Thanks Jon for the info! I suspected it was going to be too tight a fit for the Outback tires... I had my measuring tape with me when initially looking over the car and it looked dubious. I guess I'll live with the temporary donut and hope I don't get flats with this car.
(They were sort of a curse with the Camry... I think I had at least 7 or 8 over the years, not including the two that the thieves had.)
However, it left me fully prepared to change a tire, I have some wooden wheel chocks and a piece of pipe for extra leverage to get the wheelnuts off. My sales person seemed to think I was odd for wanting to check out where the jack and tools were and how the jack fit in the compartment.
I test drove the Legacy L and Outback back to back, and took both on pretty much the same trip, including 2 tight U-turns each. It seemed tight for both vehicles, I really didn't notice any appreciable difference, other than that the Legacy made a noise, kind of a clunking when the steering wheel was all the way turned, and felt less smooth than the Outback.
The turn would have been a breeze in the Camry, but the Camry was a foot shorter. I was pleased, I seem to be able to do the things I was able to do in the Camry with the Outback OK and I was worried about that because I'm not used to the larger size of the vehicle.
my Tortie slept overnight in the back of my WRX wagon once. I left the tailgate open and she crawled in. She has a bad habit of getting into people's cars when the windows and such are open. Anyhow, she hadn't come back at night after being out as she always does and I figured she might be "trapped" somewhere. I decided to look in my car and there she was all curled up on the blanket I keep in the back for emergencies..no worse for the wear. Oh..and she still tries to hop in when I'm not looking. :-)
guess what they gave me for a loaner? A 01'L.L.Bean. It's the dark green w/beige two-tone leather. Driving it reminds me of my 00'OB Ltd but w/more guts! I like it. Don't worry all, I don't like it enough to trade my WRX wagon. It would be a nice companion car to my WRX though. :-)
I own a 1999 Outback. I had no problems with the car in the first two years. In December of 2001, we developed a burning smell from the front of the car. When describing the symptoms over the phone the dealer correctly diagnosed the problems as a leaking front engine crank oil seal. He told me this was quite common and after replacement we could expect the seal to last 100,000 miles or more because the dealer installed seal lasts longer than the factory seal. Immediately following this work we heard a constant squeal from the engine, which was diagnosed as a defective alternator. Having just spent over $400.00 on the car, I now faced spending another $250.00. What I anticipated from Subaru was well over 100K trouble free miles. The replacement alternator, a factory authorized rebuilt was defective from Day One. The squeal was worse than the original. Once again, I brought the car back in for more service. Again the diagnosis was the alternator, which was replaced under the parts warranty. Within a week the car died in traffic on a very busy highway stranding me with an out of town guest. We had it towed to the dealer: diagnosis- defective alternator cable. I had 57,000 trouble free miles. The warranty is 60,000 miles. At 63,000 miles the car began to fall apart. I exceeded the Subaru recommended service interval by 100%. In the first 70,000 miles I changed the oil 18 times. Not one month later while on a vacation trip, the car stopped running stranding my wife on the left shoulder on a very busy 75 MPH interstate at 11:00 PM 500 miles from home. Taken to a local dealer the diagnosis was a rod through the block. Destroyed engine. Needless to say, I am not happy. I had anticipated reliability equivalent to my 30 years of experience with similar vehicles. What I have is a car that has cost me $3,300.00 in repairs when I consider it to be barely broken in. I selected this car based on its reputation for reliability. Myth: A fiction or half-truth, especially one that forms part of an ideology. A popular belief or story that has become associated with a person, institution, or occurrence, especially one considered to illustrate a cultural ideal Looking at the Edmunds website, I see numerous mentions of the odor that presaged the complete failure of my engine. I hope I can warn those Subaru owners before they learn the same expensive lesson I learned.
subarude , it looks like you unfortunately picked the short straw with your car and my sympathies but when you look at a large number of cars, Subes do well by any yardstick. I won't get into my Honda tales which I have previously posted. But I must have drawn the short stick with 2 Hondas (ok one was an Acura but same thing) a decade ago.And there are some other makes I have had the misfortune to have driven which I won't even mention as they have never been considered reliable though they seem quite the vogue nowadays as a "luxury" brand! As statisticians will tell you, the mean and mode may be where you want it but there will be some poor guy several standard deviations away on the curve.
