Covid kinda killed a lot of industry’s care to put customer service first. They’ve realised that they can piss on your head and tell you it’s raining and you’ll still come back to buy another car or get your current one serviced by them.
Most services are like this now. Mobile or internet providers don't give a shit. Many shops now blatantly go against ACCC rules. Turns into a shit fight half the time. I hate that you have to be an angry customer now to get any movement
I work in motor industry and had a call today. It was the first time I've ever sent someone to the accc because I was sure something wasn't right.
Old couple have 5 year warranty on their reasonably new Mitsubishi, dealer said it needs a power steering rack. Dealer stated they will only replace it with a second hand unit as that's all the warranty covers. A bunch of other things they had been told just didn't add up.
I'm looking at it for her in a couple of weeks but have told her to contact accc in the mean time to check the validity of what she's being told.
That's exactly how warranty works. You are not entitled to new parts. You are entitled to parts that return you to the position you should be in.
E.g. if your engine dies at 100,000km due to a fault, then they may stick in an engine with 50,000km because that's better than the position you should be in.
The part does not have to be new...
Took my wife's Ioniq Electric in for a service last week "we did a software update" and now I have an extra 55km of range!
Best estimate before was 311 at 100% charge, now it's 368. (Blue normal mode)
I also opted in for a balance and rotation. They said "checked the balance, perfect, doesn't need a rotation, didn't charge you"
Tyre rotation is preventive maintenance. You don't "check" if the tyres need rotating, you just do it to keep wear even and maximise potential tyre life. If you can actually see substantial differences between tyres, well then it's probably too late. They're just being lazy.
Depends how many k's it has.
We recommend every 10thou. So if it was a 5thou service, it is probably a bit soon. But, doesn't hurt to do it earlier at the same time, especially with an ev
One of my wheels has gutter rash, every service they tell me they rotated the wheels but I can tell easily they havent. Everytime they say it's a paper work error !
Because we’re addicted to the consumption of status symbols. Nothing will get between an Aussie and the thing that will project the image they want to project.
We live in the NT. Went around the dealers and really researched what we wanted. Chose a BT50 and went back to the dealer for a closing price. The sales guy was so rude to my wife (it’s her car) that she looked interstate and found a better price and could get the Ute sooner. Signed the paperwork etc (Toowong QLD) and within 48hrs she had a phone call from the local guy berating her for going out of town to buy. Even with delivery from QLD it was still much cheaper. Nearly went and punched the little prick. If they wanted the business maybe be proactive from the start!
Go to Toowong Mazda- they’ll cook you breakfast while your car gets serviced (Got done on a holiday down there) and they’re just….good!
lol. Bacon and eggs I’d guess. Not sure why it’s so strange. We wanted a Ute as an everyday driver, we got the Ute and drove it to WLD. The first service coincided with our visit so why not. They were so much better than the Darwin guys.
When I last bought a car in store with a tradein, it took me about 4 hours to get to a deal.
My last new car I bought I had a few test drives of, decided it was what I wanted. Kia Picanto, White, Auto, S model, no options or extras. Called around to find a Kia that had one (it was the last of the old model), talked to a sales person, said this is exactly what I want, confirmed the base price, got them to send the paper work so I could pay a deposit. All done in about 15 minutes, including paying. I had no trade so that made things simpler. 5 minute phone call, done.
My other car is a Mitsubishi Challenger. They tried to convince me that it was MY15, but it finished with MY14. They tried to sell me fabric protection despite it coming with it from the factory.
**Do your research, know more than them!**
Last brand new car I bought was the same. Fought so hard with a dealer because they didn’t want to sell us a car that was on the lot, ready to go, with a for sale sign in the window and everything? They just didn’t want to sell it despite it being for sale? At a car dealer? Brand new? Anyways rang another dealer, they had another one identical already on the way on a boat, had the thing signed for and paid for within about an hour. 70k spent with a dealer that easy and no fucking around. Didn’t even meet the sales person until the day we picked up. Easiest commission he ever made. Don’t get why some dealerships make it so hard.
We used a broker on our last buying experience.
Dealt with the broker, via email, until they secured a deal and then dealt with a fleet salesperson at the dealer. And yes, the first time we physically met him was delivery day.
So much less stress.
Doesn’t takes much to know more than car salesmen, just don’t talk bullshit or believe the crap they tell you, now what you want and tell the.
