Lakeland Toyota

I was extremely pleased with how I was treated by management and my salesman Troy while buying a new car on Monday, 1/4/21. I have bought vehicles at this dealership in the past and have used them fo management and my salesman Troy while buying a new car on Monday, 1/4/21. I have bought vehicles at this dealership in the past and have used them for service and I have come to expect nothing less than what I experienced. I would recommend them highly to anyone. More

Excellent customer service. All staff were polite and courteous. Would recommend them to service your vehicle. Prompt service and they call you when vehicle is ready for pick up. courteous. Would recommend them to service your vehicle. Prompt service and they call you when vehicle is ready for pick up. More

Awesome! Scott was very friendly and nice to work with. I appreciate being treated well and he was so helpful. Thanks again for the excellent treatment. appreciate being treated well and he was so helpful. Thanks again for the excellent treatment. More

Let me preface this review with my prior experience with Toyota. My mother has a Highlander that was purchased before I started working with vehicles. It has been a blissfully reliable vehicle and as such Toyota. My mother has a Highlander that was purchased before I started working with vehicles. It has been a blissfully reliable vehicle and as such, the only experience I had had with Toyota was running into my local Sarasota Toyota dealer for consumable parts (filters, gaskets, etc.). I was always helped immediately and had the proper parts in under five minutes. Compared to other dealers I was blown away by the competency and honesty of the workers in the parts department. Unfortunately, my most recent experiences contradict everything I thought Toyota stood for. I have been blatantly lied to on numerous occasions and had a dealer state that they will just destroy document and pretend a sale never happened. In hindsight, I should have seen that a dealer which is willing to sell a truck before a safety inspection should not be trusted, but I was blinded by my prior trust in the Toyota name. While back in Florida visiting my family for Christmas, I decided to look around to see if I could find a decent 4x4 truck. I have always been a Ford person but was striking out on F-150s and decided to broaden my search to other vehicles. I checked Sarasota Toyota’s pre-owned inventory and found what looked to be a great truck. A 2010 Tundra was listed for $12,999 with 195,000 miles. Normally I would be very hesitant to consider a vehicle with that high a mileage but from my prior experience with the Highlander and Toyota’s reputation figured I would give it a go. I reached out to Sarasota Toyota on December 19th and was told that the Tundra was on Lakeland Toyota’s lot. After reaching out to Lakeland Toyota, I was put in touch with Joan Perez. Mr. Perez was extremely helpful. He drove to find the truck on the lot and took several photos that showed that the truck was in great condition for its age. On December 20th I drove to Lakeland to check out the truck in person. I took it for an extensive test drive and was surprised by how well the steering/suspension felt with that many miles. There were a few small issues with the truck pulling to the right and the speedometer being off, but I was assured that these issues would be fixed in the shop before the truck was given to me. On the test drive, I was first told of the 30-day, 1000-mile warranty. This was used as a major selling point to convince me to buy from the dealer rather than pursue vehicles from private sellers. As I walked into finance to finalize the purchase, I was informed that the truck had not passed its safety inspection yet but not to worry as any issues would be fixed. In finance, I signed for the truck and title transfer. I also signed documents for the 30-day, 1000-mile warranty and have a document signed by the authorized dealer representative stating that the vehicle has the warranty. I was told that the truck would go into the shop the first thing the following morning and then would get driven down to Sarasota by the early afternoon. On December 21st, things started to go south. Despite expecting the truck in the early afternoon, the first update came at 3:16 PM. Mr. Perez informed me that the truck had extensive issues found during the inspection and needed three to five thousand dollars of repairs. My options were either to pay more money for the truck I had already purchased, take the truck “as is” with no repairs and no warranty, or buy another vehicle that didn’t have issues. The other vehicle he suggested appeared to be an excellent truck but unfortunately was not a 4x4 which was a critical requirement for this purchase. I asked for more information on the repairs needed and was told I would have to wait a day before I could get a quote. The story I was told at this point was that the issues were found during the safety inspection therefore they were not covered by the warranty as it had not taken effect yet. On December 22nd, I got a quote for the repairs needed. It came to $574 for parts and $1045 for labor. From the parts required on the quote, it appeared that some shaft seals were leaking, there was a torn CV boot, and a water pump had to be replaced. I have never had a bad experience with Toyota service so will assume these issues were legitimate. That being said, the temperature gauge never moved above normal on our 20-mile interstate test drive and there were no noticeable leaks under the truck. After I got the quote for repairs, the story changed on the truck. The warranty that was the main reason I purchased the truck was a “mistake” and really didn’t apply for this truck as it had over 100,000 miles. Apparently, the dealer policy was that a vehicle with over 100,000 miles is a high mileage vehicle and they could only sell high mileage vehicles “as is”. I found this very strange as multiple salespeople used the warranty as a selling point throughout the process knowing that the vehicle had close to 200,000 miles on it. Additionally, in finance, I signed papers stating the vehicle came with a warranty. On the night of the 22nd, I talked with my father about my experiences with the dealership. He was livid that a dealership was trying to pull one over on his kid. The following day, December 23rd, he called the dealership and was told that the vehicle had not been sold despite signing for the vehicle and title in finance. He was also given the third story of the week for why the vehicle could not be delivered. Apparently, it was a safety issue and Toyota could not release the vehicle without repairs. I find this interesting as I had been offered multiple times to accept the vehicle as is with no warranty. Lakeland Toyota has refunded me the money for the purchase and stated they will simply destroy the documents I signed and pretend the sale never happened. At this point I am more than willing to cut my loss at just two days of wasted time and go on my way. That being said, I believe the behavior demonstrated by Lakeland Toyota was unethical at best and potentially illegal. They refused to honor an agreement that to the best of my knowledge is legally binding and simply decided to destroy the documents that prove it happened. As a side note, Lakeland Toyota failed to disclose that the mileage on the odometer was inaccurate due to the speedometer being off by around 13% despite me bringing it up several times. This could be construed to be odometer fraud. I do not blame Mr. Perez or the other salespeople I interacted with for my experience. They were extremely helpful and kind while I was at the dealership. Unfortunately, I assume their hands are tied when it came to the end result. They get a directive from management and must follow it. At the end of the process, I am more disappointed than anything. I mistakenly believed, based on Toyota’s stellar reputation, I could trust a dealership to be honest and follow their end of a written agreement. Unfortunately, I assume the dealership saw a 20-year-old trying to buy a relatively inexpensive vehicle and figured that there would be no consequences to going back on their word. In a way they are correct. I leave to head back up north in a few days, and it is not worth it to fight for the truck. I already wasted two days I would have rather spent with my family and will not waste more. That being said, the reputation of Toyota is forever tarnished in my mind. Toyotas may be great vehicles, but Lakeland Toyota’s sales department has less integrity than any I have seen previously. Respectfully, Matthew King More

