East West Lincoln

This is long, but I'm posting it for anyone looking to buy a Lincoln in the MD/DC/VA region. I recently concluded a months-long process of finding a replacement for my 2016 S-Line Audi Q5 due to its increasingly uncomfortable seats. I looked at everything, including the new Q5 but narrowed it down to the Lincoln Nautilus or Range Rover Velar (in fact, I had a factory order for a Velar until I test drove the Nautilus). I'm not here to speak bad about any of the other Lincoln dealers in the DC area, as I've only interacted with a couple others in my search, and even then not much. (One seemed good, but was very Ford-centric with only the Sales Manager seeming to really know the Lincoln brand, though he was indeed very good and quickly took over the test drive process and sales discussion, but the other was so clueless about Lincolns that the two sales people I talked to didn't even know that the Nautilus was an MKX refresh, not a full redesign). There are two things upfront that make East West special. First, they are the Washington area's only Lincoln-only dealer. They know Lincoln sales and service (though they can service Fords as well) inside and out. And second, they are a second generation family-owned Lincoln dealership. As far as I know, they only own this one place and you get the personal attention and service one would expect from a really good small business. You never get the kind of corporate aloofness one can sometimes find from an AutoNation or MileOne dealership, for instance. I'm not saying they can't be great dealerships as well, but the feeling is different. Two particular shout-outs to Vince Trasatti, the upbeat and loquacious owner-partner that runs the place and who seems to be everywhere and is always interested in chatting with clients and fixing problems, and Anly Renda, East West's Business Development Manager who answered my internet inquiry and then took me all the way through the sales process. Here're some of the reasons why the sales experience was so good: - I decided early on that I wanted a Black Label, which reduced my options to just a couple or three dealers in the DC area. But I was able nevertheless to negotiate an incredible deal with East West. It never felt confrontational and they never treated me like a somewhat captive customer. - Initially I thought I wanted a change in wheels, something Lincoln doesn't permit for Black Label factory orders. In my dealings with other Lincoln and Range Rover dealers (I had wanted to make a wheel-swap on my Velar factory order as well), no other dealer was willing to go through the headache of what would essentially be an aftermarket swap for a new car purchase, but it didn't even phase East West, and they were even willing to give me a credit for the swap. I eventually fell in love with the Black Label wheels, however, so late in the process it became moot. - To get me my car quicker, they were willing to amend an existing vehicle they had on order for lot sales, rather than putting in a new retail order. That pushed my production date ahead by a full month. - When nevertheless my vehicle got stuck in one of Ford/Lincoln's infamous delivery delays (it was part of a group pulled aside for additional inspection), after just a couple of weeks of the delay they ordered, unbeknownst to me, a second vehicle in my exact -- and a little unusual -- specifications, to try to get it to me as fast as possible. Ironically, they both ended up arriving at the same time. - In December they signed me up for a Lincoln incentive, and it came through at its maximum, $3000 good until they end of that month. I should have been able to use it, but the delay killed it. When my vehicle arrived they spent a lot of effort with Lincoln to get the incentive reinstated. I was willing to go forward thinking that it was impossible to do (after spending some time on the phone with Lincoln myself), but East West somehow made it happen. There's more, but these are some examples of the incredible experience I've had with them so far.