Southern Car Emporium in
Knoxville (TN)

These people are scammers. At the beginning they said they would work with me if I ever needed to be late. But if you call and tell them. The front desk old lady doesn’t tell the owners, she says okay that will be fine but then they come repo . I just gave them $560 in separate payments last month and they came and repossessed the car today, I called to ask how much is behind, she said $1400, but she just told me last month all I owe left total is $1900…….. there’s NO WAY I’m 1,400 late. something is very off and if you pay over the phone they don’t provide any receipts or records at all.

Don’t buy from them. They are absolutely worthless. Cars half broken. It’s my fault for getting a car from them, but one day later A/C doesn’t work, among other things. The lady inside is a joke

Well I bought a car and every since I bought it Ive had to nothing but spend more money bearing are screwed up catalytic converter is messed up it needs breaks and they aren't cheap drum brakes car is a good car but whats wrong with you guys I called the shop and they said they couldn't give me another car I just don't recommend this shop to anyone they do not do people right at all and yes I'm still paying for parts .

I purchased a 2014 Nissan Altima from here and I love my car runs and drives good, however my husband had to tighten some bolts underneath the hood and the bumper clips needs fixed to hold the bumpers up and the fender they pop out but over all great car. I am having issues getting my tag atm though which however worries me because mine is out and they charged me 60 dollars to use my card when I paid so I now send a money order in.

I have bought 3 cars from them and they are all good nothing wrong and they was all good to me and very honest!!! And when I had a hard time in making a payment they all ways worked with me!!! As long as your honest with them and be upfront with them than they will work with you!!!!

Just bought a car from them and not even 2 days later it won’t start and the cost to fix it is more then what the cars worth I’m amazed this place is a legal business they need to be looked into don’t buy a car from them they are a scam

Me and my boyfriend got a car from them and we're told it had good heat and air it just had a bad battery spend over 2000 on payments, cans of freon because the air did NOT WORK neither does the heat and a battery. We bought a new battery not even 4 months ago and it starts leaking battery acid and smoking we got it look at and they said it's because of a bad alternator I would NOT recommend

Me and my girlfriend got a car from them and we're told it had good heat and air it just had a bad battery spend over 2000 on payments, 2 cans of freon because the air did NOT WORK neither does the heat and a battery. We bought a new battery not even 4 months ago and it starts leaking battery acid and smoking we got it look at and they said it's because of a bad alternator I would NOT recommend they sell junk cars service brake system on light comes on and I had to put a water pump housing and a thermostat housing and a thermostat bc it was leaking and they didn't tell us anything about it got zip ties hold on the bumper and it's cracked And the grill is to

Omg. Don't waist your time on these people. I went there cause I was told they would be able to put me into something with a low down payment. Worst used car lot I have ever been too. We walked around the whole lot for a while with no one coming out to help. Finally a man came riding up on a golf cart, he informed me he was just a mechanic and they had no car salesman. He did have a sheet of paper with him saying the price of some cars and the down payment they are asking. I was then able to drive three different vehicles. Every one of them were beaters. When I went into the office to make comments about the issues I noticed in the cars I test drove they just ignored me and acted like I didn't speak.the cars were all dented and rebuilt .wood screws screwed into radiator. Hoillbilly tune up.im not expecting a lot from a place like this but they gave nothing. They don't care what you think about those vehicles. You give them a down payment and they will set you up payments. Then you will be without a car.out of the 50 cars on the lot, there were maybe three that were not lemons with lots of issues. Those ones that seemed ok were totally overpriced Horrible people trying to take advantage of people low on luck. Will not haggle on price at all. Over priced garbage and they know it.thr three cars I drove were all newer the 2012 and I don't think any of them would have got me home safely.the office staff were all rude. It's started to rain when I was still kind of interested in a few more cars so we left and dodged a bullet. . Like someone else stated on here, zip ties holding on parts, wood screws right into bumpers and other areas. Clothes hangers, you name it, they do it there. I can't say enough to keep you away from this dirty, nasty car lot.

Bought a 08 Kia optima low mileage no lights on the dashboard had the car for 2.5 months motor recently went bad there's nothing they will do about it besides tell you you can come in with a down payment for another vehicle. I wouldn't recommend this lot at all.

Just got ripped off by them, had car 2 weeks started knocking and pouring oil. Called them the said bring it in. The fixed the leak now it over heats and they want $500 for "fixing" it before I can have my keys back. I've had the truck 30 days and have 2000k in it so far. They are a rip off, STAY AWAY... BEWARE

They are scammers wouldn’t recommend going to them they just want your money gave me a car with a hole in the oil tank n it was dead cockroaches in the car and alive ones and on top of that they don’t fix nothing on the car don’t give your money back won’t even let u trade it in i WOULDT RECOMMEND going there and also there place if very FILTHY !. -also I am a real person pls don’t waste your money on them .

