luchs@ihldt.UUCP (06/17/83)
Does anyone have information about local (Naperville, Illinois area) Toyota dealers or Mazda dealers? I've been thinking about getting a Toyota Celica ST, but after reading the horror stories from the Denver area buyer who gave up on getting a Toyota Tercel and switched to a Mazda GLC, I am starting to reconsider. Any opinions as to which is a better buy?
luchs@ihldt.UUCP (06/17/83)
The two responses I have received so far (one on the net and one in the mail) have been in favor of Mazda. Perhaps Toyota is getting a bit arrogant because April's Consumer Reports magazine rated them so highly. Mazda rated almost as favorably. When I went into a Chevy dealership (just for the heck of it-- I don't have any intention of buying a Chevy) the sales people were ready to kiss my feet if necessary to sell me a car. When I went to two different Toyota dealerships, I was ignored. One sales person said, "We don't have any cars right now--come back some other time. We don't keep them around for long." I would like to find a dealer who is really interested in selling a car (no, they won't actually have to kiss my feet, just give me a reasonable price and no unrequested options.) I guess I'll start checking out the Mazda dealers this weekend. So far I have been told that the Mazda dealership in Naperville is to be avoided and that Heritage Mazda in Elgin and Valley VW/Mazda in Aurora are good. Does anyone know how Toyota and Mazda compare in crash tests?
warren@ihnss.UUCP (06/17/83)
I do not own a Mazda, but I have dealt with Valley VW/Mazda/Honda on my VW, and have been favorably impressed. Their service is expensive (whose isn't), but they seem quite competent and stand behind the work. BTW, If you want a bargain these days, you might think about one of the VW cars. I have had good luck with mine, though not all people do, and unlike the Japanese dealers, VW is not limited by quotas, and have lots of spare capacity to make cars these days. I assume that this translates to a better attitude from dealers, but I am not looking now so I really don't know. -- Warren Montgomery ihnss!warren IH x2494
ignatz@ihuxx.UUCP (06/17/83)
Ok, now for a plus vote. I bought my first Toyota from a defunct dealership in Chicago in 1978 (Downtown Toyota). It was a case of agressively shopping for a Toyota Celica Liftback, since I knew a friend who had one and I was favorably impressed with it on a trip to Phoenix via Denver. If anyone had the right to be upset with me, it was that dealer--I called another dealer I'd been talking to from this guy's office, and bargained over his phone! But nevertheless, I got an outstanding deal and a friendly salesman. He even drove me to Waukegan in his own car to pick up the Credit Union check. (New job Monday, needed car on Friday...) That Toy ran up 100,000 miles from Oct. '78 through Feb. '82, and was a pleasure to drive. I'm a decent auto mechanic (not hubris--it was a student necessity) and was almost depressed at how easy the Japanese made that car to maintain and service; Toyota maintenance supplies (brake pads, filters, etc.) are superbly crafted, well designed, and competetively priced with the cheapie no-names in auto parts stores. I was so impressed that, on a whim, I stopped in at the Hanley-Dawson dealer in Chicago in Feb. of last year (it was some promotional--remember, times were bad and interest rates high) and effectively said, "I've got a '78 Toy with 100,000 on it. What can we do?" Ignore the haggling, which started out as 'just curiosity...' and ended up with '..I borrow your pen?'. I ended up with a good trade-in, a superb price on a new Celica Liftback S package (despite Chicago's 1% tax), and drove out with the car *that afternoon*. And so far, I'm as impressed and satisfied with this one as I was with the first; it's a pleasure to drive. Things may be different now that times are better; and different dealerships matter. I might recommend Quality Toyota, on Roosevelt Rd. in Glen Ellyn; I do my own work, but go there for parts, and they've always been friendly and knowledgable. The salesmen I met are willing to talk, even though I'm obviously not an immediate prospect. Now, all isn't a bed of roses; Toyota parts, while always easy to obtain, can get quite expensive once you get out of the filter-and-wiper range; and body work is *hideously* expensive (but, then, it probably is on all imports.) And I can't comment on the quality--good or bad--of Mazda; I've never owned one. But for what *I've* gotten out of Toyota, I have to give this 'unsolicited testimonial'. I just wish Detroit would offer something like this! What more can I say? Dave Ihnat ihuxx!ignatz IX 1C-421 x0946