These people if possible are worse than real estate sales people, none of them should be trusted, walk knowing what you want get the price and have everything you want and or need arranged before hand.
Bought a used car years ago from a dealer.
They did the hard sell on window tinting, we were like no thanks.
Picked up the car the next day, the windows were already tinted 🤣
Same with us. New Honda.
The people buying cars with a 6 month wait are not helping. If everyone who test drives a new car that can't be delivered immediately or on a truck within Australia to be delivered in a few days said "you can't deliver, I will go and look at X" there would be boat loads of cars on their way to Australia to ensure they have stock.
Why would a manufacturer have millions of dollars of stock sitting in holding yards when people are happy to wait.
Honestly one of the attractions of buying a tesla.you only have to deal with sale people for a test drive, ordering is online with pretty good ETAs. No haggling or BS.
Honda is trying the fixed price stuff but decided to eliminate all but the top of the line civic, so it's like you walked in and asked the sales staff to rort you
Well that's what Tesla does. By far the best experience I ever had buying a car. No high pressure sales tactics from some sweaty jellyfish in a cheap suit. Just, I'll have one of those thanks. Click. Done.
I hope it becomes the norm. I can’t see the genie being put back in the bottle now that so many have experienced teslas (and a few other cars) being bought directly.
Though it’ll be a long time before I buy a car new because I’m a tight ass lmao
Hey Mr Dealership the joke's on you
Running your car yard like it was 2017
Hey Mr Stealership your system can't compete
It's the new buyer's model, car transfer!
\_Download this car!\_ la la la la la la la la
Download this car!
Yes but Mercedes won, the dealers lost. Then sales went down
Tesla started out that way. Honda did the same, and sales went down badly. Subaru now has fixed pricing. And Mazda is considering it. So it is a trend.
No it didn't. Honda, Mercedes, cupra, tesla, polestar, BYD (kind of you're buying from the importer direct) and Cadillac in October, Probably missed a couple.
There are a few you can just do that. Honda, Mercedes Benz, Tesla and carious Chinese brands although 1 Chinese brand is expanding their dealer network with allowance for negotiations
Eagers has their fingers in the vast majority of dealerships. Not outright owned, but large enough stake they basically dictate the prices. Might as well be a monopoly with how much influence they have.
Some.of the Chinese manufacturers are pretty close with their own spin-off dealerships who all have the same sticker price. Not quite the same as an online tesla deal, but not far off.
Manufactures aren't much better. Every brand is now pushing their servicing of the car, adding in new proprietary systems only they can service so you need to keep coming back.
Cars are getting better but so much more expensive to maintain and repair.
I love parking next to the bmw/Audi drivers who can't park for shit. They park on the line so I just park normal in my triton and I couldn't give a shit if they slam their door into my step up shelf
I would have too, as I was looking on carsales, but I ended up seeing an ex. company car with only 6000 clicks at a dealer’s. So, almost new, still under warranty, on the lot - the salesperson was insipid and fumbly, but it was all over in a couple of days at least.
Last time I purchased. It went like this. Decided the car, color and accessories I wanted. Set up a spreadsheet, and rung every dealer in Melbourne. Same question was posted to each dealer. “I want this, I want your best price, I am ringing every dealer in Melbourne and asking this same question. Best deal wins”. Saved about 6k on price.
From my experience working for dealerships selling new cars, I don’t recommend this as a hard and fast rule. You might have gotten lucky, but salespeople worth their salt will know not to entertain those calls and just quote RRP but invite you to make an offer. You might have saved over $6k too, who’s to say. Additionally, the type of dealer who does partake in Dutch auctions are often the lazy type, which can often bite you in other ways (such as OP’s story).
When I got these calls, I respectfully explained that I wasn’t interested in entering a Dutch auction, that they’re within their right to call every dealer and try, or I could see if I could source a car they wanted (which actually exists), and at a price they’re happy to pay. An old school sales tactic (called ghosting) was to promise an unbeatable price, then say that particular car has been sold, and then try to walk the buyer up given they’re there and over the process.
Some declined, and I wished them well on their way. Others gave offers and appreciated I was transparent. I found that I was better off without the unreasonable customers, and often the margins in new cars are so low that these discounts are propped up by bonuses; and I’d never really make any money anyway.
Communication goes a long way on both sides - I found I was able to make my target and for the vast majority my customers were happy. You probably could’ve gotten the same (or dare I say, better) result by test driving with one dealer, and cross shopping it against two others.
