Pilson Ram and Pre Owned Supercenter in
Charleston (IL)

This company will see an odometer fraud concern and still sell the car to unknowing young customers. Can’t get a proper appraisal anywhere. Tried talking to my seller whom I thought was pretty nice. However, he waved my concerns, got aggressive, and feigned ignorance. He made excuse after excuse but the facts are clear and now I’ll have to wait who knows how long for the FTC on the odometer fraud. When you’re dealing with fraud that is potential or not, on a car report that’s permanent and will affect your future. Think twice before trusting Pilson in Charleston. Any potential odometer fraud could make your 5-20k car look like a frame on four cement blocks in the back of a yard to any buyer.

I've gotten several vehicles from here, and they always take care of me. Great staff. Jeff Rutledge is who I went to, but all of them are great!

The only reason I am giving 2 stars is I really like my salesman. However, this is going to be long winded but please read, I will shorten as much as possible. I took my 2022 mini Cooper to them to trade,reason being my husband is unable to work and 2 years into this work com case, I was diagnosed with cancer. I needed to downgrade so that we didn't lose the car due to non payment issues. They gave me a good price for my car and we even received a little cash which helped to get us thru a month of no income. Unfortunately the car they sold me has been having issues since 3 weeks after I purchased it. I mean real problems. I have reached out on 2 different occasions and nothing!I realize I bought a used car ,2018 volkswagon suv. Never would I have imagined 3 weeks after owning it I am now stuck with a non reliable car. My husband and I have tons of doctors appts right now and I am just sooo disappointed with the vehicle they sold me. It should have actually been in the junk yard! I expected more, I assumed this vehicle had been went thru thoroughly before they would have sold it to some. Guess I was wrong. At this point I will never go back. I also suggest take a car your gonna buy from them to a mechanic before signing! SubIndent ProfileIcon Amy

Worst dealership ever. Go somewhere else! I bought a 2015 Silverado almost 2 years ago with 109k miles on it. It now has 130k miles. Within the first year the transmission went out, thank goodness I got the warranty on the vehicle. The warranty covers the cost for the transmission. 8 months later I'm getting a noise that I thought was coming from the transmission. Since it was under warranty I took it in to see what was wrong. They told me that I needed new spark plug, spark plug wires, belt tensioner and all 3 belts replaced. So I brought it back home and did those things, it cost me around $350 in parts plus pay them for looking at it, which was around $350 also. Well that didn't fix the issue. No refund of the $350 for the incorrect diagnosis! I took it back to them and took a mechanic on a test drive and made the truck make the noise for them. They had it for a few days and come to find out I need a new motor! So since warranty paid for the transmission they are only covering $4k and I have to pay the other $3500 out of pocket. The warranty only covers a certain amount on the drivetrain. Pilsons has had my truck since around 8/16/25. I asked when they thought my truck would be done and was told 2 weeks but I have a feeling it was going to take 3 weeks. On 8/29/25 (2 weeks) I thought I'd call to check on my truck and was told it would be done next week, 9/5/25 which would make 3 weeks. Well 3 weeks came and went and I didn't hear a thing. Today 9/8/25 I called to see what was going on. I was told they just found out that the remanufactured engine was no good and that they have to send it back and get another engine. Any good dealership would have called a customer to let them know it wasn't going to be fixed in 2 weeks. A good dealership would of call when it wasn't done in 3 weeks. I can't wait until this truck is fixed so I can trade it off, I was going to see what pilsons would offer me for it since that's where I bought it, but then I would just end up with another vehicle with major issues.

I purchased a car from this company in March 2025. My car is a 2018. I was told pilsons would deal with the issues when they happen when i 1st purchased my car. A month ago my car messed up. They told me a main bearing needed to be replaced. & they did an oil change without asking me 1st. I was charged almost $700 for work they new needed done before they sold it to me & made me pay for the repairs. I got my car back 2 days ago & i have substantial damage to the front and back of my car. Now i have to find another place to get an estimate to fix what pilsons tore up. Ive tried reaching out to them with no response. Please don't waste your time & hard earned money at this place. I wont go back there again.i am so disappointed with pilsons.

I bought a Mazda 6 from them. Sal was my salesman,and I had the best flawless experience with him and the whole dealer as a team. Highly recommended, will buy again.

I was very impressed with the service at Pilsons, especially Randy, who helped us find the perfect vehicle! Randy walked us through the process the entire time and made it all very easy. He answered all our questions and continued to check in with us even after the sale was over. I really appreciated all the extra attention and help. If your looking for a great deal, go see Randy!

