Hartford Toyota

Not a "Dealer"- a "Friend" who helped us buy our car I recently purchased my second Toyota Highlander... When I woke up that morning, it was not my intent to drive away in a new car. When my wife and I a I recently purchased my second Toyota Highlander... When I woke up that morning, it was not my intent to drive away in a new car. When my wife and I arrived, we were introduced to Dave Goduti. He seemed pleasant enough, greeting us with a warm hand shake and telling us the car was already warmed up and waiting for us. He was a jovial man with a big smile and a welcoming manner. He ushered us both outside and got us situated- I behind the wheel and my wife in the back seat. He directed us out of the parking lot, and onto the highway. Usually, the test drive is "directed" by the sales person- 'turn left... take next right... etc' Dave told me just drive until I want to turn around. I appreciated being in charge and control. It gave me the feeling he was 1- confident in the car's capability to handle anything, and 2- respectful of me and my desires to get a good feeling for the car in my own way. During the drive, he got to know us as people, rather than just focusing on the car. He did interject little bits of info about the differences between my current highlander and this one- size differences, performance differences, features, etc. We headed back to the dealership, and asked me my thoughts. I told him it seemed like a good car, and was a good driving experience, though I wished I could have seen the AWD in action but couldn't imagine how. He instructed me to drive the car to the back of the property where the snow had not yet been plowed completely. I did as he said, not quite sure where this was going to end. He then had me drive through high deep snow banks, over icy patches, up/down steep inclines, and into conditions that more closely simulated realistic winter driving conditions. The car performed incredibly well, handling every challenge I posed to it. No snow bank, ice chunk, or slick patch was too much for the AWD feature. It was a highly unusual but incredibly valuable test drive experience. Dave wanted me to get EVERYTHING I wanted out of this test drive experience. We went back into the office and sat for a while. I was expecting this to be it, perhaps a "Let me know when your ready to talk/have a nice day" ending. But Dave instead sat and talked with us- asking us about what we wanted, what our concerns were, and getting a good idea of where we were coming from. We expressed our financial scenario with him and he listened sincerely. He was finally able to find a way to make it work for us- there was no haggling, there was no "this is my final number" game, it just was what it was. He didn't push us, he didn't pull us, he just presented the numbers, adjusting what he could to make it work. He wasn't really trying to "sell" us the car, but rather help us "buy" the car. It made a typically stressful situation far more relaxed. We weren't first time buyers, but he removed a lot of the "been there/done that" feeling of jaded "car salesmen" attitude. Dave is a real asset to Toyota of Hartford. You are fortunate to have him, and I will be recommending him to friends and family. You can also expect me to contact him for my next Toyota. Thanks Dave! Marc Clemons- also made the financial side of the deal very easy. Even when we wavered back and forth on the wrap around coverage- he patiently went with us showing us the numbers, working out the details, explaining the fine text. He's a fine upright individual who made his part of the buying experience as easy as it could have been. Thanks Marc! "Sunny" was also great, explaining all the add-on features available to us and making sure we were satisfied as well. Thanks Sunny! More

Surprisingly Simple On 2-12-14 I walked into the Toyota dealership not knowing what to expect. I have never bought or even owned a brand new car or even been into a deale On 2-12-14 I walked into the Toyota dealership not knowing what to expect. I have never bought or even owned a brand new car or even been into a dealership of any sort so saying I was skeptical of the whole process would be an understatement. This is where the service that was provided started to calm any trepidation I might have had. Steve Basora was the sales rep that greeted me and after a sit down explaining my situation of never owning a new vehicle as well as not having the greatest credit score and just being apprehensive about venturing into unknown territory for me he was able to calm my nerves and broke down everything. He told me he would make sure he would get me into a vehicle but I was still skeptical so told him he hasn't seen my credit score yet. He told me not to worry and trust him and from that point on I started put some faith into him and let me say he was a man of his word. Not only did he get me into a vehicle, he was able to get me into a 2015 Toyota Camry SE. I couldn't have been happier. It was a great feeling knowing that I no longer had to worry if my car would make it to work or breakdown on a daily basis. Knowing that now I have a reliable vehicle that I don't have to worry about is still an amazing feeling , not forgetting to mention the car is absolutely beautiful. I really just wanted to show my appreciation and gratitude to not just Steve Basora but the entire Toyota family. THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!!!!!!!!!!!! More