I had been searching for the perfect car to replace my current vehicle that, as much as I didn't want to admit it, had become unreliable. I finally found just what I was looking for at a very fair price at Clayton Automotive Group! Everyone I spoke with there was very friendly and helpful and although I hated letting go of my old car, I am so glad to have found its replacement at such a great price from really good people.
Clay was an outstanding salesman!! He was patient and very reasonable!! If you want honesty and a relationship with your dealership I recommend clay!!
Buyer beware of Clayton Automotive Group, Inc.! J.C. and their mechanic purposely defrauded me on my truck purchase and sold me an absolute worthless warranty for same while assuring me they had never had a problem with the company. That worthless warranty company has over 200 complaints and counting. They are sociopathic liars and a dishonorable company. Listen to your instincts and go elsewhere, they delight in taking advantage of hard-working veterans and the public alike. The D.A. should take note.
I know personally, he'll do you write. Just remember when you're buying used car even the dealers don't know if there's anything wrong sometimes. ( it's used.)
My wife and I were looking for a Subaru Outback with a 6 cyl. engine wanted a southern car so we called about the one they had advertised as a clean one owner car. I talked to Clay and Kody and explained that I had to drive 5 hours for the car and I wanted to make sure that it was a clean well maintained car. They sent me more pictures and promised the car was in great condition and I would not be disapointed. When I arrived and started looking over the car it was clear they did not take pictures of the damage a dog apparently had done to the car. It also had rust in the interior it starnge places almost like the car had been in a flood. Places on the exterior had been painted with a spray can.It also had mismatached tires Now we test drive the car at 55-60mph the car starts to vibrate, and when you would do a right had turn the front end would clunk clear indication that the CV joint is going out. When I confronted Clay he said well it is an older car, true but that does mean it has to be junk. I have several cars the oldest being a 1980 BMW that still looks great because it was taken care of. Clearly they miss represent their cars so buyer beware. Funny they have an old Corviar in their show that does not look like junk they must have different opinion of cars they sell.
Drove three hours to check out a Honda Element which was said to be in great condition on their website. Lever to pop hood was broken, blower motor did not work, and it did not have the sunroof their ad said it had.
They have great customer service, always friendly and have great deals. Go there today and get a awesome car.
We purchased a 2004 Toyota 4Runner from Cody and Clay. These guys were fantastic to work with. They both cared about what we needed in a vehicle and did everything they could to accommodate us. In the end we got just what we wanted and we could not have asked for a better buying experience. We will be back the next time we need a vehicle! Thanks you guys!!
I called and spoke with a sales person about a used Tacoma they had listed on craigslist. Unfortunately the vehicle was sold, but they let me know what they had coming in and that they would search to find me what I was looking for. I will be buying my next vehicle from them without hesitation.
Dan Rowe
Bought a 2003 Tacoma laat year, I was told it was in great condition. Fuel Tank is rusted, driveshaft had to be fixed, brakes were shot, rust all around, battery was dead on delivery. This was a sale with false information. I never write bad reviews, but the fix will be $6,000 from multiple mechanics - Update, my local dealership parts bill at 25% off (they are giving me additional discount on parts and labor as they feel terribly bad for me) , this is after having both dealership and a independent mechanic confirming all required parts. the carfax has nothing to do with the condition of the vehicle delivered and lack of disclosure of all the rust and mechanical defects. This shows that this dealership will sell you something that will soon breakdown without disclosing. To your response, due to extensive parts and labor cost, it wasn't up until recent months I been trying saving to get this resolved.
Had a great experience at this dealership. One of the salesman Jc Andersen was extremely helpful and friendly. Definitely would recommend.
Clayton Automotive is a great place to buy a car. Friendly staff and a great selection. Thank you JC, Lanny and Clay!
JC is a total douche. Wouldn't buy a car from them.
Dealing with JC is dealing with an honorable person.
DO NOT RECOMMEND buying from here! I had to spend $7500 on the car after I purchased it, not knowing it had a bad motor. Their MECHANIC IS NOT ASE CERTIFIED! The owner of the dealer basically told me "Oh well, that's business"
Great people. I bought a truck here and had an issue with it. They took the truck back and diligently hunted down the problem and fixed it. I was in full communication the whole time with them and would recommend buying here. Clay and everybody there treated me very well. Thanks guys
Just helped my 19 year old son buy a 2009 Dodge Ram with 104k miles. He came over from NC to test drive it...no issues during the test drive. Supposedly clean. He bought the truck and headed home in it the next morning. Within an hour, the check engine light came on and the transmission shifted from D to manual 4th and wouldn't leave that gear. After calling Lannie...I was told that their service department installed a new transmission in the truck. The 90 day bumper to bumper warranty is worthless since they won't authorize the Dodge dealer to repair the truck. I am contacting the local BBB and DA's office. It's obvious they are selling lemons and worthless warranties. DO NOT DO BUSINESS WITH THIS COMPANY!!!!!
