Working with Shift made the car buying experience enjoyable amidst the Covid-19 pandemic. It's a long story, so choose to read it at your own risk, but, because my boyfriend and I were so pleased with our car buying experience, I want to give Shift the full credit it deserves...so here it goes: As you all know, buying a car is a big decision and investment, mentally and financially. My boyfriend and I were in the market for a Mazda CX-5 and decided to contact Shift because they had the exact model we wanted (Grand Touring) at the lowest price. Not only that, but they offered to deliver the car to our home for a test drive. Within a matter of hours, Anthony arrived with the car and keys and hand, mask on and practicing sanitary and social distancing guidelines. My boyfriend and I took the car for a test ride for about 25 minutes, while Anthony waited for our return outside our apartment complex. It was really nice to test drive a car with just myself and my boyfriend so we could really observe how the car drove and test out all the bells and whistles. Upon return, we had a million questions for Anthony which he was prepared to answer. He was very knowledgeable and also honest. If he did not know an answer, he said he would check with someone and get back to us, which he did later that day. We also had a few small requests for repairs (seat adjuster was extremely loud, checking the touch screen), which he told us he would have them checked out and taken care of. Later that day, my boyfriend and I went to Mazda of Mission Valley and Mazda of El Cajon to compare the CX-5s on their lots. First, at Mission Valley, I knew more about the cars on the lot from looking at them online than the salesman trying to sell us the car. AND, I was told the car I wanted "was in the back" and was not yet in inventory. Nobody tried to do anything to get me into one of their vehicles. AND, they were priced higher than the one Shift had. So, then we drove over to Mazda of El Cajon. We test drove a vehicle that had 15,000 less miles on it, but the sticker tag included outrageous "add-ons" such as, "rubber door guard" for $499 and "blinking brake light" for $599 which we priced afterward and found on Amazon for $25 each. When we test drove the car, the salesman sat next to me in the front seat without wearing a mask. I was not pleased about that, however, my boyfriend and I initially liked this salesman and believed his seemingly sincere "desire to help us" get into his vehicle. However, that tune soon changed after we parted from this dealership. This salesman went from being our best friend to the slick rick no one wants to deal with when looking for a car. After we left the dealership, things went down hill... this salesman pulled the "my supervisor is crunching numbers" and played phone tag with us all day, making us wait and wait and wait for answers. He never provided the actual price of the car after we requested it, as well as the other breakdown of costs as required by California law. We were done with this guy and his car. So now on to more positive experiences... with Shift. We contacted Shift right away and was told the car was in the shop (they were fixing the seat issue). We decided to put a $295 "hold" on the car, which gave us 3 days to get our down payment funds and insurance ready. This $295 also goes to the down payment of the car, so it is not an additional fee. When we went to Shift's lot to purchase the car, the car was parked out in the lot shiny, ready, and waiting. The Shift staff let us test drive it one last time before signing the paperwork. The paperwork was a fairly quick and easy process on an electronic iPad. The concierge are very friendly and down-to-early. The finance department was also an easy process. I spoke on the phone for just a few minutes with the finance department who was able to secure me an interest rate and also matched the 100,000 mile or 4 year warranty for the same price as the offered by Mazda of El Cajon. Overall, it was an easy, comfortable, and even fun car buying experience with Shift. Their staff are excellent! When my boyfriend first spoke with Shift over the phone, my boyfriend asked literally a million and one questions. The staff was knowledgeable, patient, and friendly, leaving no stone left unturned. We really enjoyed working with Anthony and the other staff as well. Thank you Shift! We love our CX-5 Grand Touring!

Was Looking for a Camry and Shift had the best price. Went into their Hub, meet with Michael. Who was super friendly and very helpfull in the process. Ended up buying the Camry that day. Went into Toyota the next day and found a positive terminal and bottom bracket was missing for the lower air filter. Called Shift and was in Contact with Andrew. Once again super friendly and Very helpfull. Immediately he got into contact with mechanics and they decided they would Reimburse me for the Labor cost of parts. Took them only a week for the check to arrive. I would 100% recommend buying through Shift. Their customer service has made the experience so much more easier and convenient. Thank you Again Shift for the Camry. I am in love with it!

