My experience with Route 22 Toyota was exhausting and - Alex8828
My experience with Route 22 Toyota was exhausting and heartbreaking. I spent four days working on a lease for a 2026 Toyota C-HR that my wife and I genuinely fell in love with.
The original payment was in the low $590s. I asked whether the dealership could do better. After negotiations, I was told the payment could be brought to $560 per month for 36 months, 7,500 miles per year, with only the first payment due.
A few hours later, there was another issue: my wife’s credit tier was not high enough for the original approval, and the payment went back into the low $590s. I asked whether anything could be done. Route 22 had a manager work directly with the bank and then confirmed Tier 1 approval at $560 per month. This happened Wednesday, and we scheduled delivery for Thursday.
Scott was off Thursday, so Jeff stepped in to finish the delivery. My wife canceled appointments so we could get to the dealership on time. As we were walking out the door, Jeff called with another issue: management had used the DMV/registration amount for a gas vehicle instead of the higher New Jersey EV registration amount. The dealership said the error was approximately $1,000, and the payment went right back into the low $590s.
I understand NJ EV registration fees are real. What I do not understand is how a dealership can move a payment from the low $590s to $560, return it to the low $590s because of credit, get the credit corrected and reconfirm $560, then move it back to the same low $590s because of another internal calculation error.
The result was simple: $590 or nothing. It left me feeling like the $560 payment was never truly secure, even after it was confirmed, and that I was led to believe I had a deal only to have it disappear when it was time to take delivery.
Scott was respectful during the process. Jeff did call to deliver the latest bad news, but the way he handled the situation was unprofessional. While I was on hold trying to speak with a manager about the deal falling apart, I overheard him tell the manager that “this customer is bugging.” In that context, “bugging” means bothering or annoying someone. I found it dismissive and disrespectful when I was simply asking to speak with management about a payment Route 22 had repeatedly confirmed.
Before posting a public review, I asked Ahmed for the General Manager’s direct contact information so I could resolve this privately. I was not given an email address or direct phone number.
Mistakes happen. What separates a reputable dealership from a bad experience is how it responds. Route 22 acknowledged its error but would not honor its own quote, would not make a meaningful compromise, and would not give me a direct way to escalate the issue.
Buyers should demand a complete written lease worksheet before getting emotionally invested, rearranging family schedules, or heading to the dealership. But even with a full worksheet and a quoted payment, understand that the dealership can still try to change the number before delivery. Do not fall in love with the vehicle until every number is final and you are actually signing the contract. Make sure the worksheet includes the selling price, trade/payoff, rebates, money factor, residual, dealer fees, taxes, acquisition fee, and NJ EV registration.
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