Great customer service! No haggling and our salesperson, Kody, was gracious and gave us enough space to make a decision.
The staff was great. Clay has went above and behind to make sure we are happy with our purchase. As a mother of 2 small girls, it is very important to me to not only have a safe vehicle but reliable one as well. Clay did not try to push a sale or put us in a car that we didnt want. He was very helpful and the purchase was painless. With everything said and done, I am well satisfied with the vehicle I bought. I recommend you drop by and see Clay. He will treat you right.
Bought an 07 4runner and was given a warranty which I was told could be extended if I wanted to pay for it after the free 90 days. Called in to extend it and was told I could not because the car was over 150,000 miles and the insurance company was being nice when they extended the 90 day offer to them on this car. Soon after buying the car I was told the frame was completely rusted and the CV joint needed to be replaced. 6 months later the transmission started slipping in 2nd and 3rd and had to be rebuilt. This vehicle has now cost me 5,000 in repair costs. Save yourself the money and buy a better quality vehicle elsewhere.
Bought a Toyota Tacoma and could not be any happier with my purchase. Great customer service!
I purchased a 2007 Corvette for $35000 and as soon as I got it home in NC it threw several check engine lights. I went to get it inspected so I could have the title put in my name and the inspection guy said that the car had no catalytic converters. It had been modified and would not pass emissions in NC. I immediately call Clayton automotive and they tell me that they are sorry they cant help me with anything. Obviously they knew because they reset the check engine light long enough to sell the car. Now I am forced to spend a ton of money getting this car ready to pass emissions testing just to own it. Buyer beware of this company, I am in touch with the BBB and also letting the TN DMV know that they sold me a car this way.
liars! Don't go here. Purchased a car that the ad said came with headphone and remote for the rear entertainment system... contacted the owner to get them, and no response. If you want a car in "Excellent condition" - expect scratches, headliner coing out of sunroof, cup holders that don't stay in place, oh and when I got the vehicle home found a broken buckle.
I asked if the car was detailed and the lady said 'yes' - not sure who is doing the detailing though. I took a baby wipe out of my car and wiped it against the seat and had a whole wipe of dirt. Had to clean it myself. Not professional at all. Took all day being there because the owner wasn't there, I had to wait on any negations for him to text back. i was there nearly 6 hours, WHY it took so long I don't know, and while I was there no one even offered me a bottle of water. Very Unprofessional
We bought a 2003 Toyota Highlander from Clayton a few months ago. We found out the next day after buying the vehicle that the horn did not work and this was not disclosed to us before buying the vehicle. When we made Clayton aware of this they were unwilling to help repair the horn. Since then we have had a long list of issues with the vehicle including the catalytic converter, fuel injector, water pump, spark plugs, gasket and others. The check engine light is on and so we cannot get new tags without replacing the catalytic converter. There are only 100k miles on the vehicle. After multiple phone conversations they were not interested in helping out with any of the issues with the vehicle. I find it hard to believe that many of these issues went unnoticed when running through their own inspections. We would not have bought this vehicle if we were aware of all the issues that came with it. I have been very disappointed in their service and would not recommend them to anyone I know.
Experience was extremely professional, friendly and I absolutely love my vehicle! Would highly recommend!!
Reply to Business: I am not in your database probably because I never talked with you? I simply stopped in to look at your vehicles and quickly realized the beautiful cover up jobs :)
BUYERS BEWARE! I looked at some of their vehicles a few days ago and they do a great cover up on the under carriages. The majority of them were complete rust buckets and heavily covered with paint!
In April, I purchased a 2007 4Runner for my son. Yes, it had a few scratches (nothing major) and yes it had some signs of wear. There was probably some dirt that could be found if I had a baby wipe in my pocket. Yet, I am not complaining. In fact, I am extremely happy. I did not make the drive to Lebanon to purchase a 9 year old vehicle with an unrealistic expectation. I expected to see some blemishes. I also expected to receive the durability of the Toyota in the color, miles and equipment that was advertised and the price savings of over 60% off the price of a new model.
