Prime Auto Imports

The best used car dealership in San Diego! Sam and Tony are caring, patient, not pushy salesmen and they treat you more like friends than customers. When we got to the lot Sam was working with some other customers but still greeted us promptly giving us an inventory list and telling us to walk around and take our time. We took at least 15 minutes looking at multiple different cars. We were able to freely discuss pros and cons with each other without someone standing over our shoulder. The cars were all priced well at around blue book value. When we were finally ready and had narrowed it down to two cars sam was happy to show us the car fax to help us decide. The car fax actually had the price a little above what we bought it for. The financing was easy and quick through Sam and even after getting us a quote on the interest there was no pushing to go through them, we were encouraged to shop around and find the best deal. They made sure we were happy and the car was in top condition. Overall this has been the best experience we’ve ever had with a used car dealership. I’d give more than five stars if I could.

I bought a 03 dodge durango here and couldnt be happier. Tony and his dad are great guys that take care of you from start to finish. My wife and i went in there looking for a fight after talking to other dealers and were pleasantly surprised at their friendly and no stress demeanor. They gave me a good deal for my trade and fixed the little things i pointed out with no fight. Im very happy with my buy and i will refer friends and family to Prime Auto.

I bought a car here about a year ago, and I wish I could write a better review, since Tony was such a nice guy. But I honestly feel like I was lied to and tricked.
I would like to say that they were very helpful in getting me a car loan. And they also agreed to fix some small issues with the car that, after I took it to a mechanic, said needed to be fixed.
But, the car smelled very strongly of cigarette smoke, and so I asked if they could detail the car before I bought it. They agreed. When I picked the car up, they said it had been detailed. And it did indeed smell a little better, but I made the mistake of not pushing the issue further. Because it turns out that they only vacuumed the car, did not actually get it detailed. Within a day the cigarette smell was back super strong, and it still lingers to this day. Also, I realized later that they didn’t even clean the inside of the windows or windshield. I later cleaned it and there was a film covering the windows, that I was told was caused by the cigarette smoke. I feel like it should be standard, that if you’re buying a car at a dealership, that it should be cleaned.
The worse issue I had with the car though, was that I think they lied about whether the car passed smog. I saw on the CarFax that the car had failed smog, then passed it on the same day. I asked them about it, and they claimed that that just happens sometimes. Once again, I regret that I did not push the issue further. Because within a week of bringing the car home, my check engine light came on, and I ended up having to spend $ 650 on an issue that the mechanic said was for sure an issue for a while before I received the car. My guess is that Prime Auto just turned off the check engine light so they could avoid paying for the fix. Although I can’t prove that.
I’ve definitely learned a lot from this car purchase, and that I can’t just trust a car dealer simply because they have 5 stars on Unilocal,and because they are nice. I would not go back unfortunately, even though Tony seems like a very nice guy.
***after posting this review, Tony commented on it, claiming that I’m spreading rumors. All I’m trying to do is to inform people that even though they are very nice at Prime Auto, to still do your due diligence and not just take their word for it. Like you should do with any car dealership. And that ‘detail’ for them did not mean to actually get the car cleaned (with soap and water), but just vacuumed. And there was indeed a thin greasy film on all the inside windows which came off with windex (nothing to do with the tint, which tony suggests in his response).
Tony claims I could have brought it back to have it fixed after the check engine light came on. But when I bought the car he made it very clear that once I took it off the lot, it was 100% ‘as is’. So once again, hopefully someone else buying a car at Prime Auto can learn from that.
And I was not concerned about the small dents, which tony mentioned in his comment. I was only disappointed by the 2 issues that I’d brought up at the time of the sale, which I explained above.

Let’s get the good out of the way: They have very encouraging «buy here, pay here» plans that cater to buyers in a lot of different financial circumstances. Tony is very easy to work with and will help you get into a vehicle and driving in short time. Without me paying, he: had my car repaired at a shop so that it would be 100% operable before the warranty was initialized, replaced the battery with a brand new battery, let me split up my down payment into two portions along with a flexible down payment and interest rate despite my less than stellar credit. A lot of the cars on his lot only came back because they were traded in by satisfied customers that wanted to move into another vehicle.
Update: I’d like to inform everyone that the issues that happened with the vehicle were due to an incompetent shop that claimed to be ASE certified but should not be allowed to work on cars. Tony has been doing everything he can to help my mom keep the car on the road and I can say that, finally, the car is running fine and my mom can get to work and back. I had some issues with the vehicle, but none of those were due to Tony, his business or his mechanics.

