I had a great experience with Scott Clark Toyota, starting, but not ending with the sales guy I worked with. This is to share my experience. Let me start by saying that I have bought about 10 cars over my life, about half new from the dealer, and have never had a good experience. I'm no fan of car dealers.
I had been looking for a new hybrid SUV for almost a year. Due to parts shortages, regular gas cars have been on allocation, and hybrids, not being popular in the gas-guzzling south, even harder to find here in NC. An ad would appear online in the morning and the car would be gone by nightfall.
Over 2023 I engaged with around 15 dealers of Toyotas, Fords, Volvos, Mazdas and Subarus. I'm a big guy, so comfort and fit in the driver's seat is key. Based on this I narrowed my choices down to the Toyota Grand Highlander. The fit wasn't perfect, but the mileage was best in class, and as an owner of a 20-year-old Sienna, I knew the quality. I talked to 5 Toyota dealers.
Enter Scott Clark, and their sales guy, Nino H. During my test drive of the Grand Highlander back in September, when I commented on the just-OK legroom, Nino said that I should test drive the regular Highlander. It's a bit shorter bumper-to-bumper, he said, but the legroom - width and length, was better. He knew the specs by memory. He wasn't pushy about it, but rather, helpful. His advice was right, and I told him I was ready to buy.
He said that they had no way of reserving a car because they did not know what Toyota would send them. But he took down every detail about what I wanted and said he'd let me know when they received an allocation that included my pick. He checked in every 1-2 weeks with a quick text update: "Hey it's Nino. Nothing yet, but I'm still looking. Talk to you next week." During this time I was deluged with pushy calls and robo-text messages from all the other dealers insisting that I "come on down" before their would give me any real info.
In December Scott Clark was notified that a car fitting my specs was coming. When the car arrived, it was 2 days before I had a 1-week business trip. I told Nino that I needed to sign the papers and pick up the car in 2 hours on the following morning. He told me how to prepare my loan and insurance info to get in and out quickly.
I went to the dealership and negotiated a fair price. I had done research at Kelly and Edmunds and knew the market rate. They knocked off some for things Toyota added but I did not need ($75 phone charger cables?) and got me to my target price. When I arrived, they were ready. Nino, the support staff and the paperwork guy (Ronnie?) were professional, respectful and fast.
In sum, it was a great experience. Kudos to Nino for being an honest, professional and helpful consultant. It's clear that he and the rest of the staff reflect a culture that I could not find at other dealers. Nice work. read more