One word can sum this dealership up: Shady. We went to test drive the nice 2003 Lexus GS470 that seemed to be a very good deal. We were told "it had been under a thorough inspection" and that they put $2500 into getting the car perfect. The car looked very sharp on the outside and interior. When we took it to the mechanic though that is a totally different story. They lifted the car up to find out that basically the whole suv was completely rusted out underneith and they spray painted the rust black to make it look normal. WHATEVER YOU DO DO NOT WASTE YOUR TIME AT THIS DEALERSHIP!! I'm very disappointed in the quality. Even the mechanic said "stay away from Clayton no matter what" And even the salesman himself said "Clayton buys the cars that no one else wants" Moral of the story is even though there is a smiling happy face and everything seems right dig a little deeper. Be careful with this sketchy place. You have been warned.
Clayton Automotive was a breath of fresh air after getting the expected run-around from other car dealers. They gave me the best price for exactly what I wanted and I couldn't be happier. I'll be recommending them to all my friends and family that are in search of a new car. Thanks again guys.
We purchased a 2006 149k White Honda ridgeline because it was my husband's dream vehicle. My husband noticed a smell that he thought was antifreeze while we were driving but he wasn't sure, and he noticed that the brakes were a bit squishy. Clay look that's right in the eye and told us that he just flush out the radiator and have the car inspected and everything was great. Even told us that Hondas had a tendency to have squishy breaks... I was ready to go at that point but my husband kind of had blinders on because he really like this car. Come to find out, not only is our new, great condition car rusted on the bottom, but we have to get a whole new brake job because, surprise, the squishy brakes are not a Honda trademark...which meant a new break job. We also found out from the Honda dealer that not only did clay put the wrong fluid in the radiator, but he lied and said the Honda dealership did it. Also, the next day after we purchase the vehicle, guess what? The heat stopped working. Come to find out, the heater core is busted. We purchased a 12 month warranty which, of course, covers none of that. So, we've already spent about $2,000 on a $10,500 vehicle; should have known it was too good to be true. If you want a quality vehicle with an honest sales team, I would highly suggest you go elsewhere. I'm so mad and hurt by that group I could scream.
These guys were easy to work with. I was able to deal directly with the owner and he answered all my questions. I would definitely work with Clay again.
I live three hours away and found just the vehicle that I wanted. The staff and owner are great people and made sure I was completely satisfied before I left for home. My vehicle is a 2004 Lexus and the only regret I have is that I didn't buy sooner. I love my new car and will definitely tell my friends and family and also know where my next vehicle will come from. Thanks again
**July 8,2019 My Response to business reply** Well Clay, we got there, I walked in asked a guy that was walking around if he was Clay, he said "No I'm looking for him too and I'll tell him you are looking for him too" So we proceeded to inspect the 4runner I drove two hours to look at based on your word of no salt rust or corrosion. We looked it over solid for 15 minutes, popped the hood crawled under and yet you never came out because you probably knew what I would find LOL You're right I was aware the vehicle was from the Northeast but you also assured the owner must have kept it clean for how well it looks and NO salt rust. Man that frame had been so covered up with paint that you could smell the paint odor just standing by the car. The entire cross member below the radiator was almost ate away with rust, not to mention all one had to really look at was the spare tire underneath and how ate and corroded it was. every clip,bolt, and harness in the engine bay was flaking with corrosion. So yeah Buyer's BEWARE. Clay has totally different definitions.
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The previous reviewer hit the nail on the head here!!! The Owner ASSURED me a 4runner had minor surface rust and just surface rust spots in the engine bay and no heavy salt rust oxidization and someone had kept it very clean.... so I drive two hours on his "word". Got there, Clay never greeted us and I asked for him when we arrived. Went ahead and looked at the 4runner and immediately noticed to heavily sprayed under carriage. However the spare wheel, fuel pan cover, Front cross member, and engine bay was all I needed to see. HEAVY HEAVY rust and a majority all covered with paint. So I simply got back in my car and left just to chalk another one off for a car dealer thinking people are blind lol Pictures attached of him assuring only "surface rust"
Terrible drove four hours supposedly for a very clean car.
Piece of junk!
Scum bags had an agreement with me on a truck. I had a buyers order the day I looked at it , was going to the bank the day after and got called and was told they sold the truck earlier that morning... just a slimy, used car dealership for ya.
I've purchased two cars from Clayton Automotive. 2008 Nissan Pathfinder - no problems. Straight forward. Great experience dealing with Clay. I also just bought a Kia Minivan 2015 from him. Again a great experience. No hidden cost. I know from experience buying used cars is tricky, but I've had good luck with these guys.