Well, I didn't know the meaning... and the choice had nothing to do with Rowan Atkinson , although I admit to being a Mr. Bean fan. For some reason, my brain associates it with trees and the car is green and it sounds like a girl and there ya go!
Nothing else seems to have brightened my brain bulb, but if the car wants it, she wants it. You don't argue these things.
This guy makes me suspicious. Identical posts in multiple topics. He even posted in the Forester vs the competition topic (hello, his car is allegedly an Outback). Some of the facts don't add up either. Why did he have to pay for a bad engine seal or alternator if the car was still under warranty? Regardless, I hope he goes and buys a Ford and lives happily ever after :-)
I got a little lost in his timeline, but I think everything happened outside of the 5/60 powertrain warranty. The alternator would be way outside of the basic 3/36, but the engine related problems and eventual failure might have started at the tail end. Maybe he could get some assistance with this huge cost if he appealed to customer service (Patti??).
Either way, I certainly feel for him and wish him well....
But Steve, he shouldn't have to pay for the alternator either. SoA had them recalled when they were suspect. ...and I don't seem to be able to get $400+$250 to equal $3,300 on my calculator.
Salesman did not call me for 4 days. When he did he said $1,500 over invoice and hung-up. I was so frustrated! I bypassed the Salesmen all together and I called the Sales Manager last night. I told him that no one called me for days, etc. He said $500 over invoice and Good Trade-in Value. So it is $382 a month. Good but what if it rattles, wind noise, I don't like it? He then said, "O.k. if you do not like it then don't buy it, but we will get it here tomorrow." Great! Fair deal, good out if it is not perfect. Now I am excited again. He also said he'd throw in the rear spoiler. And that is expensive! Still after being mistreated there I have my resevations. I will try not to get too excited this time, until it is acctually here. BTW- I called South Shore Motors for their bottom line deal. They seemed very kind, but gave be a deal that was $500 higher then this one. Still it is $6,000 more then the Outback. I do not want to add to our dept, but I do not want to remain unhappy either. I could MOD the Outback to the GT suspension, springs and tires, etc. But how? And at what cost? Still it looks odd to have two Outbacks in the garage!! I prefer the look of the GT wagon over the Outback by a long shot. I am pleased with the deal and will tell you all about my test drive tomorrow! Thansk for listening, Heather
Steve- Regardless of the validity of his claims, I'd rather leave Patti out of it. She's so nice and helpful that I'd hate to see her waste her time on someone who's obviously already made up his mind that Subarus are junk.
Don't take any crap from the dealers... if one is nasty, there may be others, though you may have to drive further to find one. Hold them to that spoiler and the good trade-in price!
$1500 over invoice sounds high to me... I got my Outback and the options I wanted at just under invoice, and yes, I saw the actual invoice.
Insist on a good test drive before you buy. There's nothing wrong with that, and if the car shows any signs of problems, I'd turn it down and wait for another one. I know you are excited and want your car, but remember, you don't have to be desperate, you do currently have a driveable car!
Cynthia- It is $500 over invoice not $1,500. It is still not in. They said it would be here Wednesday then Thursday for sure and now today. I do not believe them anymore myself! It is hard to drive to another Dealer with a 21-month-old who hates long road trips. Yes we are going on a long test drive and will not buy it until we are sure. I am betting it will not be here today either. Heather- boo hoo!
