My Review Of Bay Ridge Toyota/Scion:
This is the first car I've leased in over 5 years and I was actually dreading walking into the dealership, knowing the typical car sales regimen facing me. My goal was to take a look at the Toyota hybrid lines to understand the various models and the value that it would give me and get out...Fast. I hadn't made an appointment and the people that were up front were very friendly and linked me up with Ali Naqi as the person I would work with. He came out from the back promptly. Ali gladly took the time to explain the differences in various models, the 4 different Prius models, the new RAV 4, the Camry and we didn't discuss the Avalon, because I mentioned that I wanted a small to mid size car. Ali, put me at ease from the get go. He explained the variations in the different models, how the hybrids and electric vehicles work and some of the differences in comparison to gas powered cars. We discussed gas mileage, power, comfort and all the bells and whistles in the variations of each model. We even discussed a few of the competitive models, and Ali was very objective but also admitted to having a bias toward the Toyota's and elaborated on why. He helped me come to the conclusion that the Prius V was probably the car that made the most sense. It fits 5 people, has ample leg, head room and cargo space, yet still gets above 40 mpg. So, off we went to test drive the model that was in stock. He was patient and went through all the bells and whistles and all the quirks that are different in driving a hybrid vehicle. So, we sat down and went through a very reasonable negotiation process, which I felt was an equitable solution for both of us. In other words, he made me feel happy as a customer. I just drove the car home last night and he already called me in the morning to help me get an appointment to get the lojack installed. I felt it was not the typical high pressure sale and I felt that there was more of a partnership in guiding me to the right vehicle. I walked out of Toyota that evening with a deposit on the Prius V that I test drove. I would highly recommend Ali Naqi as THE Toyota representative to work with. Should any of my friends be looking into a new car, I will absolutely send them to Bay Ridge Toyota and I will direct them to work with Ali. And the next time I'm in need of a car, I will certainly be looking up Ali.
Also, I would like to give kudos to George Bakkou, the finance person from Toyota. He and Ali were very helpful guiding me through the options available for the car and explaining what they meant and where the value was in terms of leasing vs. buying. Plus George is a "good Greek guy" (I'm Greek).
If I was giving them school grades, they would each get an A+ in my book.
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