Bud Clary Toyota of Yakima

Buying a car can be a challenging and frustrating experience. Having purchased more than 25 cars in my life, I know this first hand. I must say Brandon Huynh and Angel in the Internet department here at Toyota Yakima make the whole process so easy and comfortable! Their followup and willingness to answer a miriad of questions is unsurpassed. I can be a demanding buyer, but Brandon made me comfortable immediately. He is a knowledgeable professional! Definitely not common in the car business, in my experience. He was able to answer all of my questions, and if he didn’t know the answer, he found out and got back to me in a timely manner– refreshing! I know when the time comes for me to get another car I will be looking to Brandon to complete my transaction! He is a valued employee that I hope Bud Clary appreciates! Thank you Brandon! You set the bar high in terms or customer service, patience, and product knowledge!

I bought my awesome 4Runner from these folks 12 years ago. They were great then. Went looking for a new car recently. Won’t go back. The sales person was condescending and pushy. Delayed me leaving the lot, knowing I was looking at another car at a competing dealer. Didn’t return calls. Way too pushy and never thought they were looking for a fair deal. I bought elsewhere. Hope they turn things around.

I have a 1992 Camry and a 2005 Camry … so you can imagine that I am a Toyota fan. Both Camry’s have been mechanically very reliable. But a few years ago, I noticed that the speaker covers on the rear deck of the ’05 were beginning to crack. This was happening despite the car being parked in a garage whenever it was home. Now, big chunks have fallen onto the speaker, making them rattle when the sound is on.
I called the parts department at Toyota of Yakima and was shocked to hear that the entire rear deck would need to be replaced at the tune of ~$ 250 for just the parts. I went on line and discovered that this seems to be a common problem of Camry’s of that era. In fact, Toyota issued a Service Alert to their dealers in 2007 (just two years after the car was produced!) that this problem had been reported enough times that they were giving their dealerships instructions on how to fix the problem (replace the whole rear deck).
However, also on the internet, I discovered amongst the many complaints of this problem, that Toyota did actually sell just the plastic speaker covers for $ 20 per pair and there was even a YouTube video of a quick way of doing a DIY replacement (and not spend another ~$ 300 in labor to have that deck installed.
I called back to Valley Toyota and spoke to the Parts Manager, who told me that Toyota did not feel any obligation to replace this part that was falling apart as early as two years. He didn’t even know that just the speaker covers were available, but when I gave him the part number… surprise, it was on their computer. He then strongly objected to my statement that «Toyota was not standing behind their product if they weren’t willing to replace this part.» Isn’t that the definition of standing behind their product?
So, while I still think Toyota makes a good product, this particular incident is quite irritating. They are losing me as a customer!

I’d been looking for a Toyota Prius C for several weeks and found a one-​year-​old one at Clary Toyota in Union Gap (Yakima). Called Brandon Pittman on Tuesday and he put me totally at ease. No new car sales pitch, no pressure, just knew his stuff AND the car I was looking at.
Bought a ticket and flew over from Seattle the next day, made the deal and drove the car home, getting 54 MPG. Clary is a great dealership and buying a car there was an overall great experience, one of the best I’ve EVER had buying a car, even dealing with David in the finance department.
Brandon and Jeff (Internet sales) are true pros and wonderful individuals. Easy to work with, honest and caring. They go the extra mile for you, even picking me up from the airport! Will definitely recommend these guys to my friends. I saved a TON of money. Toyota was able to best my credit union interest rate by ½ percent, which saved even more.
Highly recommended and, oh yeah, and the positive reviews here really helped put me at ease as well…

Let’s start this off with the full disclosure: I hate buying new cars. I also live in Seattle. But I really, REALLY hate the practice of car sales.
I hate everything about the concept. I don’t like the new car smell. I don’t enjoy panicking about my bumpers or picking my end spaces. I have owned and driven a succession of cars that could be best described as haphazardly safe — cars that I truly could not give more than a couple of moments notice if a ding showed up in the door. I’m not That Kind Of Car Owner. I don’t change my own oil, I keep the interior clean out of necessity and anti-​theft deterrent, and I’m definitely not the kind of guy who needs to feel like «this car is SOOOO me.»
I drove a 1988 Dodge B250 van for fun and a 2002 Honda Accord LX. We are not talking about someone whose ego is behind the wheel of the vehicle, here. So it might come as a shock that I do not enjoy the upsell, the hard sell, the soft sell, the conversational sell, the buddy sell, the «Chicks Dig It» sell, or the kind of sell where you wake up on a boat heading out to sea under the British flag with a rum-​induced hangover and a couple of Jaguars.
When it came time for me to sell my Accord and upgrade to a safer, 4×4 vehicle for my fiancée and I to have for winter and summer driving trips, with an intention to have it for an expanding family (dogs, kids, cats, horses, goats, etc), we settled on a Toyota SUV, and I did my browse-​shopping thing, where I meandered around looking at different models. I settled on a 4Runner, with specific upgrades, and found one on a lot in Seattle.
There’s a saying: «He who can walk away controls the deal.» Apparently, the Seattle-​area Toyota sales guys don’t quite understand this concept. In visiting three dealerships in the Seattle-​Tacoma area for the car I wanted, each tried to get me to upgrade, upsell, buy now, trade-​in for a ridiculously low amount of money, and, in essence, proved to qualify most of my internalized stereotypes. I got used to the idea of walking away from the deal and resigned myself to say, «Nope, no new car. Not a good idea right now.» After all, after the third time in the Seattle area, I cast my eyes elsewhere. On a friend’s recommendation, I peered over the mountains and went to Bud Cleary Toyota of Yakima, and got introduced to Justin Russell and his team.
When you can make a convert out of ME, that’s saying something. It’s like suddenly seeing Sarah Palin espouse rational and intelligent political opinions, dogs using litter boxes for something other than the Kitty Roca Treat Holder, Keith Olbermann calmly conversing in a light-​hearted manner, or the Cubs winning the World Series. This is not something you see every decade.
From start to finish, Russell made the whole car-​buying experience a pleasure and a half. He was comfortable and easy to work with, genuinely interested in my needs, and he went the extra mile to get me exactly the vehicle I wanted. As might be expected, I’m a bit of a special snowflake when it comes to buying a vehicle. Russell’s entire workflow was smooth, informational, and perfect for my needs and style. He was prompt with the information, he got the job done, and he coordinated like you wouldn’t believe. He even coordinated my ride from the airport as I flew in from Seattle. That’s the kind of thing I expect from a friend I’ve known for years; not the guy who’s selling me a car. The finance group made things exceptionally simple and easy — and as a long-​distance buyer, made it possible for me to get everything set up so the final purchase was done within an hour and I was on my way.
When it comes down to it, sales can be about the sizzle, but ultimately it does come down to being able to produce the sausage. This place does both — shows you what they have and what they can get you. Justin and his teammates restored my faith in the car-​buying process and made what was my first new car in eight years a decision I could be happy about. Full marks from me usually means «excellent work», but in this case full marks with honors is deserved. They have an excellent team — these guys made my weekend perfect.
The cons: Seriously, guys, do SOMETHING with that website. Le yeesh.

Quality dealership with five star service dept. Clean and friendly.