My wife and I purchased a new 2026 Toyota Crown Signia Limited hybrid SUV and Finance & Insurance…read more("F&I") products from Marietta Toyota on July 4, 2026. Overall, I rate the car buying experience with Marietta Toyota good, not great.
If you're interested in how our experience went, keep reading. This review is divided into 3 parts over 2 separate visits.
*** VISIT 1 OF 2 ON JULY 3, 2026 ***
Duration: Less than 2 hours
Part 1 of 3: Test Drive with Sales Consultant Brianna "Bri" Walters
We called and made an appointment to test drive a new 2026 Toyota Highlander Hybrid. The on-site call center associate, Rachel Eve, said they would try to find one for us to test drive. She was nice. When we showed up in person for our appointment, there was none for us to look at. We did look at a used 2023 Highlander and a new 2026 Grand Highlander, and decided they weren't for us.
Marietta Toyota just happened to get a 2026 Crown Signia Limited in, so we test drove that instead. My wife liked it. Our sales consultant Bri was great throughout the entire process. She's been at Marietta Toyota for about 2.5 years. She was really nice, very professional, and not pushy.
*** VISIT 2 OF 2 ON JULY 4, 2026 ***
Duration: About 3.5 hours
Part 2 of 3: Trade-in and Price Negotiation with Sales Manager Tyler Elliott
We brought my wife's 2010 Toyota Corolla LE in for trade-in valuation and to get a final price from sales manager Tyler. Tyler is new to Marietta Toyota. He joined about three weeks ago and is from Alabama. Tyler had a more traditional, high-pressure sales approach. We get it - that's just how sales works.
This was where the process was not transparent to us, the customers. It's a black box.
Here's how the numbers broke down:
* Sticker price: ~$57,500 (includes ~$2,000 in Marietta Toyota dealer add-ons)
* Discount: ~$1,200 (2.1% off) - only available by financing through Toyota at 6.34% APR
* Trade-in (2010 Corolla LE): started at $1,000, Tyler upped it to $1,500
* Net price after trade-in: ~$54,800
* Tax, tag, title, and other fees: ~$5,200
In order to receive a "discount," you can't be an all-cash buyer. One way dealerships make money is by getting customers to finance. You can make a minimum of three monthly payments and then pay off the car in full after that to get your "discount" and avoid paying extra interest.
There was less wiggle room to negotiate on a Crown Signia because it's a rare vehicle compared to something like a Camry or RAV4.
Part 3 of 3: Finance & Insurance with Finance Manager Christie Kerdahi
Just when we thought we were done, we had to go into business manager Christie's office to discuss F&I products. She pitched us on three different contracts: a mechanical failure service contract, a prepaid maintenance plan, and a vehicle protection plan for the tires and wheels. These totaled almost $10,000. We had to decide on those contracts right then and there in her office. By that point, we were mentally worn out, felt backed into a corner, and just wanted to be done and out the door. We accepted because she said we could cancel any contract at any time and receive a prorated amount back. We are highly considering canceling.
You could argue that a brand as reliable as Toyota doesn't need all this stuff.
To be clear, this isn't a knock on Christie specifically - she was professional and just doing her job. This part was tough because of how the F&I process works industry-wide. The contract terms (e.g., time period/mileage, what's included/excluded) are structured in the dealership's favor. Again, they have to make money.
The way the numbers are presented - every step of the way, not just F&I - along with F&I being the last step before you walk out with a new car, is part of a larger, deliberate sales strategy.
*** ENDING NOTES ***
Dealership sales and finance managers do these kinds of things all day, every day. A lot of customers only go through this a handful of times in their lives. So dealerships obviously have the advantage over the customers here. They get you right where they want you.
While we weren't super prepared going in, we felt prepared enough - yet we were still blindsided and put on the spot multiple times throughout the process. It's easy to get hung up on technicalities and details, but they do matter.
There was a lot of paperwork and not enough time to review everything thoroughly - similar to a home closing, where everything moves fast right at the end and you're signing before you've had a real chance to read it all.
We happened to go on slow afternoons, so we were seen almost immediately by everyone. We were in and out about as fast as one could hope, so that was nice. We didn't want to spend a lot of time shopping around and haggling, so there was value to us in getting something we wanted fast.
We're very happy with the car. We were lucky it had just rolled off the truck the day we test drove it. We like Bri and would work with her again.