Awesome. Really worked with me and got the truck I wanted at the price I wanted. Lots of inventory to choose from.. Highly recommend to everyone. wanted at the price I wanted. Lots of inventory to choose from.. Highly recommend to everyone. More

Lakeland Toyota performed the safety recall quickly and professionally. I would recommend them for any Toyota service. Was able to schedule service appointment the same day I called. professionally. I would recommend them for any Toyota service. Was able to schedule service appointment the same day I called. More

Robero Morales at Lakeland Toyota listened to what I was looking for over the phone and then had exactly what I wanted pulled up and ready for a test ride when I got there. The whole buying experience was e looking for over the phone and then had exactly what I wanted pulled up and ready for a test ride when I got there. The whole buying experience was easy and comfortable. I had done my research before visiting so I knew what I was looking for as a fair price and they were right on the money. Great service, great price, no high pressure pushing, just an all around good experience. Thanks Roberto and everyone else behind the scenes. More

Wayne was easy to work with and car service was completed on time. Received a courtesy ride from Hawkeye and he’s always pleasant. Pick up and return were prompt. on time. Received a courtesy ride from Hawkeye and he’s always pleasant. Pick up and return were prompt. More

Organized customer service and confident in service on my vehicle. Friendly staff. Clean waiting area and restrooms. My Rav 4 has been a good economical vehicle since I purchased it in 2013. vehicle. Friendly staff. Clean waiting area and restrooms. My Rav 4 has been a good economical vehicle since I purchased it in 2013. More

One of the best car buying experiences I’ve ever had. I will be sending my friends to come see you when they are in need of a vehicle. The sales staff was friendly knowledgeable and did not pressure me. I will be sending my friends to come see you when they are in need of a vehicle. The sales staff was friendly knowledgeable and did not pressure me. I will definitely be buying my next vehicle from you. More