Customer Reviews

Alright, this review is totally in regards to their Service Department. Now, I'm not too sure if I was treated the way they usually treat people who go to their establishment for tune-ups, inspections, etc., because I was sent there by a former Putnam Toyota mechanic who called in my Corolla's problem to the service manager the night before I took it in for service...but, my experience was a relatively nice one. Besides the widely known fact that if you take your car for any type of service to a dealership, the prices are jacked up. I mean, who in their right mind would pay almost $80 for a $20 oil change right@f0@f0 Ridiculous! So onto the problem at hand. My 2004 Corolla's (which I purchased/used in Hawaii for 2 years by the way) drive belt had this squeaking problem since, oh I don't know, a couple years. And the lazy person I am, thinking the chirping would eventually go away, waited and waited. Until, oh my, the warranty practically wore itself out. I took it to City Toyota in Daly City, left it there for almost the entire day, and they, if you can believe, said there wasn't anything wrong. Uh yah, are you deaf or are you just hanging out by the carburetors a little too much! And, as the pushover I am, I gave into the service guys ploy of duping me into them doing a 20,000 mile check up, which freakin' cost almost $150. Thanks for nothing City Toyota! At Putnam, I was greeted kindly, and they payed attention to what I was trying to tell them about my car. Tony, who helped me out, went over the pricing and what would need to be done if they found something. He asked if the price was ok and to go ahead if they needed to fix it. Yes please! So I stuck around and hung out in their pretty swanky waiting area. They had a, probably, 50" LCD tv, wireless connectivity, coffee, and plush seats! It made the 3 hour wait worthwhile. Tony checked up on me and gave me updates on what was happening to my car. Made me feel like he cared that I waited so long. After my car got fixed, they vacuumed and washed my car!! Wow!! Nice! And now my Corolla doesn't sound like a flock of seagulls driving down Great Highway any longer! Thanks Putnam Toyota!

Purely Painless. At 28 this was my first new car buying experience. Phil Anderson at Putnam Toyota made my experience very easy. My wife recently bought a different make car from a dealer in the East Bay and it was nothing but negative. She had to haggle over price and decline extras that she clearly did not want and had to fight to get a fair amount for her trade in. Phil treated me with respect, did not talk down to me, gave me a fair price for my trade and gave me a monthly payment I could live with. Plus, with Toyota's "pure pricing" there is total transparency in the buying process. All prices and interest rates are posted on their website so you know what to expect going in. Thay had the model I wanted in stock, in the color I was looking for with the extras I wanted. I walked in and drove away with my '08 Scion tc that day. I highly recommend this dealership. My next car will be a Putnam Toyota and I plan to see Phil for that car. Thanks Phil!

I purchased my 2006 Scion TC from Putnam back in January of 2006.. I like to call anything before March 2007, my pre-yelp days.. So, back in my pre-yelp days, I had the need to get from point A to point B without the ginormity of driving a van by my lonesome self.., so I decided to test drive the cute, compact, and affordable Scion TC. The sales guy was super cool. He did dangle some accessories in front of me, and like a kitten to a dangling ball of yarn, I did end up getting a different shifter and side curtain airbags.. for safety reasons.. (most everything else comes standard). There was no pressure at this point, and I was stoked. Not to mention, I was pretty set on the color and the relatively basic necessities, so there was no convincing me to buy the "leftovers" on the lot. I thought we were cool... me & said sales guy... but THEN.. he took me over to this old man's office.. let's call him.. mob-man.. Yes, he looked like he was the leader of some mob.. and he tried unsuccessfully to force extra warranties on me.. He also said something to the point where it sounded like I'd get into an accident.. Luckily, "knock on wood" I never have, but geesh.. what an ass.. Finally, we left... I shot the once "cool" sales guy a sad look of distrust.. how could you?!?!

