Toyota Recall

[TheAxeman]

I am old enough though, to remember the days when you could actually have your ass kicked in these parts for driving a foreign car.

What about a foreign bike?

 

[Scab]

I am old enough though, to remember the days when you could actually have your ass kicked in these parts for driving a foreign car.

What about a foreign bike?

I'm not that old. When I was coming up and getting into bikes, the brits weren't back yet and sears was done with bikes and HD was in the midst of the AMD days.

 

[jestal]

Well, jestal, I certainly understand your sensitivity to this issue. However, my opinion is that this is really a case of perception. And in the sales game, perception is reality. With that said, I really don't think there is 10 cents worth of actuall difference between most vehicles manufactured today. There are very few "bad" bets out there. And while GM seems to be getting kicked in the teeth, my uneducated opinion is that it may be more of a case of dealer network and not what GM is doing or alledgedly not doing. At least, in my VERY limited experiences in a VERY small part of the county, the dealers have done more to hurt GM than anything GM could have ever done. Some things have been just plain underhanded and others have been more of taking the customer base for granted. Note that none of this is scientific, just what it looks like from here. I really find myself torn on the issue. On one hand, I wish things to be different. I wish for American companies to dominate again. But on the other hand, sometimes I understand. What I don't have is an answer. Just keep in mind that we, the general consumer public, don't have privy to the same information that you do. So our reality is decidedly different.
I am old enough though, to remember the days when you could actually have your ass kicked in these parts for driving a foreign car.

I totally agree. Just wonder what the domestics (especially GM) have to do to change the perception.....

Personally, I feel GM does a pretty lousy job of getting their story about their products out to the consumer.

The dealer story is a whole 'nuther situation. I couldn't agree more with your assessment. I just went thru an unexceptable experience with a GM dealer with a family member. Amazing the difference in their "service" to my brother when they suddenly got a call from the zone rep and "The Factory" direct......LOL. Too bad they couldn't have taken care of the situation properly in the first place without any intervention. That sort of thing definitely drives customers away. The dealer network, in general, is so short sighted with customer service. The amazing thing is that many of the same dealer owners/networks are owned and run by the same exact people with domestic and import branded stores. Their import branded stores will always get better JD Power customer service scores than their domestic branded stores.

hmmm....maybe I'm answering my own question..........

 

[Scab]

It's funny you should mention that about the same owner with foreign and domestic brands. We have some of that here. In fact, I used to work for one. What totally amazed me was the total polar oposite business practices that flourished in the different stores. I didn't understand then, and still don't. Totally different management practices and everything. Strange. It was kinda like the domestic brand management took the stand of: "Hey, we've been here forever. We will always be here." And the import brand had younger people that acted like: "Hey, we have to try harder."

 

[skyway]

It's funny you should mention that about the same owner with foreign and domestic brands. We have some of that here. In fact, I used to work for one. What totally amazed me was the total polar oposite business practices that flourished in the different stores. I didn't understand then, and still don't. Totally different management practices and everything. Strange. It was kinda like the domestic brand management took the stand of: "Hey, we've been here forever. We will always be here." And the import brand had younger people that acted like: "Hey, we have to try harder."

In the 10 years I've been in CA, this has also been my experience, hence continuing to buy import vehicles. That and the local car dealers in town are almost all domestic and have proven very shady in dealing with some friends of mine. Stuff like, you need a new transmission madam, when the vehicle absolutely didn't. Big time sharks feasting on the unknowing.

The worst experience for me to date, was dealing with Ford during the tire recall, luckily not my vehicle. I think it was an it's 5th or 6th safety recall before it was finally punted.

 

[Scab]

But, a true anecdote just for jestal: My all-time WORST automobile experience? With a Nissan dealer on a new Nissan Frontier. A long story, but I'll just put it this way: Won't buy another one. Ever.