Hopkins Automotive reviews and complaints

I was referred to Hopkins Automotive after one of my friends bought a Lincoln LS from them. She said that they had guaranteed financing and could definitely get me in a car. I was skeptical considering my credit history, but was desperately in need of reliable transportation so I went. I was greeted immediately by a salesman who patiently took my information and didnt make me feel bad about my credit. After giving him all my information, he came to me with my options for vehicles and boy was I impressed! I was expecting him to show me a clunker, but he didnt! I was given great options and after reviewing them all, was able to choose the right vehicle at the right price for me! I couldnt have been more pleased! Ive had my car for 2 months now and am still tickled with it! Dont hesitate to go to Hopkins Automotive.

I would really like to say that Hopkins Automotive tries to be a good dealership, but after the month that I had dealt with them, I really feel I would be wrong. Found their website because I was searching online for a Olds, Cutlass Ciera. I always had a good opinion of that car and saw they were selling one. Called them up, first question, how much? Ok, second question, what is wrong with the car? Salesman said just a few small things that you you would expect to be wrong with a car that old. 3rd question, is it drivable and can pass inspection? He told me it should pass with no problems, and that it is a very sound car. So I decided to get a friend to drive me there to get it. When I get to look over the car, first thing I notice is the tires are bald to the point of no tread and the turn signal light is busted . But the problems seemed like minor repair for a car they were selling pretty cheap, so I decided to take it. Once I stated that the salesman wanted to go check on something real quick and went and got the owner. They told me that someone who test drove the car said there was an issue with Rev, but they found no issue, only that you sometime might have to wiggle the column stick to make sure it is in gear. Decided to still get the car, and after I paid for it in full and got all the paperwork straight. I went to leave with my car and it ran out of gas in the parking lot Luckly the saleman did give me a couple gallons to get up the road. Drove the car about 50-60 miles to my home, in the snow and the car road like a dream. Got home, parked it, and it hasn't moved since, apparently it has a bad transmission. Now up to now I have to blame myself due to the buyer beware saying, but this next part really erks me to no end. Almost a full month has gone by and I am checking my mailbox everyday waiting for them to send me the title. It wasn't until I had to start calling up there everyday for almost a week before someone took the initiative to find it. I told them I needed it before Friday because I was going to the DMV to deal with matters of my other car and want to deal with them both at the same time. The lady told me they will send it out next day 1st class mail to assure me I will get it in time. They did not send it out 1st class next day mail, nor did I receive it in time, and when I did get it, I find it is a copy of the prior owners title. They held onto a title for a car I had paid in full for. Made no effort to change it, and I wonder why did they hold it when they could of just gave me that title the day I bought the car. Also because it was held for almost a month I have to pay an extra 25 bucks at the DMV.

I know for a fact there is atleast 100 people I know that will never do business with Hopkins Auto, and I hope anyone who is reading this will join them.

Where to begin...I bought a 2002 VW Jetta from Hopkins Automotive on 12-10-2008, the day I took the car off the lot the check engine light came on. I called the salesman that sold me the car, and he had me setup a service appointment. I went into the service department and they put my car on the Diagnostics machine and told me that I would have to schedule another service appointment to get it fixed. 2 to 3 weeks later I took the car up there and they had it for over a day and within 5 miles from the dealership the check engine light comes on again! I called the service department right away and they told me to give it a few days and see how the car is because they said that there was nothing mechanically wrong with the car. (umm ok) A week later I called them and told them that the check engine light was still on, and they set me up with another appointment. 3 weeks later they had my car for another day and a half, and what do you know, the very next day the check engine light comes on again! This time when I picked my car up Russell in the service department told me that the check engine light isn't covered under my warranty, and I told him that I expected it to be fix because this has been an issue since the day I took the car off the lot. I called the dealership and asked to speak to Tom Hopkins and was told that he was with a customer and the receptionist asked to take a message. I explained to her what was going on and she told me that either Tom or she would get a hold of me the following business day. Well neither of them called me instead it was Russell from the service department, he asked me to bring the car in so he could scan it to see what was going on. I took the car to the dealership and after an hour of waiting Russell comes up to me with a piece of paper with fault codes on it. I asked him what diagnostic scanner they used because before I pay to have any work done to the car I want to make sure that I have correct information, and I told him that after the last 2 times they "fixed" the car I didn't have an confidence in what they are telling me and that I would take it to a VW dealership for a 2nd opinion. This must have offended Russell and he rudely said "FINE GOODBYE" I had to remind him that I needed my keys.

