West Coast Toyota

Bait & Switch Game - very bad - I walked out 2 days negotiation and they finally said they would match another dealer's offer. Agreed to price, terms and financing and only when I got to the fina 2 days negotiation and they finally said they would match another dealer's offer. Agreed to price, terms and financing and only when I got to the finance guy did I discover the interest rate had more than doubled. I doubt most people would have caught the tactic they used to do this. I did, brought it to their attention and walked out. ***AVOID THIS UNSCRUPULOUS DEALER *** More

The worst car buying experience I have ever had! I am so disappointed with the service I received at West Coast Toyota. I really expected more from a Toyota dealership. I live in San Diego and wa I am so disappointed with the service I received at West Coast Toyota. I really expected more from a Toyota dealership. I live in San Diego and was inquiring on a 16 Toyota Camry XSE I found from an online listing. I received a call back from a sales rep named Aldo. He was interrupting me left and right from our very first interaction. I think what bothers me most and the main reason I writing this review is due to Aldo’s insistence that I give him my social to run credit. He tried multiple angles to get this information. He began telling me he needed it for the Patriot Act which I ruled out as a scam with a quick google search. Interestingly enough, Aldo attempted to get this information again the following day using the same excuse and putting me on hold only to tell me his finance manager advised him otherwise (as if he had totally forgotten the conversation we had the prior day). I drove 2 hours to the dealership the following day. I had asked Aldo if there was any damage to the vehicle prior to the drive and he had assured me it was in great condition and backed by a Toyota certification (who he reminded me frequently was a multi billion dollar company that would not put their reputation on the line). Aldo told me he had already sent the vehicle off for detailing and that all the paperwork would be ready to go when I got there to ensure efficiency and help me beat the traffic back to San Diego. I felt a lot of ease walking into this huge beautiful building when I arrived as Aldo had made me feel like I was dealing with a shifty corner sales lot. Looks are deceiving. He sat me and my father down advising the vehicle was finishing being detailed. He had me filling out paperwork before I even got to see the car. He had over 2 hours advance notice I was on the way yet the vehicle was not even available for me to see. He sits me down and ONCE AGAIN asks me for my social which infuriated me! He goes off and speaks to someone who tells him he can put all 0’s in for my social and continue. He goes on to ask about where I work, how much I make, what I pay for rent and for references. I once again stopped him and advised he should not need this information and that he only needs to call the bank to make sure my check is good. He absolutely insists he needs to get all this information to run an OFAC check to see if I am a terrorist. I then see that his computer shows he is filling out a credit report. At this point I was so upset that he brought over a finance manager (Steaphy Le) who assured me that this report, despite the fact that its headed as “credit report” is necessary to run the OFAC check. I googled this today and found only the name is needed to run an OFAC report, nothing else. They both promised me that they would not run and credit report and that they didnt have my social to do so anyway which makes me truly wonder why he filled it out in the first place. Are they going to fabricate a social and submit something with my info? The whole situation is alarming and screams fraud and deception. He finally brings out the car—dusty, dirty, and with evident damage on the rear passenger side bumper/panel. It was apparent this car was in some back warehouse not to be see because of the thick layer of dust covering the car. Aldo has lied and said the car was being detailed when it had not even begun that process. I was so disappointed to see the damage on the bumper and Aldo quickly tried to shake this off as cosmetic damage while rushing me into the car for a test drive. We went around 1 block for the test drive with 31 miles to empty on the tank. Then entire drive he spoke over my ability to hear the car telling me about how I was going to get to meet his manager and how his manager loved horses. I asked him what that had to do with buying the car and he said so that I would have something to talk to his manager about that he liked. I literally could not believe he was prepping me to find commonality with his manager when I was the one there trying to purchase a car. A manager by the name of Shawn eventually came out to discuss the fact that the vehicle had clearly been in an accident. He agreed that Carfax is not a guarantee and explained that Toyota certification does not address “cosmetic issues”. The bumper was clearly not aligned properly on the passenger side and he agreed and advised that is probably why they had bargained with me. I protested saying that I was never told of this damage that was considered in the bargain yet they let me drive 2 hours stating the car was perfect. He basically told me damage is subjective and was unwilling to budge on the price. Needless to say, I walked away from the "deal". I lost 6 hours of paid time at work, 5 hours in traffic and the gas associate, 7 hours of my time, toll fees, and tons of emotional energy. Do not waste your time with this dealership. Do not trust Toyota certification or Carfax. Guard your social and make sure you are informed. More