This rating is based on customer reviews, inventory size, pricing, and service quality
Sam's Riverside Vehicle Sales in Des Moines, IA scores 85/100 with mostly positive feedback. Buyers praise professional, low‑pressure staff (Joey, Brooks, Buck, Heather), strong pricing on rebuilt/clean‑title cars, and a huge selectiongreat value if patient, but expect waits. Parts‑search ease isn’t clear.
I’ve purchased many cars from
Sam’s Riverside over the years. Brooks and Joey are awesome to deal with. I’ve never once had an issue with any of the salvage title cars I’ve purchased - typically I look for theft recovery or hail damage. The resale value has been good at around 100k miles. Keep in mind Sams is extremely busy. If you are serious about I car I suggest driving out there instead of calling or emailing.
Worked w Joey and Brooks. Bought a salvage car (I don’t know a lot about cars) wouldn’t you know the next day the check engine light came on. I took back the as/is car and they made good faith repairs to make the car as what I thought I was buying!!! So impressed!! I didn’t know there were honest car sales men!! They are very busy, go early be patient
I have bought more than one vehicle here. You may not get the ‘same’ attention as a car dealership but also aren’t going to be ripped off either, but you have to do your own homework on the vehicle you want to buy.
There is a good chance the vehicle you want to test drive is blocked in, so you need to call ahead so they can get it out for you.
Working with Joey was a great experience and for the most part was easier than dealing with your typical dealership. You definitely have to do your homework and research on a vehicle but you can find a hidden gem of a vehicle here at Sam’s Riverside. And even though most of the vehicles have had a salvage title and now have a rebuilt titles if you drive the vehicle for a long time and aren’t worried about the resale value in a couple years because you try and sell it, you will get a great deal on a vehicle.
Contacted via Facebook messenger about and ad. 4 days later responded with instructions to call. Called next day and was told I would receive an email. Did not receive so I called the following day and had to email them to get a response. Each email took at least a day for a response and some needed another email to them to get a response. Finally agree on a price. Call to arrange purchase (15 days from original contact) and was told vehicle needed to be driven around and they would send more pics via email. Got pics via email and concerns over condition had me sleep on the decision to purchase. Next morning at 7:30am sent email with questions regarding condition and price. 4 hours later receive email saying vehicle was sold. At no point was any “handshake” made so i was never the owner of the vehicle but overall this was a negative experience which lasted for 2 weeks too long.
Great selection of vehicles much better than many years ago when I used to frequent their establishment with my father! I loved it then and I love it now even more! I even told my husband that was the best date ever after he took me there!
So disappointed. My husband reached out to buy a truck. We got pre-approved with their lender and she told us she would reach out if they need anything else from us before we pick it up. We told her we could put down a deposit and she said she would ask about it and let us know. They sold the truck to someone else the next morning. They didn't even tell us until two days later even though we had gone through the whole process with them as far as they would on their end. The whole thing felt incredibly slimey.
Heather in finance went above and beyond to help me with an extended warranty issue even though the car in question and the warranty were not purchased there. Thank you!
If you call them you get vague help. If you go there they have 1 maybe 2 people on the "sales floor" there you can talk to to have help you otherwise you stand around with the other 10-20 people waiting just to look at a car. Very very understaffed.
Found a good deal on a slightly wind-damaged, regular titled Subaru. Their building is LOADED with options from low to high end vehicles. The purchasing process was uncomplicated and smooth with no run around from people trying to upcharge you. They allowed us to have a local mechanic check out the vehicle before we bought it-- overall, checked out great! Vehicle was detailed well, too. Very pleased with the whole process.
When we arrived we were greeted right away by buck which has been our salesman for 2 other vehicles and hopefully more in the future now he showed us around gave us all of our options and we left satisfied
We love Joey and Buck for rebuildable sales professionals. Tell them what you're looking for and they will guide you to your next vehicle that best fits your needs. Trusted professional that are easy to be friends.
Great service.. I was unlucky and got a rock thrown at my window by a speeding car using the Median as their own personal lane. Then I set up an appointment and my new windshield got destroyed on the way to the shop. Oh life.. So they were kind enough to come to my job when the second windshield got in for all the trouble, for free! It was truely a life saver!
Have known Sams riverside all my life, and my family has gone through Sams to get good deals on great cars. Just recently went through them myself, and purchased a 2008 Crown Victoria . Staff will definitely treat you right and I 10/10 recommend going through Sams riverside to get a nice used vehicle. You will for sure find what you’re looking for, and will get a hot deal on it too. Thank you for reading, and thank you Sams!!
I called to try and sell a vehicle that is no longer running and the man on the phone was very rude and was not interested in helping at all. I would recommend some customer service skills.
A seemingly hidden gem. We worked with Brooks in buying a truck for my husband’s painting business over the last week or so. He was very knowledgeable and honest, not pushy at all. We flip flopped between a couple different trucks and he was incredibly easy to work with throughout. The truck we ended up on was marked $1,000 less on the website than it was actually listed for, so he gave it to us at the lesser price. Super pleasant, seamless experience. Huge selection of slightly damaged as well as pristine vehicles - something for everybody. Will be looking here again when the time comes.
Good place to buy a car and get a great price!! We have been doing business with them for over 40 years. Friendly, knowledgeable staff. Family owned operation. Highly Recommend!!
Don't expect to haggle. They barely budge on price. Some cars are overpriced but overall reasonable. Some aren't fixed the greatest cosmetically. If you want to stretch a dollar then shop here.
Great place in town to get a cheap cheap car. Mostly salvaged vehicles but in working order and previously repaired. Staff is not very attentive. Waited for a Jeep to come back from repairs/inspection for over 3 weeks. Met with my sales person and he promised to call me as soon as it came in. I called everyday anyways asking about it. Finally when it came in he never called me, I called that morning and was told it got there that day. Told him I was on my way to look at it and purchase it, got there only to find out that someone else was test driving it and they bought it from under me. Wasted 4 weeks thinking it was going to be sold to me.
It has alot of what your looking for but the prices could be a little less expensive. Large selection and can usually get what you want in reasonable time
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