Clermont Toyota "Bait and Switch"

[bobsheckley]

I found a Toyota Highlander advertised on their website. I called and was told they would hold the car for me. We drove one hour to the dealership.

When we arrived, we were taken to a model that was not what I had asked to see. The salesman said "Let's demo this model and then see about your vehicle". The demo vehicle had many options I did not want or need. And it was much more expensive.

We finally sat down to review the cost sheet. At that time I was told our car had been sold yesterday. I was told it was still there that morning. I got angry and the sales people got very defensive. We had a total of four people involved with the transaction. There was no apology. We left and spent another hour driving back to TV.

Would not recommend this dealership to anyone.

[JourneyOfLife]

I would never even bother to look at dealer ads when looking to buy a vehicle.

I tend to use independent sources of information to get a fix on any form of manufacturer deal and the cost. Now days, consumer reports, kelly blue book, and others. I also read a lot of buyers review on forums. Plus look at NHTSA (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration) website for official complaints about the vehicle (past and current model year).

I make my own deal and negotiate it using the information.

[VillagesFlorida]

I found a Toyota Highlander advertised on their website. I called and was told they would hold the car for me. We drove one hour to the dealership.

When we arrived, we were taken to a model that was not what I had asked to see. The salesman said "Let's demo this model and then see about your vehicle". The demo vehicle had many options I did not want or need. And it was much more expensive.

We finally sat down to review the cost sheet. At that time I was told our car had been sold yesterday. I was told it was still there that morning. I got angry and the sales people got very defensive. We had a total of four people involved with the transaction. There was no apology. We left and spent another hour driving back to TV.


Would not recommend this dealership to anyone.

We tried to buy a new Toyota Sienna van at Toyota of Clermont last fall. We found just the right van, with all of the right options, in the right color. 3 salespeople later, and sitting with the " finance manager for another two hours, we were mortified by the trade in amount offered us for our 2008 Sienna van. I politely told him that the offer was an insult and we promptly left. It was going to be a cash sale and there was no need of the run around we got from the finance guy. After visiting two more Toyota dealerships we landed at Honda of Ocala. The buying experience there was night and day different and we left with a new Honda Odyssey van. It was clear from our first contact there that our satisfaction and happiness with our purchase was the number one priority for all who worked with us. Some minor concerns after the sale were handled immediately and to our complete and utter satisfaction. We started the buying process expecting to own a Toyota Sienna van but it was Honda of Ocala's customer service that won us over. It will be the first place we head when the time comes to replace our Odyssey.

[ROCKETMAN]

Never look at newspaper adds when buying a new car. The price they show to buy or lease is unrealistic at best. Example i just bought a 2013 hundia elentra, price in paper showed lease for 139 a month or buy 13,999. That exampves a car that doesn't exist. Manual trans, no radio, no nothing. Thats the first thing i said to the salesman and he agreed, but that is company advertising and they have to use it to get people in the showroom. I purchas the gls which is not the expensive model and it 19500 and the lease would of been 189. Salesman was not high pressure and only took 5 minutes with sales manager to get price for my tradi-in. Jenkins in leesburg.

[John_W]

Here is how I handled purchasing my latest car. If you already know the make and model of the new car you want to buy, then go to AutoTrader.com (http://www.autotrader.com/) and enter the information. That's what I did in 2013 and the parameters of 100 miles.

Soon every car dealer within that 100 mile area that had those cars on their lot would appear. I was looking for a Hyundai Veloster Turbo in silver or white with automatic. It was a limited release so I had to search for two weeks before finding the exact car in Winter Haven at Red Haugland Hyundai. I called and they confirmed the car was there and for sale. In fact the online salesman took his phone and walked out to the car and asked if I had any questions.

Then I did two more options on AutoTrader.com (http://www.autotrader.com/), the first was how much should I pay. The car's list price was $23,925. The answer was $22,600, I was a little surprised because the car was hard to find and online message boards said dealers were getting above list price. Sort of like when the Mazda Miata first hit the market.

Next I asked AutoTrader.com (http://www.autotrader.com/) how much should I get on trade for my car. I had a 2011 Mazda 3 Grand Touring Hatchback. I entered the car's mileage and that it was a trade for a new car and the answer was $16,600.

Next I headed to Red Haugland down Hwy 27 and upon arrival I saw the salesman who was waiting for me and test drove the car. I told them I would pay $22,600 for the car and I wanted $16,600 for my trade. The salesman left the room for about 30 seconds and came back and shook my hand and said we have a deal. It was the best car buying experience I ever had.

http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/800x600q90/856/z4dc.jpg

[philnpat]

Nice looking car!