Smart Chevrolet

Changed terms of the deal when I drove two hours to pick up the vehicle. An additional $1,700 “ceramic protection” package was added to the price of the vehicle once they presented the actual purchase order. In addition, the amount they were giving for my trade-in was nearly $1,000 less than what was told to me. They don’t have to worry about getting any of my money

This is not a serious auto dealership. It’s more like what you’d expect from a set artfully designed to help Danny DeVito reprise his iconic role as Harry Wormwood via immersive method acting. Every moment of being here felt like being on the set of…something unfortunate. The first thing you should know is that the vehicle prices listed online aren't accurate. Every single vehicle here costs significantly more than the listed online price due to a non-optional fee for a ceramic wax coating that is allegedly applied to every vehicle before it hits the lot. In our case, the additional cost for the mid-sized sedan we were interested in was $1,595 > than the listed online price. This is problematic for three reasons: 1) that’s FAR more than a ceramic wax coating typically costs, 2) ceramic wax coatings being a non-optional service is virtually unheard of, and 3) we weren’t interested in a ceramic wax coating. To put in perspective how ridiculous a ceramic wax coating is, about a year ago I had an actual ceramic coating (way different and more costly than wax—actual ceramic bonds to the paint and lasts for years, while wax sits on top and typically washes away within months) applied to my full-sized SUV for only $800. They do not disclose anything about the ceramic wax coating scam to you if you call ahead. And if you do call ahead, BTW, they try to pressure you to put down thousands of dollars (your entire intended down payment, if you disclose the amount to them) in order to “reserve” a vehicle sight unseen. (If you don’t know, a typical dealership will ask for a few hundred dollars to hold a vehicle for you, max.) Once you get there, they offer you half of what your trade-in is worth (or at least, that was our experience). The staff here are masters of passing the buck. If you point out something like the shady ceramic wax coating hidden fee not being mentioned anywhere on the website, they have the gall to say "I'm not in charge of marketing", "I'm not in charge of the website", etc. "Maybe it was in the fine print and you just didn't see it." (It wasn't, we checked.) Nobody takes accountability for anything. Additionally, the entire property is concerningly reminiscent of the backrooms. Everything inside and outside the building is old, dull, peeling, and coming apart. The lot is full of cracks, potholes and grassy growths. Even the sales persons’ chairs are visibly threadbare and falling apart. This place is unconscionably rickety and I genuinely feel bad for the non-management employees who have to work without even decent chairs. At the same time, the employees who work here are disingenuous, and unpleasant. If you’re female, know that they will make it a point to speak to the nearest man over you. Even if they’re not the one looking to purchase a vehicle. And if you ask a question or make an observation they don’t like, they will tell you you “wouldn’t understand that”. They repeatedly insult your intelligence, until you demonstrate its existence by leaving. Anyway, we found the same car we were looking for about an hour away, for a better price and in better condition at another dealership (Jerry Hunt in Concord). I would never dream of returning to Smart Chevrolet. They behave as if buyers aren’t surrounded by dozens of other, better alternatives. But of course, you are. Do yourself a favor and go just about anywhere else. TL;DR: everybody at Smart Chevrolet of Madison, NC is trying to rip you off.

I am happy with the help with information about the H3T I am interested in. I am planning on coming to see it this coming Friday so I can bring my wife.

Updating my review: As of June 8, I recieved a text from the company who replaced the windshield stating smart chevrolet still has not paid them as agreed in our contract. No one will return calls. Smart chevrolet has managed to screw over multiple people in one single transaction. Not sure how this place is still open, but it has now become my mission to stop the auto fraud they are continuously committing. May 22, 2026 Stay away! We purchased a ram from them. Still had factory warranty. They sent pics and video prior to purchase, since we are so far away. Looked great! Get there, windshield is broken. They did pay to replace, but there was a lot of run around. Then came the mechanical issues. Before the 1st payment was due, turbo had to be replaced, before the 2nd payment, it was back in the shop 2 more times and at the time of the 3rd payment, it needed an engine replacement. Is that their fault, maybe not, BUT, prior to purchase, we took the ram to a ram dealer in eden to have an inspection done, because we were going to purchase an extended warranty through mopar and they require the inspection. While there we were told that someone had unplugged the rear parking sensors and cleared the codes to remove the lights from the dashboard. But, it didnt erase the codes from memory. This should have been our red flag, sadly we were blinded by shiny paint. After reviewing the videos and pics that were sent originally, sure enough there's a warning to service parking assist. Which means, Smart chevrolet intentionally hid an issue to make a sale. They have to delete the bad reviews on their site, because there's no way they have high reviews, given what i'm seeing here. I wish I would have seen these first!

