Best Dealership In Nyc Area?

[nicksan]

Now that I'm positively done with Lexus of Massapequa, can anybody out there recommend me a top notch dealership in the NYC area?

Bay Ridge?

Rallye?

Manhattan?

Please help!!!

[lexus411]

Rallye is top notch but Im biased.

[amf1932]

nicksan-

I once suggested Bay Ridge Lexus to you. Did you ever go there, and if you did, how did you find their service?

[nicksan]

Hey AMF,

Yeah, I remeber that.

That was before all the arbitration crap.

I never had the chance to get there.

I will give them a serious look though.

As I said, I am going to try to call up corporate to see what can be done as far as changing my "Home" dealership b/c I'll never go back to Massapequa.

I am looking for a place that would give me loaner cars. I know that's kind of hard once you take the car to a dealer other than where you purchased.

[lexus411]

Rallye will provide loaners if your car is going to be tied up for a few hours or if your doing a 15k service etc. They are the only 9 consecutive time elite of lexus dealer in NY. Thats based on customer satisfaction.

[SW03ES]

Nick- I've never seen a dealer that only gives loaner cars to people who bought their cars there. All the dealers here will give everyone who comes in for service a loaner car. The dealers here will give you a loaner for an oil change.

[nicksan]

My experience with loaner cars is that if I didn't purchase the car from the dealership I am brining it to, then no loaner car.

OR

It has to be a major scheduled maintenance (15k, 20k, whatever...) which would require a few hours stay.

I am looking for a shop where I can bring the ES in for warranty services, if I need it, just as I have been doing so far bringing it into Lexus of Massapequa. They would provide me with a loaner car for any kind of warranty service. Of course the problem is that I never want to go back there.

So I think it'll either be Rallye or Bay Ridge.

I bring my Acura MDX to Rallye Acura and they are pretty good, a bit on the pricey side. No loaner car there, other than major services...I am going in for a 45k maintenance and they will provide me with one.

So we'll see...I mean I have the MDX so theoretically I could have my wife drive along with me then drive back with the MDX. But that'll tie up 2 people unneccessarily.

Nick

[SW03ES]

Has that been your experience with Lexus dealers or just car dealers in general. I know the Toyota dealer we use only gives loaners to people who bought their cars there, but thats Toyota. Acura again is a less expensive brand.

My guess is most Lexus dealers in major metropolitan areas where there is competition will give you a loaner for ANY service regardless of whether or not you bought the car there, how old it is, etc. They certainly do here. Dealers here all also offer free pickup and dropoff service for any service.

[mscott]

Yeah, I agree that most should give a loaner if you need it.

They should just say "Do you need a loaner or do you want to wait?". I have been to several dealers on both west and now east coasts. Doesn't matter what the service is. Thats what sets the Lexus dealer apart, and why you would be more willing to service it there (if you are a paying customer) vs. the local specialty shop with a good price differential.

An additional case in point -- I recently took my ES in for an oil change. Got a nice new 05 RX330 to tool around in. They wound up doing a T belt and some seals, so I ended up leaving the car there for 2 days. They make a ton o money off me, and I (tho unfortunately have too much sense) wanted to purchase the RX instead of give it back!

Properly executed, its a win/win for everyone..

[nicksan]

It seems like some of the dealers here in NY are less than accomodating.

Then again, most things in NYC are pretty crappy, especially service.

I was talking about the Acura dealer...specifically Rallye. When I bring my MDX, I always have to have my drive tailing me in the other car, which right now happens to be the ES.

So given that the Lexus dealer in the same area is also under the Rallye "unbrella", I think it might be reasonable to assume that they would have the same kind of policy for my Lexus.

I guess I will need to call around and find out who does and who doesn't...and eveluate the ones that do.

It's just that Rallye and Bay Ridge seems to be otherwise fine dealerships.

[nicksan]

Dunno if I would agree that Lexus is the pinnacle of greatness.

They have thoroughly scr*wed me with the ES...well Lexus of Massapequa did.

Not that Corporate Lex actively tried to help me either...it was like "Oh well, that's the problem between you and the dealer...good luck, bye"...type of vibe.

But what did I expect right?

I mean yeah the store says LEXUS, but inside they are car just regular salespeople afterall...and we all know what type of people most of them are...(I happened to have a really jerk selling me the ES...my fault for buying it!!!) VULTURES!!!

I think the ES might be my very last Lexus.

With all the crap that I went through, my attitude is "Been there, done that" with the Lexus brand. I've test drove a whole crap loads of them, GS/ES/LS/RX...all of them. They are fine cars, but it's like going back to the crime scene type of feeling...

