Koons Dealership Thread

[Hurrigator]

Like the Mark Dodge thread for those who ordered through them, I figured I would start a similar thread for the many members who purchased from Koons out of Northern VA, as they also have the discounted deals (at the time of this post it was 6% under invoice).

Feel free to post order updates, dealings with the team (Craig, Erica, etc.) and any other issues.

As for me, my details are in the signature, but in short: Less than five weeks from order to delivery at the dealership. I did get the 6% under invoice, but as I haven't "closed" the deal yet, will post updates when that occurs. So far Craig and Erica have been great, very responsible to emails, etc. I will be picking up the vehicle either 3/26 or 4/2, depending on work schedule.

More details to come!

Good luck!

 

[Belacyrf]

I'm working with Adam at Koons. The most responsive rep I've had to luck to deal with in this search for a new truck. The deal is good, and waiting to see if Dodge has any other incentives come delivery time. As of now, still no movement.. As soon as I got the POC, it showed an Est Ship of 3/8 and was in D1 status. I've confirmed it's still in D1 status (has been in D1 for nearly 3 weeks) but no Est ship date. Ordered 2/24. Hoping to see movement soon.

 

[Hurrigator]

Flight booked. Picking it up Saturday morning. Will let you know how the process unfolds over the week.

 

[shystalips1]

Tried to get a price for a build. Erica said she had to forward the email to [email protected] to get forum pricing.
Have yet to get a response after a few days. Is this the email that you guys used?

 

[Hurrigator]

Tried to get a price for a build. Erica said she had to forward the email to [email protected] to get forum pricing.
Have yet to get a response after a few days. Is this the email that you guys used?

Yes, that is the email. I haven't heard from them either since Monday, and I've asked a couple of questions which are still unanswered as we head toward my Saturday delivery. Hmm....
My brother-in-law purchased a Jeep Wrangler from Koons via their group pricing (think Ram takes a long time to build...try a Jeep Wrangler!). Anyway, on the Jeep forum (similar to this) there are many positive comments about Koons and the factory ordering, which is why I ultimately pulled the trigger on the Ram. I recommend you send a new email to that email address.

 

[shystalips1]

Yes, that is the email. I haven't heard from them either since Monday, and I've asked a couple of questions which are still unanswered as we head toward my Saturday delivery. Hmm....
My brother-in-law purchased a Jeep Wrangler from Koons via their group pricing (think Ram takes a long time to build...try a Jeep Wrangler!). Anyway, on the Jeep forum (similar to this) there are many positive comments about Koons and the factory ordering, which is why I ultimately pulled the trigger on the Ram. I recommend you send a new email to that email address.

Ok, thanks for the info

 

[eerattler]

I recently bought my truck from Koons. The experience overall was a good one but I'll outline a few points where I expected things to go more smoothly. While I am not affiliated with the dealer in any way, I have a background that among other things has allowed me to work with automotive marketing and sales technology companies. So I have a perspective from both sides of the table so to speak.

I reached out to Craig Benner, of whom I have known about from my days on some of the Jeep Forums back in August 2021. I received a quote for 6% under invoice for my Ram1500. Standard $899 doc fee is "not negotiable". Unfortunately the time between the first quote and my acceptance of the quote, Ram increased the price by $500 and changed some minor options. We locked in and I began a very long wait with little insight as to what was happening with my order.

Craig (and now his team) suffer from their success in that they can't scale to provide the customer service experience that I truly believe they would like to provide. As we all know Stellantis/RAM's systems don't support a self service model for updates in any way. So you are forced to: 1/Call or email the dealer for updates, 2/Call or chat with RamChat for updates, and pray that @Eighty gets a hit on his tracker. This is a miserable experience for both parties. The dealer team is inundated with status update emails as well as pricing emails and after deal service questions.

I emailed Craig monthly through October requesting status. After that, I went to RamChat. By December I had forgotten that I had ordered a truck at all. In Feb I went to RamChat and after getting the run around yet again, I told the rep that I was ready to try and claw my deposit back from my credit card company and go elsewhere. At that point I got connected Cara from Ram Trucks Information Center, and she said she would "opened this special tracking file to both help ensure your order is given prioritization through to delivery, as well as to provide you with available status updates along the way. " I thought all of this was hot air until I started getting meaningful updates -- like my truck was actually scheduled to be built.