DO NOT PURCHASE A CAR FROM THIS COMPANY. I would give Shift.com zero stars if that were an option. I purchased a car less than 2 weeks ago and it has been the worst car buying experience of my life. The car I purchased is a great car and I love it, however, Shift.com sold me the vehicle with several issues they either saw and chose not to disclose, or they have incompetent mechanics that did a subpar job during the inspection. They boast about their 150 point inspection that is completed prior to selling. Within 24 hours of purchasing the vehicle the rear drivers side tire pressure light came on. After filling the tire with air the light came on again the next day and I had not even driven the car 20 miles yet. I brought it to a tire shop where they informed me that the rim had an old crack in it (dirt was ground in and was starting to split sideways) and was unsafe to drive until it was replaced. After several runarounds with Shift Support they acknowledged that this should have been identified during the inspection and they agreed to cover the cost of the rim and Lyft's I had taken-I have not yet been reimbursed. Shift customer support informed me that they would cover a small portion of the cost for me to have the vehicle inspected at a service center of my choice. The day after the rim was replaced by the tire shop I brought it into a dealership (same manufacturer as the car) for what they call a pre-purchase inspection. Within a few hours they informed me that there was a leak in the engine as well as a swollen coolant hose. They noted that it was not safe to drive and offered me a loaner vehicle. Shift customer support did not get back to me in a timely fashion and when they did, they only offered to have the car inspected and repaired again at their service facility. They also informed me that their mechanics are working at half capacity right now and they do not work on the weekends. At this point I could not trust that they would properly inspect & fix the vehicle as their first efforts proved to be inadequate. The customer support team was empathetic and friendly but were not able to assist with a reasonable & timely resolution. I paid roughly $20,000 for this car which included an additional purchased protection plan (that only goes into effect after 30 days) as well as the cost of repairs at the dealership I took it to for a second inspection. After 2 weeks without my newly purchased car, multiple email and phone exchanges with customer support, time off work, personal time, additional money out of my pocket, arranging rides, and the stress/anxiety from this I wanted to make a point to anyone considering this company to seriously think twice.

They act like normal people and not scumbag predatory thief car dealer salespeople. Let me drive the car without the sales bro. That said , no negotiation plus $500 fee makes car just as expensive as a used car from any dealer . Not sure if it's an advantage. Ignore fake five star paid yelp reviews always. Always get a current smog check and your own mechanics inspection of a used car. A certified pre owned or sales company 100-300 point inspection is worthless.

Do your due diligence!! It's best to shop here ONLY if you have experience with cars and repairing them. You don't know what you're getting and they won't let you get it checked by an impartial 3rd party professional before you purchase so you really have to trust them.... which I don't... and I'll tell you why. First of all Jeff and Kaydin were both very professional and answered my 1 million and 1 questions. They speak the truth when they say this is ZERO pressure and they really do bring the car to you to drive!! Not once did I feel pushed and everybody was so cordial! (2 stars for that!!) Ok so the car... the car!! SHADY!! The Carfax indicates the car I wanted didn't pass emissions then 2 days later it did. And it has a safety recall that is not yet able to be remedied with the dealer (it should be this month so not a deal breaker per sey) but I definitely dug deep and did something research ahead of time. I had questions so I called and spoke with Jeff who, as I mentioned, was so kind and patient. He answered my questions about the process. I had my reservations but they were literally bringing me the car so why not see if I like the make/model. I'm not very car savvy... which is why I refer back to my first sentence in this review. I rely on honesty from dealers (and reviews which is why I'll write one!) I'm not comfortable gambling with $30k. I couldn't even get an impartial 3rd party pre purchase because of their "business liability insurance policy" or some such bullturd that literally no other dealer has issue with. They do claim to have a 7 day ("free")return window... but I did not test it out. The day of my test drive the communication was top notch every step of the way. Customer service is on pointe! If only honesty didn't count. I got a call before my scheduled test drive and Jeff answered more questions I had, went over the CarFax but omitted where it said it had a safety recall and had failed emissions but I mean he's trying to sell the car right?! He went over the inspection they did and told me about the tires and brakes and also some dings it he in the paint. That was IT!! I asked if any repairs had been made on the car (remember it had failed smog in their possession) He said the car came to them absolutely pristine and no repairs needed to be made. I mentioned I was skeptical of that because it failed emissions and then passed (so if nothing was repaired they cheated smog and I don't want the car). He said it was probably just a brake light out but would look into it. Jeff got back to me pretty quickly saying the engine light was on so it failed. They "corrected" some sensor and it passed. Again I'm not car savvy. But I'm also not an idiot. Why would you put a car with the engine light on through smog? That's an automatic fail. So the story doesn't add up and I do believe there is something far more sinister going on with this 2015 Lexus RC 350 JTHHE5BC6F5004265 if I'm wrong, it's a great deal! But unfortunately they stopped answering my questions about it when they knew it didn't make any sense. Kaydin told me exactly when he was leaving and when he arrived. It was exactly on time (2 min early!) I had such a wonderful experience with him and for the whole drive. He went over the Carfax (well kinda... He just didn't see the negative stuff, I'm sure) and the bogus inspection they do and answered all my questions and made sure I felt comfortable then told me to have the car for 20 min... and off I went! When I got back he answered more questions about the features and simply said "the next steps are up to you" that's it!! That was his pitch! That was the hard sell. It was great!! I let him know I would think about it and thanked him for his time. He said someone would follow up with me the next day, and off he went.