My husband and I bought a truck at the beginning of 2025. We knew it had a check engine light on and they assured us that it would be fixed along with any other issues they found during their however many point inspection. They offered to deliver after the part came in and the truck was fixed. They promised delivery on Monday but they never delivered until Friday. In the first month, we had to spend $400 on repairs to the sensors. We didnt even make 3 payments before the transmission went out. We took it to 3 different mechanics who all agreed that this issue was covered up. Along with the transmission, the motor mounts needed replaced. We were quoted $8k to fix the truck that cost us $10k. We called several times to allow Pilson's to make the situation right. Service called one time to tell us that the truck went through 2 inspections, one at the time it entered their lot and once after the sale. So twice it was inspected and "missed". All they had to offer was to communicate it was an old truck. Service continued to talk loudly and over my voice preventing me from getting anl word in. He then said he could no longer speak to us if we were considering legal counsel. I asked for the name of their legal representative and he said the owner would call us. Of course you can guess that this never happened. My husband also left a review on their site and they replied that their GM would reach out. We are still waiting. It is unfortuate that they never cared enough to reach out because we were willing to give them the truck back and buy brand new through them. Instead, another honest dealership got our business. We also run a business and would never conduct business in this way. We will do whatever we can so that this doesnt happen to anyone else. Please take your business somewhere else! Once you pay, you are just another victim.

The mistake of buying from this dealership is completely on me. The truck was traded to them with a bad transmission its clear. I'm glad I dont run my business the way they conduct theirs, I would never be able to sleep at night. I've always had a good experience buying vehicles but this one trip to Pilsons of Charleston has caused me alot of stress and now alot of money! Thanks for being untrustworthy I knew everything the salesman was saying made no sense yet I still trusted they would deliver a reliable long lasting vehicle. I remember Sal even saying yep we got everything fixed and you have now a practically a brand new vehicle. Three months later I'm quoted $8000.00 to get everything fixed they missed in their 5,000 point inspection. You guys truly are awesome. Still waiting on that phone call from the GM

Randy couldn’t have been more helpful in the car buying process! He made sure to explain every little thing to me and answered every question I could think of! I definitely recommend!

I've been buying quality new and used cars from Pilson Auto for 20+ years. Their sales and service department are both awesome ? I tend to keep my vehicles for a long time and put a lot of mileage on them. When the transmission on my Caravan finally gave out (pushing 200k miles) this helpful young lady Tayleigh, worked with her Service Manager (Josh) to get me squeezed in to their schedule, arranged for me a loaner vehicle, called a tow truck for me, and even thought to ask the tow truck driver if he was okay with me riding back with him so that I could get the loaner from Pilson and get myself home! ??❤️ That's customer service! Kudos to Josh, Tayleigh, Kyle and all of the other rock stars at Pilson Auto Center! ?

Bad experience with the service department. Very rude and inconsiderate. I have sent plenty of people here to buy cars. Randy is great but not so much in the service department. I will never do business here anymore. It's funny how I called the owner back as he asked, left a message, and still haven't received an answer. It has been 3 months. Terrible Business Practices

Do not go here we put 4000 dollars down on a truck they brought it to us in cincinnati ohio and its been broke down more then its ran. Then we put 2600 dollars in it out of our own pocket and that still didnt fix it. Its cost me my job and everything. Then to top it of i had a warranty and a extended warranty and that mysteriously didn't cover it. So im out the 4000 i put down im out all the payments ive made on time every month. Im out a vehicle and i lost my job over it!!! And now my credits gonna be messed up cause im not gonna pay on a truck that i cant drive. And they wont put me in another vehicle. Just dont want no one else to go there and get screwed like we did.

Brian Gunther and Kyle saved the day for us. My daughter and I stopped in while on a road trip when a low tire pressure light came on. We were concerned because we were far from home. Brian immediately took care of us and had Kyle inspect our vehicle. Kyle reassured us it was an easy air pressure fix. We were so grateful to have our minds at ease and felt safe traveling back home. Thank you both for caring and providing excellent customer service.

Horrible service! We buy a truck a little over a year ago along with the highest grade extended warranty they offer (and we weren't given any other options). We take it in because there is a transmission fluid alarm, and they charge us $170 to say there's nothing wrong??? So what are we supposed to do when the alarm comes on again?? We definitely won't take it back and plan to cancel the warranties on both our vehicles as soon as we get the chance! Obviously useless!!

We chatted with Randy for a few months prior to making our purchase. He was very helpful and answered all of the questions we had including uploading a video walk around since we’re out of state. We were finally ready to make the purchase, called Randy up and he made the purchase super easy. Would recommend Randy and Pilson for your next purchase.

