Daytona Toyota

I found a Used 2008 Toyota SUV on autotrader and the price seemed great so i reached out to Daytona Toyota to see if i could work out a deal. I currently live in NC and have purchased my last several c price seemed great so i reached out to Daytona Toyota to see if i could work out a deal. I currently live in NC and have purchased my last several cars out of state so i never think twice about driving a few hours for a good deal. This was the furthest that i have driven for a car purchase thus far and maybe i have learned my lesson. Overall, the first half of this transaction was great and i went as far as to tell the salesman that if the whole transaction went through as easiy as the first part had, it would be the smoothest transaction ever. I may have jinxed myself in saying that. i put down my deposit and made plans to drive 8 hours to Daytona on a Saturday, booked a hotel, woke up Sunday morning and went to the dealership at 11am prompt as soon as they opened. I arive to the dealership to find that the salesman that i had been working with was on vacation and i was never informed of this. I ended up working with another gentleman who was nice enough but i just found it odd that no one ever let me know that the person i had communicated with for the last several days was nowhere to be found. Looking at the car initially, everything looked good, the scratches on the bumper had been repaired as promised. The car looked as good as a used 2008 should look. Then...i opened the door and the first smell that hit me was smoke. IN the final conversation that i had on the phone with the sales agent a few days earlier, we had a conversation about the previous owner of the car being in the medical field and i said specifically, "i assume that the previous owner of the car being a cardiologist, they didnt smoke". While i cannot be sure, i am pretty sure i got a "No" as the answer. either way, that would have been the perfect time to speak up knowing that this was obviously something that was important to me. I had also asked if the car had an ipod interface and was told yes. In fact, it did not, it had an AUX 1/8 input instead. While this will work for an ipod, it is NOT an ipod interface and having an ipod interfact from Toyota installed in a Sequioa is likely around $400-$500. IN addition, the dealer knew for several days that i was coming and i wanted to get in and out and the car was NOT detailed and ready to go. i do understand that it likely wouldnt have taken very long to detail but still, i guess i assumed that after driving for 8 hours, getting to Daytona late, waking up in an effort to get the car and get out of town quickly, that everything would have been in order. Most everything else was as promised, the car was certified, etc. I expressed my dissatisfaction to the person i was dealing with almost immediately and i would think that one of the first things that would be done in that instance would be to have a sales manager come over and address the sitation, possibly apologize for the inconvenience and let me know that they were working on making it right. It took at least 30 minutes for a manager to approach me and that was only when i was headed out the door. They let me know that they only had about $500-$600 of room left in the car and i let them know that $500-600 was not going to do it. I spent that much in gas and hotel to travel there, not to mention the 1200 miles i put on my car that i was going to trade in, and then there is the time i wasted which has a monetary value as well. I am anxious to see if i get a phone call from the salesman when they return from vacation but my guess is that i will not. In my opinion, i would just advise that you be sure to get straight answers on your questions before buying at this dealership and if you can buy a car closer to home, may be worth your money to pay more for the car and save money on your time and travels. More

Ok, the reality of the situation is the service department is very poor. Yea, when you buy a car your told how great it is, how you'll get loaner cars, and quick responses, and "customer care". Wi department is very poor. Yea, when you buy a car your told how great it is, how you'll get loaner cars, and quick responses, and "customer care". With regards to my situation, this is not the case. I've brought my prius in three times now for the same problem. Each time, I've had to wait over a week for a loaner car. Each time it comes back with the same problem (which is, nothing lights up car won't start after you turn it off). First repair consisted of a computer reset. That didn't do anything... broke down again. Second time they said it was the key fob...broke down again. Then they said that even though the 12v battery tests good, thats the problem. So, $240 later, it breaks down on the side of the road again. During this time I called the dealership to tell them that every time I put it in park the "low key" light comes on. Jackie, a service rep, tells me, "we will document your issue." Of course, that's when she decides to call me back. Now, I am waiting, once again, for there to be a loaner car available so I can bring my prius back in to have another diagnostic test performed. You would think that when there is a chronic issue with a vehicle and your service department is having difficulty in the diagnosis, that customer care would be brought to the forefront. For instance, come get the vehicle; tow the vehicle to the service department; have loaner cars available. See, when you live 45 minutes from the dealership you kinda rely on good service to help you when you have a problem. Yes, we could get the vehicle there but if they want to keep it for a couple days, offer to bring me home! Do something! I don't expect a dealership to necessarily treat their customers like royality, but taking 4 days off work to drive to the service department over the course of a month is more burdensome than you think. You can buy a vehicle from anywhere. What makes one dealership stand out over another is their service after the sale. Sure, oil changes and tire rotations are great, but when it comes to a real issue, I want a dealership that can step up and deliver on that service promise. More