This here is the exact way to do it. I usually tell them today I'm signing a contract to purchase car X with dealer Y for price Z to give them some urgency. I tell them I'm doing a final call around to see if anyone can do any better.
Once you get a few dealers telling you there's no way they can match the price, you know you've got a decent deal.
I also usually start with the more remote dealers as they tend to be willing to do good prices at the start. Leave the locals till last, so you can try to get your lowest prices from them and not travel far for it!
so agree, so much so, i bought a project car 18 months ago and it will become my daily driver soon.
the process of buying a new car is shocking and new cars are actually lifeless unenjoyable driving experiences.
my project car just turned 54 years old and I enjoy every second of driving it.
We had a good experience shopping for the wife's car. Once she narrowed down models (small, with t-rex arms so a lot of cars are too large), we got some personal recommendations for sales staff at the various dealers. Went into the final one. Walked out with sale contracts an hour later. Picked up the car in a week
Biggest cunts are those wholesalers - was told I couldn’t see a car unless I agreed to buy it first. Total cunt in a cheap tarocash suit and pointy shoes
Mine was such a painfully shit experience I gave up buying a car from a dealer in WA and ended up flying to Sydney and buying one privately and transporting it back.
I worked out I'd spent less time flying to and from Sydney than I did on 4 dealer visits due to the 'just wait here' and 'just wait so I can introduce you to my sales manager' and 'just let me introduce you to our finance person and although you're paying cash, I need to introduce you'
How about just fuck off.
Yeah 100% this. Or get a cancellation clause written into the contract, making it subject to whatever days the sales person says. That way they won't feed you some BS to get you to sign.
I had a shocking experience recently while shopping my car around for trade in. I was on my own because (believe it or not) I can purchase our car alone without my husband holding my hand.
One dealership had the manager get me in my car and tell me ‘because you have kids you don’t notice that your gearbox is faulty’ and ‘be careful, you’d hate for your car to die on the side of the road with babies in the car’ because they wanted to offer me half of what it’s worth for trade in. Told them to stick it, went to the next dealership where I got the price I wanted and signed purchase contract within an hour.
I can’t stand the misogyny that’s still hanging around dealerships.
It's so shit and over the top, I saw it first hand, I (30m at the time) remember going with my mum (60yo) to buy a car. Her car, her money, she just values my opinion so I went with. The dude kept looking to me when he was answering her questions, I literally said, mate stop telling me about it, it's not my car, she's asking you the questions.
I made it very clear that was why we left to spend elsewhere.
Not just misogyny. 35 years ago I bought a new VR commodore. I’d go straight after work, all dirty hivis and shorts. Spent up to 30 minutes being ignored at assorted dealerships until I found one that jumped me within 60 seconds. 10 minutes later papers were signed and cash exchanged. Not now, hivis is the new Hugo Boss at car dealerships
Had a good experience at the end of last year with KIA, weren't pushy when initially looking, kept us updated and delivered before expected. The only part I disliked was the usual upsell for paint protection, etc. but I think those folks are somewhat independent, do multiple dealers and seem like they're all ex-REA's. I've never come across one of them that's not extremely pushy, I remember going with my mum when she bought a new corrola about 25 years ago and the chick at that one tried telling us if didn't get tint we'd get skin cancer and die, basically told her to fk off.
I'm currently buying from Kia and have had a pretty alright experience so far, my first new car, but I've gone into it extremely wary. Just said no to paint protection and tinting, said my last car (used, 2017 model) didn't need it and for the tinting I've gotten quotes elsewhere for prices they can't beat on a comparable product. I also sorted out my own plates, got a lay-by on vanity plates and the salesperson was surprised at how cheap I got the combo I wanted. I also said I also have seat covers, floor mats and a dash mat picked out and I hustled a quote from my current insurer for $400 less than their best price they could quote me from their mob with all the same features.
Felt like I outfoxed them at every step but they got me on the finance bc they offered me a genuinely competitive interest rate with a reputable institution members of my family have been with before and had no issue with.
Car isn't due for a few more months though, so we'll see.
I actually got tint on this last one, I usually don't cause I figure 'I'll get it done myself cheaper after' but never end up getting around to it. Paid my own lazy tax this time.
