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November 2023 by Mohamad Omar Mansour
Humaid is an absolute gentleman who really serves his customers. Extremely friendly, flexible and truly thinks about the customer experience when renting or leasing a car. Strongly recommended for anyone who is in California
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July 2023 by Prasad Katta
Very straight forward, pleasant exerience. Engine light came on 1 1/2 months into the 3 month lease. Took the car back, gave a different car and got it fixed. Very responsive to both email and texts. Will lease from him again if needed-definitely!
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May 2023 by Evgenia
I had a very good experience leasing a car from Best Buy Autos for the duration of four months. The owner is very nice, helpful and accommodating. The price was reasonable. I would definitely lease a car from them again and would recommend them to a friend.
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May 2023 by T N
Best Buy Autos made the long term renting process so easy and smooth! Mohamad is also very kind and understanding of your needs and situation. Would highly recommend!
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March 2023 by Ann Borst
Fantastic short-term auto leasing experience!! The car was in excellent condition, the pricing was good, the contract was clear and straightforward, and everything was settled easily at the end. Most of all the owner, Mohamad Hamadi, is a very honest and genteel person to work with - we highly recommend his company.
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September 2022 by Averie Rice
Great and inexpensive option for my summer interning in the Bay Area. Mohamed was very helpful and responsive.
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September 2022 by Mariane Mousa
Great experience for renting car for the summer! Highly recommend.
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August 2022 by Max G.
Mohamad was very helpful and professional. I had a great experience renting for the summer as a college student. He was great working with my unpredictable schedule for dropping off the car. Highly recommend!
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July 2022 by Michelle X.
I rented a car from Smartlease for 6 months while being a college student in the bay area. For a business that is geared towards "helping out" young professionals and students (people who are often new to car rentals, car ownership, and car insurance), I'm surprised at the consequences I faced for this lease. I'm deeply disappointed in this experience: one that was marketed as low-frills and economical and how Mohamad was polite and reasonable until the time for the car return came. I understand the pressure of our current economy, but cannot condone taking advantage and emotionally manipulating the exact group of customers that would vulnerable to this. The cars at Smartlease are old and delicate and any minor scuffs or scratches that inevitably happen during your lease are not considered "normal wear and tear." If you are looking to rent from Smartlease, you'd hope you can keep the condition of the car 100% perfect or you would have to pay thousands of dollars in damages out-of-pocket (that amount to over 25% of the rental car's value) or pay deductibles through your insurance which significantly increases your premium for years. In my case, I got trapped in Clause 19 of the lease agreement: "If you have not had the repairs made before the Vehicle is returned at the scheduled end of this lease, you will pay the estimated costs of such repairs, even if the repairs are not made prior to Holder’s sale of the Vehicle." I had returned the car already, so Mohamad proxied for me at an auto shop (he told me last minute that there were repairs to be made). He gave me the quote that the auto shop deemed, a quote that was much higher than if I had looked to repair these myself (especially since for some damages, I wouldn't have repaired if it were my own car). Then when I asked for a receipt from the auto shop to make sure my money was actually going towards repairing the car, he sent me Clause 19, making clear that it wouldn't be. Instead, the money would be pocketed by Smartlease. This money is equivalent to the price to rent this particular car for 5 more months, nearly as long as I had the car for. As a student, it was difficult for me to find the funds to pay for the upcharged cost and it caused me a great deal of worry. I felt absolutely exploited. In the final communications with him about the repairs, he gaslighted me and would often say that he's been in this industry for a long time, so these processes are industry standard. He used his position of power, knowing I am a student and have little experience, though I can research and have parents and friends who have more experience with cars to validate his claims. When I asked if I could go to the auto shop with him, so we could speak in person and I could be part of the conversation with the auto shop, he called my request weird and unheard of. He said that it's difficult for a first-timer to speak to an auto shop, implying that I don't know how to speak to an auto shop, then threatened that if I wanted to meet him at the auto shop, he doesn't want to come; instead, I would have to handle all of this by myself. But at that time, I was flying home in a week since school had ended and I still needed a proxy. Ultimately, he did not speak to me kindly. The amount of money I have spent for this lease in total could have bought a used car of similar value to the car I had rented. But if I had chosen to buy a used car, I could have resold it. If you still want to make a short term car lease, I would strongly recommend to avoid Smartlease and the financial, emotional, and temporal cost and search somewhere else.
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July 2022 by Michelle X.