BUYER BEWARE!!!!! Purchased a Toyota Truck from them, the alternator light came on during the test drive, the owner, Clay, looked me in the eye while shaking my hand and promised to ship me a rebuilt alternator to take care of the issue. It's a week and a half later, no alternator and no returned calls from messages I had left for him. He ruined the deal by lying through his teeth to me over a $150 rebuilt alternator and now I am going to relay my experience on every website possible, not too smart IMO.
We bought a 2007 toyota sequoia. Well before we went to look at it we specifically asked if check engine light was on and they said no. We drove 3 hours to see it. The check engine light was on the DVD player didn't work also like they said. The REPAIR MA SAID that it was only a emission thing causing check engine light on no problem also the DVD player just needs cleaning. Ok. So we bought it. On way home it lost power. Called and let them know but in a nice way was told sorry. They was willing to let me purchase the parts through their distribution place. Well to make a long story short the emission problem caused the vehicle to go into limp mode that cuts all under necessary power and usable options. 3700.00 later it was fixed but was informed the the catletic converters had to be replaced because of the secondary air pump. Another 900.00. Also both oxygen sensor another 230.00. Now the rack and pinion is out 2300.00. Needless to say a lemon. Talked to toyota and found out that all you have to do is undo the battery and it will reset the computer and will run like a new one UNTIL you drive it over 30 miles and the computer evaluates everything. Toyota dealer said that most dealers know this and uses this to sell a vehicle on the lot. I would never recommend this place to anyone nor would I even buy a go cart with no motor from this place. BE AWARE.
I drove up to the front of the building. When I got out of my car, an old lady from clayton automotive came over to me, and told me I could not park there.I figured if that's the way they treat customers I would take my business elsewhere .
I purchased a 2000 camry with 28,000 miles. car is perfect and was what it was said to be. the issue I have had for the past 5 weeks is I do not have a title. I took a personal loan out for the car and there was a notice to encumber the title to the bank. I paid the car off in a few months and went to get the title from the bank and they didn't have!!!!! I contacted lannie the manager about this and she said it was sent to my house. it never showed up at my house and the tracking proved that. I now have a car I can do nothing with sitting in my driveway. on 1-7-16 she knew I would need a duplicate title. she also knows I can do nothing with the car as I don't have a title. on 1-26-16 she says I need to pay 100$ for replacement I said absoutley not it was there mistake. on 2-2-16 she said money is in and they are waiting for replacement from ma. I ask 2-3 times a week for update on this. on 2-17-16 I asked for another update on this as its been almost 6 weeks with a car in my driveway I can not drive. she responded that when it comes she will get in the mail and I need to stop harassing her with emails. I was very nice up to this point. I highly recommend doing business anywhere else then here. her customer service is by far the worst I have ever seen.
Just bought a tacoma x-runner from Clayton auto worked with Cody loved the experience and they where awesome definitely recommend if ur looking for a nice car or truck
Amazing customer service and would definitely refer anyone to this dealership! No pushiness whatsoever!
I had such an easy, stress free experience. JC was quick to answer my questions and my new (to me) 2005 Infiniti is beautiful with no issues. It seems like every car I saw on their lot was super high quality.
So far a decent experience with this company. One "issue" I had was that they don't have a detailer on site. For me it's not a big issue, but, for others it may be. I am OCD when it comes to cleanliness so if it was detailed before I left, would've probably done it again or found mistakes anyways. I will say this...JC and the owner where real easy to work with. All and all a good place to get a vehicle.
Took care of my family and went above and beyond after the sale was set in place. Absolutely recommend Clay and co to anyone looking for a used vehicle with great service. Thank you again Clay! #blessed
I just bought a car from clayton automotive and they were awesome. Customer service was excellent their persistence in helping me was outstanding and I couldn't have gotten a better deal on the car. I highly recommend this place to anyone you won't be disappointed.
I called about a 2007 4Runner to see if they still had it. When I got there, someone else was wanting to see it, but they let me see it first because I called about it. I was really grateful for that. It looked good for a 2007. Quick test drive was good. They came off the price a little, which I know they could have waited and someone would have paid full price for it. I was in and out in under an hour(but I'm not super picky and I knew what I wanted). While they were getting the paperwork together, Clay overheard me say that I wished it had the keyless entry fobs(previous owner only left one key). So he jumped online and ordered me two fobs and had them sent to my house. I realize that didn't cost him that much in the grand scheme, but it was excellent customer service. I had a good experience at Clayton. No problems from my vehicle. And I got the key fobs in the mail and they work like a charm. I'm happy.
