Carlsen Subaru

Carlsen Subaru is the best and I won't take my car anywhere else to be serviced!

They do great work and have the best prices in the Bay Area for a dealership. I used to have my car serviced at a different dealership, and I finally called around to price compare after I was quoted an outrageous amount for my 60,000 mile service by the other dealership. Since then, Carlsen Subaru has always had reasonable prices, great transparency and I feel like they actually want to help me instead of overcharging/taking advantage of my lack of car knowledge.

I recently went in with a concern and they gave me an initial estimate. Turns out the fix was super simple and Carlsen Subaru significantly reduced the price I owed which is a testament to their overall ethics and honesty. My tech (Jeff) is helpful, knowledgeable, and always takes the time to listen and explain each service.

If you live in the Bay Area, I recommend using this dealership!

I've only had great times at this service center. My tech Harry is nice and always explains things to me in depth, and dumbs it down when I don't understand.
I always pick up and drop my car without any issues and if there's even a small wait everyone is super apologetic- their online scheduling portal is also pretty simple.

They provide complementary pick up and drop off Lyft services if you're within a certain radius which is super helpful. You can drop your car off before work and pick it up after.

Your car will come back washed and in better shape than when you leave, based on my experiences !

I used to go to Steven's creek Subaru and they're good too if you're in south bay.

Apparently this dealership is as cheesy as it looks.

I had a great experience buying the car, hence the two stars, but when I brought it in for the 18-month service the tech saw an unusual pattern of gouges on the *inside* of one of the wheels. The service writer guesses they happened when the car was hauled onto the transporter to be delivered to the dealership.

He thought they were significant enough to mention. I was concerned that perhaps the wheel is damaged and could fail, and he didn't disagree. He recommended I contact Subaru. I did, and a few days later a Subaru "Customer Advocate" got back to me saying that Carlsen wouldn't replace the wheel "because it won't damage the car". It's not the car's health I'm concerned about, it's my own. If that wheel fails at speed, I'll have a very bad day. I asked her if Subaru would guarantee that the wheel won't fail. She refused, telling me to contact Carlsen. I did, and they haven't responded.

Supposedly the dealer cost of that wheel is about $125. It looks like Carlsen thinks that's a fair price to pay for a bad review and an unhappy customer.

Had my seatbelt tensioner replaced (wouldn't extend) but wasn't given rental car, so had to drive dangerously for a couple weeks.

Overall experience wasn't too bad, communication was pretty good even though texting is slow. Got to shuttle back and forth from home

Carlsen is great.
If you do not want the add-ons that's fine! No pressure. They tell you all that is offered but it is up to you if you want it. You can finance through them or your bank or credit union.



Back story- I searched for a new car for months and finally decided I wanted a Subaru.
I previously went to Putnam where I was told that if I did not want add-ons that they did not have to sell me the car or I could buy an older car. He also said MSRP is a suggested price and they do not have to sell it for the sticker price. That is when my friend recommended Carlsen.
It was a good experience. I am happy with my beautiful new Forester. Kirk (Salesman) & Victor (Manager) helped me with my purchase.

Long overdue review: If you're looking to purchase a new car John Minch is your guy. Purchased a new Crosstrek as a surprise 80th birthday for my dad. Spoke with John on the phone and coordinated through text. No bait and switch-no haggling-no upsell. Flew up to SF for the day and went to the dealership at the appointed time and John had everything ready as agreed. John and his doggo came in on their day off. The car was washed and prepped and the finance guy was ready to process the paperwork. My brother and I were in and out of the dealership in less than an hour. Dad was completely surprised and drove us in his new car to his birthday lunch that same afternoon! He loves his Crosstrek! Pretty perfect transaction! Thanks John!

Exceptional friendliness, courtesy, patients and professionalism. I recommend Carlson Subaru to anyone that buys one and needs to get it serviced.

Please do not go to the service center here. Save your time, money, and sanity. Very disappointed in their disability to diagnose issues with my vehicle and the misdiagnosis leading to thousands of dollars in un needed repairs.

I will not be going back to this dealership and would tell anyone who needs work on their Subaru to avoid this place at all costs

I had two experiences with Carlsen in my journey to find a crossover SUV at the end of 2020. The first time I was just starting to check out new Subarus (and also visiting dealers of other makes). I was in "explore mode" and not ready to buy yet, and I said so. The salesman at Carlsen let me test drive my initial choice, and then we chatted about the positives and negatives. He gave me some useful backstory behind that particular model, confirming (at least in my mind) that it wasn't quite right for me. I then asked about the Forester, at which point he seemed to lose patience, saying he had other things to do. Then he left abruptly. That final exchange left enough of a bad taste that I decided I would never return to this dealer.

Fast forward a few months later to the point where I had finally decided on the car I wanted, a 2021 Crosstrek Sport with a moonroof, and in a very popular color (I had driven a similar one at another dealership). I submitted my non-negotiable specs to 17 Subaru dealerships all around the Bay Area, telling them to give me their best out-the-door price...And saying that they would be bidding against other dealers. (This method worked extremely well.) To my surprise, the second-lowest bid was from Carlsen Subaru. Carlsen was also the most forthcoming with the detailed invoice information I had requested. (With other dealerships it was more like pulling teeth). The biggest surprise was the person who contacted me was Sam Levy, the very same salesman who I had spoken to months before.

As it turned out, the lowest bid dealer in Sunnyvale was giving me the runaround, saying I needed to show up ASAP or the car might be gone (which turned out to be a ploy). I had a conflict, so I asked Sam at Carlsen if he could match their lower price. He did so; and he said I could pick it up at a convenient time a few days later.

It was just as easy after I arrived at Carlsen: all business and no games. Not only was the car spotless and ready to go for the agreed-to price, Sam was friendly and amenable, the paperwork was a breeze, and the other staff I dealt with were equally friendly and (mostly) low-pressure. At the very end, Sam even took the time to show me some more obscure features of the car, including how to properly synch up my phone.

In short, Sam may not have been an ideal salesman to introduce me to the Subaru line, but he was a joy to work with once I settled on exactly what I wanted. Highly recommended for those in that same mode.

(Next will be the service department - let's see if Carlsen can maintain this rating.)

Crazy fast purchase 75 minutes including test drive, trade in and financing! Yes!!! Plus the rundown of the 1.5 million new features.

Another 5 star purchase for my new Subaru. I was able to get an Amazing price for my new Subaru and for my trade with Sam Levy all from the comfort of my kitchen in about 20 minutes while making dinner. In case you foolishly think all dealers value your time, you are very wrong. My husband thought we should try a dealer in San Jose today, we spent more time sitting outside on a curb waiting for our sales guy, with an appointment, than my whole transaction with Sam. If your time is valuable or you just can't stand the multi hour car buying affair, call or email Sam Levy. slevy@carlsensubaru.dealerspace.com