This was my very first experience leasing a new car through a dealership, though my family have always been loyal to the Toyota brand because of the quality, longevity, and peace of mind that comes with driving a Toyota. I moved to NYC 5 years ago and never thought I'd need a car since public transportation here is generally very reliable and ubiquitous. With the pandemic have come great transitions and I will be moving to the Mill Basin neighborhood of Brooklyn with my partner who has a mobility disability. We decided, since his neighborhood was less accessible for public transit, it was time to take the plunge and lease our very own Toyota.
As a grad student at the CUNY Graduate Center, I always make it a point to research the very best local businesses by word of mouth. After a review search of Toyota dealers in and around the city, I was thrilled to see that Fordham Toyota, a family-owned and operated business for over 30 years, boasted top ratings from consumers.
I must say from the very first outreach I made to this dealer, the Fordham Toyota team consistently surpassed my expectations of this first car leasing experience. Noelia and Shereta were my first point of contact and both welcomed me and my mom (and our 6month old Doodle pups, both ESAs) with kindness and hospitality, working around our schedule for when we'd come in, and when we arrived, offered us (and even our pups!) water with a smile. The whole experience was seamless from the get-go because Noelia was thorough in her approach in asking us the necessary questions about which vehicle we would be interested in and diligent in ensuring the best vehicle to fit our needs before we even walked through the front door.
With all these details in place when we arrived, without delay, we were warmly greeted by leasing agent Jhosue Honoret, who invited us to take a look and tryout the vehicle that we had expressed interest in. Jhosue was the main agent we worked with, and he was there with us every step of the way, from the moment we walked in to the moment he handed me the key for us to drive off the lot. We all know that car salespeople can have a bad rap, and Jhosue, was exactly the polar opposite. He was kind, professional, straightforward, and treated us with the respect and integrity that defines the very spirit of customer-first and satisfaction.
A caveat for anyone buying or leasing a car, because of all the paperwork and credit checks, etc that are involved, be ready to take several hours out of your day to invest in this car leasing/buying transaction. If done right, meticulously and transparently, it will necessarily take upwards to 4-5 hours easily from beginning to end. Despite the time invested, Jhosue made it well worth the time, in that we drove away with a brand new 2021 Toyota RAV4, and with a lease that my partner and I could afford. This car will mean everything to us, allow us to get to my partner's work at John Jay College of Criminal Justice and me to the CUNY Graduate Center. We will enthusiastically be recommending Fordham Toyota to our family, friends and colleagues across the CUNY system as my partner and I are former and current delegates of the University Student Senate Steering Committee, in addition to serving on the Doctoral and Graduate Students' Council at the CUNY Graduate Center.
I should mention that in a final note, while we were waiting for all the paperwork to go through, we made the acquaintance of a kind gentleman who identified himself as a porter, but we later came to find out that he was in fact the owner's father! We thoroughly enjoyed a great conversation with him and learning more about his family's business and chatting about life in general. This man was so kind, he even personally brought back my mother's phone that she had forgotten charging in the office the very next day! Talk about over and above on the service! And they give back to their local community through charitable donations with their Bronx Loyal program! Stellar experience from beginning to end! Many thanks to Fordham Toyota! read more