We would like to wish all of you an enjoyable weekend...drive SAFE, watch out for the other guy, and remember those who gave their lives to keep this country free - Serge, Susan, Michael, and Dina Ferrari Superfast American Dog -
Finally feeling better and back at work, anyone new drop in while I was out? It's odd but there's some fur on my keyboard. ;-)
A Bean for a loaner? Nice dealership!
Jim: got the rims, will show pics once mounted. They look good, clean by "normal people" standard, but I gotta wax the inner sides to OCD levels first.
"rude"? At least stick around to hear reactions. And cross posting is a big no-no. Why wait until it's too late to come to us for help?
about the chat. I was at step-son's 5th grade art showcase event.
After driving the LL Bean most of yesterday I came to the conclusion that if I had had this or the VDC instead of my H4 OB Ltd then I probably would have never traded it in for the WRX (of course, assuming I never test drove the WRX). The extra oomph of the H-6 was what my 00'OB Ltd needed. I love the sound of the H-6 when you gun it...ahh..not that I did that mind you. ;-)
My dealer uses Enterprise for loaners. I guess they would rather people beat up on someone else's rental car. The bad the about that is Enterprise doesn't even deliver the car to the dealer. They pick you up and take you to their office, so you're at the mercy of their hours.
They offer a free loaner for the major services (15k, 30k, etc.) regardless of where you bought the car.
Have a safe weekend folks and remember what Memorial Day really means.
"If I drove the Bean, I may have traded my OB for it instead of the WRX." Here's my impressions of the Bean after 2 months time:
1) It floats over bumps and speed bumps which I don't like. I prefer to feel the road I am on. The Michelin Pilot tires helped only slightly there. 2) It does have good off the line power and passing power. It normally drives in 1500 RPMS, but when I stomp on the gas it shoots up to 3500 and then I can feel the power surge for about 1 second, then it goes back to where it likes best, 1500 RPMs- even at 80 MPH, which seems wrong somehow. I guess Subaru geared it that way to save on gas? Or do all automatics do this? This is the only auto I have ever driven. 3) I also feel that floating feeling around corners both mild ones and severe ones. I do not get that feedback through the steering wheel I prefer at all. It takes some getting used to to drive with that numb luxury feel for sure. And it seems to me that I have to turn the wheel more and I get unpredictable results. Like I am not in control of the driving. Again- A lack of response or a slowed response. I do also feel the body roll effect.
Anyway, I am trying to analyze handling and understand why it matters to me. I want to know why I care so much about loosing the handling quality from my OBS when switching to the L.L.Bean. I want to be able to letgo of the need for good handling and live with Outbacks to save $$$, but it makes me feel sad at that thought and I do not know why. It's not like the GT or OBS are fast cars! It all boils down to the lack of road feel and the lack of response to the wheel that makes me feel like I am really missing out on a good driving experience- Well plus the automatic! Can anyone help me undertand handling and why it is so important to me? Or why enjoying driving matters so much. And why I want to spend $6,000 more to tade-in my 2001 OB for a 2002 GT which does have much better handling? Bean? Heather
I think the GT would address your primary concern nicely. The sidewalls are a lot smaller on those.
The tranny is probably trying to be as fuel efficient as possible, unless you're trying to pass someone. Can't say that's bad given the EPA numbers are best-in-class for a 6 cylinder AWD.
Since you never drove an Automatic before, you are definitely not used to the tranny. I know that since I started driving stick, my Trooper feels more "sluggish" than the XT6 does, but if you punch it more the AT will lockup the Torque converter and give you better acceleration.
Got your points, folks. I was trying to be kind & cut him some slack. Maybe he is not worth the effort by virtue of the way he approached both the problems and his treatment of this community.
Just wanted to wish everyone a safe and enjoyable holiday weekend. I'm going to try and catch some of "Fleet Week" here in NYC, to say thanks for those who serve (and have served).
Mixing work & family into the weekend... working today and my sis is in town from SFO doing some house shopping... needless to say, not much time to post, but a safe, healthy, happy, *memorable* Memorial weekend to all.
