Belleair-Motor-Cars 13643 Walsingham Road, Largo, FL 33774

"I’m writing this review to warn other people not to do business with Bellair Motor Cars or Mike Senior. Not sure about his son. I purchased a 2007 HHR from him and was misled straight from the get-go by them saying it was a one owner car - only to find out they purchased it from someone like 3 years ago & have been using it as a rental. They get away with saying it’s a 1 owner car because they are a dealer (I was was told by his son). They did not just buy it off someone and it sat on the lot to be sold, though. I went to look at the car in person and asked if I could do a test drive. Mike Sr stated that he would "take me to a mobile home park up the road and let me test drive it there"...which seems very strange to me since you can’t go over 10-15 miles an hour in a mobile home park. He drove me to the mobile home park (didn't let me drive there) and when I commented about the fact that why would I test drive it here when I can’t go over 15? Mike said “well, we’re not really big on test drives, but you seem ok so I’ll let you drive it back to the lot”. Again, really weird and definitely made me feel like I was supposed to drive the car very carefully. And so I did. It seemed to drive OK, but then again I don’t think I ever got over 35 miles an hour as we were only a mile from the shop. I know, red flags everywhere. Now I know due diligence is up to me, but I was a woman in a vulnerable position needing a car asap and had no one available to look at the car for me. I was open about the fact that I’m taking care of my father who has terminal cancer and that I needed something reliable to get him to & from doctor appointments. It has newish tires, the interior is clean, the AC Blows cold and I knew I was getting a used car, so I wasn’t expecting something spectacular. But C'mon! On the way home from the car lot, I drove it over 45 mph and when I hit the brakes it shuddered like crazy! My heart sank. I'm broke and I've been sold this? I can't afford to fix it! You've got to be kidding me! I immediately call Mike Senior and he acted completely unaware that this is an issue. Said no renters had reported any issues to him and that he didn’t understand how there could be anything wrong with it. He then gives me the name and phone number to Bob’s tires on Seminole Boulevard because that’s his mechanic. Before I go there, I go straight to an AutoZone and have them put it on that little computer thing, and it shows that one of the cylinders are misfiring. It could be a lot of things, but if it had a tuneup, why is the RPMs jumping and things like that? So I called Bob's Tires and ended up taking it to him the following Monday. Found out Mike Sr never had Bob's do a tuneup on the car like a son told me he did. The entire front end was shot - brakes, rotors, struts & shocks. It was a completely unsafe vehicle for someone to drive off the lot and Mike Sr. knowingly sold it to me that way. The mechanic gave me a list of things that were wrong with the car and Mike Sr told me it was only because Bob's thought I was paying for it and not Mike so what does that say about Bob’s tires? The only remote saving grace for Mike Senior at all, is the fact that he did end up paying to have only the brakes and rotors replaced - but I know that’s because it was a liability for him to sell an unsafe vehicle like that & he probably didn’t want to risk a lawsuit. But he did the very bare minimum and had the audacity to say to me (with a little bit of an attitude actually) that he was "doing me a favor by being the nice guy paying for it and that he didn’t have to do this due to the "As Is" paper that I signed". And went on to say that "he was already losing money on the car bc he sold it to me dirt cheap (not my fault), that it was worth a lot more and I got a deal. Like I should be grateful that he fixed the problem that should’ve never been an issue in the first place! Do not go here! Buyer Beware. BTW, the rpms still jump & it slightly shudders, runs a little rough."

"Fantastic Experience with Belleair Motor cars My recent experience with Belleair Motor cars was nothing short of exceptional, and I can't recommend them highly enough. From start to finish, every aspect of my rental experience was handled with care, professionalism, and a personal touch that you rarely find in larger rental chains. What impressed me most was the competitive pricing compared to other well-known rental companies. Upon arriving at their location, I was warmly greeted by Mike jr. he was courteous, knowledgeable, and took the time to explain all the details of my rental agreement clearly. Unlike the rushed feeling you sometimes get at larger companies, here I felt like a valued customer. The vehicle itself was in immaculate condition, which reflected the company's commitment to maintaining a high standard of cleanliness and maintenance. This attention to detail gave me peace of mind throughout my rental period. During the rental period, I had a minor question about the vehicle's features, and when I called their service line, I was pleasantly surprised to speak directly to a real person who was not only helpful but genuinely interested in ensuring I had a positive experience. Returning the vehicle was just as smooth as pick-up. The staff quickly processed my return and even asked if everything had gone well with the rental. It's this kind of personalized service that sets Belleair Motor cars apart from the larger, more impersonal rental chains. Overall, my experience with Belleair Motor cars exceeded all expectations. They combine competitive pricing with outstanding customer service, making them my go-to choice for car rentals in the future. If you're looking for a hassle-free rental experience with a personal touch, I highly recommend giving them your business."