I almost simultaneously learned from @Eighty and Cara that my Build Sheet and Window Sticker were ready to go and eventually I got the notification that my truck was shipped. I emailed Koons to see if the truck was on the lot and at that time learned that Craig had added some additional team mates and the process that they needed to check the truck in and prepare it for delivery.

In speaking with Craig, we made arrangements for when I could come and pick up the truck, aligned on incentives that I could apply. I originally had a mind to trade in to them my Jeep Cherokee but I got such a low offer that it wasn't worth it to: 1/Drive it up to Koons and 2/Forfeit the substantial amount that CarMax and Carvana wanted for the Jeep. So we aligned on no trade in and I had a date.

When I got to the dealership, I worked mostly with Bella and a little bit with Brian. The initial meet, greet and paperwork part was perfectly pleasant. My initial meeting with the F&I Manager they tried to suggest I use one of their interest bearing bank financing options. I had a back up offer from my credit union, but was gunning for and qualified for the March 0% for 48 months financing through Chrysler Capital. At first they tried to claw back all of the incentives but I held firm and reminded them that Chrysler is their financing. I kept the bulk of my incentives but lost out on $500. I chose not to fight about this as a goodwill gesture. After a brief wait I went upstairs to finalize the paperwork.

Upstairs in the Business office, I have to say was a neat experience. The entire desk was a big screen where I used a stylus to sign all of the documents. The techie in me was impressed. When it came time for the warranty discussion I had my Zieglers quote and so I got MaxCare at a fair price. About 1k lower than the dealer originally offered if I remember correctly. There was what I am calling a misunderstanding about what MaxCare offered in that the way I understood what the dealer was matching seemed to include Road Hazard and a Mopar oil change and scheduled maintenance plan. However, as I later found out none of that was included in MaxCare. I opted out after the fact after a few days for Road Hazard (as it wasn't the Mopar plan) and kept the scheduled maintenance plan as (I couldn't find an apples to apples quote even on Mopar's page and I'm genuinely curious on if this is of value.) I'm certain I gave some ground on the maintenance plan in dealer profit and I reserve the right to cancel later, but it didn't seem outrageous. Getting in and out of F&I was an above average experience. It wasn't perfect, but it was one of my better interactions. One nasty surprise was they limit the amount you can put on a credit card to $5K for a down payment. This obviously defeated my strategy of using my Amex to max out on frequent flyer miles. I was able to negotiate around this to a degree but I did not put down the full down payment that I had intended. This is something that should be communicated up front and in advance.

After I got home, I had a few calls to the dealership and Bella over some questions I had about some truck features and my questions about the warranty. Both Bella and Brian were very responsive. Brian even called me after hours on a Sunday. The Finance manager also called to send me over the paperwork about the warranties. I wasn't pressured in any way when I wanted to cancel the non Road Hazard warranty.

To close if I had to give Koons a grade here: Overall Experience: A-, Quote and Price: A, Pre-Delivery: C (not entirely their fault), Logistics: A, Dealer Experience: A, Finance: B-, Post Sale customer service: A+

While I know Koons is experiencing stiff competition on this forum (probably all of them) from our friends in Lake Charles, LA, I would definitely consider buying a truck or jeep from Koons again. The drive up to DC Metro and back was pleasant (albeit long).

 

[Hurrigator]

I recently bought my truck from Koons. The experience overall was a good one but I'll outline a few points where I expected things to go more smoothly. While I am not affiliated with the dealer in any way, I have a background that among other things has allowed me to work with automotive marketing and sales technology companies. So I have a perspective from both sides of the table so to speak.

I reached out to Craig Benner, of whom I have known about from my days on some of the Jeep Forums back in August 2021. I received a quote for 6% under invoice for my Ram1500. Standard $899 doc fee is "not negotiable". Unfortunately the time between the first quote and my acceptance of the quote, Ram increased the price by $500 and changed some minor options. We locked in and I began a very long wait with little insight as to what was happening with my order.

Craig (and now his team) suffer from their success in that they can't scale to provide the customer service experience that I truly believe they would like to provide. As we all know Stellantis/RAM's systems don't support a self service model for updates in any way. So you are forced to: 1/Call or email the dealer for updates, 2/Call or chat with RamChat for updates, and pray that @Eighty gets a hit on his tracker. This is a miserable experience for both parties. The dealer team is inundated with status update emails as well as pricing emails and after deal service questions.

