Clearwater Toyota

Reviews 3

ST

Steve

CAVEAT EMPTOR Buyer Beware I have had 2 experiences with them and will not do business there again. Its like going back in time to slick willys or honest abes car lot. I traded my 2009 Jeep Grand Cherokee with 148,000 miles on a 2011 Toyota 4Runner with 85,000 miles Big Mistake! 1. They wanted to charge me over $300.00 for a 2nd key 2. They refused to touch up the chips on the hood, but agreed to "give me" touch up paint. 3. The detailing was pathetic: white wax on a black vehicle everywhere, filthy seats and headrests, nasty carpets, 4. the cup holder inserts were missing so there was no way to hold a cup, the carpets were swapped out for grey vs the black ones, there was a problem with the brakes, 5. they replaced all 4 tires, but didnt align it because "they dont have to" and it was way out of align, (Every car and tire company I have spoken with insist you align the vehicle when all 4 tires are replaced) 6. this $30,000 vehicle had no warranty...not a week, 30 days, 6 months ...NONE!! There are no warranties on used vehicles unless you purchase one. What they did for my 4Runner: 1. they negotiated a 2nd key 3. the tires were new, but not aligned because they dont "have to" as per "Jay" a mgr 4. they offered financing with no money down which made me upside down and paying more than the car was worth. Ask them directly if you will be upside down and dont allow them to evade the question. Also go online to truecar to see what the real value is 5. the detail and prepping was pathetic: my backseat is not used and yet the seats and front headrests were disgustingly filthy 6. the finance mgr makes money on "extra" interest. Say you qualify for 4% and he charges you more than that, he makes a profit. There is no full disclosure here! He keeps the computer monitor pointing away from you so you cant see it When I went back demanding an alignment they offered me a 2015 Jeep Wrangler for the same payment (neglecting to say that they were taking the 4Runner back at $5,094.00 less than I had paid a couple of months earlier and rolling those funds into the jeep financing). It turns out there was a problem with takata airbags, they had been deploying without provocation injuring people and a class action suit is underway. Jay said they could replace the airbags with more defective ones as there wasnt a fix yet which is why I was offered "the deal". I took the jeep, not thinking that there would be another $699.00 dealer prep rolled into it as well as $5094.00 from the 4Runner making me approx $5792.00 upside down. A slick move!! If the 4Runner was unsafe why did they undercut the original price by $5094.00 after only a few months after I purchased it instead of trying to do the right thing? PROFIT!! I purchased a 2009 Camry Hybrid from them thinking perhaps I was the one that fell in the cracks and no one could be that unsavory. I was wrong! Some of the issues in less than a month (30 days of ownership): 1. a headlight restoration was part of the agreement, they are already fogging over When I asked Jay about it he scoffed and asked how long I thought it would last, I was thinking longer than a month. 2. the required maint light came on, it turns out I need an oil change, $80.00 3. the hepa filter is gone, $62.00 4. the new tires were not balanced, $20.00 5. a brake service is necessary, $37.00 6. A/C Evap Svce, $110.00 They said they had checked the car out, I dont know if they did, what I do know is what is needed within a month of ownership. Its hard to fathom that Sonic, the company that owns Clearwater Toyota behaves in such a dishonorable manner> I told Jay I would be placing this online, he laughed and said no one reads that anyway! I suggest anywhere else to be treated fairly.

SA

sarah Gaborik

I need to take a moment to tell you all about my experience at Clearwater Toyota, because I couldnt be more satisfied with it. I began my search for my very first car with nothing particular in mind, expect that it fit my budget and had low mileage. Mostly because I didnt know what I could qualify for with no Credit and a Cosigner whos Credit was poor. I was ready to take what I could get. This is when my sales assosicate, Mark Roth, comes into the picture. He and I had spoken over the phone and via email. When I made it to his dealership he greeted me pleasantly. We talked about my needs. He understood right off the bat what position I was in. Instead of walking the lot to browse cars, Mark took us to sit down and discuss further. With his experience, and knowing my only desires were that the car fit my budget and had low mileage, he came across a car that he knew he could get me approved for. A beautiful pre-certified Red 2015 Toyota Corolla S with less than 30,000 miles on it. I loved the car. Needless to say, here came the paperwork - The negotiation. Mark stepped away to have number ran with the sales manager. As I waited for them to come back, I thought more and more about the car... And I realized... I dont want a Red car. The numbers came back, Id been approved, the car fit my budget. But I didnt LOVE the car. I walked away. Figured Id check out some other dealerships. The night passes and I start my next day by picking out the next dealership. I had an appointment ready to go for when I got out of work that evening. To my surprise, Mark called. He told me about another car that had been tucked away in the back of the Lot. A pre-certified White 2015 Toyota Corolla S. I was interested. But I kept telling myself that it was stupid to go back and look at the SAME car in a different color. I spent the entire day thinking about this car. The more I thought about how nice the Red one was, the more I wanted to revisit this White Corrola. So, I did. I was falling in love with the car throughout my entire work day. Needless to say, I went home with that White Corrola. However, the greatest part of my experience was not buying the car, but the time I spent with Mark. As a salesman, Mark was honest & genuine. He didnt beat around the bush or sugar coat the hard parts. Mark even made sure the dealership repainted my hood due to paint damage that I hadnt noticed until after the first round of paperwork. I wouldnt just send my friends to Clearwater Toyota... I would send them to Mark Roth. He cares. He is all that I was hoping for in a salesman. As a first time car buyer, and after a horrible experience at the first dealership I went to, I wouldnt want to do business with anyone else. Mark Roth is trustworthy; if its important to you that you feel like your salesman is working for YOU - Not the Lender, not the Dealership, but YOU - Mark Roth is the man for you. I look forward to seeing him during my lifetime of Free Car Washes.

MA

Marra Piazza Brass

We moved to the area a year ago from NY. It was time to say good bye to my Subaru and after much research online, I had narrowed down my choices to a Honda CRV and a Toyota Rav4. I drove a CRV earlier that day and did not care for it, so then focused my time on a Rav4. Being new to the area and wanting to purchase a brand new vehicle, I have lots of choices for a Toyota. There are quite a few dealerships within an hour radius. They all had the same product, they all had the same financing special since it came from Toyota, so what dealership to choose? I did not chose the closest one to home, I chose Clearwater Toyota (CT). I did some searches and all things seem to be overall positive about CT. There are some negative reviews out there but feel that car buying can be stressful. Also, I do believe many people are not realistic in their expectations in the car buying experience. I reached out via email and was called in the same day. Mike was very knowledgeable about the Rav4 and was not pushy to come in but made it easy to make an appointment to do so. I came in a day later and found out he was finishing with another customer but Terry would be helping us. Friendly, nice, did not try to upsell me. I asked a few very specific out of the ordinary questions which he promptly found out. Through this experience I learned that car sales happen fast here in the state of Florida. I did not realize we had potential to drive off the lot that evening with our new car. And we did! After test driving it several times, my car needed to be appraised. We then left for dinner and then came back to finish the paperwork. Bobby in Finance is a gem. I made a mistake or two signing my name (how hard is that?!?) and created more work for him. :) I appreciate his straightforwardness. I have purchased cars before and this was an excellent experience. I would recommend Terry and Clearwater Toyota to anyone. I brought my new ride home and my next door neighbor has a 2010 Highlander she wants to trade in soon for another. She purchased it at the dealership closest to my house and said she would never go back there, so I recommended Clearwater Toyota. She now plans to make the hike up route 19 to get her new vehicle.