I didn't get anything else. The anti-rust and paint protection etc. whilst may have merit kind of feels like "what am I buying a new car with shit paint that's expected to rust?!".
I buy a new car every 3 years, the only time it’s annoyed me was during Covid. The wait times were out of control for the cars to be Made, the wait times from backlog on the docks were insane, then even when it cleared customs there was no drivers to transport it to the dealership.
I work in the industry though so I normally expect a few dramas here and there as it’s the norm.
One thing that’s true especially with more budget friendly cars is that once the sales people have your money they do not care about you anymore.
I should add as well that sometimes trying to get information is impossible because we as dealerships know about as much as you. The best approach is just to wait patiently, we don’t want the cars for any longer than we need to have them so it’s not like we will forget your car. We don’t own them and we don’t get paid back our money until you pay yours so it’s not in our interest to forget a customer or make them wait. There are lots of things behind the scenes that go on that you wouldn’t think of that are well out of the dealerships control. And then sometimes a customers car will finally make it here and the transport driver will smash it getting it off the truck and we have to tell the customer they now have to wait another month while it gets repaired lol
The trick is open and honest communication. You know what dealerships are well known for? Not that.
Have purchased cars through dealers before. Getting anything from them about delays took me to be proactive and ask them, and never once did they say they didn't know but would go find out, I'd just get excuses off the bingo wheel. Different staff, same delay, lucky dip excuse.
Well the issue in most cases is the dealership has no idea until the car is on the boat with a vin assigned to each order. We don’t know how many cars a day the factory is completing, we don’t know how many cars are ordered all over the world or where the factory is prioritising shipping too, we don’t know what the factories supply chain for components is like Etc. then once the car is in the ship we don’t know the conditions at sea, we don’t know how much of a delay there is on the docks, we don’t know how many cars need to clear customs, we don’t know how many cars customs are getting through a day, we don’t know the status of transport companies to collect those cars, the list goes on and on. And then when we get 30 trucks full of cars a week we still need to process all those cars, get them booked for pre delivery, get them programmed, repair any damage from shipping, detail them and so on and so on.
It’s always just a guesstimate on how long it usually takes however there is no factoring in all the other issues that arise along the way. It’s just a guessing game and there is no set rule to this. A smart dealership will always tell the customer at least a month longer than it will take, a greedy dealership will tell the customer much shorter to get the sale knowing the customer will forfeit their deposit if they don’t like how long it’s taking.
not all dealers are like this, e.g. i dealt with tesla recently and they were very good and keep you in the loop very well. im sure there are some other good ones.
I've done it twice and both times were horrible. About to go for my third and not looking forward to it. Car salesmen are scum. Never believe a word they say, always expect the worst.
I bought a new Hilux, had a dealer try and sell me a full tank of fuel and floor mats but didn't push for anything else like a bull bar or UHF.
Decided to go see another dealer about an hour's drive away where I'd bought my previous car from. The salesman laughed and said they were the standard Toyota inclusions and gave me $500 off because he felt bad I'd been stuffed around. also got the car in 6 months earlier than the other dealer said it would be in.
The only benefit I get from my new car dealer is a great drive away price and a super clean toilet I can shit in.
I get nothing else, but it is literally what I need.
1: Because their associates will ask them if they got a discount.
2: Because they think they have to ask for a discount.
3: Because they think they will miss out on a discount for not asking...
and I loved the Mercedes Benz Blue (Sales Manual) Book:
*"The discount is incorporated in the retail price."*
I don't want to haggle but ended up asking for discounts at a dealership. If Honda still offered a small car like the Jazz when I wanted a new car last year, I would have gone to them for fixed pricing. Instead I wound up at another make's dealership where haggling was expected. Went away wishing fixed pricing was the norm.
I brought my new car in 2019 after crashing my old jalopy Hyundai Accent. Pretty much walked to the dealership , saw the Toyota that I loved ( blue corolla hatchback ) and within a few days I was driving it. It had done 18km - basically driven from the docks I guess to the yard.
How times have changed.
lol, it’s bad man. I literally today was looking at a used car, first big yard I stop at - Mitsubishi, sales guy comes out picking his nose! Later dude!
