Carbase Reviews 

We chose car on Sunday and drove it away on Monday ! Perfect for us ! The staff were brilliant from start to finish all very knowledgeable too answered all our queries in depth ..very helpful

Bilal has been amazing in the purchase of my new car this weekend . I visited the store Saturday did a test drive on a peugeout 2008 which I had seen online. I was unsure about the car and Bilal wasn’t pushy but invited me to return on Sunday to test drive the car again which I did, unsure about a few technical items on the car Bilal very kind & patiently went through everything with me. I ended up buying the car & wanted to say a big shout out to Bilal you have been a super star , I would highly recommend Bilal

Joe was fantastic start to finish, no question unanswered, showed me every bit of the car & spoke through all the products available to me

Great customer service without pushy sales, making it a more enjoyable experience.

I'd endorse Carbase Weston Super Mare because they're very friendly, straight to the point, explained everything clearly. After my test drive there was a problem with the reversing camera and tyre pressure monitoring system, Neil got the mechanics on the situation and I was still able to drive away within an hour. 😁

Great service from Steve and Max. two hours and we had a test drive,bought the car, taed it for us, good deal on trade in, and two coffees. Brilliant

I'd recommend Carbase Bristol to a friend because Mirgen ZyfiThe person working at this company is a really great guy. I believe that every employee represents the face of the company, and in this instance, it was a friendly Albanian guy. He was polite and welcoming, providing the kind of service and care that every customer deserves. I wish nothing but prosperity for both him and the company. Best regards, Alexanders

Last Sunday I set off from Exeter with one goal: to buy a 2017 Toyota RAV4 Hybrid from Carbase Bristol.

I'd reserved the vehicle with the £99 refundable reservation, read the advert carefully and, because Carbase is an RAC Approved Dealer, expected it to have been prepared to a very high standard. This wasn't a casual Sunday outing. I'd already arranged my finances, had the outstanding balance sitting in my bank account ready to transfer, and fully intended to drive home in the RAV4 if it matched the advert.

Unfortunately, that's not how the day unfolded.

To be fair, the RAV4 drove very nicely. The hybrid system was smooth, the engine felt healthy and mechanically it seemed perfectly respectable. The disappointment wasn't how it drove. The disappointment was how it had been presented.

The overall impression was simply... grubby.

Not "well used". Not "needs a quick wipe over". Just grubby.

It certainly didn't look like a vehicle that had been professionally valeted before being shown to a customer who had travelled nearly 100 miles to see it.

We found cracked trim inside the boot, a chunk of paint missing from the rear spoiler, fogged rear lights, a missing undertray clip, all four alloy wheels heavily scuffed, and dirt still sitting in the door shuts, seals and panel gaps.

None of those issues alone would have stopped me buying the car. Together they suggested very little attention had been paid to preparing it.

For an RAC Approved Dealer, that was the biggest disappointment. My expectations hadn't been set by wishful thinking, they'd been set by Carbase's own advertising.

The advert proudly mentioned one owner, Toyota dealer service history, an RAC Multi-Point Inspection and RAC Approved status. What it didn't mention were the cosmetic defects that became obvious within minutes. The photographs certainly knew how to pick their angles. Unfortunately, they didn't tell the whole story.

Before I'd really decided whether I wanted the car, the conversation moved onto finance, extended warranties, alloy wheel insurance and paint protection.

Ordinarily that wouldn't bother me, but considering the condition of the car, it felt rather like being offered an extended warranty on a toaster that was still covered in crumbs.

Another surprise was my part exchange. Before anyone had even looked at my Citroën C3, I was told it probably wouldn't achieve the online valuation. I completely understand an online valuation is only an estimate until the car is inspected. What seemed odd was reaching that conclusion before anyone had actually inspected it.

Ironically, Tracks Suzuki in Exeter later looked over the C3 properly, commented on how clean and well maintained it was and offered me a very fair part exchange.

When I explained why I wasn't proceeding with the Toyota, I got the impression my feedback wasn't of much interest. Meanwhile, while I was deciding whether to spend over £16,000, several members of staff were chatting about the previous evening while browsing their phones. It didn't exactly create the impression that customer experience was a priority.

To be fair, there were positives. The £99 reservation was refunded promptly, the RAV4 drove well and the staff were polite.