I emailed Craig monthly through October requesting status. After that, I went to RamChat. By December I had forgotten that I had ordered a truck at all. In Feb I went to RamChat and after getting the run around yet again, I told the rep that I was ready to try and claw my deposit back from my credit card company and go elsewhere. At that point I got connected Cara from Ram Trucks Information Center, and she said she would "opened this special tracking file to both help ensure your order is given prioritization through to delivery, as well as to provide you with available status updates along the way. " I thought all of this was hot air until I started getting meaningful updates -- like my truck was actually scheduled to be built.

I almost simultaneously learned from @Eighty and Cara that my Build Sheet and Window Sticker were ready to go and eventually I got the notification that my truck was shipped. I emailed Koons to see if the truck was on the lot and at that time learned that Craig had added some additional team mates and the process that they needed to check the truck in and prepare it for delivery.

In speaking with Craig, we made arrangements for when I could come and pick up the truck, aligned on incentives that I could apply. I originally had a mind to trade in to them my Jeep Cherokee but I got such a low offer that it wasn't worth it to: 1/Drive it up to Koons and 2/Forfeit the substantial amount that CarMax and Carvana wanted for the Jeep. So we aligned on no trade in and I had a date.

When I got to the dealership, I worked mostly with Bella and a little bit with Brian. The initial meet, greet and paperwork part was perfectly pleasant. My initial meeting with the F&I Manager they tried to suggest I use one of their interest bearing bank financing options. I had a back up offer from my credit union, but was gunning for and qualified for the March 0% for 48 months financing through Chrysler Capital. At first they tried to claw back all of the incentives but I held firm and reminded them that Chrysler is their financing. I kept the bulk of my incentives but lost out on $500. I chose not to fight about this as a goodwill gesture. After a brief wait I went upstairs to finalize the paperwork.

Upstairs in the Business office, I have to say was a neat experience. The entire desk was a big screen where I used a stylus to sign all of the documents. The technie in me was impressed. When it came time for the warranty discussion I had my Zieglers quote and so I got MaxCare at a fair price. About 1k lower than the dealer originally offered if I remember correctly. There was what I am calling a misunderstanding about what MaxCare offered in that the way I understood what the dealer was matching seemed to include Road Hazard and a oil change maintenance plan. However, as I later found out none of that was included in MaxCare. I opted out after the fact after a few days for Road Hazard (as it wasn't the Mopar plan) and kept the scheduled maintenance plan as (I couldn't find an apples to apples quote even on Mopar's page and I'm genuinely curious on if this is of value.) I'm certain I gave some ground on the maintenance plan in dealer profit and I reserve the right to cancel later, but it didn't seem outrageous. Getting in and out of F&I was an above average experience. It wasn't perfect, but it was one of my better interactions.

After I got home, I had a few calls to the dealership and Bella over some questions I had about some truck features and my questions about the warranty. Both Bella and Brian were very responsive. Brian even called me after hours on a Sunday. The Finance manager also called to send me over the paperwork about the warranties. I wasn't pressured in any way when I wanted to cancel the non Road Hazard warranty.

To close if I had to give Koons a grade here: Overall Experience: A-, Quote and Price: A, Pre-Delivery: C (not entirely their fault), Logistics: A, Dealer Experience: A, Finance: B+, Post Sale customer service: A+

While I know Koons is experiencing stiff competition on this forum (probably all of them) from our friends in Lake Charles, LA, I would definitely consider buying a truck or jeep from Koons again. The drive up to DC Metro and back was pleasant (albeit long).

Great summary! Thank you for taking the time to post. I am also in the ATL area (north). Taking the first flight in the a.m. (8 am), a 10:30 a.m. appt with Craig and hopes to be on the road heading south by noon. If it goes smoothly I'll be home by 10 pm.

Craig said if I don't use their financing I lose a $1k incentive. But, I only have to make three payments and can then refinance. I also have the recently posted $1k buyers incentive, and I've asked if that is applied on top of the previously mentioned factory incentive, and he has not answered. I've also asked for a review of the settlement statement and finance BEFORE I depart, and again no answer. With only two days to go before taking delivery this has me a little peeved. I'm hoping the customer service in the facility makes up for this.