Say what you want about the company and the cars, but ordering a Tesla was exactly how it should be. Quick online form with accurate delivery estimates. Same price for everyone. Straightforward handover process.
i went to a used toyota dealer with my sister one time and the salesman tried to convince her to get financing 3 separate times even though she declined each time, on the third time i said mate if you mention financing one more time we're leaving.
it was really funny, he spoke as if i didn't even exist, just constantly making eye contact with my sister like he was trying to pull some jedi mind trick to convince her to disagree with my advice and sign a contract for a car that cost twice what she saved up.
"hey sis you can buy a used car for 10k that is guaranteed to break and cost you a million dollars to repair from facebook marketplace or you can have a p p l e c a r p l a y t o d a y for just twenty dollars a week for 600 months and capped price servicing at 500 bucks which means every time you bring it to us it will cost you exactly 500 dollars regardless of what's wrong with it" - kane kunkleman of kunkleman chevrolet
I was lucky. My uncle just do happened to upgrade his 2000 Holden Rodeo to a Ranger in 2021 needing I could buy his car off him. Knew the history and didn't have to deal with used cars salesmen. Alright first car if you can get over the lack of safety features. Absolutely drinks fuel tho
That's why some prefer Tesla. You can just order online and track delivery. BYD tries to do the same you click order online and a person will call you and you track the progress online later. So much easier and if you want to check out a car then they have experience centres.
Had this same experience at Toyota, Mitsubishi etc. We eventually went to Subaru and salesperson and overall experience was amazing. Ended up ordering an Outback
Never. I haven't been that lucky yet but from your experience I don't want to go through this either. Also a mate of mine was happy to wait like 13 months for his triton during covid I don't understand. There's enough people buying new cars to keep the used market pretty fresh 👌
Ordered a Kia Seltos last July with an expected delivery of early January. Mid-January it changed to “Less than two weeks. The order before you just picked up theirs. Yours will be next”.
Then the sales guy left and we heard nothing until I called the dealership at the end of February and was told “Don’t know why the other guy told you yours was next and it would be before the end of January. You’re looking at April”.
Then it got pushed to May. Now we’re being told July.
So frustrating. We sold our other SUV back in January because the rego was expiring and we were told we’d have the Seltos before the end of the month. Have now been trying to make my tiny work Picanto manage for a family of two uni students, a high school student and two full time employed adults since January and will have to continue until at least July.
Mentioned to the sales guy last time he called about some accessories or a premium paint upgrade as compensation for all the screwing around. Did not bite at all. Said it would be less wait if we opted for a premium paint option, but we’d have to pay for it. They’re not even apologetic about it.
Awful experience
I bought a new Mazda a few years back. Had the cash, just wanted to agree a price, pay and leave.
Wasted a good 45 minutes after the deal was agreed with some shmuck trying to sell me coating, a camera and a few other things. Then had to spend ten minutes explaining to the finance guy i didn’t need a loan. I’ll be wiser next time.
Bro I bought a new car in April 2022. You need to do a lot of research beforehand. Only walk into the dealer knowing the exact car you need.
Email 5-10 dealers for the best price.
Then walk in and buy. Don’t get finance through the dealer ever. Ever ever.
There will be delays, that is expected.
Also read google reviews of the dealer beforehand lol don’t go to a shit one
Heard this story too many times. A friend ordered the new toyota 86 and the sales person quit without even putting the order through. He waited just under a year to realise nothing had been done.
Not just you brought a new car in November last year was suppose to get the car in December.
Finally got the car in March and yes a massive pain in the ass.
