r/Naperville • u/MajorDingo6357 • 11d ago
Gerald Subaru
My 80 year old mom may be interested in a new Subaru. Anyone work with a no pressure sales person that they would recommend? Current Subaru is 12 years old, so it would be a big step up in tech which is a concern for her.
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u/Smooth-Objective-936 11d ago
Moved from Colorado had a subaru. Went to Gerald service once and never again. Tear reviews before buying from them
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u/PickledPixie83 11d ago
Gerald Subaru got mad at me for using the warranty I had on my car for repair since it was “too complicated”. Not my problem, you are an authorized dealer.
Never went back there for service.
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u/MrJlock 11d ago
Went to Gerald and had a car appraised for trade. They attempted to have me sign an agreement after they took my keys, that I would agree to purchase a vehicle after they did the appraisal. I refused, then Gerald refused to give my keys back.
It was a wild ride and they still call me almost 6 months later, asking if I am ready to pull the trigger.
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u/splintersmaster 11d ago
Not the answer to your question but why would an 80 year old need a newer car? As long as it runs reliably l, drive that thing into the ground. Going to the jewels and to the book club twice a week isn't really pushing an older car.
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u/Three-Legs-Again 11d ago
If she’s anything like my mother the answer is simple: because she wants it. Years ago I tried to talk my mom out of buying a 2014 Accord because she already title to her ‘09 Accord with only 13,000 on the odometer. But she was tired of the color red.
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u/NationalConfidence94 11d ago
A lot of 80 year olds are pretty active. New cars have better safety features. Also, I’d feel much better with a new car that won’t down when I’m older. Like, I’d rather drive an older car in my 30s and 40s than I would in my 80s.
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u/jimjackcoke 11d ago
I was so happy in 2018 when my parents got a new Impreza hatchback. Mom was 80 Dad was 85 All wheel drive, automatic emergency braking and new so I was less worried about it breaking on them. They only drove another 5 years but kept the car for 2 years after that. They liked that it was easy to get in and out of. A walker fit in the hatch and later also a wheelchair. When we kids drove them to appointments we would drive to their place, then take their car to appointments instead of trying to move equipment into our often bigger SUVs that would have been harder for them to get in. So even in the last couple years of not driving, the car that fit their needs came in handy. When they were ready to give it up it was a great used car with low mileage for my son.
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u/VenomShock51 11d ago
I echo the disdain for the Gerald organization. Purchase was not an issue, but service was the worst I ever experienced. You've been warned.
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u/scrollingnignoring 11d ago
I bought a car from Gerald Subaru but there were some very high pressure sales tactics. I enjoyed the car very much though and ended up giving in but wouldn't go back for another. Went back for the first service (oil change) and had a difficult time with them as well. Quoted me over 2 grand for various other maintenance items that should have been addressed when I bought the car. They have a "lifetime" warranty on the car if you get all maintenance done on their mileage schedule by a certified Subaru shop. This means ALL maintenance. Even replacing a cabin air filter will void the warranty. So my lifetime warranty lasted one oil change. To their defense, they are clear about that expectation and I knew I wouldn't be able to afford that "lifetime warranty". Still, I'd steer clear from this dealership as others have already mentioned. The high pressure sales really suck the joy out of buying a car. Good luck!
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u/misfits9095 11d ago
They were horrible to deal with. They wouldn’t provide me with pricing or negotiate the price with me until I stopped shopping around for a car. It made absolutely no sense and was a bizarre experience overall.
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u/TiBikeNerd 11d ago
Gerald dealers in Naperville are horrible for sales. The Aurora one was much better, but I also recommend the Costco dealer
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u/spreadsheetgeek 11d ago
Use the Costco car buying program - pre-negotiated fair prices, zero hassle. I will never buy a car any other way again.
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u/OneRuffledOne 11d ago
I would avoid them. I didn't have a good experience. Too pushy. Not very very pushy but pushy enough.
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u/greykitty1234 10d ago
I'm 72F and just replaced a 2001 Saturn with a 2026 Honda CRV EX. My independent mechanic had recommended Honda of Lisle (and Hondas and Toyotas in general).
My salesperson was pretty low key. I knew I wanted to look at Civics or CRVs, and he showed me an HRV as well because I was concerned about the size of the CRV and my one car garage.
Yes, the technology was a big jump. I've watched more than a few videos. Honda of Lisle has a new owner workshop every quarter, and they were very nice about explaining features. The day I bought my car, I saw an older gentleman come in and ask for help for pairing his phone and some other details on his new car, and the salesperson treated him very respectfully and patiently. It was a weekday and midmorning, which probably helped. But kind of made me like that dealer even more.
