Atomic Auto.

Reviews 3

RY

Ryan Bubriski

Not impressed with the sales experience here. After spending about 10 minutes going over a carfax and asking questions the salesman Les seemed annoyed that we really had this many questions. He was pretty condescending in the way he talked to us about the car as if we are total idiots who dont have access to the internet and information about the Prius we are interested in. On a test drive I took the Prius to a very trustworthy and down to earth Prius mechanic who looked over the car and found that error codes pertaining to the hybrid battery and the hybrid electric motor had been cleared less than 100 miles ago. On my way back to the dealership I heard the sound that Prius are known to make when they have a brake actuator problem, ( a fix that can cost >$1500). Good thing I test drove it for a few hours to let this problem show itself. When I got back to atomic auto I asked the service people if they knew about the cleared codes and they had no idea about them. So it seems likely that there was a battery issue and probably a brake actuator issue. Upon telling the sales person Les that I was not interested in the car because of those reasons he told me that the information I had received was inaccurate. Hmm ok thats a weird way to respond, maybe it would be better to have actual concern if a vehicle you are selling on consignment may have serious hidden issues. I then warned him that it was making the brake actuator noise that is symptomatic of a big issue in the 2005 Prius. He chuckled, sighed and said they were moving on and then said bye. Doesnt seem like the behavior of a salesman who knows about his car or cares about his customer - definitely got the sense that he didnt need our business and wanted to deal with a customer who was less curious or willing to do research. I had already told him i was going to take the car and then after sleeping on it had these reservations - youd think if he had faith in the vehicle he would have made an honest attempt to try and convince me that there werent issues or some reason why what I had learned was not accurate. Left me with a bad taste in my mouth. Another example of how little he knew about this car: We asked if the headlights were HID light which are known to be very expensive and difficult to change. He said nope normal old lights. My mechanic immediately said "o yea those are HID" and its pretty obvious they are because when you pop the trunk there are warning labels about them on each side near the lights... certainly doesnt instill faith.

A

Anonymous User

This review has been a long time coming, as Ive had 1.5 years to scrutinize and experience the car I bought, and to think about what to say here. Please take a moment and let me tell you about my experience when Travis at Atomic Auto earned my infinite trust and respect. He is a little rough around the edges and more straight forward than most people from the Pacific Northwest are used to, but hell do right by you every time. I live in Seattle, and in August of 2008 found a classic Saab 900 turbo convertible for sale online in Portland at this little place I had never heard of called "Atomic Auto." I was looking for a convertible to do a long road trip with that was cool, and that I could afford. Needless to say, an old Saab isnt always the best choice to make a cross continental drive in. I showed up at his shop, fell in love with the car, and got to talking to Travis about the price, and about whether or not this car could make it back to Massachusetts without any issues. He was very up front and direct about all the stuff he did to the car, and about all the stuff that could go wrong, but he was pretty sure he had covered everything. He assured me, and I quote, "You could get in this car tomorrow and drive to Florida without any issues." It turns out, thats exactly what I did, but by way of México. Then on to Boston, and Québec, and eventually back to Seattle. That car started every time, and I never had to do a damn thing to it but change the oil. This just shows that he knows what hes doing, and what to fix that typically goes wrong on certain models of Saabs. The one thing he didnt fix proactively (since it wasnt broken) was the fuel pump. But, knowing I was going to do a long drive shortly thereafter, when I picked up the car, he handed me a brand new fuel pump and told me to keep it with me just in case the other one crapped out on my way, cause they are hard to find and he didnt want me to be stuck. What a great guy! Travis will often buy Saabs cheaply that are in much need of repair, then fix them up and re-sell them with his blessing. It works out well for everyone; He gets to do a good business, and you get to buy a high quality used Saab from the Northwest without any rust on it. That being said, if you are going to buy a used Saab from him, or just get yours serviced, hes the right guy to see. Travis, if you are reading this, thank you for a great car, and for your real-ness. I will always remember what a good businessman, mechanic, and what a cool guy you are.

CH

Chantel Downs

Faith in humanity restored! Thank you #AtomicAuto ! You have won my continued business! I was coming down from Mt. Hood yesterday when my oil light started flickering on and off, my check engine light came on and my car started making some noises that no car should make. I went to Breslin auto this morning where I usually take my car and to my horror they were shut down! Its never easy finding an auto place that wont take advantage of you, so I was really bummed. First I went to Sandy Blvd. Tire & Auto. What a disappointment. I told them the sitch. They didnt have any time today to give me an oil change unless I left the car until 6. Totally understandable since I didnt have an appointment. Given that my next oil change was not supposed to be due for another 2K, I wasnt expecting this and so I didnt have an appointment anywhere. The disappointment was that they wanted to charge me over $100 to check out the vehicle since I said that the check engine light was on and it was making some noises. Broke and needing my car before 6pm, I went elsewhere. Cue Atomic Auto. I walked in and spoke with Kale. He explained that they didnt have an appointment available until Friday. I told him I understood and explained that my oil light was flickering on and asked if he knew of a place I could go since I didnt think I should be driving it in its condition until then. After I mentioned the oil light, he immediately went outside and took a look at my car. Turns out my oil was bone dry. I mean BONE dry. No wonder it was making crazy noises. He added over 3 qts of oil, gave me a rag to continue to check the levels, cleaned off my battery connectors, checked my "check engine" light, told me what the sensor report was (CO2 sensor & or fuel sensor) gave me a rough estimate of what it would cost to replace. Charged me nothing. NOTHING. Just asked that I come back in the future for all of my service needs. DONE! I was floored. Folks, a little kindness goes a long, long way!! His thoughtfulness and treating me like a human and not a number won me over. Thank you Atomic Auto for restoring my faith in humanity and for rescuing my car. I will be back!

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