Green's Toyota of Lexington

Reason for Visit: Sales

I recommend this dealer: No

My Review of Green's Toyota of Lexington:
When I made an appointment with a sales rep to talk about buying a new car, I had already decided on the exact model and features I was looking for. I had done my research, and I knew exactly what the dealer's costs were on my chosen car, and what a reasonable "sale" price would be. I knew the value of my own trade-in, and made sure that I was honest in evaluating the trade.

My sales rep and the sales manager both presented me with figures that were SUBSTANTIALLY above the invoice price of the car. They both argued when I pointed out their error, and only relented when I pulled out my own paperwork showing the true invoice pricing. They were actually trying to charge me 12.5% ABOVE THE STICKER PRICE. They also played around a whole lot with the value of my trade-in. After some hard-nosed haggling (I was prepared to get up and leave), we agreed on a price. I got it in writing that there would be no "add-ons" or service charges, and that the price we had negotiated was the actual price except for tax and the actual motor vehicle fees.

When I went in the next day to sign the paperwork, I noticed a $365 "service" charge pre-printed on the sales paperwork. I balked. I reminded them that they had agreed to no additional charges. The finance manager outright lied to me and said that this was a valid state licensing fee. I asked him if this was a fee required by law, or if it was a dealer add-on, and he again lied. What can I say -- they tricked me. One of the oldest scams out there, and as usual, they figure that once it gets time to sign the final paperwork, the customer either won't even notice the additional charges or won't want to waste any more time over a few hundred dollars.

The dealership forgot to give me temporary tags for my new car. I had to go in to get the tags after a weekend of driving without any tags (illegal!!!).

It's been 11 days since I bought the new car, and I have had 20+ calls from the dealership in the past two weeks. The finance department has called (I paid cash, but they kept hounding me to finance through them); my sales rep has called, I've had hang-ups on my voicemail from the dealer's number.

I like my car. I will never deal with Green's Toyota again for any reason. There are several other Toyota dealers in and around Lexington--my recommendation is to try any one of them and run (don't walk!) from Green's. It's not worth the lies and aggravation.

Was this review helpful to you? Yes | No

Reason for Visit: Sales

I recommend this dealer: Yes

My Review of Green's Toyota of Lexington:
All persons I have dealt with from Greens Toyota/Scion of Lexington, KY have been VERY polite and professional. They did not play any of the usual dealer "games" I have come to expect from car dealers--especially Toyota/Honda dealers. All the prices on the Scions are no-haggle which is great. They gave me a detailed list of their prices on all Scion accessories and services which was nice. I had originally contacted them through the Scion.com website, then I corresponded with George Hernandez of the Internet Dept., test drove a Scion xB and a Yaris 4-door with John Hicks of the Internet Dept., and wound up purchasing from John Harris of the Scion Dept. assisted by Beejay Elefante. I appreciated the low-pressure sales approach and the very thorough explanations of the car's features. These folks know their product very well and can give you a lot of useful details. Everyone was friendly and seemed very upbeat about their cars which is different from the "there's the car, buy it or don't buy it" attitude I see at other dealers (especially GM/Ford). They gave me a really low price for my trade in but it was in poor condition, in fact I took my trade to another dealer and was offered the exact same amount of money for it, so that was in the ballpark. I could drop $500 on repairs or a down payment so I traded and bought a new 2006 Scion xB. The only things that soured my experience with Greens Scion of Lexington ("GSL") was that the entire buying process took 4 1/2 hours, and the people in the back really didn't bother to detail it at all, just washed it. Interior was dirty and has smudges/scuff marks on the door panels. coke spilled on the console (!!!), could have been vacuumed better--there were leaves and tree buds stuck in the air vents under the hood, underhood was VERY DIRTY. There was one flaw in the car that dealer prep DID NOT CATCH, there is a large scratch in the paint on the bumper. I will have to take the car back soon to have the door panels re-detailed or replaced if they can't clean them up right, plus have the bumper re-painted.
This is simply unacceptable, even in an entry-level car like a Scion. To be fair, the salespeople made an attempt to clean it up again, and they seemed genuinely upset that the detailers let them--and their customer--down. I appreciated that. John Harris even got his hands dirty by swapping the hubcaps to the style I wanted. I have no complaints with the sales people, they made an above-and-beyond effort to earn my business and I hope their management sees this and recognizes them for a job well done. However, if the detail workers and the body shop screw up again Greens may lose my business, time will tell.


Was this review helpful to you? Yes | No

Reason for Visit: Sales

I recommend this dealer: Yes

My Review of Green's Toyota of Lexington:
I figured that this time when I went to dealers to puyrchase a vehicle I would lay out everything on the table. Price, payment and my situation. The first two dealers I went to showed me pretty fast that I was leaving myself open to be a sucker. Even after this I stuck with my plan. When I spoke to George on the phone I laid all this out to him. He promised to be open and honest with me. This had to be the very best experience I have ever had a dealership. I ran across greens just by searching the internet and researching vehicles. If you want someone that will be honest, up front and open with you I would highly recommend Geroge Hernandez. Bryan Vaughn also works in the internet department and helped out when ever needed. Mark Tipton from what I could tell helped the both of them out as much as he could and was a great help. I bought my vehicle below MSRP and am extremily happy with the results. I felt no pressure and was given very courteous service. After other experiences at other dealers I look forward to purchasing my next vehicle from one of these three guys. Not to mention they still remained the same after the sale was finished. I have called and spoke to two of them since then with questions and was helped without question. This had to be one of the first and only times I was happy with what I got and what I paid. Thank you George, Mark and Bryan and continue to be open and honest with your customers all of you had wonderful personalities.

Eric S


Was this review helpful to you? Yes | No

Reason for Visit: Sales

I recommend this dealer: Yes

My Review of Green's Toyota of Lexington:
I was very impressed with George Hernandez' clear understanding of the Toyota brand and specifically with the Tundra that I purchased. He was able to answer most of my questions immediately and those he was not able to respond to he quickly found answers for. He was not just telling me what I wanted to hear. I got that from the Toyota dealership in Nicholasville, KY.
I would recommend Green's Toyota and George Hernandez to anyone looking to purchase a vehicle.

Was this review helpful to you? Yes | No