If you’re looking for a car and need a little bit of guidance on what to get then Tony is your guy. He’ll show what he has, give you a fair price for the vehicle, and if you’re still not completely sure about getting the car there is no pressure from him to buy. Tony knows how to run his business, so if you’re looking to buy a car I strongly suggest you give tony a visit before anyone else.

Buying a car here is too easy, hands down the most competitively priced cars in SD. Tony and Shapour are great to deal with.

I never thought i’d give a car dealership a 5 star rating, but this place is awesome! Tony and Shapour are great and their prices are very close to blue book. There is no pressure to buy a car. I came in a week ago to look at one car that I didn’t end up getting and after my questions were answered I left without getting hassled to buy. I came in again yesterday and ended up buying another vehicle. They let me take the car to my mechanic for inspection and they fixed some of the small issues the car had. They even gave me some cash to put some gas in the tank because it was almost empty. I’m very happy with my purchase! Great way to run a business, guys!

Very awesome, I got a Nissan Altima here and they have great blue book value prices.
Tony was the coolest, nicest guy and he helped me immediately with any questions and concerns. He leveled with me on a lot of my situational questions as well.
They don’t ever at any point pressure you to by a car, you can come in on your own will and look around how you want. They’ll give you space and won’t breathe down your neck at all, but when you do want them around they’ll be there.
They go above and beyond in service and I would recommend anyone looking for used car to look no further and come here!
Thanks Tony! :)

I just bought a 2006 Acura TL from these guys and I couldn’t be happier. Tony and Shapour are true savvy professionals and, in my opinion, they set the standard for how used car lots should be run. Here are the things I like the most about Prime Auto Imports:
1. Comfortable Atmosphere — Friendly faces, helpful people, organized layout, and no pesky salesman breathing down your neck.
2. Variety — These guys have nearly everything most consumers are looking for — sedans, trucks, SUVs, sporty cars, luxury cars, etc. Even if you’re coming in to look at one specific car, you’ll likely find yourself looking at other options as well.
3. Quality — All the cars I looked at were all in good to excellent condition. These guys clearly put in the work to ensure that they’re only getting the best quality cars on their lot.
4. Fair Pricing — Nearly all cars are priced close to Blue Book value.
5. Customer Trust — These guys put their trust in me and my Dad to take the car out for a test drive on our own. In addition, they had no problem with us taking the car all the way down to National City so we could get it inspected by our mechanic of choice.
6. No-​BS Buying Process — Prices are fixed, customers have the freedom to finance with whoever they want, and Tony and Shapour don’t pressure you into buying bogus warranties or add-​ons.
Due to all the points listed above, my car buying experience was completely painless. Tony and Shapour are honest, hard working individuals and I wouldn’t hesitate to do business with them again.

Shapour are Tony are wonderful people. I found a used car I was interested in online and I called them up yesterday to set up an appointment — Tony was very polite over the phone and said the’d be glad to have me over anytime. I went there this morning and Shapour greeted me warmly and asked me what I was interested in. I test-​drove two cars (they just took a copy of my ID and trusted me alone with the cars) and Shapour showed me their complete CarFax reports. I think their prices are very reasonable and they are happy to do what they can with respect to maintenance if there is something you don’t like about the car. I was really hoping to seal a deal with them today, but the car I wanted didn’t drive as smoothly as I hoped it would on the highway. I will look out for other cars in their inventory and definitely recommend them to anyone looking for a friendly and honest dealership.

I bought a car through them in March 2015 and so far I am in love with the car. Tony, one of the salesmen, was extremely friendly and helpful throughout the entire process. He allowed me to bring the car to a mechanic and was extremely understanding when I voiced my minor concerns about the car. Tony seemed more interested in making sure I was completely satisfied with my purchase than pinning down a sale, which is something I appreciate. It was a pleasant experience buying my first car with them and would easily recommend anyone looking for a reasonably priced car to give them a shot.

I bought a car from here in 2009 and still driving it today. I was a first time car buyer and they worked with me on the price and were really nice and informative. The only problem was a couple months after buying the car, the battery died suddenly (i believe it was due to a really hot summer in Escondido) but they replaced the battery free of charge even though i didn’t get a warranty. I thought that was really nice and showed how much they cared about their customers. Thanks for my first car Prime Auto Imports!

