Joe Machens Volkswagen of Columbia

I swore I’d never buy from Machens again after a terrible experience there years ago. After an accident I was needing a new car and started visiting various lots just to see what I liked. I found my Atlas but was hesitant to buy from Machens. This was the most pleasant buying experience from start to finish - EVER. When the numbers didn’t work at first and I said no there was no pressure to buy when I wasn’t comfortable. They worked until the numbers made sense to me, coming up in trade, calling the finance bank since I was a repeat customer and getting the interest rate down. Fantastic team of people. Alan, Robert, Steph, Jade, Barrett - you guys did a fantastic job. I am obsessed with my car. Thank you:)

Bought a cat from Jade Whitehead. 20/10 recommend her services. She was so kind, patient, professional, & most certainly knowledgeable. We never felt pressured. Never felt like a problem. She took her time. Answered all questions & most importantly was kind. Never met someone as nice as her. Lovely person and would buy another one from her again, in a heartbeat.

Driving through town from out of state, I hit a road hazard and was worried I’d damaged something underneath my car. Even without an appointment, this dealership squeezed me in immediately and treated me with genuine kindness. Shout‑out to Tyler for being so reassuring, and to the tech who checked the undercarriage and secured everything so I could safely continue my vacation. Their quick help turned a stressful moment into a huge relief. Highly recommend — amazing people and outstanding service.

I may change this low star rating in the future but as of right now I'm upset with Joe Machens service dept. We have to drive almost 2hrs to have anything done on our car. We left the car intentionally for a couple of days because of a faulty wiper selector switch. While they had the car it was due for an oil change. Wife picks the car up today (Thursday 6/18/26. Gets to Moberly missouri to get something to eat. Big puddle of coolant under the car!!! She pops the hood and sees that the service tech had left the cap to the coolant reservoir sitting on the opening barely on. She didn't even have to unscrew it. Now she's an hour from home. Joe Machens service is closed. She has to find a auto parts store to buy supplies. To finish driving home. Bottom line, they had the car for two days. Surely someone could have gone behind this tech and double checked their work! Now I wonder if they even changed out the drain plug on the oil change like they are supposed to do........ Quality over Quantity always Joe Machens. Quality UPDATE: I have dropped the rating to a one star! Service told me over the phone they rotated the tires. At no charge. They told my wife they didn't know if they rotated the tires cause it wasn't on the ticket. So she finally makes it home.....I go look at coolant level. Then I look at tires. NOPE! Tires have not been rotated! Service flat out lied to me! What the hell kind of service department are you running Joe Machens? DO NOT TRUST THESE PEOPLE! PERIOD! Check everything they tell you!

I have had a very disappointing experience with Joe Machens Volkswagen, and unfortunately this is not the first time. They are nice until you get the car. After the sale is completed, getting help becomes extremely difficult. Less than six months after leasing my vehicle, I had an issue with two tires. Since I had moved to Georgia, I visited another Volkswagen dealership, where they told me that new vehicles come with tire protection and suggested I check whether my lease included it. I contacted Joe Machens multiple times, but I kept getting transferred between the sales and service departments. Eventually, I was told that only the finance department could verify whether my tires were covered. Unfortunately, the finance representative was always "busy." I left multiple voicemails over several weeks and never received a single callback. After getting nowhere over the phone, I asked a friend in Columbia to visit the dealership in person. He was again told that the finance representative was unavailable. They took his phone number and promised to call him back, but, once again, no one ever did. It's frustrating that no one at the dealership seemed able—or willing—to answer a simple question about the protection on a vehicle they leased to me. Because I couldn't get any information or assistance, I ended up paying nearly $1,000 out of pocket to replace two tires. Unfortunately, this wasn't my first poor experience with this dealership. Shortly after taking delivery of my brand-new vehicle, the check engine light came on. The dealership kept my car for nearly a month while trying to diagnose the problem. During that time, they provided me with a loaner lower level vehicle that was extremely dirty inside. I actually had to pay to detail it so I feel comfortable driving it. When I asked why it hadn't been cleaned, I was told that the previous customer had returned it that way—as if that somehow justified giving it to the next customer in that condition. I understand that mechanical issues can happen, but what I cannot accept is the lack of communication, poor customer service, and failure to follow through on repeated promises to return phone calls. Based on my experience, I cannot recommend Joe Machens Volkswagen.