For those that have gone on ahead of us... we remember...
An interesting day! Subaru in Australia are moving to assume direct sales and marketing for their product, creating new dealerships owned and operated by Subaru. They opened a large (USD20M) dealership near my office a week or so ago and I took my 99 Outback Limited in for its 75,000km service today. My last service at the dealer who sold me the car was a disappointment. The oil was overfilled and the performance was dramatically off ever since. This has meant less fun and greater fuel cost. The experience of visiting Subaru@docklands interactive was very informative.
The dealership is on a large, former industrial area by the docks on the city fringe. The site is split into the dealership building and external areas given over to an off road course (not really challenging but pretty exciting if you are only used to city roads) and a performance driving area with skid pan.
The service area has about 12 hoists and 40 service bays. At this stage there are only about 6 mechanics on site. They have a fully specced dyno booth with a four wheel dynanometer. With the predominance of WRX here, it was no surprise to see this being given a serious work over, the cars being first tied down with some pretty hefty tie downs. Its rated up to 250kmh (about 160mph) and I watched it being used to about 160kmh (100mph). They have a huge forced air fan to force air into the intercoller but it is currently set a bit too low for proper effect. Despite the heavy soundproofing the noise of one test was enough to draw mechanics from the workshop. There is something satisfying about knowing that the guy servicing your car is enough of a rev-head to drag his mates over to watch a class machine being tried out.
The downstairs service lounge has the usual sofas and a series of booths to allow you to work whilst waiting. I dictated a report or two but found it hard to concentrate whilst watching my Outback being serviced. Lots of TLC (Tender Loving Care) was lavished on it. Its very reassuring to see a guy working his way methodically under the whole car with a wander lamp, illuminating every inch, prodding and testing as he goes. He turned up items I had missed despite being the usual Subaru Obsessive Owner. I was intrigued that he pulled me aside when I picked up the car to point out a driveshaft boot is failing and will need replacement soon. It's a two hour job so could not be squeezed in today as I had a tight schedule.
Upstairs the dealership has a STi dealership selling hotted up WRX and a main dealership selling more mainstream Subarus. The layout allows them to be shown more appropriately than most dealerships with Outbacks perched on rock ledges, Libertys (Legacy for most of you) with surf skis and such like.
There are three delivery suites for the handover of new cars, each with an office adjoining the handover area which has the car for delivery mounted on a swish rotating table. Very sterile, almost hospital like, giving the impression that you are the first to drive the immaculately delivered wonder. I am not sure about the birth connotations of this but it reminds me of nothing so much as bringing the kids home from hospital. (Let's not draw the similarities too far. I have no wish to ponder the idea of Mother Subaru. Judy was grumpy enough at delivering 7lb babies. Heavens knows what 3000lbs does for a mother's temper)
There is a pleasant cafe with coffee well beyond that supplied at most dealers (although you have to pay for it and good danishes to fill the empty spaces.
Its not finished yet so I will be interested to see the ultimate effect. At this stage, I would give a cautious thumbs up.
I wonder what the effect will be on established dealers. I can see real benefits to it as delivering a more consistent product message.
That does sound cool, but it would never fly in America. Ford tried and just ask them what kind of head aches it caused. They are still recovering from that fiasco.
Still, interesting to see how they're sold in other markets. Did you know that in Brazil, new car sales are very profitable (not just service)? My cousin's hubby used to own a VW dealer and boy are they loaded.
Got my cholesterol down from 206 to 172 in 3 months! Woo hoo! Now gotta work on upping my "good" cholesterol. :-)
I really should start treating myself as well as I do my OB. It now has new tires torqued to 75ftlbs., adjusted the rear hatch, reinstalled the original mats for summer (after vacuuming it and cleaning the windows) and yesterday washed and started waxing. Of course it looked great and we had a looong thunderstorm this morning.
Comments
"we are siamese, if you please!"