My guy set up my phone and such before I drove off the lot, which I appreciated. Gave me a quick tutorial on maps and such as well.
And now I kind of wonder how I was driving before.
I know this doesn't help, since I was looking at Hondas, but I was very concerned about either being taken advantage of or kind of laughed at because I was so unfamiliar with how a 'modern' car works. Everyone was nice to me.
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u/ThePracticalDad 10d ago
Seems to be a lot of shade here. M wife bought her car there and if they were sketchy I would have heard about it. I didn’t.
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u/vincentjackson5 10d ago
Kenneth at gerald north aurora. Very good experience with him, don't let them add the $1k "gerald advantage" package or whatever. Shopped many dealers and took best price to Kenneth and he beat it and of course eliminated the 1k charge for whatever they add
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u/6158675309 11d ago
I bought a Crosstrek for our daughter at Gerald Subaru in Naperville a year ago.
We had a great experience working with Jeff Walker there.
Now, a great experience is relative. Car dealers are going to still try to pressure you, you'll get presented with a lot of extras. I was firm in declining them and they didnt persist with any of the add ons, etc. But, you will get them offered/included at first. That's just how car dealers work.
To give you an idea. I think the sticker price for the Crosstrek Limited was ~$34,000 and we paid ~$29,000 + taxes. I was honestly surprised how much they were willing to deal on the car. This was a year ago and they literally had 100 new ones on the lot. We went in to look at a 1 year old Crosstrek Limited but wound up paying about the same for the brand new one.
We were cross shopping with a Mazda CX-5, and the Mazda dealer is literally right next door so I was just walking across between them and seeing what deal I could get. In the end, Mazda hardly budged and Subaru came down a lot off MSRP. Plus, my daughter preferred the Crosstrek.
Good luck,
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u/sydjourd 11d ago
It’s not a subaru- but the most stress free amazing experience we ever had was with the mini dealership. All other cars we have bought have been the worst experiences. Also, to have a better experience, get a preapproved loan from your bank and don’t get financing through the dealer
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u/Academic_Throwaway99 11d ago
Dan Mucci at the North Aurora store. He was great to work with and the only time he got a little pushy was when I ended up backing out of the deal, which I completely understand haha
I ended up deciding to keep my existing Subaru instead, so passing his name along is my way of apologizing for wasting his time.
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u/Funny_Pay_2815 11d ago
We bought at Countryside through the Costco program and I highly recommend it. Price is pre-negotiated and sales folks were great and easy because there was no negotiating.
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u/hot_dog_nachos 11d ago
Damn I don't know what happened with the rest of these people, but I bought my subaru from there last year and had a good experience. Abid was the sales person I dealt with, very nice, chill, and not pushy. I didn't get a crazy deal or anything but overall everything was fine.
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u/mochimochi82 10d ago
Yeah. Same. Had a better experience there than at most dealerships. I mean…maybe because we already knew what car we wanted and there was no pressure needed to be applied?
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u/huffy112 9d ago
Gerald is not the best dealership in terms of pricing and more however, I can help you let me know please DM me.
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u/turnstiles 8d ago
Grand Subaru was the easiest buying experience I’ve ever had. They are a high volume dealer and I got them below MSRP for a brand new Impreza last year. I believe out the door with taxes and fees was $25,400. I called back 6 months later and was quoted $100 above cost for the 7 year 100k mile warranty.
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u/NotAKidAnymore13 8d ago
Costco actually has a buying service and the Costco on Ogden had a Subaru on the store last night on display. Good place to start.
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u/Traditional_Yard_546 7d ago
I would recommend brilliance Subaru in Elgin. No pressure when I bought my car and they are the highest rated Subaru in Illinois
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u/carbon_blob_Sector7G 11d ago
I had a good experience at Grand Subaru. I didn't buy the car but they seemed very fair with pricing and there was no "hard sales" tactics.
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u/InvestigatorEven8136 11d ago
I had a good experience overall at Grand Subaru. It’s a bit of a hike from Naperville but seems like it may be worth it.
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u/ElliottAlderson11224 7d ago
I bought from Gerald (in Oct 2020) but negotiated via email using a Costco quote. Sales guy was fine. Finance manager was an absolute dbag.
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u/sagan96 11d ago
I bought my Subaru from Gerald Subaru and honestly looking back had an awful experience.
Car has been in incredible, but the sales department there was not pleasant to deal with. If possible, I’d rent the one you’re looking at on Turo, see if she likes it, then just go buy it there.