Bella and Erica have been nice, and sent me the photos of the vehicle after I asked for them.

I have a very close friend who owns/runs his own auto repair shop, so I don't plan on taking any extended warranty, but we'll see.

 

[eerattler]

Great summary! Thank you for taking the time to post. I am also in the ATL area (north). Taking the first flight in the a.m. (8 am), a 10:30 a.m. appt with Craig and hopes to be on the road heading south by noon. If it goes smoothly I'll be home by 10 pm.

Craig said if I don't use their financing I lose a $1k incentive. But, I only have to make three payments and can then refinance. I also have the recently posted $1k buyers incentive, and I've asked if that is applied on top of the previously mentioned factory incentive, and he has not answered. I've also asked for a review of the settlement statement and finance BEFORE I depart, and again no answer. With only two days to go before taking delivery this has me a little peeved. I'm hoping the customer service in the facility makes up for this.

Bella and Erica have been nice, and sent me the photos of the vehicle after I asked for them.

I have a very close friend who owns/runs his own auto repair shop, so I don't plan on taking any extended warranty, but we'll see.

I still don't fully get the financing incentive. They act like Chrysler Capital isn't their finance solution. So I was able to keep that 1K even though they had to "talk to the GM". That 0%APR for 48 months option beat out all of the financing I was able to find on my own so I though that was a great option. I also had the Ram Cash 1K offer from the Website. I misunderstood how Tread Lightly works so I missed out on that as well. I think if you use their bank financing it "looks" like cash to them and they can apply the $500 cash incentive from Ram. I think that is what was taken away from my deal.

Who is your friend that owns the auto repair shop, I'm always looking for options there. Good luck with the drive. We went down I-81 to I-40 to I-75. It was nice to be in the mountains.

 

[Hurrigator]

I still don't fully get the financing incentive. They act like Chrysler Capital isn't their finance solution. So I was able to keep that 1K even though they had to "talk to the GM". That 0%APR for 48 months option beat out all of the financing I was able to find on my own so I though that was a great option. I also had the Ram Cash 1K offer from the Website. I misunderstood how Tread Lightly works so I missed out on that as well. I think if you use their bank financing it "looks" like cash to them and they can apply the $500 cash incentive from Ram. I think that is what was taken away from my deal.

Who is your friend that owns the auto repair shop, I'm always looking for options there. Good luck with the drive. We went down I-81 to I-40 to I-75. It was nice to be in the mountains.

It's funny....I also have a Jeep (Grand) Cherokee I would like to trade, but like you the offer was stupid low. Trying to sell on my own now.

Did you get all the details (Settlement Statement) and finance info BEFORE you arrived, or when you got there? Also, did you take delivery in Feb or March?

I live in Cumming....friend (Doug) runs the shop on his property. He has a three bay garage with lifts. He can go anything mechanical, but when it comes to software and stuff like that, I have to take it to dealer (Troncalli, here in Cumming).

Thanks for the route info. Buddy says I should take the Blue Ridge Parkway. Weather is supposed to be perfect, so looking forward to driving with sunroof and windows open for a while.

 

[eerattler]

It's funny....I also have a Jeep (Grand) Cherokee I would like to trade, but like you the offer was stupid low. Trying to sell on my own now.

Did you get all the details (Settlement Statement) and finance info BEFORE you arrived, or when you got there? Also, did you take delivery in Feb or March?

I live in Cumming....friend (Doug) runs the shop on his property. He has a three bay garage with lifts. He can go anything mechanical, but when it comes to software and stuff like that, I have to take it to dealer (Troncalli, here in Cumming).

Thanks for the route info. Buddy says I should take the Blue Ridge Parkway. Weather is supposed to be perfect, so looking forward to driving with sunroof and windows open for a while.

I would definitely look at CarMax or Carvanna and the like to sell your car. Or private if you prefer. I was shocked (in a good way) for what CarMax offered for my Jeep. 1 hour's worth of my time and I walked out with a check that day.

I DID NOT get any details or a settlement statement and finance info before I arrived. I got it all when I got there. This is definitely an area of opportunity for improvement from the Koons team. This is just my opinion but I believe this is by design: 1/They don't have the staff to handle all of the volume for the forum specific orders and 2/I think this is where they loop you into the traditional car buying experience by passing the F&I manager tollgate.

