Your opinion of the two dealers?

[Scott W.]

I know there is a dealer forum, but I thought this would be a better place as I am directing this only to people who have used either of the dealers in Illinois.

If you have dealt with either of the two Chicago dealers, I'm curious what your opinion is... Good experience or bad experience? How have they been for you after the sale? Did they help you get an orphan? etc.

[ericjohn86]

When I first became interested in SMARTS, I went to smartcenterLincolnwood. My salesman was very pushy and not helpful at all. It took two months to get my deposit back for his secondary list. I then went up to LakeBluff, and the saleswoman there was amazing. If you are looking for an orphan, I've been told you have a great chance of getting one sooner at Lincolnwood. I ended up purchasing a car from a private party. After hitting an animal, I brought it to smartcenterLincolnwood to be fixed, and the situation was handled pretty well. The problem was getting parts. Depending on where you live, LakeBluff can be quite a hike.

[Scott W.]

Thanks ericjohn86, that was helpful!

Yeah, so far I sent an email to an employee of each dealer and got a response from only Lincolnwood. Sending them $100 tomorrow. I'll have to see how that turns out. I like the cars, but I won't go too much out of my way to get one (eg. waiting a 9 months/year to get one).

According to google maps, Lincolinwood is 80.6 miles and takes 1 hr 36 minutes. Lake Bluff on the other hand is 67 miles, but takes 1 hour 47 minutes. Although in Lincolinwood's case it's primarily as straight shot driving on I90.

It's kind of odd that they have two dealers which are so close together with a lake on one side... I think having a dealer in Rockford would be smart (tm).

[drmickeyer]

We bought 2 Orphans from Lincolnwood. Mike was our salesman and was great. Smart #3 (the original reservation - Oct 2007) is due in next month. We will be purchasing it from Mike also for our daughter to take to college next year. Service has been an issue though. Their service dept leaves a lot to be desired. I have heard the same from Benz customers in the waiting room. They told a Benz customer on Monday that it would be $800 to change a trunk lock cylinder. It is very discouraging to drive an hour and a half when you have been told the part is there and arrive only to find out it's not and then get told that "the right rear panel has the same part number as the right front panel - gee we're sorry". It also took them 10 days to figure out that they installed my stereo/nav/dvd/bluetooth/etc incorrectly and therefore I could not receive AM ( for the Cubs of course) 30 miles outside of Chicago. They also said that the labor rates will be the same as for the Benz. The 10k service was $270 for oil/oil filter/dash filter. Next time I need service, I will call either the other Chicago dealer or the Indy dealer. We love the cars and the sales experience was great. Best wishes on getting an orphan soon - you will absolutely love the car, especially if it's a cabrio!

[abrask]

Knauz in Lake Bluff is fantastic. I've purchased 4 cars there, with the latest being my Smart Cabriolet. The sales person I worked with is Jill Loforte, and never at any time did I feel the least bit of pressure. While I haven't had any repairs or service on the Smart yet, my service experience with the dealership overall has absolutely been the best I've ever had. I know nothing about the other option, but I don't think you can go wrong with Knauz.

[Scott W.]

Originally Posted by abrask

Knauz in Lake Bluff is fantastic. I've purchased 4 cars there, with the latest being my Smart Cabriolet. The sales person I worked with is Jill Loforte, and never at any time did I feel the least bit of pressure. While I haven't had any repairs or service on the Smart yet, my service experience with the dealership overall has absolutely been the best I've ever had. I know nothing about the other option, but I don't think you can go wrong with Knauz.

Thanks for the information. I heard some information recently about some questionable orphan tactics, so I might be making a second look at Knauz or passing up on a smart car for something more accessible.

[descott]

I purchased my smart from Knauz and Jill was my salesperson. There was no pressure at all. They also have several Cabriolet orphans.

[SmartAnita]

I have only good things to say about Lincolnwood! Billy Cooper was my salesperson. They were very thorough with the whole process. In addition, the brand manager, Josh Dreyer, was also very helpful and always took the time to answer questions. I was back at the dealership for a minor issue and had no problem with the service department. Bill Lindahl was very helpful, the service experience was very efficient and the waiting room was great. I have friends that buy their Mercedes' there and they also have praised this dealership.

[E-SMART]

my smart was ordered through the main smart web site and then delivered at Lincolnwood - the delivery and prep went well - a little pressure to get extended warranty but expected that (declined it). The only after sale experience so far was to get an accessory (bought the cargo cover screen that also prevents stuff from sliding behind the seats - a bit expensive but does the job). My mileage is about 4K now so will be setting up an oil change at 5K soon so will see how that goes, car has been good since we picked it up this past April, no real issues requiring a visit to the dealer. The Lake Bluff dealer may be a bit closer to where I work so may check them for service as well down the road when I need it. The Lincolnwood smart showroom is integrated into the MBenz one which is big, lots of open space; it hard when you see the (relatively) inexpensive smart just a short stroll from cars costing $100K and up but they do have different sales people handling them.

[meaux61]

Stay away from Indy for service. They also charge 270 for the 10k service. I am in the midst of a bad experience with them since a deer hit my car on Nov 4th.

Meaux