Cynthia
(They were sort of a curse with the Camry... I think I had at least 7 or 8 over the years, not including the two that the thieves had.)
However, it left me fully prepared to change a tire, I have some wooden wheel chocks and a piece of pipe for extra leverage to get the wheelnuts off. My sales person seemed to think I was odd for wanting to check out where the jack and tools were and how the jack fit in the compartment.
I think I have tire OCD...
Cynthia
The turn would have been a breeze in the Camry, but the Camry was a foot shorter. I was pleased, I seem to be able to do the things I was able to do in the Camry with the Outback OK and I was worried about that because I'm not used to the larger size of the vehicle.
Cynthia
Stephen
I like the name Chewbacca!
Cynthia
It just popped into my head while I was driving her and I've not been able to get it out and nothing else seems right.
So I guess this is it!
Cynthia
Ross
Stephen
In December of 2001, we developed a burning smell from the front of the car. When describing the symptoms over the phone the dealer correctly diagnosed the problems as a leaking front engine crank oil seal. He told me this was quite common and after replacement we could expect the seal to last 100,000 miles or more because the dealer installed seal lasts longer than the factory seal. Immediately following this work we heard a constant squeal from the engine, which was diagnosed as a defective alternator. Having just spent over $400.00 on the car, I now faced spending another $250.00.
What I anticipated from Subaru was well over 100K trouble free miles. The replacement alternator, a factory authorized rebuilt was defective from Day One. The squeal was worse than the original. Once again, I brought the car back in for more service. Again the diagnosis was the alternator, which was replaced under the parts warranty. Within a week the car died in traffic on a very busy highway stranding me with an out of town guest. We had it towed to the dealer: diagnosis- defective alternator cable.
I had 57,000 trouble free miles. The warranty is 60,000 miles. At 63,000 miles the car began to fall apart. I exceeded the Subaru recommended service interval by 100%.
In the first 70,000 miles I changed the oil 18 times.
Not one month later while on a vacation trip, the car stopped running stranding my wife on the left shoulder on a very busy 75 MPH interstate at 11:00 PM 500 miles from home. Taken to a local dealer the diagnosis was a rod through the block. Destroyed engine.
Needless to say, I am not happy. I had anticipated reliability equivalent to my 30 years of experience with similar vehicles. What I have is a car that has cost me $3,300.00 in repairs when I consider it to be barely broken in. I selected this car based on its reputation for reliability. Myth: A fiction or half-truth, especially one that forms part of an ideology. A popular belief or story that has become associated with a person, institution, or occurrence, especially one considered to illustrate a cultural ideal
Looking at the Edmunds website, I see numerous mentions of the odor that presaged the complete failure of my engine. I hope I can warn those Subaru owners before they learn the same expensive lesson I learned.
I won't get into my Honda tales which I have previously posted. But I must have drawn the short stick with 2 Hondas (ok one was an Acura but same thing) a decade ago.And there are some other makes I have had the misfortune to have driven which I won't even mention as they have never been considered reliable though they seem quite the vogue nowadays as a "luxury" brand!
As statisticians will tell you, the mean and mode may be where you want it but there will be some poor guy several standard deviations away on the curve.
-Colin
Nothing else seems to have brightened my brain bulb, but if the car wants it, she wants it. You don't argue these things.
Cynthia
-Frank P.
Either way, I certainly feel for him and wish him well....
Steve
Frank - I smelled the same rat. I'm always reluctant to yell TROLL, but if it (to mix metaphors) quacks like a duck, ...
Ross
...and I don't seem to be able to get $400+$250 to equal $3,300 on my calculator.
-Dave
Before you plopped down that money, did you think to escalate your problem in the Subaru of America chain?