I bought my first car out of college from Troncalli in Cumming -- a Nissan Altima. I drove up and back from Cobb and was highly motivated to out run some stormy weather on the way back so I definitely didn't get to enjoy the drive as I would have liked.

 

[JF19Longhorn]

I've been to Koons twice. Never purchased. Both were PreCovid.

First time I went to buy a new Platinum F150 they had on the lot at a really good 'WOW' price. Drove all the way down there only for them to lowball the **** out of me on my trade. They wouldn't even match the KBB trade-in offer their site provided.. my truck was low mile & immaculate. They flatout told me, they couldn't offer me the value their website trade-in link gave me because they were selling the same truck, brandnew, for only a few thousand more.. and to give the WOW prices, they have to give nothing on trade-ins and it all evens out in the end. The guy was nice enough about it, but it still pissed me off.. so I left.

Second time I was going down to look at a Certified Pre Owned Platinum truck they had on the lot and when I got there the truck was NOTHING like the pictures on their website or like the salesman sent me.. it was obviously a contractors truck and had many, many dents, scratched down to the primer in many spots, multi colored paint splatter everywhere including the interior.. so that was another wasted 1.5hr drive, each way.

I think if you do not have a trade-in and are buying a new vehicle, they are the best price in town. ..if you have a trade-in, don't even bother taking it to them.

 

[Hurrigator]

I would definitely look at CarMax or Carvanna and the like to sell your car. Or private if you prefer. I was shocked (in a good way) for what CarMax offered for my Jeep. 1 hour's worth of my time and I walked out with a check that day.

I DID NOT get any details or a settlement statement and finance info before I arrived. I got it all when I got there. This is definitely an area of opportunity for improvement from the Koons team. This is just my opinion but I believe this is by design: 1/They don't have the staff to handle all of the volume for the forum specific orders and 2/I think this is where they loop you into the traditional car buying experience by passing the F&I manager tollgate.

I bought my first car out of college from Troncalli in Cumming -- a Nissan Altima. I drove up and back from Cobb and was highly motivated to out run some stormy weather on the way back so I definitely didn't get to enjoy the drive as I would have liked.

Carmax and Carvana are, for me, way to low. I'm all about convenience and would MUCH rather not have to sell my vehicle privately, especially when it's priced over $30k, but when I can get $5-7k more by selling it privately, I have to go that route.

I've may end getting the extended warranty due to how much computer/electronics are in these vehicles nowadays as my friend can't touch that. He's a "good ole boy" born/raised GA who worked with NASCAR teams and now just works on friends/family cars for mechanical issues.

 

[Hurrigator]

With one day to go before taking delivery, Craig sent me updated buyers order (and I was pleased to see the various incentives applied) and said finance will contact me today to review those details. Fingers crossed, but looking good for a pleasant experience at the dealership followed by a beautiful (weather wise) 10 hour drive home through the mountains!

 

[eerattler]

With one day to go before taking delivery, Craig sent me updated buyers order (and I was pleased to see the various incentives applied) and said finance will contact me today to review those details. Fingers crossed, but looking good for a pleasant experience at the dealership followed by a beautiful (weather wise) 10 hour drive home through the mountains!

I'm jealous.... hating in fact!

 

[Runagun]

Like the Mark Dodge thread for those who ordered through them, I figured I would start a similar thread for the many members who purchased from Koons out of Northern VA, as they also have the discounted deals (at the time of this post it was 6% under invoice).

Feel free to post order updates, dealings with the team (Craig, Erica, etc.) and any other issues.

As for me, my details are in the signature, but in short: Less than five weeks from order to delivery at the dealership. I did get the 6% under invoice, but as I haven't "closed" the deal yet, will post updates when that occurs. So far Craig and Erica have been great, very responsible to emails, etc. I will be picking up the vehicle either 3/26 or 4/2, depending on work schedule.

More details to come!

Good luck!

Would be nice to put some numbers down. MSRP what you paid for it everything.

 

[Hurrigator]

OK. Truck is home! It was a long drive from North VA to North GA (10 hours) with LOTS of construction along the way, but I made it unscratched. Like @eerattler did above, here is my experience, and to answer @Runagun, I will share numbers.

