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A-1 Toyota
New Haven, CT
1,140 Reviews
In the early 60’s, the owners of a local garage received a postcard announcing the production of a new four-wheel drive vehicle. At the time, the automotive industry was producing only one other vehicle in this category, so the owners thought this might be a good opportunity to introduce a new four-wheel drive vehicle that they would be able to sell as well as service. The postcard was answered and the response was the founding of the first Toyota dealership in New England and the beginning of what has become a very successful endeavor for Dominic Galardi, Anthony Buglione and A-1 Toyota.
The history of A-1 Service began before this. In January of 1951, Dom joined his father-in-law, Tony Buglione in a partnership that included a gas station and used cars. The station was located on the corner of Olive Street and St. John in New Haven.
In the late 1950’s, a new highway system was breaking through the neighborhood, people started moving to the suburbs, and with the limited space they had already outgrown, A-1 looked for a new location.
The new site they chose was in East Haven. The partnership grew to include Dominic’s brother, Andrew.
Their new location, occupying a city block on Main Street and the sign reading A-1 Auto Service, Inc., became a landmark for many.
In 1963, A-1 completed the building of the first Toyota showroom on the East Coast. In 1966, just three years after opening their dealership, A-1 became the second largest Toyota dealership in the country. Toyota’s line-up featured only two vehicles at the time, the four-wheel drive Land Cruiser and one of the first economy cars, the Tiara.
Over the years, A-1 Toyota continued to grow and in 1980 moved to their current location on Amity Road in New Haven adding the Dodge franchise that dueled with Toyota until 1990.
A-1 Toyota’s line-up looks far different than it did in 1963, but the basis for a successful business has continued. The business is still owned by the same family, and Domin
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This rating includes all dealership reviews, with more weight given to recent reviews.
Sales Price Transparency
Service Price Transparency
Trade-in Experience
Purchase Time
Finance Experience
Workmanship
Service Time
Hours
Sales/Showroom
Monday 9:00 AM - 8:30 PM
Tuesday 9:00 AM - 8:30 PM
Wednesday 9:00 AM - 8:30 PM
Thursday 9:00 AM - 8:30 PM
Friday 9:00 AM - 7:30 PM
Saturday 9:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Sunday Closed
Service
Monday 7:30 AM - 7:00 PM
Tuesday 7:30 AM - 7:00 PM
Wednesday 7:30 AM - 7:00 PM
Thursday 7:30 AM - 7:00 PM
Friday 7:30 AM - 7:00 PM
Saturday 7:30 AM - 5:00 PM
Sunday Closed
Parts
Monday 7:30 AM - 7:00 PM
Tuesday 7:30 AM - 7:00 PM
Wednesday 7:30 AM - 7:00 PM
Thursday 7:30 AM - 7:00 PM
Friday 7:30 AM - 7:00 PM
Saturday 7:30 AM - 5:00 PM
Sunday Closed
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Showing 1,140 reviews
February 08, 2018
Great Service Department A-1 has an incredible service department and Sarah Celone treated me like I was family today. Haven’t been to the dealership since 1997 and the entire A-1 has an incredible service department and Sarah Celone treated me like I was family today. Haven’t been to the dealership since 1997 and the entire A-1 team made me feel at home. Thank you very much. More
by Greg
Employees Worked With
February 07, 2018
First Toyota - Great Experience Never purchased a Toyota before but A1 made it very simple and easy. Eddie, Paul and Frank were all fantastic and very helpful. Best car buying expe Never purchased a Toyota before but A1 made it very simple and easy. Eddie, Paul and Frank were all fantastic and very helpful. Best car buying experience I’ve had since I’ve been buying cars for 40 years! More
by FC7788
February 07, 2018
Best dealership experience EVER! Gary dos Reis, Kevin Wright and Carlos Orozco were amazing to deal with. A-1 Toyota has a very comfortable environment. Gary, Kevin and Carlos were Gary dos Reis, Kevin Wright and Carlos Orozco were amazing to deal with. A-1 Toyota has a very comfortable environment. Gary, Kevin and Carlos were very professional, friendly and went above and beyond to make sure that all my expectations were met. They actually exceeded all of my expectations. I have purchased many cars in my lifetime and none of the experiences compare to this one. I highly recommend A-! Toyota. You won't be disappointed. Absolutely outstanding. More
by cvisbaras
February 07, 2018
Hugh selection of models, classes and trims I had great experience with Carlos Casul he such a great sale/Lease Guy to deal with, He is very professional he makes you fell comfortable from I had great experience with Carlos Casul he such a great sale/Lease Guy to deal with, He is very professional he makes you fell comfortable from start to finished. Before I purchased my car here, i had been to five dealerships around my area NY/NJ, nothing good but bad experiences, Thank You A-1 Toyota and Carlos l More
by Paul K.