Rod through the block!?!? I've only heard of that on highly modified 2.5 RS'
-Dennis
BTW- I called South Shore Motors for their bottom line deal. They seemed very kind, but gave be a deal that was $500 higher then this one. Still it is $6,000 more then the Outback. I do not want to add to our dept, but I do not want to remain unhappy either. I could MOD the Outback to the GT suspension, springs and tires, etc. But how? And at what cost? Still it looks odd to have two Outbacks in the garage!! I prefer the look of the GT wagon over the Outback by a long shot. I am pleased with the deal and will tell you all about my test drive tomorrow!
Thansk for listening, Heather
-Frank P.
Bertrand Gachot, Monaco 1990
Jim
$1500 over invoice sounds high to me... I got my Outback and the options I wanted at just under invoice, and yes, I saw the actual invoice.
Insist on a good test drive before you buy. There's nothing wrong with that, and if the car shows any signs of problems, I'd turn it down and wait for another one. I know you are excited and want your car, but remember, you don't have to be desperate, you do currently have a driveable car!
Don't be afraid to walk out if you need to!
Good luck and good driving!
Cynthia
Heather- boo hoo!
- Serge, Susan, Michael, and Dina Ferrari Superfast American Dog -
A Bean for a loaner? Nice dealership!
Jim: got the rims, will show pics once mounted. They look good, clean by "normal people" standard, but I gotta wax the inner sides to OCD levels first.
"rude"? At least stick around to hear reactions. And cross posting is a big no-no. Why wait until it's too late to come to us for help?
-juice
enjoy the holiday weekend everyone. and remember why we have monday as a holiday.
-Brian
-juice
After driving the LL Bean most of yesterday I came to the conclusion that if I had had this or the VDC instead of my H4 OB Ltd then I probably would have never traded it in for the WRX (of course, assuming I never test drove the WRX). The extra oomph of the H-6 was what my 00'OB Ltd
needed. I love the sound of the H-6 when you gun it...ahh..not that I did that mind you. ;-)
Stephen
-juice
The bad the about that is Enterprise doesn't even deliver the car to the dealer. They pick you up and take you to their office, so you're at the mercy of their hours.
They offer a free loaner for the major services (15k, 30k, etc.) regardless of where you bought the car.
Have a safe weekend folks and remember what Memorial Day really means.
-Dennis
1) It floats over bumps and speed bumps which I don't like. I prefer to feel the road I am on. The Michelin Pilot tires helped only slightly there.
2) It does have good off the line power and passing power.
It normally drives in 1500 RPMS, but when I stomp on the gas it shoots up to 3500 and then I can feel the power surge for about 1 second, then it goes back to where it likes best, 1500 RPMs- even at 80 MPH, which seems wrong somehow. I guess Subaru geared it that way to save on gas? Or do all automatics do this? This is the only auto I have ever driven.
3) I also feel that floating feeling around corners both mild ones and severe ones. I do not get that feedback through the steering wheel I prefer at all. It takes some getting used to to drive with that numb luxury feel for sure. And it seems to me that I have to turn the wheel more and I get unpredictable results. Like I am not in control of the driving. Again- A lack of response or a slowed response. I do also feel the body roll effect.
Anyway, I am trying to analyze handling and understand why it matters to me. I want to know why I care so much about loosing the handling quality from my OBS when switching to the L.L.Bean. I want to be able to letgo of the need for good handling and live with Outbacks to save $$$, but it makes me feel sad at that thought and I do not know why. It's not like the GT or OBS are fast cars! It all boils down to the lack of road feel and the lack of response to the wheel that makes me feel like I am really missing out on a good driving experience- Well plus the automatic!
Can anyone help me undertand handling and why it is so important to me? Or why enjoying driving matters so much. And why I want to spend $6,000 more to tade-in my 2001 OB for a 2002 GT which does have much better handling? Bean?
Heather
The tranny is probably trying to be as fuel efficient as possible, unless you're trying to pass someone. Can't say that's bad given the EPA numbers are best-in-class for a 6 cylinder AWD.