I like Acura's much better...just overall better vibe at their showroom and service. Cars might not be as "plush" as the Lex but they are more fun...they are bolder in design, sportier...yeah maybe there's a little cheapness to the cars, but they are slick. I'd take my MDX over any SUV that Lex has any day of the week. I'd take the TL over the GX anytime, any day...

However I must say that the LS and SC are pretty supreme cars!!!

Just can't afford them!!!!!!

Anyways, see how it goes with the ES. When it starts, I really like the car. I like "fun" cars like the TL, but the main reason for going with the ES was because of the "plush" ride...and that it has.

Time to replace the tires too...still has the original issue Bridgestones...

Thinking maybe the Goodyear Triples???

They are not as stuck up as Lexus dealers are.

[SW03ES]

I can certainly understand your aggrivation but you can't base your opinion of the brand on:

1 dealer

and 1 used car

Thats part of why I don't buy used cars, you have no way of knowing how they're treated by the previous owner, and certified or not the dealer doesn't either. That plus you have the added problem of no one point to place the blame on. The dealer can always say "Hey, its used" whereas if its new they can't do that. I would have been in a new Honda or a Nissan or something instead of an 01 ES. Thats just my view on it though.

Dealers are dealers, on the whole Lexus dealers are better than most but they're all independently owned and run a different way. I encountered two poor sales departments before I bought mine. One that had a terribly sleazy salesman that insulted my fiance (Pohanka Lexus) and one that actually ordered the wrong car and lost the sale (Lexus of Silver Spring). I wound up buying from a great dealer and saleswoman who ordered my car right for me expecting that I'd have problems with Silver Spring (they were slightly cheaper, $700 I think) and it was waiting for me when I did (Lexus of Annapolis). I know at least one LOC member has bought a car from her on my reccomendation. They now have a beautiful new dealership but its just too far for me to go.

I had it serviced at Lexus of Silver Spring which was alright until they damaged the car and tried to weasel out of fixing it, and I've serviced my dad's LS at Lexus of Alexandria which was okay. I now use Lexus of Rockville (one of our gold member dealers by the way) and they're fantastic...but expensive.

To me it seems like you make a lot of decisions and judgements out of preconceptions before actually finding out the truth (assuming dealers wont give you loaners or that all dealers are vultures, saying all Lexus dealers are stuck up when you've ever only been to one, etc) which is unfortunate IMHO. When dealing with people like this you get what you expect, if you go into it expecting things to be a certain way or to be treated a certain way, thats usually how it turns out.

My advice to you would be to try a new dealer, or find a good independent mechanic and go into it with a positive, open mind. I would have quit using that crappy dealer after one visit.

Its kind of like "Get me once shame on you, get me twice shame on me"

[nicksan]

SW,

I agree with all that you have said.

I'm just blowing steam because of my huge disappointment with my experience.

It's a big shame because when I drove the ES to the poconos on July 4th weekend it ran so well it made me forget about the probelms I've been having. I love the MDX, but sometimes driving a SUV is just too "heavy".

Anyways, my opinions are based on NY dealers. I think a lot of people would agree with me that a lot of things in NY, especially service oriented things, could be better. It's ALWAYS a hustle in NY, ALWAYS!

Nowhere does "You get what you paid for" apply more than in NY.

I think I'd be pretty safe taking it to Rallye, but they are expensive. There is just too much margin between the "hi-end" and the "low-end".

It's the same with everything. You either get crap, or you pay a lot of money to get good service. NY is a nice place to live...if you have a lot of money.

You are right in saying that I should have walked away from Massapequa when the guy acted like a d*ck. I didn't. My judgement was clouded by the nice ES sitting in front of me ready for the taking. I figured "Hey, I'll deal with this jerk this once, and I'll never see him again...". I was right on never seeing the guy again, I was wrong with the overall service of the dealership. Oh well...I rolled the dice and came up short.

I think now that I have exhausted pretty much all means of reversing my purchase, I am somewhat at peace with myself. I am going to try to baby the ES, maybe get some new tires...finally clean the car inside and out...no that I know it is my property for good...

I still have a $300 goodwill voucher I got from Corporate Lex...I need to figure out what to use it for...maybe the 25k mile maintenance...that'll pay for half of it right?

[SW03ES]

I definately know how you feel trust me. I've been there!

I've heard good things about Rallye, if you're happy with their Acura dealer odds are you'll be happy with their Lexus dealer too. I actually even talked to them when I was looking thinking I may get a better deal elsewhere and they suggested I not bother and stick around my area, which was a stand up thing to do.

Good luck!

[steviej]

nicksan,

It is time to move on.

With every door that closes behind you, there is another opening in front of you.

Check out Bay Ridge and make the best of what you have.

steviej