Any time someone brings up car shopping to me I always recommend going here first. About a year and a half ago I was in a bad position, bad credit, threw a rod in my engine & needed something quick to get to work to make ends meet. I shopped with Jeff Rutledge & he did an amazing job at getting me into an affordable vehicle, but he’s also gone above and beyond. He’s more than a car salesman. Anytime I have a question or concern he’s been there. If my battery has died before work he’s taken it upon himself to check my battery, jump my car and help me more than a friend ever would. Here I am a year n a half into my purchase and my car won’t start& Jeff STILL is willing to help me fix the issue. I could go on and on about the hospitality I’ve received from him& the others at Pilson. They’re an amazing team & as long as I live in Illinois I will never shop anywhere else. Highly recommend considering them for your next car?

Bought a car from them and in a year have had the transmission go out and the steering column and even though we paid for the best warranty they refused to pay for the steering column a 4600 dollar service. Not happy one bit

Horrible customer service. My daughter's boyfriend went to purchase a vehicle from them. They set the appointment up for today. He showed up today with his certified check for his down payment. When he got there, they had sold the vehicle to someone else. Then they tried to get him to purchase a vehicle with 99k miles on it! Absolutely will not do business with them! He was not asked or told he had to put a deposit on it! The vehicle was still listed for sale days after he was there!

Bought a truck and process was pretty good. The truck still had to go through a inspection no biggie. After everything checked out I was told I could come pick it up. It was late in they day when I got up there. Got the truck home and noticed the next day the front windshield on the passenger side had a chip in it, the day after that I noticed all the hail damage on the roof of the truck. While its aggravating that none of that was "seen" or brought up during their inspection I can't blame them as I missed it myself when looking at the truck. I paid for a warranty to cover all this stuff and reached out to the salesmen that sold me the truck. I sent him 3 messages through Facebook messenger which he actively posts on when he sells a vehicle, all the messages were seen a never once got a response. I ended up calling to cancel all my warranties on April 17, and told them on the phone that I have reached out a never got a response so there is no point in having warranties if I can't get a response. They said okay and canceled the warranties and said it will take about 2.5 weeks before the bank gets the check. We are pushing 5 weeks now and haven't heard anything. I called yesterday and didn't get a answer, I left a voicemail and still waiting for a call back. UPDATE Called with no answer on 5-23-2024 left a voicemail never got a call back. I called again today 6-3-2024 no answer again left a voicemail once again. 6-5-2024 Still have not got a phone call back. Called again today with no answer. Update I reached out on online chat and they forwarded everything to a service advisor and I got a call from the corporate office within 10 minutes, long story short Charleston never canceled my warranties at all. Person I spoke to from corporate actually sent me paperwork to sign to cancel the warranties and said that a tracking number will be provided something the Charleston location never mentioned. So sounds like everything should go as it was suppose to a month and a half ago. STAY AWAY FROM THE CHARLESTON LOCATION. Once you buy a vehicle from them you are literally nothing to them. I strongly suggest you go to the Mattoon Location where I had a much better experience and people actually answer phones and return calls. My past experience with the Mattoon Pilsons location was a lot better then this, they constantly reached out to me asking if I was enjoying my truck and if I had any issues that needed fixed. Would randomly call or text me months after still asking if I was enjoying my truck or had any issues. In my opinion the Charleston locations one and only concern was about getting the vehicle sold and that was it.

Pilson Auto of Charleston IL is the best place to buy any new or used vehicle, especially with Randy McDonald as your consultant. I have bought several cars new and used from Randy over the past 15yrs and he has never failed to find the vehicle I wanted at the best price. He always ensures everything is taken care of and checks to ensure that every detail is perfect, even after purchase. I bought a 2024 GMC Terrain SLT without even going to the dealership until all the paperwork was ready to sign and he would have delivered it to my door if I had ask for that service. They are absolutely the most outstanding dealership within 100 miles of the area. Everything from questions, sincerity, politeness, followup, and friendly service is impeccable!!!

I looked at a 1994 Chevy K2500 that caught my eye. Mr. Jeff Rutledge helped me with all of my questions and was extremely professional and honest. I didn’t end up getting the truck because it ended up being more of a restoration project than a buy and drive out the door, but the professionalism and transparency shown by Mr. Rutledge and their technicians is extremely appreciated! Especially since I’m more than 2 hours away and let me know before hand which saved me a drive. I highly recommend this dealership and Mr. Rutledge, and I will be continuing to look at their website for more potential trucks.

