Good Toyota/Prius Dealers

Had a great buying experience with Stokes brown Toyota in Beaufort, South Carolina. Ask for Sylvia or Tim.

 

I was connected with Toyota Carlsbad through an internet search. Gerard and James were a pleasure to deal with. I had not been prepared to take my Salsa Wonder the same day I went for a test drive but the finance department was awesome and no extras were pushed on me. After some minor discounts I was driving my new car home after 2 hours.

Another friend bought at Frank Toyota in National City. She had after market leather done and they loaned her a Prius during installation. she thought they were great. Not sure about her pricing though.

 

Longo Toyota in El Monte, CA.

Ken Koshiro & Heacher Yoon
(800) 619-8695 or (626) 580-6000


Both were/are fantastic sales guys, I'd work with them again in an instant. They work together. Felt very comfortable dealing with them both over the phone and in person. Heacher is very well-informed of the Prius and all its tech-gadgets. He was able to demonstrate how everything worked and was extremely informative and helpful in all steps of the purchase process.

 

I only write that they are not a good dealer because their usual policy is to charge over MSRP. I must of bought at the perfect time since they had recieved a couple of cars the night before and just wanted to sell. Yes, I had a overall good experience, the saleman was nice and efficient, finance guy didn't give me a hard time about using a E-loan check and the car had 1 mile on it, never test driven.

The manager and salesman both said that they sell for over MSRP and others here and said they got quoted for over MSRP. Any dealer that sells for over MSRP I have to give a thumbs down to. Sure I got my car at MSRP but if others can't do so, I have to not recommend them.

Alex

 

For anyone wanting to purchase a Prius in New Mexico I highly suggest Scott Nichols Toyota in Silver City, saleperson Ray Davis. Definitely Ray!

I was lucky because I knew, from talking with Ray, that they had one on the lot. I made an early morning appointment, test drove it, and then paid MSRP--they do not add anything on to the MSRP. I did pay the documentation fee (didn't know I could think about getting out of it until reading PC today--but what the hey, I live in a small town and everyone knows everything about everyone...plus these folks are always willing to give big donations to various non-profits I work with) and registration fee (only $48 here in NM), but, and it is a big huge "but" I did not pay one red cent of sales tax...yes, you are reading this correctly...no sales tax! It's a little incentive you get when you buy a hybrid in NM and live in NM (I'm not sure how this works if you are from another state and buy in NM). They also gave me a great deal on my trade-in.

If you are not lucky enough to find one on the lot (they may get one or sometimes two if people cancel their order) I was told I could order and the wait was about 2 months (which friends confirm). Note: they stand by your order. They will not sell it out from under you.

A tip about buying: if they do happen to have one on their lot due to a cancellation, jump on it! Prius do sell quickly here. Case in point: as I was sitting in the dealership and they were putting together the financing, two people (I knew one of them) came in to buy the Prius I was in the process of purchasing!

 

I had a *great* experience with

Piercey Toyota
2108 N. 1st St.
San Jose, CA 95131

I went to sign the Pre-sold order form for a 06 Pris Package #8 Classic Silver on 12/26/06. My salesperson was Khai. He was very nice and not pushy at all, showing me the exact MSRP price. He told me the waiting for this car is 3 months.

On 03/01/06, Khai called me saying my car should arrive any days now, and on the 03/09/06 he called me again letting me know my car has just arrived.

I went there and asked for him. He showed me the car and left me alone with the car, no pressure at all. Having my check list from PC with me I had time to make sure everything was fine. He then explained me two, three things, gave me the car's manual and even gave me the City of San Jose form to apply for free parking there. He then transferred me to Annette Rizzo's office (financial director) to close the deal.

Annette was *very* sharp, very very good saleswoman yet very professional. Prices were at MSRP and I got a 5.2 APR. She even told me to include the copy of my sales agreement with my Fastrack form in order to apply DMV carpool privilege.

After the paperwork were signed, they both gave me their business cards, and Khai went with me to the car before I left.