To top all that off, I received a phone call from the dealership a week before my temporary tag expired asking me if I had the hard tag to my car. I was in New York at the time and told her that I would have to call her back to let her know. When I checked I didn't have the hard tag, so they had to order a duplicate tag which wouldn't be in before my temporary tag expired so I would have to come up there again to get other temporary tag!. Mind you that they had 6 weeks to register the car from the time I ran it through inspection to the date that my temporary tag expired. The receptionist gave me some excuse about only being about to register 3 cars a day at the DMV, well that's one hell of a sales record if it takes 6 weeks to register a vehicle!
So buy a car here if you like headaches and hassles, They will never get my business again. And I will tell anyone that I know that's looking to buy a car to avoid this place like the plague.
And a note to the dealership - It is very shady to turn off a check engine light for a test drive! Own up to your mistakes and don't let you service monkeys treat your paying customers like dirt!

On July 11, 2008 my son (17 years old) purchased a 2000 VW Jetta GLS from Hopkins Automotive in Seaford, Delaware. I met the owner Tom Hopkins personally and he seemed like a quality guy. He said if I ever needed anything to let him know. Our problems began right away when my son couldn't get the alarm to disarm. This shuts the car down so it can't be driven. The first time it was towed was July 19th. The battery was completely dead after sitting for two days. Hopkins replaced the battery and we thought things we going to be ok. Well, since then they have towed it 4 more times. The car has left my son stranded a total of 5 times. Now, over this period of time I have called and asked for Tom Hopkins numerous times. He can never come to the phone and to this day has never called me back once. The Service Manager and the Sales Manager are the ones I have had to deal with. On one occasion they had the car for almost two weeks and another mechanic that had been on vacation came in and supposedly fixed some wires in the door. I was promised this was what it needed and we would have no more trouble. The car was fine for a week or so then it happened again. When the alarm won't disarm the car is fully disabled. Then the battery finally dies because it has been drained. The last time they had it (August 18 - August 29) they said they took it to Dover VW (where they have no actual record of it being there). My husband went in to speak with the Sales Manager on August 27 and he promised my husband that Tom Hopkins would call him back the next day between 10:30 and 11am. Yet again, no phone call the next day as promised. On August 29th the Sales Manager called my husband and asked for one more chance. He had told us on August 20th that the problem had been diagnosed and it was in the doorlock. Then on Friday (August 22)we were told nothing was wrong with it. The Service Manager told me the cars computer had been reset (@ Dover VW)and that should fix it. According to Dover Volkswagon (if the car was there)the computer was never reset. They had another car there the same time from Hopkins but it was a different year with a different VIN# and a different color. It left him again at school on Sept 8. We actually videotaped this incident for proof. Since then the battery has died and it has been sitting dead in our driveway for almost 2 weeks. This has been a very frustrating experience for my son and our family. He used his money he had saved and traded another car in to get this car. Now he doesn't even have a car to drive for his senior year. This is the car we were going to send him away to college in. This car is very unsafe for anyone. You never know when it will shut down. I really hated to have to put this complaint on an online forum but I don't know any other way to get Tom Hopkins attention. All I have wanted to do is to speak with him so we can get our money back. Understandably, the Sales Manager says he doesn't have the authority to give us our money back. We have to speak with Tom Hopkins. We just want to be able to buy our son a dependable car. I'm hoping for a reply this time.