Car dealerships

Forbes Toyota, honestly. The whole sales process was incredibly painless and anything that went even the tiniest bit amiss was corrected thoroughly and immediately. Still working through some lingering issues that came up during the sale but they've been very helpful, incredibly thoughtful, and very upfront about everything. I am not sure I'd recommend their detailing service (they had a week and a half lead time befor pickup, and the car wasn't vacuumed very well, if at all, and they had been asked to do a bit of buffing on some minor scratches that weren't touched) and can't say anything about their service department (yet), but would recommend them if you're in the market for a Toyota. Dave Morehouse in particular was great, and their service manager Kevin is good as well. One of the few dealerships I visited that treated me like a customer (most of the rest, huge hassle to get any help) and they were incredibly informative about their stock and up front about the history of their cars (mostly lease returns for their used stock). Only negative was that they had weird hours for pickup and the process was very involved (they want to give you a car tour, make sure you're satisfied with everything, etc, so they try to schedule it for quieter times so you won't be interrupted)--budget an hour for that, at least.

Bustard: don't bother unless you want to get screwed--I've heard so many bad stories, it's ridiculous. If you're female, seriously don't bother, they're not likely to even acknowledge you. If they do, getting any information about the car in question is like pulling teeth, although they readily offer test drives.

Wright Auto: if female, it's hard to track down a salesperson, but you'll get decent info from them when you do. They are a firm price dealership and often their prices are in line with used cars from other lots.. But their cars have hefty accident claims. They buy from auction and a lot of them have seen some shit--I looked at a Honda where the entire door interior would pop in and out when you lowered the window... Had a $4k accident on file, probably got t-boned.. Once you figure out the codes on their price signs you realize it's the same story across a lot of their stock. Could possibly get a good deal but ask early about accident history.

Carimex: no firsthand experience as I never ended up on their lot during business hours. The overall opinion I've gathered from people who have shopped there has been mostly 'meh' to '....ehhh, no'. They have the same 'buy from auction' as Wright, so there is a lot of stuff on the lot that has been in accidents. Ask for Carfax early if this bothers you.

Gies Frank Auto: fairly painless experience from what I'd seen--knew someone who bought from them recently. You're not going to get many frills from this experience. Call first, they sometimes have to pull stock to their Waterloo location, but they will do so fairly quickly. They're not going to give you a full tank of gas or anything too special as a standard part of their sales package, but from what I've heard they're reasonable about negotiating price and seem timely for having all of the paperwork done. Picking up the vehicle took all of fifteen minutes--it was very efficient.

Because I'm on a rant, if you want a motorcycle instead: Honda Power Sport: be male. Don't be female. If female, bring a decoy male, preferably while wearing motorcycle gear. Otherwise no one is going to talk to you, at all. Or if they do they'll just pawn you off on someone who will read from the brochure because they have no idea how big the gas tank is, or how many gears the bike has, or will offer to sell you a bike that someone is in the process of buying (they were waiting on financing). I would absolutely go out of town to buy a Honda before spending ten cents at this place, the experience was that great.

Tri-City Cycle and Sport: for motorcycles, if you can feasibly buy it there, or have it serviced there, you will not regret it. They are fantastic people and even if you're just trying to talk yourself out of that pretty R3 in the corner, they will be just as friendly and informative as if you'd bought out half the store in cash. And they will be very upfront about trying to talk you out of buying stupid things that you don't need--especially in their accessories shop. Seriously great store.

/r/uwaterloo Thread