East TN dealers/shops

[plara]

Just wanted to post this for anyone looking to buy or have maintenance done on a 4Runner or any Toyota in the Knoxville/East TN area since I have lived in Knoxville my whole life I have learned a few things.

There are three big dealers in the Knoxville area:
1. Toyota Knoxville
2. Fox Toyota
3. Rick McGill's Airport Toyota

1. If you get anything from this post DO NOT GO TO TOYOTA KNOXVILLE. Myself or someone in my family has had horrible experiences with every department.
Sales: I have not tried to buy a vehicle from them, but my dad has. They lowball you on your trade in and give you horrible interest rates on financing no matter what your credit is. They also charge ridiculous dealer fees.

Service: The quality of work that the service department does is mediocre at best. They overcharge for everything like most dealers, but they are shady about it. I have heard of them giving a quote for a service and then charging a higher price after it is done.

Parts: The parts department is the only department that I will deal with anymore. They are pretty helpful and can order parts quickly if they don't have them in inventory. However, make sure that you look up the part online and write down the price. They are known to list a price online and charge more once you go in.

2. Fox Toyota is by far the best dealership in Knoxville.
Sales: The sales staff is not pushy (at least in comparison to every other dealership I've been to. They are one of the only dealers I know of that don't have any dealer fees and they don't short you on your trade in. They have quality used vehicles and are upfront about their condition as well.

Service: They offer high quality service, but you pay for it. It is about the same pricing as Toyota Knoxville, but they actually offer high quality service. If you are someone that has to have service done at a dealer to have peace of mind, get it done here. Otherwise, there is a shop in Knoxville that I will talk about below that is the same high quality service with lower prices.

Parts: I don't have as much experience with their parts department, because Toyota Knoxville is so much closer to my house so I just go there for parts (with the online listing of the price of the part of course). The online price listings for parts seem to be identical for Fox and Toyota Knoxville.

3. I have basically no personal experience with Rick McGill Toyota. However, word on the street is that they are very similar to Toyota Knoxville.

I can only recommend one shop in Knoxville for maintenance and that is Pro Toy. As you can guess from the name they specialize in Toyota and Lexus maintenance. They do excellent work at a good price. They are great in that they call you and explain what exactly is happening if you are having a problem. They suggest repairs, but will tell you if they are no necessary. I have had no problems with them and they will stand behind their work. They are very upfront about their pricing and stick to their word.

Hope that someone finds this helpful, whether you are buying a car or just need work done. If anyone is in the Knoxville/East TN area and has questions about any dealers/shops (Toyota or not) feel free to PM me and I can offer what information I have.

 

[TerraCrawler]

What is it you do, are you affiliated with any of them?

I have only been in the area a year, and have gone to Toyota of Knoxville. They have been good so far. I have not needed anything major done. They are regular sponsors of Dirt and Donuts events in the area. Some better examples would be helpful. Just saying they are overpriced or shady doesn't really do the argument justice, details matter.

 

[plara]

What is it you do, are you affiliated with any of them?

I have only been in the area a year, and have gone to Toyota of Knoxville. They have been good so far. I have not needed anything major done. They are regular sponsors of Dirt and Donuts events in the area. Some better examples would be helpful. Just saying they are overpriced or shady doesn't really do the argument justice, details matter.

I am actually a student graduating from the University of Tennessee next week. I'll be joining the US Navy after graduation, so I am not affiliated with any of these dealerships or Pro Toy.

Welcome to Knoxville! I hope you've enjoyed it so far! As far as details go, I have only been in to service my vehicle at TK twice. The first time was for a regular maintenance check in which they tried to convince me my alternator needed to be replaced, but wouldn't tell me why. I didn't let them replace it, had AAA check it for free and they said everything was fine. That was 3 years ago and the alternator is still running fine.
The second time was for an oil change, because I didn't have time to do it myself before leaving for a trip and I saw that they had a coupon for a $30 oil change online. I presented the coupon when I got there and they accepted it. After they had done the oil change, they came back and made me pay $45 saying that they couldn't honor the coupon. When I asked why, they said some BS about how the coupon didn't apply to SUV's. That wasn't on the coupon, and they didn't say anything about it when I presented the coupon before the oil change. You might say "Well it's only $15", but it was more the principle of it. Plus being a college student every cent matters. Then the next time I go to change my own oil, I realize that they spilled oil all over my skid plates and didn't clean them off. So that really left a bad taste in my mouth.

As far as my knowledge of Fox Toyota. I bought my 1999 4Runner used there for my first car. They were very upfront about the condition of the car as the valve cover gaskets needed to be replaced and the timing belt needed to be replaced soon as well. I was very satisfied with my buying experience there and had the valve cover gaskets replaced and timing belt replaced there. It was probably more pricey than it would've been at Pro Toy, but they did a good job, and I haven't had any issues.

A little after my second experience with TK was when someone told me about Pro Toy, and I have gone to them ever since. I just enjoy their customer service and pricing better. I just recently had to have my brakes serviced at Pro Toy and they found some other issues that were not urgent so they called me up and let me know a quote for how much it would be to fix it and that it was suggested but not necessary right now. I just liked the fact that they were upfront about that unlike when TK was pressing me to replace my alternator when there was nothing wrong with it. It is really a matter of personal preference though. If you like the service and quality at TK then stay there, but if you want to look somewhere else then I would suggest Pro Toy for sure.