However, buying a used car is about more than how it drives.

Preparation matters. Presentation matters. First impressions matter. Most importantly, customers matter.

Looking back, Carbase didn't simply lose the sale of a Toyota. They lost a genuine buyer who had travelled nearly 100 miles, had the money ready to transfer that day and intended to buy the car if it had matched the advert.

One thing businesses sometimes underestimate is the power of word of mouth. When I returned to work, several colleagues asked how the trip had gone. Instead of recommending Carbase, I found myself explaining why I'd walked away. That's not the conversation I expected after visiting an RAC Approved Dealer.

The irony is that Carbase actually did me a favour.

Driving home disappointed led me to visit Tracks Suzuki in Exeter, just ten minutes from my house. A few days later I bought a 2022 Suzuki S-Cross Ultra ALLGRIP from them.

The difference in vehicle preparation, attention to detail and overall customer experience was remarkable.

So, in a rather roundabout way... thank you, Carbase.

Without that disappointing Sunday in Bristol, I probably wouldn't have ended up buying the car that was actually right for me.

Sometimes the wrong dealership leads you to the right one.

Tony was great got everything and answered every question I had! Not too pushy either!

Fantastic experience with Neil today from start to finish best experience I’ve had from carbase! Neil made the buying of my new car the best smoothest there could be thankyou neil

Excellent experience

I purchased a car on the 30th June,knew it was a bit over priced but in fairness it was in great condition etc
After a week I noticed a small sound and Upton taking it to a local garage they noticed both rear tyres were out of shape!! RAC inspected ?? I done a vehicle check prior to buying which showed on both recent MOTs that an advisory on this issue was mentioned ...
Countless emails and a few calls I was promised a refund of the tyres ... 3 weeks on and nothing !! Pushy sales team,shocking after sales ... Something so simple to resolve...!! Wouldn't use these again

Whilst the sales process is good and everyone is very keen and helpful, post sales is appalling with no one answering phones or following up, calling back or seemingly caring at all.

You have to judge a company by its complete service and in this respect Carbase lets itself down badly.

I’d like to thank Tyler for the excellent service I received when buying my van. He was friendly, knowledgeable, and took the time to explain everything clearly, making the whole process straightforward and stress-free. Nothing was too much trouble, and I was extremely happy with both the service and the van. I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend Tyler to anyone looking to buy a vehicle. Thank you!

Great experience. Customer service both over the phone and from Neil in showroom was very helpful.

Helpful but not pushy.
Great selection of cars
The whole process was easy and I never felt rushed.
The team member that sold me the car, Lee was fantastic.

helpful and transparent sales process.alk questions answered and no heavy selling techniques.

Tom from Weston was Friendly, helpful and worked hard to get me a good deal.

Joe the salesman was brilliant answered all questions and kept me updated on everything very friendly and made the process really easy

Further edit: After sending my complaint to the CEO, I miraculously had contact within hours. I have been told the Owners Club is indeed optional so don't believe their pressure tactics or them telling you it is mandatory.

Update: its now mid August. I have been contacted by an after sales rep who has now still ignored my response to him for 2 weeks. Weve also dicovered the car has also a fault that needs repairing.

While happy with the sales process and the sales representative, we left with a slight sour taste which has worsened after 2 weeks of trying to get hold of aftersales and being ignored.

Firstly, the car had clearly not been cleaned inside or out. We found used socks, a toy car and a travel money receipt (complete with previous owners details on!), and there was no end of spider webs and dirt inside the car. This is a fairly minor thing really, but felt it worth mentioning.

Secondly, and the biggest gripe, is the 'Owner Club' fee. Given that we found the car on AutoTrader, as I imagine a fair number of customers would, there is absolutely no mention of needing to pay £500 extra! Then upon looking at the Carbase website, it says we will 'offer you the chance to join', suggests this is optional, however we were told that this was not optional. We do not live close to the dealership so therefore will not be able to make use of the 'benefits', had no prior knowledge of this charge and had already sorted out finance based on the advertised price. I seriously would suggest the policy needs reviewing as this is falsely advertising the price of the cars and the 'chance' to join a club.

Also Carbase could probably save yourselves thousands by removing the complaints/after sales team, they don't respond to emails, calls or web form submissions anyway.