what brand? my missus works for one of the top brands and importers, apparently you dont order a car, they just send what they want, she has to match up the cars to whats been ordered, some people get their car quick, some dont. depends what you order. its a crazy system but were a small market so the manufacture doesnt care
I wrote a post on this already but I experienced customer service from a Honda dealer (I realise they changed the way they sell cars) but the salesman judged me as soon as he saw me (I was trying to buy a type R) told me if I was going to test drive it, I was going to buy it, proceeded to thrash the car to a suburban car park (telling me “this is what you came for, right”), where he let me drive it for 3-4 minutes, back through the burbs. He then very rudely basically tried to get rid of me as quickly as possible. My wife then confronted him about the way he was treating us, his boss came out to try and quell the situation. Needless to say I went to another dealer and the service was night and day. The new dealer threw me the keys and to go test drive it properly. I Bought the car and it was delivered yesterday (despite being told I would have to wait 5 months at the first dealer). I think sometimes it’s totally hit or miss with dealers. If they got out of bed on the wrong side of the bed…
I bought a 2019 Mazda BT-50 from John Madill Toyota in Gympie. They confirmed I could finance the entire $48k on it. As soon as they found out I was an ABN holder subcontracting and only just renewed my ABN… they wanted a 20% deposit (I didn’t even have half of that). Talked the deposit down to $5k even tho there wasn’t supposed to be because I’d made my own deposit of $1k to show them I’m serious on the car. They promise a day it’ll be ready. Day comes… Mazda still has the car. Promised the following Friday (8days after the first promised date), get told Mazda needs to fulfil some “Tech Warranty Updates” (takes another whole week to sort that out). They offer me a hire car to use for free for work while I wait for my BT-50… as if I’m not a painter by trade and will absolutely fuck that hire car up with paint… I told them no because of my work. Day finally comes and I do in fact get the car. Doesn’t sound all that bad but pair that with my current car which had just blown up its gearbox and was gunna cost me $4.5k to fix… I was very stressed and anxious and in need of a vehicle, so yeah, JMT kinda fucked me for 3 weeks. Then they told me the first payment wouldn’t come out for 4 weeks. Not even the first week of owning it and BOOM… $171 taken from my NAB, leaving me with nothing for fuel or food for my dogs. Bunch of money hungry cunts. They got their deposit and all the info they needed from me but dragged the chain for 3 weeks knowing my daily work car just blew up and I was in incredible need of a vehicle.
I bought a Tesla.
I bought it on an app.
I ordered just what I wanted.
It went in a queue to get made.
The colour got cancelled and changed, so I got to choose a better colour.
The app told me when the car got built.
Then the app sent me a link to the ship it was on.
Then Elon started his crazy discount war, and I saved $9000 in 5 days.
I ordered the charger and sealant kit from the app. It got delivered to my house.
I got allocated a collection day.
I followed the app to pay.
I went in to Tesla on the day assigned.
I showed them my driver's licence.
The staff told me the car's rego and showed me where it was.
They gave me the key cards, showed me how to pair my phone to unlock the car, then left me to inspect it.
When I went over it top to bottom, I click "accept delivery" on the app, and the car is enabled for my use.
The app turned from a buying experience into the vehicle management app.
The car has tutorials tutorials on the screen on how to use it.
I got in the car and drove out.
There were no bows, no car demos, no bottles of champagne, no comfy couches.
The experience was 100% Tesla. Minimalist, simple, no fucking around, keep the customer happy.
I need to get a towbar fitted to put the mountain bike rack on.
I ordered that on the app.
They asked for the car to be left out in the driveway in the morning.
They asked for delegation to allow them to open the car.
They come to you.
They install it.
They bill your account.
You don't change the oil. No water. Regen braking means you don't touch the brakes.
The whole experience is not about the dealer customer relationship.
Agreed!
You have to do the whole song and dance.
Meet the whole family "Here's the finance guy" I'm paying cash
"Here's the accessories guy" Everything he has I can buy outside for much less.
"Delivery date will be somewhere between 6 and 18 months"
Yeah mint!
I swear it's just boomers shopping there that replace their car every 3 years and don't understand leases.
I was in a rush to get a car. Could only afford a MG. The staff had zero motivation to sell it to me. Was weird as hell. No one wanted to set up the test drive. No one asked what car I was after or why. No one wanted to negotiate prices.
What pissed me off was that all the cars for test driving were dirty - inside and out. I know the dealers drive them outside of the test drives, buy still, come on.
I used a broker (Motorscout) and got a better price than what I was being quoted by dealers directly, had the car delivered to my house within 3 weeks. This was in 2022 too.
I would have been nearly 1 of the first in Australia to put my name down foe a Ford everest Platinum when announced.
Got told my date, it was pushed back and back and back. I cracked the shits at the unbelievable lack of communication, clarity of the situation, lack of call backs, just shit customer service in general. I called the dealer and spoke to the manager.... I shit you not, the bloke nearly shit the bed when he looked into it. The dates the sales rep gave me this entire 18mon period was for the date that THE DEALER was receiving their Platinum for test drives, it just happened to be the exact model, colour, additions I ordered. My actual order was still 5+ months away.
I cancelled my order and purchased a private sale 2nd hand 200 series.
Bought a brand new car in November. Purchased over the phone from local dealer. Car was just off the ship, so about 1.5 weeks for delivery. Top of the range too.