Wow!! My family and I had a great car buying experience working with Shift. We had a sales associate, Kaydin who was a pleasure to work with. No high pressure sales tactics and 2016 Honda Accord we purchased was the nicest one we seen while shopping for my son. We also got a great price judging from the other cars we seen. Shift beats Carmax and other dealership's around San Diego. Financing was super easy, we were pre-approved with a great rate before we test drove the car. It was a very seamless process and I will definitely recommend Kaydin and Shift to my family and friends!

This was an awesome car buying experience. My concierge Mike was the best. He knew I was nervous and set me totally at ease with the whole process. He explained everything step by step. They brought the car to my house, I took it for a spin and fell in love. The bank was closed that day, so I put down a $250 deposit to hold the car, which they extended due to the holiday weekend. I love my Honda Fit!

This is my second time using Shift. First time was selling, this time was buying. Mike was super helpful and made things easy, and I had my new (to me) car in 90 minutes. I'll definitely keep them in mind down the road when I get another car!

Bought a used car here! Easier than what I imagined as a new buyer. Service was amazing, walked me through everything, and completely transparent with everything I asked about. Car was clean and well kept too. Very respectful and helpful employee.

Reading a lot of the reviews on here, they seem like they are fake, but I had a pretty good experience with shift, even though I did not end up buying the car. I scheduled my appointment online, and the process was super easy after I found a car I was interested in. I then got a phone call the day before to confirm the meeting time, as well as go through the shift process. The phone rep definitely was not a native English speaker, and seemed to struggle a bit with english during the conversation, and you could tell he was reading from a script. He also guarunteed the the car would have no problems at all because of the inspection, which was a bit suspect but I knew that simply wasn't possible. At any rate we confirmed everything, and this was also where they go through the financing options, as well as the extended warranties and then finished up. On the day of the test drive, the representative showed up on time(actually 5 min early) and was a joy to work with. We walked around the car and he had a copy of the inspection and carfax. Ultimately I did not end up purchasing as the car was just to small and I did not fit well inside, but the photos were pretty accurate, although the car was only 2 years old and did not have a ton of miles, so not much oppty for alot of scratches or dings. Great experience and I would try again if I see a car i like online.

Shift is doing something really special. I tried selling my car privately, but I couldn't deal with the idiots, the scammers, and the dealers who wanted to lowball me. Shift offered a really fair wholesale price that held up almost completely when I came and got the car inspected. And David was awesome. It was a really relaxed, friendly buying experience. I should have the money in my account very shortly, and I have his number in case there are any problems. Other dealers, do better.

Today I have the opportunity to drive the 370z with mike. No pressure or commitment like other dealerships I highly recommend to visit SHIFT.