Arrived at Dulles at 9:20 a.m. The dealership was a 17 min, $28 Uber ride away. I thought I read somewhere that the dealership offered to pick up buyers from the airports, but that is not true (or no longer true).

Craig greeted me at 10:10 am and immediately took me out to see the vehicle. It was cleaned and gassed up, ready to go (other than a customer sitting in the truck to stay out of the cold!). Went back to the office and went over the buyers order (everything was correct) and the Ram app (as in phone app) for me to download to get the 6-month Sirus/XM subscription started.

John from finance then came down and we discussed finance options. I had planned to put down $30k via a credit card, only to learn they don't accept credit card purchases for that high ($5k limit). Was a little irritated that I wasn't informed of this earlier as I told them that was my plan. But it in the end it didn't matter.

After a little bit of a wait, answering calls from various lenders who were calling to ensure it was really me applying for the loan (as it was out of state), John took me to his office upstairs for the paperwork. As @eerattler said, it was pretty cool as the entire desk is essentially a giant tablet to view and sign the docs. When completed, everything was given to me on a portable drive...no papers (other than temp title).

Extended Warranty: He pushed several warranties on me. I simply pulled out by Ziegler quote papers and his eyes widened as he knew I had done my research. In the end he matched the price quote for the 8 year/85k mile warranty (to include the $365 discount) and I purchased the MOPAR warranty. He explained the "value" of each of the other warranties (service contract, tire/rim warranty, paint, etc.) but I declined each and there wasn't too much hard sales pitching.

Finance: Here is my ONLY negative experience. I have near perfect credit (not bragging, just fact). He came at me with a 4.9 rate. I laughed and he seemed surprised at my dismay. I can get 1.9 here at my credit union. After a little back and forth I simply said screw it, I'm going to refi anyway ASAP just get me out the door. Remember that you have to finance through them to get the $1000 factory incentive. They say you have to make at least three payments and can then refi....checking on that.

Afterwards, Craig took me back outside, asked if I needed instructions on anything with the truck. We paired my phone, he gave me the final "please give me 10s on the review" pitch, and I pulled out of the lot at around 12:15 pm. So, in and out in two hours.

Numbers:
MSRP/Sticker Price is $77,410.
My Cash Price of Vehicle: $66,446 (plus $899 processing fee)
Subtract $2750 in incentives ($1000 factory, $1000 buyer's cash, and another $750 from somewhere. I actually had no idea about that $750 incentive, so was pleasantly surprised).
Ext. Warranty after taxes was $1323.
So, total cost after T/T/T was $70,512

Overall, entire experience was great. Happy with the price paid and other than getting disrespected with the interest rate the in-dealership experience was quick and painless. Would certainly buy future vehicles there and recommend anyone interested to contact Craig.

Interesting notes:
1. Craig does ONLY factory orders....and A LOT of them. His sales goal for the month was 300, and he was at 211 on Saturday. Not sure of another car salesman (I think with Craig its him and a partner) who sells that many cars a month!
2. In just two days have already gotten plenty of stares and compliments. At a gas station in VA a guy gassing up his truck gave mine the up and down review. I know what it feels like to be a woman and getting the up and down. Everyone likes the color (Patriot Blue) with the Night package.
3. Next steps. Front windows get tinted on Saturday. Will order a quality tonneau cover ASAP.

 

[eerattler]

@Hurrigator I feel like I let you down. I too had blocked out that "5K" credit card limit nonsense from my mind and subsequently my review. That was a most unpleasant surprise and I'll edit it after the fact. Glad you made it back safely. Love your truck!

 

[Hurrigator]

@Hurrigator I feel like I let you down. I too had blocked out that "5K" credit card limit nonsense from my mind and subsequently my review. That was a most unpleasant surprise and I'll edit it after the fact. Glad you made it back safely. Love your truck!

No worries...gonna refi soon anyway.
Question from one Georgian to another....do I have to wait to receive something in the mail to register at the local tag office or can I go whenever? Also, Koons pays the advalorem tax ((technically, I paid Koons the tax at closing), correct? Or were you hit with a big tax bill at registration?

 

[SnowBlaZR2]

other than a customer sitting in the truck to stay out of the cold!

Some random person was just chilling in your factory ordered truck?