OK, you know this Yelp thing is starting to change the way business is done when people start buying cars from other yelpers! Phil A has been an active yelper and a long-time Yelp friend of mine for many months. It just so happens that he also sells Toyotas at Putnam Toyota in Burlingame, and it also just so happens that me and the Mrs. found ourselves in the market for one of those new-fangled eco-friendly deal they call a Prius. One Yelp private message led to the other (using the phone to communicate about a major purchase is SOOO last millennium), and we found ourselves a couple of Saturday's ago ever-so-slowly escalating our commitment into writing a check for a spanking new car (the first in our collective 79 years between us). Phil is a quality yelper, a solid guy, and a true professional. He asked us what we were looking for (value, practical, no frills) and took a very low-pressure approach to the transaction. We are delighted with the car, and felt well-taken care of. He even scrounged some leftover pizza for our kiddos when he saw they were melting down with at least 45 minutes left in the process (who knew that buying a car would take 3 hours?). Be sure to do your homework and Phil will do his best to get you a yelper discount. :)

This was the most painless car buying experience I've had. I must be maturing - finally. I decided to buy a car with a higher overall rating on safety, reliability, and gas mileage than a car that looks cool. If I was going to do a lease, perhaps I would have gone with cool design but I decided to buy a car instead. I did my research on consumer reports, chose the cars i wanted to check out, test drive etc. I walked onto the lot at Putnam in B-game and Larry greeted me. Larry was very un-car salesman. He was friendly, not annoying, subtle, and down to earth. He didn't talk a lot but when he did the facts were good. I got an excellent deal, and drove off the lot with a 2007 certified pre-owned car. Thanks Larry!

We liked the salesperson, Victor Contreras, so much that we came back twice! Bought a Prius in May under the Costco program and then a month later in June to buy a Scion--both from Victor. I must say we are fortunate that the Costco person from Putnam was a rude jerk that gave me no more than a nod and promptly passed me on to Victor--who easily rose to the task. Victor was skillful and polite and a very pleasant person. The finance person, we worked with both times was George and we had quite a few laughs with him--he was quite surprised to have two cut-ups for customers. The Costco pricing for the Prius was fixed. The pricing for the Scion was also fixed, so there was virtually NO negotiation. BUT the financing part involved Maintenance package and Appearance Package and the Extended Warranty and it just seemed to go on and on. Toyota needs to change this process. I will probably avoid their service department since Melody Toyota is actually closer to me than Putnam. But all I can say is GO SEE Victor and tell him Glenn sent you! *Service Update* 8/28/07 5,000 service: Appointment was conveniently made on line. Service was quick and professional, though not particularly friendly. My car was ready as promised. I had a meeting in San Francisco so that I needed their shuttle to take me to the nearest BART. That worked well getting me to BART but they do NOT pick-up, so I was left to getting back to my car by taking CalTrain from the same BART station to Burlingame. Thank goodness that the CalTrain station is only a couple of blocks from the service center. Anything more, and it was either a bus or taxi that I would have needed. This is not the most complete shuttle service that they could offer, but it was better than nothing. *Service Update* 1/23/08 10,000 service: I am now waiting in their customer lounge for my car; and HOW they've treated us is a testament to their customer care: 1. On-line appointment booking: unlike Melody Toyota where you request an appointment and email it to them, Putnam gives you a calendar to pick and choose your date and time AND if they are full for that day & time slot. NO waiting and guessing needed. 2. FOOD: I am now sipping a strong cappuccino with a tasty fresh donut provided by Putnam. They have a FULL BLOWN FRESH GRINDING Espresso Machine! Complimentary Espresso, Double Espresso, Americano, Latte (Including the froth! :D),and Cappuccino are all available! Very cool. (They also have the usual vending machines.) 3. ENTERTAINMENT: a 40"+ flat-screen with Comcast digital cable. They also have an Internet PC with a 20" flat-screen panel monitor and a 54 Mbps wireless connection for their customers. This is just too cool. 4. They've got a kiddy sized table for the tykes. ~8-) 5. I was treated very promptly and courteously and they even are going to give my car a much needed bath. 6. They even allow dogs :^) No one likes waiting for their car to get service but this is the next best thing and Putnam paid attention. It's pretty clean and comfortable and has more amenities than most any place I've waited. Well Done Putnam.