I would definitely recommend Piercey Toyota in San Jose, CA ! Ask for Khai. (his English may be a little bit hard to understand for a native English speaker but I'll not complain, my English being also pretty bad )

 

I bought my white, package 7, 2006 Prius last Friday at Caldwell Toyota, West Caldwell, NJ. Salesman was Larry Blanco 973-882-1822. No hard sell on any extras and I recommend the dealership and Larry highly.

After a week....I just love the car!

Catherine.

 

Derek Owens @ Findlay Toyota, Henderson Nevada. Excellent service, very nice people there. Treated me very well, lots of calls/info. Did anything I asked. Also useful for you SO.Cal people on endless wait-lists!
Even post-sale, has called me a few toimes. Even put on my plates for me when I stopped by after DMV visit!

 

If you are in the Great Pacific Northwest, don't buy a Prius without checking with Toyota of Yakima. I discussed a deal with dealers in the Portland area and one in Tacoma. All were vague about time, and stuck at MSRP (or more) and some on dealer add-ons. But only Toyota of Yakima could get a car quickly and actually knock a few dollars off MSRP with no fuss and no additional attempts at selling stuff I didn't want.

I contacted Jason Edlin at Toyota of Yakima a few weeks ago. He said it would be 15 days or maybe sooner to get my coveted 06 Barcelona red #4. He called me a week later and the car was on the lot waiting for me. I drove it home to Portland last weekend and couldn't be happier with how the transaction went. Give Toyota of Yakima a call and ask for Jason Edlin. Tell him Glenn from Portland sent you...

 

Nanaimo (BC) Toyota and ask for Rick Roach althought I'm certain any of the other folks there are as great to deal with and the service department is first class.
Gary

 

Bill Crotty
Superior Toyota
Erie, Pennsylvania
814/868-3656
Tell him "The Brat" sent you. He'll understand.

I just drove through the lot on Sunday and they had five sitting there...all looked unclaimed (two silver, one white, one red, one blue - I don't know what packages). I ordered mine and had it in less than a week...although I was somewhat flexible on the colors/packages.

 

Ugh, I hate Longo! A while back I was on the market for a mid-size SUV and they did a classic "bait-and-switch" on me. I drove for ages to get there (I live on the West Side) and then it turned out they didn't have the car and tried to sell me on a completely different package for a rip-off price.

They were slimy and hard sell. The worst image of car salesmen.

BTW, while being stuck in traffic on the way back, I drove by the Nissan Dealership there and walked away with a Pathfinder, which I actually liked much better

I am glad you were happy, but I had such bad taste in my mouth that I still wouldn't touch Longo with a 10-ft poll! :angry:

 

You know, my experience suggests that there can be very different kinds of sales people, even within a particular dealership. Thus, one sales person may treat you like "the worst image of car salesmen," and another may be terrific. Consequently, it would be really helpful if you either *named* the individual(s) who treated you so shabbily (so we would know who to avoid) or at least put your remarks in terms of an individual rather than an entire dealership who treated you so badly. Just a suggestion.

 

I called Symes Toyota today and asked for Gary. I was told that Gary is no longer working there.

 

In North Carolina call Ken Kavanaugh at Toyota of Gastonia. They dealt with me and I got an excellent price and service. A better price that all the other Charlotte dealers.

 

I had an outstanding experience with Longo also! Maybe Longo is not a good place to buy an SUV, but it is an excellent place to buy a Prius. (I have no affiliation with Longo Toyota.) Try Internet sales (Derek Nguyen)

 

You know, I also run a business. If a client has a complaint because of gross misconduct by one of my employees and I told them to keep their complaints in terms of an individual, rather than the whole company, very shortly I wouldn't have any clients left.

It is the responsibility of the business to train and guide their employees. At the time I talked to the salesman who lied to me and to the manager on duty. I don't remember their names, and I don't have to.