Thanks for everyone reviewing this place. I was about to go there to see a van. It would've prob been a big mistake. I talked to a mechanic who said he gets work from them all the time. To Southern car emporium: Treat your customers better, or more people will see these reviews, and won't give you the time of day.

It's been several years but the car I made a 2000 down payment on with college reimbursement money started having issues after 2 months and took to a mechanic who found various parts attached with coat hangers and zip ties. Unfortunately Judging by some reviews it seems they haven't got much better.

They said they close at 6pm. Yet I called at 515pm and the lady was rude and said I need to call back when someone is in the office. Why is she there if she can't answer any questions?! Horrible customer service. So, u close the store an hour early cause it's Labor DAY but left 1 woman in office! Why close an hour early for Labor Day,? It's not a family holiday. Reading the rest of the reviews makes me so happy that I didn't take my $3500 there! Sad and pathetic! NOT PROFESSIONAL AT ALL!!!!

They obviously didn't want to sell a car. We drove all the way from Morristown to look at a car. We got there about 30 minutes before they closed. They didn't want to show us anything we asked about. If I could give zero stars, I would!

Had called many times today to talk to a salesman about a few cars. After calling about 3-4 times to get some information Finally was able to get in touch with the sales man, he told me I would have to come down to the lot to see what they had. I live 40 minutes away and didn’t want to drive all the way across town to see nothing I wanted. All I wanted him to tell me 3-4 cars of what they had. If you can’t tell a potential customer that information then you don’t need to be selling cars for a living! He told me he can’t help me an hung up on me! Why you can’t tell someone a few cars before making someone drive over 40 minutes away to just waste gas.Very rude, unprofessional, and hang ups on you! If I could leave a zero start rating I would. Definitely won’t be buying a car from them!

Called multiple times to see what reliable cars they had , specifically good on gas. “Salesman” tells me I have to come in to see what they have cause he can’t help me over the phone and proceeded to hang up on me. Car salesman was too lazy to do his job. If you can’t give a potential customer 5 mins of your time to relay information on a few cars then why would a customer want to spend there time going to the car lot to purchase a car from them!

Helped my daughter buy a car here. The bumper is held on by screws but she loves her car so who cares. This place has reliable cars and the people who run the place are upfront & honest. Paperwork was done fast

Just don't do it, it's a unfriendly place. They scam, and don't put the customer frist. They lie about stuff, that's not even worth lying about. Tell you one thing and do another. The car salesman gives of druggie vibes (bad vibes), and the secretary lady lies and talks about pointless stuff (not helpful). If you ask for the owner they will make up a outrageous story about where he is. The cars need work on them bad.

Had previously bought a car from here and the woman working there is great!! Very friendly and does everything she can. The guy however is a grouchy old but and when I went to purchase my 2nd vehicle from them the next day it overheated on me so I took it back for them to fix it. Well today I go by there and he said just get your money back I don't sell cars to people who are gonna be leaving Knoxville in them (because I travel to Crossville frequently) and proceeded to say I wouldn't of sold you the first one either had I known you were driving it out of Knoxville limits, ( I paid off first one completely, couple months early at that)

I bought a 2000 expedition from them a few years ago November. They were honest, friendly and knowledgeable. I put 30,000 miles on that expedition since I purchased it and have had absolutely no problems with it. I highly recommend them and would purchase a car from them again in the future.

I would NEVER EVER recommend any one I know to get a car from here. The prices are good which is what draws you in, but you should definitely take a trustworthy mechanic with you. I ended up buying a COMPLETE lemon from this lot. It looked great on the outside and ran well when I took the initial test drive. We agreed on the price and then I went back the next day to pick it up (because the thread on the tires was next to nothing, and he advised he would replace all 4 tires). Within a 3 month time frame, the car started to show its true colors. Although the thread on the new tires looked great, the mechanic told me that they were actually rotting from the inside because they were so old. I needed new brake pads and shoes, had a crack in my oil pan, a loose muffler that knocked horribly when I came to a stop, and to top it all off, The entire ENGINE went out 3 months after buying the car. I basically paid double for the car after getting everything previously mentioned fixed. Do yourself a favor and avoid they cheap prices. Even if the car looks good. AVOID THIS LOT AT ALL COSTS UNLESS YOU ARE ABSOLUTELY DESPERATE

This is an amazing place to buy a car if money is tight. Me and my children buy cars from this lot. They are honest about the condition of the car. Most cars have rebuilt titles which is how they can sell them for so cheap. The down payment is low. Tax and title is added to payment. Interest rate is roughly around 2.5%. No matter the year or price of car, with interest rate this low the vehicle shud be paid off within less than 18 months. If you are having trouble paying payment then just communicate with them and they work with you. I trust the workers 100% and so do my children. They are not salesmen they simple allow you to search and test drive and decide on your own if you wanna buy. They will not try to force you into something for a lousy commission. Do your homework on the vehicle and ask questions before you buy.