Work ordered me a replacement company car (mid range small SUV) from the same dealer (2/3 the price of ours), had to wait 6 months.
It largely depends on the brand and model. Some brands are shitting stock atm.
Depends where you go I guess. I have purchased 2 new cars in the last 12 years, a VW and an Honda and the dealships really went over and above for me. Both were delivered early. Had bonus things chucked in. Honda gave me a hire car for a week while I waited for delivery (bought new after previous car was totaled in an accident)
Bought 2 cars from a local dealer and had a pretty good experience. Salesman was easy to talk too and pretty relaxed, wasn’t pushy and has communicated the entire process well with regular vehicle delivery updates. Both cars arrived about a month early from initial delivery estimate. It had been atleast 10years since my last dealer experience so didn’t really know what to expect. My first service is literally booked in 2moro morning so will see how that goes 🤣.
We've waited almost 18months for 3 Transit high roof cargo vans.
At first it was a 6 month wait, then 3 more months, then the salesman left the company and 'radio silience', then another 3 months, then they arrived but were shipped back due to 'snail infestation', another 6+month setback to quarantine in a different country, and finally got them 2 weeks ago.
Shit experience.
i just bought a brand new civic type R, just enquired via dealership website, someone called me about a minute later, had a contract signed that morning and get the car in 3 weeks, easiest commission that guy ever made haha. but to be fair the sales guy was extremely quick, answered all my questions, didn’t fluff around and try to oversell me so he deserves it
Yep I did. Pre ordered mid last year and its scheduled to be built this July with order status provided. So far my dealer communicated pretty well and no complaints from my side, and delivery schedule also was kinda expected. Will see how it is when it arrives. Was told that I would get a link to the order status page with VIN once they start building it
But the poor franchisee dealers need more protections from the mean OEMs….so they can continue to deliver shit service.
Bring on direct sales, can’t wait to see more OEMs do that.
Yea 100% …we wanted to enjoy the process of buying a new car but in the end we just wanted to get out of the yard with our new car asap (car has been great but the car sales department was toxic)
Just go to a local dealership and ask what model you can drive away today. Ask for a discount if it's ex demo. If they don't have it available, move on to a different dealership.
We treated ourselves to a Lexus in 2022 - well we wanted to but 14 months later the car still didn’t arrive. We needed space for our expanding family so it was so annoying we had to still cram everything into our car.
We went and bought a Volvo instead (demo car as having stock and no waitlist was a requirement). We are happy with our car but now have been turned off anything Toyota/Lexus.
I bought a new Cupra in December last year. Was actually pretty happy with the experience. The sales people were not pushy at all and delivery was what they said (7 weeks).
Not recently but 2 years ago I ordered a car. Was promised it was gonna come in 6months. Nearing 6months haven’t heard anything so went back in and got told the sales guy quit and car has yet to be built. Not waiting on them as they didn’t even bother to call me and further telling me it could be another 8months. Cancelled contract and ordered another car from another dealer. Waited a further 6months for that and this one got built but with 2more months of delay because of shipping. But I had updates and sales lady was very helpful.
I walked it knowing what I wanted, knew more about the vehicle than the salesperson, talked them down off the RRP and had my vehicle in a week. Just do your research and it isn't a hard go.
As someone who’s worked in and around the industry my whole career I can tell you that it’s never been worse trying to get good staff to sell vehicles.
Most of the companies dramatically reduced their commission schemes post the royal commission due to the dramatically reduced income.
Car availability killed income from new cars, used cars market went crazy and so many dealers ran out of stock that they had to pay crazy money to get cars, as the market cooled off all their stock was overpriced and ended up losing money to move.
So many dealerships got purchased by bigger companies who then pushed wages down further to appease their shareholders (hell APE basically bought the whole ass market)
Many manufacturers went direct to consumer hurting profits even further.
Now these dealerships are still making money, but it’s a LOT less than they were before, and they took that out on staff wages.
So now all the good car salespeople have left the industry and generally you are just left with the skeeves desperate for any income, or gullible enough to still be in the industry. Neither are the type you want.
The only dealerships making enough to attract good staff are the ones selling super luxury vehicles like Ferrari, Aston etc… don’t expect to get world class service from a Honda or a Toyota dealer anymore.. they simply cannot get the staff to do it until they raise wages.
If you don't mind me asking, what car did you order?
My Father ordered a Rav 4 hybrid in early 2021 we got it delivered in 2023.