If you went to a restaurant and the waiter brought you a turnip instead of the dish you ordered, was rude when you told him you didn't want the turnip, and then wanted to charge you for a lobster, you probably wouldn't go back, would you? Or would you just blame it on the individual? Maybe you would, and that's fine.

Anyway, I just shared my experience. I am glad others have had a better one. But Longo Toyota still sucks in my book.

 

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I also had a very good experience at Longo...through Internet department. Paid MSRP, but I expected that. No hard sell, no funny stuff. Why Longo? The only place I was able to test drive a Prius...no other dealership close to me had one to test drive. Had been looking at Hondas, too, but none of them had any to test drive, either.

 

YEAH! I'm finally driving my Prius! I originally ordered one here in southern CT back in September. I was quoted a 6 month wait but was told it would probably be sooner. That wait is standard fare here in CT but I wasn't happy with the "vibe" of the dealership so I was happy to eventually buy elsewhere.

I saw that a few Prius Chatters seemed to be having good luck in PA. I contacted DAY TOYOTA in Pleasant Hills (Pittsburgh) and Lynn Faulk managed to secure the color/interior/package I wanted in a week...while CT dealers were STILL quoting 6 months. Lynn arranged to get the car to Philly for me which was only a 3 hour ride home for me. All of this was done quite smoothly over the phone. MSRP, no smarminess, no waiting. Apparently the dealership secures inventory from 5 states and is willing to work to get what you want. I'm still keeping my fingers crossed that it's not just too good to be true. If you're tired of waiting for those CT allocations to trickle in, call Lynn at 412-469-3000.

Tom Scarborough at Sparks Toyota, Myrtle Beach, SC was also able to get my color/package within a couple of weeks. I turned that deal down because arrival of the car didn't line up with my visit down south. Tom offered to have the car driven up to CT if I split the cost of flying the driver back. I would have considered that but I'd already finalized the PA deal.

GOOD LUCK!

PS: I averaged 51.7mpg on my way home from Philly. Not bad for my first few hundred hybrid driving miles. B)

 

I had a very good experience with Scott Fuson of Bill Wright Toyota here in Bakersfield. I first came into contact with him this way: I attempted to use Costco's Auto Program to buy a Prius, but Prius was excluded from the program because of the high demand/low supply. I did, however, receive a letter from Scott, who handles Costco sales for Bill Wright, who offered his services anyway. Scott is the Fleet Sales/Leasing manager, too. I made an appointment with him, and he informed me that no one at the dealership was permitted to sell Prius for either more or less than MSRP. He went with first me, then my wife on another day, on test drives. He was surprisingly knowledgeable about the car. He applied absolutely no pressure to buy any options or accessories. He was unfailingly courteous and patient with our desire to have an options package not allocated to either this region or any adjacent one and ended up by placing a special factory order for the exact color and options we wanted. (We wanted #4 for the Vehicle Stability Control, but didn't want to pay the thousands more for any of the higher end options allocated here.) The car was delivered in 90 days from placing that order.

When the car arrived, Scott called, and, when I asked, told me the exact amount of money due including all taxes, license and fees. I told him I would bring a cashier's check for that amount and we would want no extras at the time of delivery. At closing, there was the obligatory meeting with the finance manager, who was also very courteous. He told us he was obligated to offer us a number of extras, including extended warranty, fabric treatment, paint treatment, and security options. He did so, and we simply said, "No, thank you" to each offer, and he went on without so much as a word of further attempts at persuasion. It may have helped that he already had the cashier's check in hand, and he knew ahead of time we had said we would want no extras.

The whole process of closing took an hour or so. Then we drove off in our new car! :lol: Very pleasant experience! Very pleasant salesman! I think it might help--and I've noticed this in a number of replies here--to specifically ask for a salesperson with some authority, like the fleet manager or the head of leasing or internet sales, or, in smaller dealerships, the sales manager. It may be they tend to be more relaxed and less pushy than the regular sales people. They're certainly more knowledgeable.