A wonderful car buying experience! Tony was great to work with. He is honest and cares about his customers. My first pain free car buying experience! Thanks tony! We will definitely buy from you again in the future! Very happy with our purchase and your customer service. :)

What a pleasure it was to finally meet honest used car salesmen! No BS, no games. I was treated with respect and found Tony and his father an absolute joy to deal with. They couldn’t come down much on price, however they were more than reasonable to begin with. You won’t regret coming here. I will buy all my cars from them for now on!!!

This dealership was a joy to visit. I didn’t actually buy a car from here, because I was in a rush to get one (bought a car off craigslist the next day). The only reason I didn’t get one from here is because the AC was making a funny sound and they wanted to fix it before selling it to me. That just shows how much they really, actually care about the cars being in good condition (which they all were!) and the happiness of the customers.
I talked with Tony and he was very friendly, totally easy going, and not at all like a sleazy salesman. He pretty much just let me do my thing. It was an awesome experience.

Purchased a 2002 Jaguar XKR from this small, family-​run shop. Prime Auto prices their vehicles very competitively and so there was little need to haggle, although they did come down a few hundred dollars from their original price. Tony (son of the owner) was a friendly, honest guy to work with; he was very fair in discussing the pros and cons of the car, and really didn’t use any slimy «selling» techniques to push us into purchasing. Tony made the paperwork process very smooth, even with financing, and handled all the numbers right in front of us rather than disappearing into some back-​office room to «speak with the manager» and then returning with some vague, scribbled numbers that made little sense like so many car dealerships do. Totally worth the trip down from L.A., and I wouldn’t hesitate to buy my next used car from them.

I have financed vehicles in the past through other dealerships, some were too pushy others were overpriced. So this time as I looked for a family vehicle I did my research and went straight to Unilocal for the very highest reviews. Prime Auto popped up with the highest reviews 5 stars across the board.
I bought a 2005 camry recently and it was the most easy going purchase. The manager Tony made the sale as smooth as possible. It was a great experience, the vehicle was immaculate.
I’d recommend this dealership to anyone looking for a reliable vehicle at a great price tag.

I ended up getting my car from another dealer because I had something specific in mind, but the 3 visits I made to see Tony here were excellent. He is honest and forthcoming, and his vehicles are priced fairly from the start (instead of inflated so the seller can give a «discount» to make the purchaser feel like they got a great deal). Tony told us the pros and cons of the cars we saw, and he just acted like a normal person. So rare for a used car dealership!

About 5 years ago I purchased a 2000 Frontier from them, it needed a little work but the price was right. I was hesitant to purchase from an independent car dealer, but Shapour was open and honest and let us test drive it before we bought it and even said we could take it to a mechanic to have it looked at, no problem. Zero pressure, zero hassle. The best independent dealership purchase I have ever made.
My wife and I have gone down there a few times over the past few years and browsed, test drove and negotiated pricing on a few cars. The cars/​suvs we looked at were quality used units and the price was fair, we just didn’t have enough value in our trade to make it doable for us.
I was in the market for a Mustang and Friday I placed a call to Shapour, he remembered who I was and we did some simple negotiation over the phone. Reached a deal and I went down and bought another car. Car is super clean, low miles for the year and he even got me a better interest rate and terms than my bank. His son Tony does a great job and is every bit as friendly as his Dad. Very friendly, easy going people. I would and will buy from Prime Auto Imports again.
Thanks Shapour!

This is a great family owned small business. They have a wide selection of cars. I did my homework because I am leery of independent car lots but they had the make, model and price for the type of car I wanted to purchase. I did my homework and they have been in business since 1991, and their DMV Occupational License (the license they need to be a car dealership) was current. They have an A+ rating with the BBB, and I couldn’t find any dirt on them via an internet search.
The service is not as slick and polished as you would find a franchised dealership but it’s much more personal and friendly. I found the car I wanted, at a reasonable price (at Kelly Blue Book). The transaction process was seamless. I bought the car As Is.
About 10 days after I purchased it the check engine light went on and the car was having mechanical difficulties. I knew that they were under no obligation to do anything because I purchased the car as is. I figured I’d give them a call and tell them. They took care of it! Even though they had no contractual obligation Tony told me that he wanted me to be happy with the car and feel good about the purchase. It turned out that it was just a hose that had to be replaced but they paid for it.
I am so impressed with this company and their integrity that I will definitely return and will refer people to them.