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A-1 Toyota
New Haven, CT
1,141 Reviews
In the early 60’s, the owners of a local garage received a postcard announcing the production of a new four-wheel drive vehicle. At the time, the automotive industry was producing only one other vehicle in this category, so the owners thought this might be a good opportunity to introduce a new four-wheel drive vehicle that they would be able to sell as well as service. The postcard was answered and the response was the founding of the first Toyota dealership in New England and the beginning of what has become a very successful endeavor for Dominic Galardi, Anthony Buglione and A-1 Toyota.
The history of A-1 Service began before this. In January of 1951, Dom joined his father-in-law, Tony Buglione in a partnership that included a gas station and used cars. The station was located on the corner of Olive Street and St. John in New Haven.
In the late 1950’s, a new highway system was breaking through the neighborhood, people started moving to the suburbs, and with the limited space they had already outgrown, A-1 looked for a new location.
The new site they chose was in East Haven. The partnership grew to include Dominic’s brother, Andrew.
Their new location, occupying a city block on Main Street and the sign reading A-1 Auto Service, Inc., became a landmark for many.
In 1963, A-1 completed the building of the first Toyota showroom on the East Coast. In 1966, just three years after opening their dealership, A-1 became the second largest Toyota dealership in the country. Toyota’s line-up featured only two vehicles at the time, the four-wheel drive Land Cruiser and one of the first economy cars, the Tiara.
Over the years, A-1 Toyota continued to grow and in 1980 moved to their current location on Amity Road in New Haven adding the Dodge franchise that dueled with Toyota until 1990.
A-1 Toyota’s line-up looks far different than it did in 1963, but the basis for a successful business has continued. The business is still owned by the same family, and Domin
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This rating includes all dealership reviews, with more weight given to recent reviews.
Sales Price Transparency
Service Price Transparency
Trade-in Experience
Purchase Time
Finance Experience
Workmanship
Service Time
Service Communication
Hours
Sales/Showroom
Monday 9:00 AM - 8:30 PM
Tuesday 9:00 AM - 8:30 PM
Wednesday 9:00 AM - 8:30 PM
Thursday 9:00 AM - 8:30 PM
Friday 9:00 AM - 7:30 PM
Saturday 9:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Sunday Closed
Service
Monday 7:30 AM - 7:00 PM
Tuesday 7:30 AM - 7:00 PM
Wednesday 7:30 AM - 7:00 PM
Thursday 7:30 AM - 7:00 PM
Friday 7:30 AM - 7:00 PM
Saturday 7:30 AM - 5:00 PM
Sunday Closed
Parts
Monday 7:30 AM - 7:00 PM
Tuesday 7:30 AM - 7:00 PM
Wednesday 7:30 AM - 7:00 PM
Thursday 7:30 AM - 7:00 PM
Friday 7:30 AM - 7:00 PM
Saturday 7:30 AM - 5:00 PM
Sunday Closed
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Showing 1,141 reviews
September 10, 2019
A! Toyota Excellent service. Fixed my problem quickly. Scott Paraza gave excellent help with car features. Mustafa gave great explanation of CD player problems Excellent service. Fixed my problem quickly. Scott Paraza gave excellent help with car features. Mustafa gave great explanation of CD player problems. Service care was excellent. Will use again. More
by richgrim
Helpful September 09, 2019
Impressive Deal and Good Customer Service I worked with Andrew "Andy" Constantinou. He found an excellent deal for me on a brand new Corolla with minimal effort on my part. I felt that he was I worked with Andrew "Andy" Constantinou. He found an excellent deal for me on a brand new Corolla with minimal effort on my part. I felt that he was honest with me the whole way through and made the process and options very clear. More
by Justin
September 08, 2019
Great Deal, Nicely Done! We went to A-1 Toyota pretty sure that we were going to buy or lease a hybrid from some local dealership. There are a number of very good mid size hy We went to A-1 Toyota pretty sure that we were going to buy or lease a hybrid from some local dealership. There are a number of very good mid size hybrids on the market nowadays. We did consider two other brands, and their vehicles seemed perfectly fine. However the attention we received at A-1 was what tipped us toward them. They were quick to give us attention both online and in person. however, we never felt pressured on any front. Our salesman, Kevin Wright was a fountain of knowledge not only about Toyota products, but spent more time listening to us than talking- amazing! Sales people everywhere should be more like him! More
by jackvees
September 04, 2019
Very professional and attentive to customer satisfaction. Did a test drive with Kyle and he was very professional and knew the features of the car very well, He listened to what our wants was , and gave us op Did a test drive with Kyle and he was very professional and knew the features of the car very well, He listened to what our wants was , and gave us options that met our needs and satisfaction. More
