The six-day test drive story unleashes bad vehicle sales memories
Posted by: in Products and ServicesFiled under: Products and services, Consumer experience, Ford Motor (F), Marketing and advertising
The story of the guy in Australia arrested for going on a six-day, 1,988-mile test drive of a new Honda Accord brought back many memories of my own car-buying experiences — none of them pleasant.
First was the salesman at a nameless Hyundai dealership who in the middle of a test drive asked my wife and I to halt at a convenience store so he could purchase a pack of cigarettes. Thank goodness, he didn’t smoke the Marlboros while we were driving the SUV he supposedly was trying to sell us, but this idiot soured my family on Hyundais forever. Heck, driving near the Korean-made vehicles makes me nervous.
During a test-drive of a Nissan, my wife and I heard a rattle. The smooth-talking salesman — whose twin brother also sells automobiles — told us not to worry because “we will get you one without the rattle.” My wife and I weren’t impressed and NIssan is now also on my family’s do-not-drive list. Whenever I see a Nissan on the road, I try to change lanes.
Astounding, isn’t it, how one obnoxious salesman can ruin a brand in a customer’s mind forever. I am sure that tons of people love their Hyundais and Nissans. Hyundai, which offers what it calls “America’s Ideal Warranty”, has some pretty sweet deals on some of its vehicles in its “Dollars & Sense” promotion: $3,000 cash back on the 2008 Sonata and $2,000 back on the 2008 Santa Fe. Nissan has plenty of deals for its 50th anniversary sales event.
None of these deals would impress me if I was in the market for a car because I am a happy owner of a 2003 Honda Element. Whenever this car rusts into oblivion, I am going to buy another Honda and another one after that because the automobiles made by Honda Motor Corp. (NYSE: HMC) are that good. My wife is as loyal to Ford Motor Co. (NYSE: F).
Even so, as an automotive novice, I’ve difficulty understanding how the Honda dealership in Australia was snookered.
First of all, the 30-year-old unnamed perpetrator wanted to test drive a Honda Accord. Anyone who even knows the tiniest bit about automobiles knows that the Accord is as reliable as a faithful dog. Consumer Reports named it as 2008’s “Top Family Sedan.” To be fair, the Hyundai Elantra SE was named “Top Small Sedan” and the Santa Fe was named “Best Midsized Sedan.” No Nissans were given similar accolades. None of these automobiles, though, is in the same league as the Accord, which has been around since 1976.
The automobile should sell itself, which makes me wonder why the Australian dealership let some drive it without a sales representative present. Tracking it down through the desolate outback must have been tough given the large terrain. The Northern Territory alone is twice the size of California. Then, of course, is the Accord itself which has been redesigned for 2008 and gets mileage of about 22 miles in the city and 31 on the highway. No wonder it was tough to find.
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