Thank you so much for your honesty and being so loyal to your customers. Would not purchase a vehicle from anyone else in Lebanon, TN
Thank you and your team again!
Sincerely,
The Hodges
I had an amazing experience with all the people I spoke with and delt with! Clay gave me the best deal for my car that I could get. They had patience with me on everything from talking to driving to loan to buying and ect. Noone was at all pushy and they where very interested in getting to know me and help me with getting through all my processes and getting me into the car I wanted and my loan process. I don't have great credit, but I'm trying to build my credit the people they go thru for bad credit or no credit Citizens Bank approved me and got me the loan I needed and where extremely nice and patient as well with all my processes. Thank you Clayton and Citizens for everything you've done to get me and my family on the road with a great car that's dependable for my whole family and the great deal that's all a blessing! I haven't ever been to buy a car with such great service and no pressure to buy and a great loan company. Thank you!
Just bought my first vehicle from Cody at Clayton Automotive. My favorite thing about the experience was that they were not pushy at all. They gave a good price and actually set down with me looked at my budget and tried to make this affordable. If you are looking for a first class experience do your car shopping at Clayton Automotive.
First off, the buying experience here IS smooth and easy. Everyone was respectful and got along. Our deal included new brakes etc and he was fair with the haggling.
However after my experience, it should be fair on both sides for this friendly advice as to the quality of merchandise that they advertise to sell;
If your buying a car in the state of Tennessee and plan to drive and register it in Tennessee AND YOU LIVE IN A COUNTY WHERE EMISSIONS IS REQUIRED, then it requires an inspection of (exhaust components). DO YOUR HOMEWORK. This is a prerequisite for any car being sold or transferred in the state as well as sometimes renewal of registration for listed counties. THIS INCLUDES METRO NASHVILLE AND WILSON COUNTY where Clayton happens to reside.
Ergo; if you purchase a vehicle from a dealer (private party sale excluded)and the dealer presents the emissions test as your responsibility, Just simply say thank you and WALK AWAY from the deal. Dealerships are required by Motor Vehicle Comission, State vehicle law in regards to inspection and title sections as well as the Attorney Genreral DMV equivalent division (or consumer affairs for which it also resides under)to have this done. (This law is in place for those less than honest dealers that attempt to resell totaled flooded vehicles or rusted out vehicles usually from the north where there s salty roads.(the stuff you see on dateline and investigative reporting) *If you can t pass emissions in a county that requires it, then you can t get a registration plate, only a 30 day plate.
I should insert that regardless of intent on Clayton s part, my purchase could not pass, twice(check engine light the day after I purchased. Computer threw a O2 sensor) And yes, I was the dummy to verbally agree to get the vehicle tested on my end after the signing of papers; And the guy to put up $500 of work by my garage in order to attempt to make it pass. (Because of me, my mechanic was able to make his boat payment)
But alas...All that was needed was a respectful phone call to make someone understand that I didn t purchase a demolition derby car, I purchased a vehicle with the expectation to be able to drive it on state roads. Ron said bring it back and We will take care of it .
I purchased my vehicle outright, however hearing some of these reviews, I can t imagine if I had taken out a loan for a car here and have this issue. Then it would be a problem on top of a problem.
Currently Clayton (Ron, nice guy)is working to make this right and the vehicle was simply returned.
It would be very discerning should it not be made right. (i.e in this instance, the passed emissions lays on them and whatever! they have to do to accomplish that) would be what any reasonable and prudent person would expect, especially a general sessions judge. For every problem, there s a simple solution. For those of you with actual possible vehicle title fraud ; that s a simple felony in most states.( In layman s terms it deals in the meddling of the federal governments Vin number tracking system). Almost like baseball batting a mailbox, but in an instance regarding vehicle titles, evidence is easily paper-trailed. AND KEEP ANY OR ALL PAPERWORK FOR THE VEHICLE, EVEN THE WINDOW STICKER.
I would hate to call all the departments that I have listed plus a few others and maybe a news channel to investigate further. I don t like messing with people s livelihood until they re given a chance to make it right. Because it just may be that it was an overlooked problem.
And so far by communicating with Ron, I m extending my faith.
Hopefully this has been a learning experience for everyone, I know it has me.
We ll see what transpires...there s always the edit button.
Cliff note version;
Read between the lines and you ll get it but....Always request certification of Emissions prior to buying ANY car in this state. Also it wouldn t hurt to ask for a copy of the title ALL PRIOR TO TIME OF SALE TRANSACTION.
