Harbor Chevrolet

Being a first time car buyer (have always owned used) I was hesitant to approach any dealer because of the horror stories I’ve heard from others. After I could no longer ignore the reality of needing a more reliable car because of work/personal commitments I began to research different brands / dealers in the area. After crunching some numbers as to what I could afford based on my needs / likes I narrowed my choices to either a Chevrolet Cruze or Malibu. I came upon Harbor Chevrolet after hearing about it from my mom (she heard someone from Harbor Chevrolet on Spanish radio) and I read about it through online reviews featured on Yelp. So on Presidents Day weekend I went to Harbor Chevrolet and requested to meet with a salesman to see some of the cars. I was introduced to Marc Jimenez. I let him know what I was in the market for and we walked around the dealer looking at the inventory they had. While my initial preference had been a Chevy Cruze I wasn’t too open to it after viewing them in person (nothing against the car, but rather just personal tastes). However, the Chevy Malibu caught my attention and Marc showed me some of the different models they had and it turned out they had an LS in stock that was the make, model and color (velvet blue – again personal tastes) that I had been viewing online. While it wasn’t at the dealer (they had it at another area in Long Beach where they have additional inventory) Marc drove and brought it back for me to test drive. We went back to the office and he came with some numbers from the finance department, but they were outside what I had been looking for (i.e. the monthly payment and interest rate). He was open to hearing what I wanted and he came back with a new set of numbers, which were still not within my comfort zone, but he was okay with having the numbers run again. Third time around we reached an agreeable monthly/interest rate that was within my budgeted numbers. Throughout the process Marc answered all my questions while also putting me in touch with someone to discuss adding insurance on the car, but I decided to go with someone else (nothing negative, but I had my own person in mind to setup my insurance whose office is closer to home). While that was completed I met with the Finance Manager (I believe that’s who it was) named Salvador. We went over each of the papers in detail that I was signing along with each of the numbers (would of taken less time had I not sat there and read/reread the contract for my own peace of mind). He was patient in answering each of my questions no matter how repetitive I may have sounded. He made a strong case for getting some of the added options especially as it relates to the added warranty, but I went with the standard factory bumper to bumper warranty of 35,000 or 3 years that comes with Chevrolet cars (it had to do with my own budget and not wanting to add the additional optional fees to the set numbers I had agreed to). Up to the individual whether they want the added options. I did include the GAP coverage that cost $895, but it’s a necessity in the event that the car is totaled and the insurance only covers a portion of the car while one is still paying it off (hopefully one never has to use it). After signing all the documents Marc was ready with the car (it was washed, full gas tank, showed me the owner’s manual, the warranty handbook and had the temporary registration). We went to the car and he helped me setup the OnStar account (3 month trial with its added features, but Chevy cars come with 5 years of basic OnStar that sends monthly diagnostic reports). Rather than being in a rush since the purchase had been finalized, Marc continued to patiently answer each of my questions from locating the parking break, the cars locking system, the spare tire, etc. No matter the question he was not condensing in answering anything no matter what I asked. The total process from beginning to end took around 6.5 hours (arrived at 12:45 am and drove off around 8:00 pm), but to be honest they were busy on the Saturday since it was a holiday weekend and I wasn’t in any rush either since I wanted to make sure I was comfortable with the finance agreement and the car itself. The following week I received a call from the dealer to setup my 1 month “pit stop” to have the car checked out, which will be followed weeks later by its first scheduled maintenance (oil change, tire rotation). A dealer rep. in the service dept. had thought though that a factory recall had been issued on a part to have it changed, but we were able to verify that it didn’t apply to my car VIN since it had been completed prior to me showing up to the dealer. Marc called a week later as well to check-in on how the car was running and again reiterated if I have any questions in the future to let him know. Two weeks into driving my Malibu I can say that I’ve had no issues (I don’t expect any either). Getting accustomed to the new ride is an experience (it has auto-stop and some other gadgets that I’ve never had in any car I’ve driven), but I like it. Overall I can say it was a good purchase and having an attentive salesman like Marc made it possible for me to be able to enjoy my Malibu. Plan to get great use out of it in the years to come.