They told me there was no reason to get a body shop involved nor insurance. I will be driving to Baton Rouge Subaru for all future maintenance and definitely to buy my next Subaru.

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Melissa Lund

After driving over an hour away to leave my STi here for months and witnessing the business first hand, they do not respect their customers vehicles whatsoever. Constantly have to remind them details and being switched back and forth between employees with who to talk to about it, run around on warranties, broken interior that had to be replaced- but was only painted and covered up as if that makes it better. Broken airvent that they never replaced, over $80 to replace myself. SCRATCHES and DENTS on exterior, unacceptable!! Overhearing staff talk about other vehicles being damaged in the tiny yard they cram them all in and other employees smoking pot on the job. Looked as though my window was pried at with a crowbar. I just cant believe how unprofessional this place treated my trust in them with my vehicle. Couldnt even wash it before pickup like I was told would be done. Also had rats/mice chew my wires while it sat outside in their lot for months. I feel bad for leaving a one star review because I believe theres potential in this dealership to be nice! I did finally get the warranty work done after being told several times it wouldnt be covered. I greatly appreciate them doing that much. But after never hearing back after speaking with them about the damage that accumulated while in their possession I feel its necessary to warn anyone else who takes pride in their cars! If you like a hassle, by all means. Just dont expect your car to be as nice getting back as it should be from any professional place!

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Bill Roberts

I would like to give a big THANK YOU to Service Adviser Pam Tarver. She came to the shop on a Sunday to get our Subaru Outback out of storage so, we could drive home to Ville Platte. During a trip to Mississippi our car began to exhibit mechanical problems. We were towed to Baldwin Motors after the dealership had closed for the evening. T he next day our car was one of the first vehicles serviced; unfortunately, it needed further diagnosis. We had a lifetime powertrain warranty with Giles Subaru, the dealership we purchased it from and, therefore, it had to be serviced by Giles. Baldwin Motors was kind enough to let us leave the vehicle there until our return. This is what real customer service is all about. When it comes time to purchase a new vehicle, we will definitely think about Baldwin Motors; even though its not in our vicinity. Greatfully yours, Bill Roberts

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Jeremy Creel

2015 BRZ 28k miles I scheduled my 2nd oil change here back in 2015, took 2 1/2 hours with no reason why. I came in today (without appointment) because of a check engine light and was just going to see if they can atleast get codes to see how serious it was because I have to drive 8 hours tomorrow. I tried to explain what I was doing before and after it came on and what was going on to the lady at the service desk and she insisted that it was 9/10 a loose gas cap and I should tighten it up and wait a few hours otherwise I will have to wait 3 hours to get my car checked out. I drove to Baton Rouge even though I was scared because of unknown engine light. As soon as I got here they said yeah we can check it out. Within 30 mins I get a response that it was a leaking oring dealing with my oil. Note that I wasnt the only one here. Will always come to BR for now on.

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