Tonkin Subaru, The Dalles OR

Great service— came in without appt to get tail light replaced. Friendly and professional service

My experiences with Tonkin have all been pretty great - friendly, and most importantly, cost-sensitive. A great dealership.

Can't say enough good things about the service department. Jen and Daniel were amazingly helpful and honest. Thank you for your kindness, and expertise.

Shorthand: Five stars for Chris and Daniel in service, as well as Chris and Bill in sales. Zero stars for Gary in sales.

Tonkin Subaru of The Dalles gets four stars because some of their employees go so above and beyond that even the dealership's shortcomings (and the employees who aren't great) are redeemed by these amazing people.

I bought my first Subaru through a small dealership in Tacoma, WA a few months ago, and it has been a nightmare ever since. I lost so much money on that car, and it was in such disrepair upon purchase that it needed a lot of attention. Tonkin Subaru, specifically Chris and Daniel in service, took excellent care of me. They prioritized my safety, and they commiserated with my experience as compassionate human beings. While my car was in service, they made sure I had safe, reliable transportation. I felt like they saw me as more than a customer. I cannot recommend these two individuals more. 10+ stars.

I ended up needing to trade that car in, so I got in contact with the sales department. The downside to Tonkin Subaru is that there are some less stellar people. I went in today, and I met with a salesman, Gary, who made me feel like I was wasting his time by asking questions. He was pressuring me to test drive things that I told him I didn't want or need to drive. A car purchase is a big one, and his reaction to my questions - him rolling his eyes at me, saying "you should've told me that already! " - was unwelcome, off-putting, condescending, and downright rude.

If it weren't for the amazing people who earned much more than five stars, and if I had only had an experience with Gary, this would've been a one star review.

Chris, the sales manager, stepped in to offer a more clear line of communication. Meeting with him was efficient and helped me get a better understanding of my options. When I voiced my displeasure with interacting with Gary, he offered to connect me with another sales liaison on the spot.

Bill was that person, and Bill is excellent. He is personable, respectful of your time, able to relate to someone on a human level, and genuine. I felt so much more confident in finalizing a purchase with Bill, and I felt as though I was actually able to celebrate the transaction, rather than feeling like I was being a burden, which is how Gary made me feel.

As an aside, I didn't appreciate it when, upon meeting with the financial specialist to sign documents, I requested Gary's name be taken off of the documents. He shouldn't get ANY commission from a sale after making me feel uncomfortable in that way. She said, "well, he spent a lot of time with you this morning. " Sure, he spent a lot of time making me feel unwelcome. I hope that's not the taste that this dealership wants to leave in customers' mouths.

My deepest hope is that Bill gets the commission for the sale. He was the last touch point for the transaction, along with Chris and Daniel in service, and they are amazing people. I would recommend buying and servicing a car here, but be sure to ask for their greatest if/when you do so.

I left with a vehicle that I'm delighted to drive, thanks to Daniel, Chris (service), Chris (sales), and Bill!

A wonderful experience buying my new, dream car here. I felt sooo cared for the whole time. Deseray really went above and beyond taking care of every little detail for me for this new car and brand new life adventure!

The staff in the service dept are very friendly and helpful. Had an oil change while I waited, in and out in 30 min!

Great service. Great experience. Chris in the service department is amazing- always cheerful, friendly, and helpful. I enjoy coming here.

My husband and I feel that our recent car buying experience at Tonkin Subaru was the best we have had. We worked with Bob Rhoades, and he was so easy to work with. Bob was supportive of what we wanted, and explained all of our options without pressuring us into additions we didn't want. He found the car we wanted quickly and two days after meeting with him we drove our new car home! We appreciated Bob spending time with us explaining the features on our Subaru. We will be recommending Tonkin Subaru and Bob to anyone we know that is looking for a new vehicle.

Staff are prompt, polite, and very helpful! They just never have enough staff, ever, to handle the phone customers adequately.

Subaru The Dalles has the most wonder and friendly staff! They make getting your oil changed and car worked on easy.

Amazing experience! Chris is the best! His postive energy really is amazing! Glad we have Tonkin and Chris here in The Dalles!

Not only do I highly recommend Tonkin Subaru for car sales but the service department is great! Fast friendly service every time.
Update because I went back with consistent results and that matters to me - Once again a great experience at Tonkin Subaru. Dealing with the same faces is nice. Jorge is great, very knowledgeable and good at finding what I have been looking for both times without pressure. If you are looking for a car this is the spot and Jorge is the man.

A good experience, Jorge was very helpful and took great care to make sure our buying experience went well.
Upfront honest tactics. I would recommend Tonkin Subaru and Jorge specifically.

It was great. Fast and friendly service. Everyone was so nice and willing to help with any need.

Chris is often the service rep I work with and he’s always been so helpful every time I’ve visited. Tonkin at The Dalles can be a pretty busy place with a lot of people with Subarus in the area, but they are honest, efficient, and helpful. What more can you ask for?

Gary was a very wonderful salesperson for me. I purchased a car for my mom from him long distance. I’m in Virginia. He made everything extremely easy and smooth, also fun. He definitely went the extra mile to make this a really good experience! Thanks so much, Gary!