staff were very pleasant and relatively helpful. building could use some fresh paint and finishes. the used vehicle I bought (2017 BMW i3 with 87k) was nowhere near in the condition I would expect at a dealership. - loose outside rearview mirror with broken power fold feature - rock chipped windshield - major interior parts missing (trunk floor/engine cover) - gasoline engine on a hybrid not running, with codes set - windshield washer squirters not working (a call for forward wash squirts at the rear - the wrong washer pump was installed) I'd expect this condition straight from auction, not after dealer doll-up. I should have pushed more aggressively for a larger discount, but I'd come from several states away and let that sunk cost influence me. I'll end up with an acceptable deal after a lot of my own labor. This would be nearly 4000 at retail shop rates to fully correct; I accepted a further $2000 discount from agreed price and bought the car. There was also high pressure on a ZURICH SHEILD paint and interior protection product. The bold print on the ZURICH SHEILD agreement states in part "PURCHASE OF THE PRODUCT IS NOT REQUIRED AS A CONDITION ... TO PURCHASE OR LEASE YOUR VEHICLE" - while that is exactly how they treated that unwelcome $495 add-on. date of transaction 3/1/26

Please do not waste your time with this dealership. They listed a vehicle that they did not even have in their possession. Stringing me along for two weeks stating "it will arrive soon". Finally they notified me that the vehicle was sold before arriving. GM should be ashamed to associate with such a dealership.

Ike sold me a computer virus also known as a 2017 Telsa.. they had my car 3 different times (the same issue each time) claimed they spent all this money on repairs but the car is not working due to the same computer issues. I contacted Carmines and they told me that smart Chevrolet was just stringing me along and had no intentions on purchasing the new module my car needs!! So DO NOT DO BUSINESS WITH THOSE PEOPLE!! They can not be trusted. But it’s far from over, they will not get away with this one!

Look at the reviews below from other ONLINE buyers. I wish I had read them before I let them run my credit! I was in the process of buying a Smart Car that I found online and was signing all the papers. They overnighted me all of the final paperwork that I needed to sign for the car to be delivered. Upon looking at the paperwork they wanted me to sign something that attested I had test driven and inspected the vehicle, even though I had only seen pictures, and they wanted me to sign a delivery confirmation form before it had actually been delivered. When I asked questions about this, they ignored my calls for two days then called me saying that unfortunately the bank could no longer approve my application. Do not waste your time letting this company run your credit if you are an online buyer, their business practices are shady, they will try to get you to lie and sign off on things that are not true and when you don’t go along with it they’ll cancel your deal. At one point I said just FaceTime me and let me see it at least turn on and see the inside of it so I can feel comfortable signing something attesting that I have test driven and inspected it. They know good and well that they should not ask anyone to sign something like that when it’s not true! Beware!!

Please think 10 times before going to this dealership. I bought an SUV from them just lately. They sounded very nice. They assured me that the engine oil was replaced and both cabin and engine filters were replaced. A week later I checked the engine filter to my surprise it was dirty. Then I checked the cabin filter which was even worse. I replaced both. Then I doubted that they changed the engine oil. So, I went ahead and changed the engine oil and to my dismay it was very dark. Wow! They only reset the oil status on the vehicle without changing it. Be careful when you buy any car from them. They are not honest at all. Based on this I will never get another car from then or refer anyone to them. There are other honest dealerships around. Just be careful

I waited a few weeks to post this review because i truly believe in supporting local businesses. I bought a 2016 Jeep Wrangler from this dealership on 7/31/2025 and it was returned 3 times within the first 11 days for repairs. The vehicle was sold "as is" and the dealership did attempt to fix the problems when approached during this time frame. Since that 3rd attempt, repairs have been nonstop with major mechanical failures. It is apparent that this location does not thoroughly inspect their used vehicles before reselling. I wanted to support local but should have gone with Carvana due to previous experiences. Very disappointed!