[GeorgeJ.]

I have not hesitated to be critical of dealers who have done wrong and it is not fun, but it is truly a joy to write about a terrific experience. As my lease is up this spring I needed to order a new car. Having leased through a broker for the previous couple cars, and that not a handy option this time, I needed to seek out a friendly Northern California dealer. I called most of the Bay Area dealers (not BMW SF - see other posts) and talked with someone in sales. I followed up with an email to each of them. Andrew at Sonnen replied promptly, like two hours, with an attractive deal (like where I thought I should wind up, but without chasing the deal one place to another).

Three other dealers came back with numbers that were out of line, hardly even a good starting point, and five of them did not bother to follow up.

My wife leased an Audi from Sonnen some years ago from a gentleman that her sister had dealt with. The experience was similar. This leads me to think the dealership groups management is of a mind to make sales a positive experience and not always squeeze blood from client.

From the initial contact the follow up by Andrew has been rigorous. Contacting him on his day off, no problem, and even then going and getting an answer for me right away. If there service department is as good as sales I'd say the folks in Marin have it really good. I hope others find these comments useful, and have a similar experience with these people.

Cheers, George