Our experience at Lexus San Diego was a tale of two very - Signmeupbillyboy
Our experience at Lexus San Diego was a tale of two very different visits.
Initially, the atmosphere was unwelcoming. During a mid-week afternoon, I was not greeted by any staff member - not in the parking lot and not when I entered the showroom; one salesman even turned his back to me.
I eventually had to ask a receptionist to find someone to help because I wanted to see the inside of a new NX-350h. After some weird and unprofessional handoff behind me, I was paired with Nebil Sado, the 2nd choice they assigned me.
After explaining what I was interested in - and that I currently owned a Lexus from San Diego Lexus I was interested in upgrading, and that I currently have an all-electric VW - I also mentioned that I was considering the trim that included the Head Up Display.
Nebil gave an attempt to show me 2 cars. When we wandered to the 3rd car, I muttered that it was at the top end of my price range. Without any follow up questions, Mr. Sado told me I should probably come back in 4 or 5 years when I'm ready to buy. True story!
I’m not clear why a mature man driving a Lexus, speaking plain English, professionally dressed, with a college degree, looking for another Lexus, would not be worth your time. It must be my permanent tan…
After vowing that SD Lexus wasn't getting any more of our hard-earned dollars, we moved our research focus to other Lexus dealers. Just before heading back to Carlsbad where we bought our very first ES-350, my wife wanted to "just look" at one here so we could compare once we got there.
This time when I walked into the dealership while she parked the car (2 weeks later), on a Saturday evening, full of customers and staff, Hamza Benchekroun saw me, made eye contact, smiled, and walked over to me. The difference was immediate. Hamza was energetic, personable, and proactive. When the 2 used cars we were interested in turned out to be sold, much to our disappointment, he asked for the opportunity to present an alternative. Thanks to his trustworthiness and knowledge of the Lexus lineup, we drove away that night in a new 2026 NX-450h+ Luxury Trim. He proved that judging a book by its cover is a mistake in sales.
Sadeer Battah, the Finance Manager, was also a pleasure to work with and made the transaction seamless and our shortest yet.
While the dealership is undergoing lengthy construction, it is clean and orderly. If you visit, I highly recommend looking for Hamza—he is a consummate professional we would certainly do business with again.
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