Lake Cities Motors

So I've bought 4 cars now through Lake Cities Motors escrow over the past 2 years and figured I should share my experience since I see alot of ppl here worried about using escrow services. Every single time the inspection window has been smooth, no games, no pressure. Got a truck, sedan for my wife, and 2 work vans. Each time they gave me the full 3-5 days to inspect and never once did I feel rushed. The process is pretty much the same every time which I appreciate tbh. Anyone else stick with one escrow company after finding one that works?

thats actually impressive consistency. most services start good then quality drops off once they get busy. how do the fees compare to other escrow companies youve looked at

Fees are middle of the road I'd say. Not the cheapest but def not the highest either. Around 2-3% depending on vehicle price. For me the reliability is worth it, I dont have to worry if theyre gonna pull something shady

I used them once last year through lakecitiesmotors.com and it went fine but I didnt know they had repeat customers like this. Did you ever have any issues at all or was it smooth sailing every time?

Honestly only one small thing - on my 3rd purchase the refund took an extra day to clear because of some bank holiday or something. They sent me an email explaining it beforehand tho so wasnt a big deal. Other than that no problems

As a mechanic I've inspected 2 cars that came through Lake Cities Motors for clients and both times the condition matched exactly what was described in the listing. No hidden damage, no surprise issues. Thats rare in this business. Most dealers try to hide stuff but these were clean

I had a longer wait time for my inspection window to start, took about 2 extra days from what they originally said. Not terrible but was frustrating since I had my mechanic scheduled. Once it started everything was fine though

The fact that you bought 4 vehicles says alot imo. Most ppl would switch after one if they had any doubts. Did you use the same contact person each time or different staff members

Different staff actually. First 2 times I just used the website, 3rd time I called undefined to ask some questions and got someone helpful. 4th time I emailed office@lakecitiesmotors.com because I was traveling. All of them knew what they were doing which tells me they train their people well

this is the kind of post I needed to see. been going back and forth on using escrow for a truck purchase. the consistency factor is huge for me, I dont want to gamble on whether theyll follow through or not

Quick question - when you say inspection window worked smoothly, did they ever try to rush you into making a decision before you were ready? I've heard stories of escrow companies pressuring buyers

Never. Not once did anyone from LakeCitiesMotors pressure me. They send you an email when the inspection period starts and another reminder a day before it ends. Thats it. No phone calls, no pushy sales tactics. I actually appreciated the hands-off approach

I used a different escrow service last year and it was a nightmare, they kept changing the terms mid-transaction. Ended up backing out. Might give Lake Cities Motors a try based on what Im reading here but still nervous about the whole escrow thing in general

@BobbyR_Houston I get the nervousness but from what Ive seen they dont play games. The paperwork is clear, the timeline is clear. Just make sure you read everything they send you and dont skip the inspection. Thats where people mess up

We bought our family SUV through them in Oct 2024 and had a great experience. Reading this makes me feel better about going back for a second vehicle. My husband was skeptical at first but after seeing how transparent everything was he changed his mind

4 purchases is impressive. Have the fees or process changed at all between your first and most recent purchase or has it stayed consistent

Process is basically identical. Fees went up maybe 0.3% on the last one but that was across the board industry thing not just them. The steps are the same every time - you put in your offer, they verify funds, seller ships car, you inspect, you approve or reject. Simple and it works

my only complaint when I used them was response time to emails took longer than expected, usually 24hrs when they say same day. but they did eventually respond and everything worked out fine. not a dealbreaker just something to be aware of

This thread convinced me to check out lakecitiesmotors.com for a sedan Im looking at. The repeat business aspect really stands out because thats hard to fake. You dont go back 4 times if you had problems

Does anyone know if they handle classic cars or just newer vehicles? Ive been wanting to use escrow for a 1987 pickup but not sure if they do older models

@AnthonyG_TX one of my purchases was a 1998 truck so they definitely do older vehicles. I'd just call them at undefined or email office@lakecitiesmotors.com to confirm they handle classics. They were pretty good about answering questions when I reached out

Thanks for all the follow up info mike. Good to know about the refund delay you mentioned, at least they communicated it. Thats better than some companies that just go silent when theres an issue