mikeq@ihlpf.UUCP (02/27/84)
#R:tektronix:-181200:ihlpf:4100013:000:1378 ihlpf!ejn Feb 26 20:04:00 1984 [] I have to agree with mikeq about the shoddy work of American labor/management. My complaint is that buying foreign *does not* solve the problem! You still have to deal with the American-owned and -operated dealership. (I'm aware of, for example, BMW's European Delivery Program, but that is not a reasonable solution for most of us.) I may decide that it's worth a longer posting later, but here's a quick summary of my experience: What do you get for the "Additional Dealer Preparation" charge you pay on every new car? A checklist, signed by the salesman, showing that the fluids, tires, body, etc. have all been checked. THE *CHECKLIST* IS ALL YOU GET! THE DEALER DOES NOT DO THE WORK. Specifically, Valley Imports (Honda, Mazda, Volkswagen) in Aurora, IL does not perform any checks on the cars they deliver. The general manager told me this after I complained about a serious problem that should have been caught by the checklist. Remember, salesmen lie *after* the sale, too. And the service department is as incompetent as most. Don't believe the bunk they give you about satisfying the customer to get repeat business and word-of-mouth recommendations; at Valley Imports it seems clear that making a buck NOW is all that counts. One who's been burned, Eric Northrop AT&T Bell Laboratories Naperville, IL ihlpf!ejn
lute@abnjh.UUCP (J. Collymore) (02/27/84)
I once heard, from a former used car salesman, that "dealer prep" was nothing more than vacumming the interior of the car, washing and waxing the exterior. Jim Collymore