If you’re looking for a good used vehicle and need an honest person to sell to you, I highly recommend Michael Howell! I co-signed on a truck for my son and he loved the truck! Unfortunately, he was in an accident and the vehicle was totaled but we will be back to get another vehicle! Michael will be our go to guy!

Purchased a truck from here 2 days ago. Check engine light came on already after taking a road trip. Also discovered that the horn and windshield washer doesn't work either. The purchasing of the truck was very smooth with no issues. Michael was our sales person and highly recommend talking with him. I'm leaving 1 star for now until my service appointment which will be day 6 of owning the truck. 10/31/ 23, went to the service department today. They gave me back my keys and said the managers had to talk about it. And they would call me. I asked if they was going to call me today, he said probably tomorrow. Then I had to ask why the check engine light was on. It's on for the catalytic converter. No mention of about the horn and washer pump not working. I will update again once I get a phone call. 11/2/23 so 10am comes and I decide to give them a call to see what's going on. Kyle looked up my information and told me parts have been ordered. I said ok and asked why no one has called me to let me know what was going on. He didn't have an answer for me so I asked to talk to the boss. I'll admit, I get hot headed at times especially when there's a failure to communicate so I was most likely rude on the phone. The service manager (Josh) got on the phone and proceeded to tell me that they have ordered all the parts needed for the truck. Great! Service manager was rude on the phone and I'm sure I was as well. But that doesn't give him the right to be rude to customers. 11/14/23 Received a text message this morning from Josh stating that the parts for my truck arrived and to call or text him back to set up an appointment. I texted back. A couple hours went by so I called and ended up getting voicemail and left a message, I also texted again. Around 4pm I get a call back from Kyle and we got an appointment set up for this coming Monday. 11/21/23 Went and picked my truck up today, I figured everything would be fixed. They got the new catalytic converter and windshield washer pump fixed, unfortunately the horn still isn't working. They informed me that there was something wrong with the fuse block for the horn and their looking for a replacement. So now I wait again for them to call me when they have the part. 12/13/23I called back on the 11th to find out about getting the last thing fixed on the truck, the horn. Talked to Dillon and he said Josh was as lunch and he'd have him call me. Never got a call back. On the 12th I called back and got to speak to Josh. He didn't know what was going on with the part for my truck. He told me he would check into it and call me back. Let's just say I never heard back. I guess I'll give them half the day to call me before I call them back. We're almost at 2 month now dealing with these issues. 1/10/2024 I dropped my truck off at the service department yesterday (1/9/2024) to get the horn fixed finally after I was told they was having issues getting the fuse block. I get a phone call from them saying that they had gotten the wrong part for my truck. It happens, they told me that they could get the correct part from Indiana. I just don't understand how all of the sudden they have the correct part in stock, when just a few weeks ago they was having issues getting the part because of the automotive workers strike. Got a phone call at the end of the day today saying the part didn't fix my truck. 1/12/24Got a phone call today, they think it's a wiring issue. Hopefully it's figured out soon. 1/17/23 finally got my truck back. Everything seems to be working as it should. They inspected for a leak I was concerned about and an oil change for free. That was nice since I was expecting to pay for those. Thay made things right unfortunately it took several months but I'm happy. Remember to check everything when purchasing a used car, it's used don't expect new. Come if you need a vehicle ask for Michael Howell. He'll make sure everything gets taken care of.

Great Experience purchasing my new car! Randy McDonald is excellent! He never rushed me, made sure I had all the information to compare and find the right vehicle for me, communication was excellent through the entire process, and even checked in after final purchase was completed! I highly recommend Randy and the entire Pilson’s Charleston Experience.

If I could give more than 5 stars I would. Brian was the salesman that greeted us on the lot. I immediately explained our complicated financial situation and our need for a new vehicle. He never made us feel bad about the position that we were in and he was willing to help from the beginning. I feel like over the two weeks that we went back and forth to get this purchase done, Brian and the others involved at Pilson in Charleston went above and beyond for us. We will 100% be buying from them again in the future and I will recommend them to family and friends.

I love Pilson Auto Center! This is the 3rd vehicle we've purchased from them and I'm pretty sure this is the only place we'll be buying vehicles from in the future. The staff is so friendly and they work so hard to get you into a vehicle that actually works for you, they don't just go for the quick sale. The do what they can to help. I just got a 2017 Jeep Patriot from them and I am in love with it! They did great. My husband worked closely with Brayden (sorry if that's not your name or the incorrect spelling) to get the best deal for us! They're all amazing! If you go there, tell them we sent you!