by Bigneeto
August 24, 2019
Good sales people-:) Thank you guys for everything especially Emerson and Paul they both professional-:)I salute you both keep it up...I really appreciate your help...Romm Thank you guys for everything especially Emerson and Paul they both professional-:)I salute you both keep it up...I really appreciate your help...Rommel More
by Mhel68
August 24, 2019
Buying my Rav4 Hybrid and waiting months I had to special order my 2019 xse hybrid because the car I wanted was a rare combination of packages and color. I was told by the dealership it would I had to special order my 2019 xse hybrid because the car I wanted was a rare combination of packages and color. I was told by the dealership it would take 6 to 8 weeks at most. This timeframe goes by and I ask where my car is. I get vague responses so I did research and found that a massive number of hybrids are stuck in port due to a defect in the brake system. Did the dealer tell me that? No, I had to do the research and tell them that. I ended up waiting 4 months for a car with my specs to come in after they waited 3 and a half months with me being polite and patiently waiting. When I finally get sick of waiting and demand results they magically order another one and it gets there in two weeks. I ask to be compensated in some way for having to wait another two months for my vehicle and the hassle it has caused me. They thought it was a big deal to give me floor mats 😂 and they didn't even give me the cargo liner. They also thought it was a big deal that they gave me 1k for my trade in which was what they quoted it for 4 months prior, I'm sorry but did you think the value of a 12 year old car would change in 4 months? When I received the car one of the speakers was broken as well, which wasn't caught in their pre purchase inspection and I've had to go back 2 times just for them to order the part, now I have to wait for it to come in for a 3rd appointment. The first time I came in my salesman said "oh yeah that's not right you'll have to make an appointment with service." I drove an hour round trip to hear that... This dealership has a lot to work on if they want returning customers because as soon as I put money down they stopped treating me like they cared. More
by DPatnaude
August 21, 2019
Wonderful thank you Thank you guys this my second car from A1 Toyota so happy dealing with them sales manager is very nice guy and keeps his word 5 star customer service Thank you guys this my second car from A1 Toyota so happy dealing with them sales manager is very nice guy and keeps his word 5 star customer service More
by Tam
Employees Worked With
August 19, 2019
Lease Toyota Highlander Gary was awesome to work with! He was very knowledgeable. This is the smoothest process we have ever gone through. We will definitely be working with Gary was awesome to work with! He was very knowledgeable. This is the smoothest process we have ever gone through. We will definitely be working with him again. He is the best! More
by chaneljmb5
Employees Worked With
August 17, 2019
A stupendous sale with absolutely NO PRESSURE I went to A1 Toyota just to browse..., however, I saw a car which I just had to drive. Dado was a great salesman, and put absolutely no pressure on I went to A1 Toyota just to browse..., however, I saw a car which I just had to drive. Dado was a great salesman, and put absolutely no pressure on me in regards to making the sale. He was truly there to answer any and all questions and I bought a car yesterday. I will definitely recommend A1 to anyone looking for a car whether it be used or new. More
by Javahead1
August 16, 2019
Excellent first experience, great staff Hello Everyone, My name is Juan i came to this dealership as my first choice and it was a great choice i recently joined the military and was coming Hello Everyone, My name is Juan i came to this dealership as my first choice and it was a great choice i recently joined the military and was coming to look for a car for where i was stationed and was immediately helped and guided to my now current Rav 4 I love my new car and highly and i mean highly recommend you go to this dealership, you skip all the arguing and hassle you get with other dealerships because they give you their honest price they can sell the car for so you're not there for hours trying to bring the price down. The staff was amazing Steve (who helped me from the beginning and helped me choose my beautiful car), Sunny who was very helpful in explaining the prices and what i was getting myself into, to Mustafa who helped me understand what the car could bring and add on to if i choose so, to Eddie who finalized all the Paperwork with no trouble. I literally got the car the same day no waiting no problems. this is an honest customer review. I want to again thank everyone who helped me through my first car buying experience and will 100% comeback and recommend everyone i know seeking to buy a car! More
by jrperez3
Employees Worked With
Other Employees :
Stephen Altvater