We sold our 2011 Nissan Sentra yesterday, and by far it was the most pleasant car-related experience we've ever had. From getting an initial online quote; to scheduling the appointment; to the communication beforehand to confirm the details, it was great. To top it off, our evaluator - Erick Castro arrived on time, explained the process clearly, and was extremely professional throughout the process. If we need to sell another car in the future, Shift will be our go to - and we will recommend it to all our family & friends!

Met Amanda yesterday just after noon, the car was in perfect condition everything was laid out for me to sign. The price was right on point and I even got a $200 credit for financing with them and buying after the test drive! There was no pressure to buy added services And it was the easiest sales transaction for a car I've ever had. Highly recommend!

The guy I spoke to in the store was super friendly and I got great service up until the purchase of the car. However, afterwards I began having issues receiving my registration and plates in the mail. It took well over the expected 60 day leniency period. I reached out to Shift support, who let me know that both packages must have gotten lost in the mail because they had already sent it out. Packages rarely get lost in the mail, yet they were telling me that two packages got lost. I asked the support woman multiple times to send me verification that these were actually mailed, and she was never able to do this. I had to file a request with the DMV for extra plates/registration, which entailed a fee. I finally have those now, but then I got a call from my bank saying that Shift still hasn't sent in the title(it's been almost 4 months), which causes my interest rate to go up. Again, they told me they would "look into it" with no avail. In summary, I had to deal with the DMV on something that should've been taken care of, had to pay a fee, and now my auto loan interest rates are going up due to reasons that Shift should have prevented. I would have been better off going to a reliable dealership.

I am posting a review as a seller of my car to Shift. I had already bought my new car and needed to sell in one weekend so sought out as many quotes as I could the week before. I got quotes from CarMax, Carvana, Vroom, Driveo and Shift (with BeatCarMaxOffers.com as a backup to try and get more than CarMax). It really doesn't matter who you sell it to, so everyone should go with the highest firm offer (thumbs down to Vroom who made a ridiculously low offer, I believe they primarily seek out only high end cars). Shift provided a quote that was higher than everyone so I made an appointment for them to have first dibs. Before confirming the appointment I had made, they asked me to provide a picture of the vin number and then next day spoke to me on the phone about the car, and increased the quote by $100. Shift used to be a consignment service (you lend them your car for them to sell it and they take a commission) but not anymore, as they adopted the Carvana model on a smaller scale (they buy from you and sell it direct to another buyer). Some of their bad reviews may have come from when they were a consignment seller, so those reviews should be disregarded. The concierge Anthony met me right on time for the appointment (coming in a Lyft) at my apartment parking lot, did a thorough evaluation of the car, then went with me on a test drive and came with an offer with reasonable deductions from the initial price. There was no bait and switch, they worked right off the quoted price and made a few reasonable deductions. I did keep my car in good condition for the 5+ years I had it so it does pay to maintain it well when selling it (and providing both key fobs). I agreed to the price, signed the pink slip and his ipad, provided my banking information and was advised I would have the money deposited in a few days. There was a $100 bonus for selling them the car on their first visit. He drove off with my car and I received copies of the contract by email. In the contract there is a 24 hour waiting period where they inspect the car at their base for any frame damage, title issues, rust and major mechanical problems (and unresolved safety recalls) before releasing the funds to you, so if you try and hide something serious they can return the car to you and void the deal. The next day I received an email saying the funds are being released and all is good. That was easy as it gets. Kudos to Anthony who was very professional and his back-office support staff that made the whole process take only about 90 minutes. Sure beats me having to drive the car somewhere, then waiting and Ubering back after the sale. And yes I did get paid the agreed upon amount into my bank account on the second business day. I would recommend them to everyone as a potential alternative to Carmax and Carvana. Shift is a business that acts with integrity to car sellers and presumably does the same to buyers. The used car market is a huge business, and the more competition we have the better.