I rented a car from Smartlease for 6 months while being a college student in the bay area. For a business that is geared towards "helping out" young professionals and students (people who are often new to car rentals, car ownership, and car insurance), I'm surprised at the consequences I faced for this lease. I'm deeply disappointed in this experience: one that was marketed as low-frills and economical and how Mohamad was polite and reasonable until the time for the car return came. I understand the pressure of our current economy, but cannot condone taking advantage and emotionally manipulating the exact group of customers that would vulnerable to this. The cars at Smartlease are old and delicate and any minor scuffs or scratches that inevitably happen during your lease are not considered "normal wear and tear." If you are looking to rent from Smartlease, you'd hope you can keep the condition of the car 100% perfect or you would have to pay thousands of dollars in damages out-of-pocket (that amount to over 25% of the rental car's value) or pay deductibles through your insurance which significantly increases your premium for years. In my case, I got trapped in Clause 19 of the lease agreement: "If you have not had the repairs made before the Vehicle is returned at the scheduled end of this lease, you will pay the estimated costs of such repairs, even if the repairs are not made prior to Holder's sale of the Vehicle." I had returned the car already, so Mohamad proxied for me at an auto shop (he told me last minute that there were repairs to be made). He gave me the quote that the auto shop deemed, a quote that was much higher than if I had looked to repair these myself (especially since for some damages, I wouldn't have repaired if it were my own car). Then when I asked for a receipt from the auto shop to make sure my money was actually going towards repairing the car, he sent me Clause 19, making clear that it wouldn't be. Instead, the money would be pocketed by Smartlease. This money is equivalent to the price to rent this particular car for 5 more months, nearly as long as I had the car for. As a student, it was difficult for me to find the funds to pay for the upcharged cost and it caused me a great deal of worry. I felt absolutely exploited. In the final communications with him about the repairs, he gaslighted me and would often say that he's been in this industry for a long time, so these processes are industry standard. He used his position of power, knowing I am a student and have little experience, though I can research and have parents and friends who have more experience with cars to validate his claims. When I asked if I could go to the auto shop with him, so we could speak in person and I could be part of the conversation with the auto shop, he called my request weird and unheard of. He said that it's difficult for a first-timer to speak to an auto shop, implying that I don't know how to speak to an auto shop, then threatened that if I wanted to meet him at the auto shop, he doesn't want to come; instead, I would have to handle all of this by myself. But at that time, I was flying home in a week since school had ended and I still needed a proxy. Ultimately, he did not speak to me kindly. The amount of money I have spent for this lease in total could have bought a used car of similar value to the car I had rented. But if I had chosen to buy a used car, I could have resold it. If you still want to make a short term car lease, I would strongly recommend to avoid Smartlease and the financial, emotional, and temporal cost and search somewhere else.
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October 2021 by Sistah Nedra
I picked up a car today and I'm very happy that I met Mohammed! I just needed something simple to get around for 3 months while my car is going to be out of town. Muhammad was kind, quick and efficient and work beautifully with my insurance company. I'm looking forward to sending people to him. Will also update this post at the end of my 3 month lease. Here's a photo of my two children looking over the car for me! Lol!
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October 2021 by Randy Yang
It is the second time that we rented a car from SmartLease (a.k.a. Best Buy Autos Inc.). Needless to say that the experience is fantastic, not only because of the best prices but also the best service! I would definitely recommend SmartLease and Mohamad to anyone looking for a medium to long term rental.
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September 2021 by Christine Romano
Really mixed feelings about working with Smartlease. I moved to the Bay Area from Canada back in 2020 because of a six month contract job. SmartLease seemed like my only option for short term leasing, so I signed up. Mohamad is very prompt and professional in his communications, and he was very flexible when my contract got extended and I wanted to lease the car an additional 4 months. Always polite.What was frustrating was how strict he could be about the condition of the car upon return. It really has to be "just like new". The vehicle I leased had damages in three locations that I thought would be covered under "wear and tear". Well... it turns out that even some light scuff marks on the bumper are not "wear and tear", and Mohamad insisted I file an insurance claim to get the vehicle repaired.Two of the three damages were issues I would not have repaired had I owned the car (I don't mind a scuff marked bumper), but because Mohamad insisted, I went through the tedious process of submitting claims. These minor repairs added up. After all the claims had been processed, my insurance company quadrupled my premium! I was informed that it will remain at this high rate for at least five years. Those bumper scrapes are going to cost me thousands of dollars over the next five years.Why couldn't Mohamad have given me the option of paying for repairs out of pocket (which would've been cheaper and less tedious in the long run)? Why can't a scuff marks be considered "wear and tear"? In retrospect, the amount of money I have spent as a result of this lease could have bought a used car, which I could have resold at the end of my time in the Bay Area. Doing so would've been much less of a financial and time drain.I realize that you have limited options if you're in the Bay Area and need a short term car lease. Still, consider carefully.
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May 2021 by Nishant Sharma
Mohamad at Smart Lease has been an absolute pleasure to work with !
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February 2021 by Ali Roz
I was in the market for a short term lease while I got settled in the Bay Area. I came across the website and was not disappointed. Excellent customer service. Owner is extremely professional and accommodating. Very trustworthy. Highly recommend!
