On 12/05/24 I bought a used 2024 Toyota Camry:
Steven Wade Toyota claims "Our commitment is to build strong relationships with customers based on trust. This allows us to assist with the purchase of quality vehicles, parts, and maintenance services with transparency and honesty." This was not my experience; It took me over a week to find all of the damage for the one-year old vehicle I purchased from them. Here is a list of the things that were problems with the car I purchased.
Now that I have taken possession of the vehicle, I find they covered up smoke damage from the previous owner. My friend told me later that he thought a very strong cleaner had been used; it looks like they bleached the seats and some of the plastic, taking the new car smell right out of the car. There is a hole in the carpet and there the carpet is damaged beyond repair. It also appears the faded seat damage is beyond repair. I think the mats were taken out because they were also burned. (it looks like the previous owner was running an Uber cab business). There is also window tint damage.
There was only one key fob which was not disclosed to me until I was leaving the dealership. The salesman told my friend about the single key fob, but he was not the one buying the car and when I went back to see about another key fob, they refused to provide one, instead wanting to charge me an additional $420.00. This would have been a deal-breaker had I known this from the start, Toyota Nation says there should be two key fobs. Now I am concerned as to what other damage they may not have disclosed. It's no wonder the sticker says, "as is-no warranty" and obviously there is no grace period with this dealer. They don't seem to be concerned about customer satisfaction. In fact, after the sale I heard that the car had been on the lot for 90 days and was ready to go to auction in a month. Little wonder!
The car, which was parked in our driveway, had the alarm go off at 1:30 AM. The house camara shows no strangers around, just angry neighbors that got woken up. It goes off at odd times . I have to leave the alarm off ; the dealership wants $170.00 an hour just to look for the cause. I think they put an aftermarket alarm on the car and it's defective, so I have no alarm. In addition, the passenger seat alarm goes off with no one in the seat. Buckling the seat belts stops the alarm but this should not be necessary. The battery was dead at the dealership! Research shows "Auto batteries are starting batteries, not deep cycle batteries. If they are deeply discharged, each cycle shortens the life. And sitting uncharged is worst of all, it leads to sulfation which will kill it." This is how they take care of their used cars!
I'm being told by Goldenwest Credit Union that Steven Wade Toyota sent the wrong loan papers to them, so I can't get any information on my loan or my paperwork and sales tax check to register the car with the DMV. This is how they take care of their customers.
They say they conducted a 100-point pre-sale inspection on the car; I find this hard to believe, but even if they did it, they missed a number of things.
If you are looking for a car, I recommend you search out a dealer who will adhere to their own credo and strive to not take advantage of customers but build strong relationships with them. I saved seven years to buy a car and Steven Wade Toyota ruined my car buying experience. read more