Hillside Toyota — Local services in New York

Update 09-2025: I meant to update my review sooner but I’m very frustrated about two things: my gold certified used vehicle was sold to me with tires that were 9 and 20 years old. They were unused, but manufactured that long ago. Tires should not be sold past 8 or 10 years as the rubber degrades. I had tires that I had to refill constantly after leaving the dealership and one popped within a few months. I payed to replace it not thinking anything other than I wish it was covered, when I was told by a friend to check the DOT numbers showing the tires date of manufacture. Thats how I learned the tires were old and most likely defective. Two of my tires have the same problem and I constantly need to refill them. I called that year, and was blown off by Victor, sales manager. I bought the car to pickup and drive my daughter to daycare. It’s been a busy year and I never followed up. After a constant issue, I reached back out again a year later. Victor assured he would help me but blew me off again, never returning my call to say how he will help. In fact, after calling Victor for help, I got likes on my former 5 star review that day probably from the dealership. I don’t have lots of time to deal with car issues or write reviews so this has been a pain. And one reason I’m tanking my review from 5 to 2 stars.

Also, which I left out of my initial review, I believe I was slightly swindled on my loan. I worked out a deal with Benjamin that day on the car price, after which we had to wait one to two hours to speak with financing department. I told Benjamin I wanted to shop the rates, since I had done so on our other Toyota purchased elsewhere. We have outstanding credit, and good debt to income ratio. When I finally entered the lender’s office, a lot of paperwork was already started, with a rate already picked, and I was told I can’t shop rates that I was given the best rate. While everything else that day seemed smooth, I was very annoyed with the lender and asked to see other rates. He told me something like, in that case we would have to start the whole process/paperwork over again and he said he already gave me the best rate. Based on the rate I got, at the time I got it, I believe there were better offers on the table. I knew I could save a point or two which translates to at least 1-2k.

Original review: Benjamin is a thorough, honest car salesman who helped us to choose a car from Hillside Toyota. My wife and I had been looking for a second car for several months and were torn between different makes and models. I either wanted a Toyota or Hyundai, but I felt that other Toyota dealers I had visited were using a lot of pressure and outright lying to me to create a sense of urgency to buy their vehicles. At Hillside, we were greeted with courtesy at the door and then connected with Benjamin immediately, who helped to answer our questions and find the type of car that was right for us. Because of his expertise and willingness to find the answers to our questions, we felt comfortable to purchase a certified pre-owned 2022 Totyota Prius in brand-new condition at a highly competitive price. The entire process was silky smooth and we drove out that same day with the new vehicle. My hope was to buy a car that can last 20-30 years, but if we find ourselves in the market again, I’ll definitely seek out Benjamin at Hillside Toyota. Thank you to the...

Great Buying experience.

Let me start out by saying I think the car market (used and new) is absolutely insane - ESPECIALLY USED.

with that being said. I had searched a long time for a car (partly because of how crazy the market was/is) and really hadn't found ANY "deals" until I saw a Rav4 prime with under 10,000 miles for 5 thousand less than most other dealerships were selling a similar car with double the miles on it. I thought it was too good to be true, but I was in the area for work and needed a car pretty badly so I figured I would at least check it out.

when I walked in I did not have a great feeling about thought I would just be wasting my time. I am not from new York city / queens. there was a welcome desk on the left and a small uncomfortable seating area just to the right as I walked in. I had spoke to someone on the phone and confirmed my appointment, and was surprised when someone else came.

SUMMARY AND OPINION

Overall: I gave 5 stars because I felt like I had a great experience. Car buying for me has always been stressful (I have purchased 3 cars and leased 1 in the past from various dealerships in different parts of the state). I walked in after working 10 hours taking a ferry and the subway and felt like I was wasting my time. While the paperwork and insurance did take a long time.. Working with Valentina and getting to a place where I felt comfortable pulling the trigger was surprisingly easy. She was not pushy. She seemed very relaxed and was very calm and pleasant to talk to. She tried helping with the insurance and offered other options of coming back the next day to pick it up. She was VERY patient in my opinion throughout my hour long issue with getting the car insured. This is the only car buying experience that I left feeling good about what I paid and what I got (even that came with hesitency later). Victor was fun and threw in some extra things with the car and when the financial and signings were getting tiresome and overwhelming he took me around the showroom and we had a lot of good conversation and laughs. He was another very positive aspect of my experience. The man I signed the paperwork with was also great (he was a little more straight laced and focused on his paperwork but still managed to chat and joke in between)

I'm giving 5/5 stars mainly due to the price of the vehicle and the friendly non pushy staff that ultimately made for a less stressful borderline enjoyable car buying experience.

I (being a little paranoid thinking I was getting hustled) Took the car to a seperate dealership to make sure there was nothing wrong with it, and it appears everything checks out. I have driven the car 7,500 miles so far with no issues I purchased the vehicle roughly 3 months ago. I would have wrote this review sooner, but I didn't want to leave the review until I was SURE about the 5/5 stars. If I left the review when I walked out of the dealership I prolly would have left 10/5 stars because that's how great i felt after the purchase that night.

Thank you to Valentina and Victor and all the others I interacted with that night. You most likely don't remember me, but I will be in contact next time I am looking for a car...

Deceptive Sales Experience and Safety Concerns with 2023 Toyota BZ4X

When considering the purchase of a new or used vehicle, I strongly urge others to conduct thorough research and consult trusted friends or automotive professionals. Do not rely solely on the appealing promises of dealerships or brokers, as these can often be misleading.

I was contacted by Sam Yangyang Liu, a broker from iDeal Auto, located at 78-14 Woodside Avenue, Elmhurst, NY. He offered me a fully electric 2023 Toyota BZ4X AWD Limited from Freehold Toyota, located at 4268 Route 9 South, Freehold, NJ. I purchased the vehicle on October 31, 2023.

Within just a few months—by March 2024—I began experiencing serious issues. The vehicle developed multiple manufacturer-related defects. It shut down unexpectedly several times, even when the main battery was fully charged. In total, the car left me stranded on four separate occasions due to recurring electrical failures.

On November 26, 2024, I had the vehicle towed to Hillside Toyota, located at 101-10 Van Wyck Expressway, South Richmond Hill, NY 11419, for diagnostic. The vehicle remained at the dealership for nearly a month while waiting for parts, specifically a replacement rack and pinion.

After the repair, I raised concerns regarding the cruise control system. I questioned whether Hillside Toyota had properly inspected or reprogrammed the system following the rack and pinion replacement. With cruise control activated, the system should have automatically applied braking or corrective action, especially given that all sensors were functioning correctly.

Despite these concerns, no clear confirmation was provided. On March 15, 2025, while driving with cruise control engaged, the steering wheel suddenly locked, causing me to lose control of the vehicle and crash into a truck. Fortunately, I survived, but the incident could have easily been fatal.

I now believe I was misled during the purchase process and sold a vehicle with known or concealed defects. This experience highlights what I consider deceptive and unethical business practices. I am sharing my story in the hope that it serves as a warning to others.

Please exercise extreme caution, ask detailed questions, and independently verify the condition of any vehicle—especially electric models—before making a purchase. Your safety and peace of mind must always come before any...