If I could give 0 stars I would. As so many other people stated, they gave me a good price then kept finding things wrong so they could take money off until it was a very unfair price. A total waste of my time and energy. I even turned a few people away who gave me a fair offer because I committed to shift. I am un happy. I would NOT recommend this company

Great experience! Received more money that I anticipated . I was in the process of selling my 2017 Accord so I checked prices on local Honda dealers, Cash for Cars, KBB, Carvana, Vroom and Shift. Everyone but Shift was offering in the neighborhood of about $18k. Shift started off with $19.2k but texted me a few days later and told me based on the info I sent, they can actually offer $20.2k. This was great considering my payout was just below $20k. I communicated via text and they sent a worker over named Amanda. She was friendly and on-time. Process took about one hour so to inspect the car, take it for a test drive and fill out paperwork. I would highly recommend these guys if you're selling your car. Make sure all your info about your car is accurate when doing this so you receive the best possible estimate from any of the places you interact with.

According to Shift - "Shift is bringing trust and simplicity to the used car market. Our goal is to turn what is universally regarded as a burdensome life event into a delightful experience." My experience was nothing of the sort. My attempt to purchase a car from Shift was cumbersome, frustrating, and to be honest a complete joke! As it appeared there were no upcoming appointments in the near future on the company website, so I called the Shift customer service line to enquire about available times. I ended up speaking to a few staff members - I wasn't sure if they were located locally or at off-shore call centers. The staff seemed to struggle with basic concepts like the english language, dates, times, and locations - all seemingly crucial things when it comes to organizing a concierge appointment with Shift. One of the call center staff members even struggled with the concept of my email address requiring an '@' and 'domain name' too. Eventually I got an appointment, but I received a call back soon after. Apparently due to 'computer issues', the appointment time was 'not available' and I'd need to reschedule. You could imagine my disappointment considering I had already booked my hire car to travel over 100 miles to make my concierge the next day in the morning. Fortunately they were able to accommodate me a little later. They said I would get an 'email or call within the next day confirming the location to meet the concierge.' I reinforced that I would need this info. ASAP as I would be traveling over 100 miles the next morning to make my appointment. The call center member assured me I could get a call or text confirming where I should meet shortly. I never received that info. So I called the helpline and left a message. The Shift Oceanside office location isn't listed on Yelp, or the company website, but I did manage to find an Oceanside address for Shift on CarGurus, so I just aimed for that address the next morning. On the way there a Shift staff member called me and texted me the address in Oceanside - which was the address I was aiming for - so I continued there. I was kind of horrified when I arrived, at the address (the text message stated '4691 Calle Joven, Oceanside, CA, 92057.' That address doesn't actually even exist but 4691A Calle Joven does exist. It's actually the address for Manheim's San Diego Auto Auction - the office is closed on Saturdays and the car parking lot is like a car graveyard, strewn with abandoned vehicles in various states of disrepair, flat tires and all, as well as backyard car enthusiasts tearing apart recent purchases there. First impressions matter and this did nothing to enhance my view of Shift. Unable to locate the 'concierge' I again called the Shift contact number - and after speaking to a few people again - I got a call back from the concierge wondering why I wasn't at the local Starbucks. I advised him that at no stage was advised to go there to meet him. Eventually he turned up in the car I wanted to test drive. Even from a distance I could see defects on the car exterior that weren't documented on the website. Of course I didn't buy the car. By this stage I was over Shift. I went to the CarGurus app - looked up the car I was after and pressed the 'cars near me' button. Within minutes I was at a legitimate car dealer - test drove the car and committed to purchase the car I wanted then and there, and at a competitive rate. Oh - and no '$480 Shift service fee - which supposedly 'Enables us (Shift) to provide a high-quality, concierge experience that saves you time, hassle, and risk.' (!) So to the "Team of ex-Google and ex-Dropbox leaders with demonstrated ability to successfully build teams and create game-changing products backed by leading Silicon Valley investors..." - it's clear to say you have ignored a critical part of the car buying process - the user experience.

I had sold my car to Shift, but they discovered an oil leak caused by my dealer when routine maintenance was done 2 days prior. When car was returned the San Diego office did not send title or registration with the technician. They advised me they had all the paperwork in their office & would send it via Lyft, taking another 40 minutes to get it to me while the technician waited with me. They did not include the registration, which was found in a different car & said they would overnight it to me. I agreed to that, needing to get the car back to delaer for repair of leak they caused. They didn't get the registration to FedEx until the next day & now FedEx estimates getting it to me by tomorrow evening, so 4 days later, not 1.