Employees Worked With
Carlos Casul
February 04, 2018
Quincy was Amazing! Quincy was immensely helpful in my selection and purchase of a new car. He was attentive to every last detail and answered all of my questions thorou Quincy was immensely helpful in my selection and purchase of a new car. He was attentive to every last detail and answered all of my questions thoroughly. I highly recommend him and A-! Toyota! More
by Charlie
Employees Worked With
February 01, 2018
What a FANTASTIC experience we had at A1 Toyota!! The people at A1 Toyota exceeded our expectations with their professionalism and cheerful countenances! We never felt harassed or harangued into buyin The people at A1 Toyota exceeded our expectations with their professionalism and cheerful countenances! We never felt harassed or harangued into buying anything. We felt honesty exuding from the people we spoke with; as there was no dancing around questions. At A1 the salesperson was very direct and unafraid to say, “I don’t know. I will let you know as soon as I find out.” The two other dealers we worked with either contacted us too much, the first one querying, “So are you going to buy the truck?” While the second dealer took such a long time calling back we felt like they didn’t want our business. A1 only called to provide answers to questions we asked them to research, as in prices on accessories. It’s not like I’ll need to buy another vehicle for 300,000+ miles, but if I DID, I’d certainly go right back to A1 Toyota! More
by Alexis Wilcox
January 29, 2018
Excellent Love our new Toyota! Quincy was awesome! Highly recommend him and A1 Toyota. Answered all of our questions, very knowledgeable and no pressure. Thi Love our new Toyota! Quincy was awesome! Highly recommend him and A1 Toyota. Answered all of our questions, very knowledgeable and no pressure. This is our second vehicle we purchased at this dealership. Service department, especially Ken are the best! More
by JaneM
January 24, 2018
Outstanding customer service My first lease was ending in March 2018 and I was a little nervous on what to expect. A 1 Toytota and Quincy Smith were in contact with me way before My first lease was ending in March 2018 and I was a little nervous on what to expect. A 1 Toytota and Quincy Smith were in contact with me way before my lease end to ensure all my questions were answered. Quincy was helpful as always and made the leasing of my 2nd car a smooth and comfortable experience. Quincy made sure all the Toyota programs were explained in detail and always gets you the best price deal. Thank you Quincy for your outstanding customer service. More
by vera
Employees Worked With
Other Employees :
Paul Wright did the paperwork. Paul was very persistent and patient through some issues encountered during the process. He explained everything to me in detail and made me feel appreciated as a customer.
January 16, 2018
consistency and excellent service Emerson is the best! Knowledgeable but not pushy, helps you to find what works best for you! He cares about the outcome. My experience at this deale Emerson is the best! Knowledgeable but not pushy, helps you to find what works best for you! He cares about the outcome. My experience at this dealership has resulted in three purchases over the years.. More
by Ruggles
December 30, 2017
Helpful and courteous Carlos was extremely attentive and courteous- he answered all our questions, and looked up the answers he didn’t know. They were upfront and explained Carlos was extremely attentive and courteous- he answered all our questions, and looked up the answers he didn’t know. They were upfront and explained the process and procedures thoroughly. More
by Tmz223
Employees Worked With
Carlos Casul