-juice
-mike
Steve
Take care everyone, and enjoy. And yes, say a special thanks to those that sacrificed everything so that we may enjoy what we have.
Steve
Mark
Nice job, Edmunds hosts.
Enjoy the long weekend everyone. And Heather, go get your car! ;-)
-juice
For those that have gone on ahead of us... we remember...
Peace,
Paul
An interesting day! Subaru in Australia are moving to assume direct sales and marketing for their product, creating new dealerships owned and operated by Subaru. They opened a large (USD20M) dealership near my office a week or so ago and I took my 99 Outback Limited in for its 75,000km service today. My last service at the dealer who sold me the car was a disappointment. The oil was overfilled and the performance was dramatically off ever since. This has meant less fun and greater fuel cost. The experience of visiting Subaru@docklands interactive was very informative.
The dealership is on a large, former industrial area by the docks on the city fringe. The site is split into the dealership building and external areas given over to an off road course (not really challenging but pretty exciting if you are only used to city roads) and a performance driving area with skid pan.
The service area has about 12 hoists and 40 service bays. At this stage there are only about 6 mechanics on site. They have a fully specced dyno booth with a four wheel dynanometer. With the predominance of WRX here, it was no surprise to see this being given a serious work over, the cars being first tied down with some pretty hefty tie downs. Its rated up to 250kmh (about 160mph) and I watched it being used to about 160kmh (100mph). They have a huge forced air fan to force air into the intercoller but it is currently set a bit too low for proper effect. Despite the heavy soundproofing the noise of one test was enough to draw mechanics from the workshop. There is something satisfying about knowing that the guy servicing your car is enough of a rev-head to drag his mates over to watch a class machine being tried out.
The downstairs service lounge has the usual sofas and a series of booths to allow you to work whilst waiting. I dictated a report or two but found it hard to concentrate whilst watching my Outback being serviced. Lots of TLC (Tender Loving Care) was lavished on it. Its very reassuring to see a guy working his way methodically under the whole car with a wander lamp, illuminating every inch, prodding and testing as he goes. He turned up items I had missed despite being the usual Subaru Obsessive Owner. I was intrigued that he pulled me aside when I picked up the car to point out a driveshaft boot is failing and will need replacement soon. It's a two hour job so could not be squeezed in today as I had a tight schedule.
Upstairs the dealership has a STi dealership selling hotted up WRX and a main dealership selling more mainstream Subarus. The layout allows them to be shown more appropriately than most dealerships with Outbacks perched on rock ledges, Libertys (Legacy for most of you) with surf skis and such like.
There are three delivery suites for the handover of new cars, each with an office adjoining the handover area which has the car for delivery mounted on a swish rotating table. Very sterile, almost hospital like, giving the impression that you are the first to drive the immaculately delivered wonder. I am not sure about the birth connotations of this but it reminds me of nothing so much as bringing the kids home from hospital. (Let's not draw the similarities too far. I have no wish to ponder the idea of Mother Subaru. Judy was grumpy enough at delivering 7lb babies. Heavens knows what 3000lbs does for a mother's temper)
There is a pleasant cafe with coffee well beyond that supplied at most dealers (although you have to pay for it and good danishes to fill the empty spaces.
Its not finished yet so I will be interested to see the ultimate effect. At this stage, I would give a cautious thumbs up.
I wonder what the effect will be on established dealers. I can see real benefits to it as delivering a more consistent product message.
Cheers
Graham
Bob
Well just in town for a couple of hours, got to go cut the grass and get the hell outta here.
Cheers Pat.
The usual sofas and series of booths, eh? not here, I'm afraid.
Still, interesting to see how they're sold in other markets. Did you know that in Brazil, new car sales are very profitable (not just service)? My cousin's hubby used to own a VW dealer and boy are they loaded.
Got my cholesterol down from 206 to 172 in 3 months! Woo hoo! Now gotta work on upping my "good" cholesterol. :-)
-juice
Greg