"This will be my first time I gave a review . I am very easy going and honest person who decided this year we would like to support local small business since Maderia is our favourite vacation place to go every year . We were very accommodating for April month rental from Mike but I cannot tolerate misleading promises and lies when you do everything for the company to try to accommodate the company issues to try to help business to survive . We were charged $200 at time of booking on phone with $50 of that towards the promise to be picked up and dropped off at TPA during our arrival and departure times/dates . Mike also charged the full payment on the first day of rental which should never be done until we are finished . But anyways we did not mind that but when we arrived I received text from Mike to apologize that his friend had to go to hospital so he had the van parked at short term parking at airport for us to retrieve to drive to our destination which I felt bad for him and understood . The text then advised there was half tank gas and the handle was torn off side door by previous rental which he promised to fix with coming days . When we got the van we realize we had a very old rough looking van with dents , one signal light not working and making all kinds of noises . The following 3 weeks were made with promises and lies that the van never got repaired , we were told we get honda odessey van to swap out but that never happened because he said that cane back with air condition trouble so we would get it when it was repaired . Mike said because of our patience and understanding of all the issues he would credit back to me my $200 ! Lets just say we drove van with nothing fixed and we had to drive back to airport to park it at the short term parking for him because if not we would have to drive to his lot to meet him or his friend to drive us from there . Because we had early flight I did not want to miss our flights going out of the way to find where his shop and not feeling he would be reliable .To finish my review I never did receive his promised credit $200 back and have left several messages both calls and text to be ignored . It was really sad to be treated that way when you do everything during the time to not complain hoping you be treated fair with promises fulfilled and try to believe the owner is telling the truth to help solve issues . I will never make that mistake again . My next rental will be with big companies who uses new vehicles to feel safe and reliable . So much for trying to support local . UPDATE IN RESPONSE TO BUSINESS’ REPLY: Mike, thanks for taking the time to respond to my review. This was another opportunity for you to make this situation right, however, you have instead chosen to double-down on poor customer service. I have a number of pictures taken from various angles from when we dropped off the vehicle which shows no damage to the windshield, so please do send the footage that you claim shows we returned it damaged."

"I really hate to write a negative review for a small business, however; I feel the need to in this case. I booked a rental car for about a week from Mike’s business and arranged (and paid) for his “shuttle service” to and from the airport. I was told we would be picked up from the airport and dropped off. This changed several times throughout the car rental process. We were picked up an hour late with minimal communications from Mike. We got an apology for being late and a text saying “see you very soon” which ended up being close to an hour that we waited outside after that text was sent. When he arrived it was in a very old Toyota Highlander (probably very early 2000s) with AC that didn’t work well and it was not clean. He apologized and made a lot of excuses for everything and promised to take a day off of the reservation and that he would meet us with the sedan we originally requested. When we texted about changing the car out and him meeting us, we were met with yet another excuse to why he couldn’t meet us and requested we drive out of our way, during our vacation, to his shop to pick up the car instead. The sedan we picked up was a 2014 Kia Forte. The car had stains on the fabric seats, the buttons were sticky, the door squeaky, the material on the inside of the doors were peeling off, and the front bumper was held together by zip ties. I did a lot of research before renting with this company and his prices were the same as if I had rented with other companies in the area who offer much newer and actually clean cars. My mistake for wanting to support small businesses. When it came down to returning the car, we didn’t trust Mike to get us to the airport by a reasonable time (based on previous communications) and we were a lot closer to the airport than his shop. He had originally told us to return the car to short term parking but, 2 days before our return date, he decided he wanted us to take it back to his shop instead. He did agree to allow us to return it per our original agreement (short term parking at the airport). But we were never comped like we were told he would do for us, even after following up after returning the car, we heard nothing back. Unfortunately, I cannot recommend this business. I had high hopes based on previous reviews but this experience and the cars he rents were just disappointing. There were excellent reviews on this business before we booked and now I see several bad ones just in the last week. I guess the real customers (or victims) are finally reviewing Mike’s disorganized, misleading business."

"I love this place and the owner could not be more accommodating. Mike was absolutely wonderful and helpful beyond measure. Pricing was so good and the car was just what we needed. The owner even dropped off a baby car seat at my house! Awesome. thank you!"