Hands down the best car lot I have been to in Knoxville. Me and my wife purchased a 2003 trailblazer from them last year and were very pleased with it. It was nice cold a.c. and good tires. Now in the time we had it I had to replace the battery alternator and transmission pan. That being said these are everday normal wear and tear problems. The title was salvaged but was rebuilt right. Some of these reviews on here talk like that is a bad thing. How is it bad to get a low mileage vehicle for a really good price. The key word in rebuilt title is REBUILT. Meaning it was rebuilt back to factory standards just like new. Somethings that are required from a owner of a used car are that YOU must check your fluids regularly. So if you're transmission stopped pulling chances are there is no fluid or at least not enough to make use of. That cannot be blamed on the people who sold you the car. I regularly check ALL of my fluids and have yet to have any vehicle leave me stranded. In fact we traded the trailblazer in last week exactly a year after we bought it from them. They even gave me 1500 in trade for our next car. Everyone who asks me where to get a great car at a great price I send them right down the folks southern car emporium. Nice people who will work with anyone and are completely honest about the vehicle you will be purchasing. Remember this is a used car lot, so don't expect showroom quality. If that's what you want them go to a dealership

DO NOT BUY from these rude people. I bought a car back in November, made a 2500 dollar down payment and it was only suppose to be 1500. I paid 60$ plus 5$ extra to try and get paid off quicker. So I paid 65$ every week. In February of this year I paid up for about 3 months on my car. A week later the car wouldn't start. I had friends take a look but no luck so I paid to have the car towed back to the car lot. I called a few days later and was told the mechanics were hungover and others in court(dont know the reason) so it hasn't been looked at yet. So I told them "well when you guys finally look at it please don't fix anything until you talk to me first." I was told that they would certainly call me first. I waited 2 more days and no call. So I called once again, I was given the same excuse as before. Another week goes by and I am told by them that they don't know what's wrong yet but they have been "fiddling with it. " So as the next week approaches I just go to the car lot to talk to them in person. Once again. I am given the same two excuses! So then a whole month goes by and then they tell me they put in 16 spark plugs and I owe them money, but that isn't the problem. So I ask why was my car touched when I asked you personally not to fix anything without my permission ... She literally had nothing to say. A few more days go by and I call and am told that a mysterious whole was in motor. Something that would cause my car to be very loud etc. After I express that my car never made a sound or acted weird, he changed up what he said. So I told them well I am going to get the car towed to a different mechanic because they are taking way too long to fix the problem and I was then told that they don't have the people or time to mess with my car anyway. The day I was getting it towed I was told by the woman in the office that I was not aloud to take my car to another mechanic for no reason. I then went to the car dealer and spoke with them and had to grab some important papers... The man would not let me have my key (not to mention it took them 15 mins to find the key) he wouldn't even let me attempt to touch my key. He stood there watching me nervously. I then knew something wasnt right. I was told I need to talk to "Chad" but he was not there so I called for weeks trying to find out if they were going to let me get another car or what was going to happen. I was in desperate need of my car I was missing work and appointments and things were going terribly. Every time I called they gave me the run around and told me to stop calling they would call me.. So after a few more weeks I called and was told she would call me back she had talked to Chad. I waited and she never called. So I went to the car dealer once again and was treated very nasty. They were all three (the woman in the office, billy and Chad) telling different lies and totally different stories. I was told they wrote me up as a report because they wanted to and they couldn't find a engine for the car. They then told me that they didn't want to help me.. (the car was 6000$ I already had paid over 4000$ at this point) they told me they didn't care and unless I have big money they refuse to put me into another car. Not to mention they have my car back in inventory and it supposedly had a whole in the engine... Nothing at all with those people add up. They steal, lie and cheat good people to make a extra dollar! They are horrible people! Stay away.. I also met someone personally there at the lot and she told me that they sold her a car that had been wrecked several times and they lied and told her it hadn't! Do not trust these people! I wouldn't even give them a star if it didn't make you!!

My husband and I have poor credit and they gave us a really good car. It has a salvaged title but my down payment was low and my payments are low. I might be speaking too soon but so far we haven't had any issues. We did the research on the car before we bought it. So as far as service, it could be improved but I can just about the same service going to a retail store. It is what it is. If you have great credit and can afford a newer car then you don't even need to bother. But if you are in the same situation we were in and you take the time to research the cars you're interested in I recommend this place.