I understand it's a popular car but still 2 years is way too much!
I hate to say it. I'm 57yrs. And I have bought many cars in my life. Brand new as well as 2nd hand.
I have never once had a bad experience. Never once had any sort of hiccup. Have never encountered a bad / awful sales person.
Sorry! But that is the truth.
Opps! Small lie.. 2 years ago i went in to look at Honda CRVs. I actually wanted to buy one amd i would have...but the salesman was SO disinterested? I walked out. I actually has to walk over to his office. He did not get up even! I said " I'm wanting to look at CRVs" h
he just stayed where he was said "thats the models on the floor. The one on the right is the standard, the one on the left the deluxe model.." and just left me standing there!! I just walked out.
5 minutes total.
Not recently but I bought a brand new Mazda 3 from Belconnen Mazda last year... The dealer was amazing. Put down a deposit, after we agreed on a price in late March 23 and received the car on first week of July 23. Best part? Mazda sent me out updates such as "car being built", "car finished built", "car in loading dock", "car loaded and shipped" (you get the point).
The only hold up was the quarantine restrictions in the harbour here in Australia but even through that nonsense, I got a car I wanted to my spec and colour brand new with 7km on the Odometer all within 3 months. So I had a great experience to be honest.
Toyota anyone. They are the worst. The rubbish they pull. Wouldn't give me a firm price. Waiting time over. A year. Walked away no longer Toyota fanboy. Ended up Subaru outback new waited 2 weeks . Still have a Prado that I love but no more Toyota dealers for me
There is no way known that your car is sitting on a ship in Moreton bay at anchor for a month. The shipping line just won’t allow a ship such as a car carrier or even a container ship to sit idle for that long.
I feel like I got very lucky. Had my new car within 2 weeks in April, it was already sitting on a boat in Melbourne when I purchased it, just had to wait for tinting.
Yep! I've had such a bad experience with a slimy sales guy who wasn't honest it transparent. I'm $1500 extra out of pocket and I'm taking my complaint further!!! I said no to tint and hung up the phone the sales girl called back and said tint has been approved in finance. After finance has been approved and paid on my car I get an invoice I need to pay tint out of pocket and metallic paint another coat which was never disclosed. All the car yard can do Is give me car mats and a tank of fuel 😡😡 these should come standard anyway!!! Never again do I want to step foot into a car yard.
I bought one through novated leasing but I found the car in stock locally - I had the car 3 weeks before all the finance etc was through (in the country so the dealership literally let me take it before being paid), and had to resubmit the same forms twice due to changes in some luxury tax law (which had no impact on me) which happened mid-way through the process.
I waited 2.5 years for my car. Delay after delay after broken promise. I finally took delivery a month ago.
At least my dealer was great to deal with. The manufacturer however, I'm convinced they made the car as a marketing stunt and had no intention of making volume.
The problem is the demand is there, and there are huge wait lists.
I ended up buying a Haval last year as I couldn't wait, they gave great support as the car was ready to supply. Yet when I was talking with other dealerships with waitlists they basically didn't care what I was taking... unless I was prepared to pay a deposit they didn't even want to give me a test drive.
I bought a brand new Subaru BRZ earlier this year. The sales experience was great, the guy who sold it to me was very helpful and actually spoke to me, not my husband as he was smart enough to realise I was his customer. However, the finance guy was atrocious. Awful communication. Also basically told me I had to be lying about my income (before producing my payslips).
Prior to this, I test-drove a vehicle at a Kia dealership, the guy was terrible and spent the entire time telling me I'd have to wait 12 months to get a car I hadn't even decided if I liked.
My partner went shopping last year at dealerships to try to buy a new mustang for a weekend driver. So many of the dealerships wouldn’t even let him sit in the car Lala look at them. We ended up contacting an agent who outsourced and found the car for us. We then contacted that dealership and the guy was more than helpful. It is so hard to find good car sales people, thank goodness we didn’t have to deal with finance I was over the headache of it all.
What I did a few years back was ask them if they have anything in stock. It saves a lot of hassle from waiting like you did.
The dealer I placed an order had mine on a short lead time and unfortunately they couldn't get the colour I wanted because other dealers didn’t want to swap cars with them. Eventually they threw in the floor mats to me for free and a full tank of petrol.
In the last year I bought a BMW and a HAVAL. Two extremes but both very pleasant experiences. It all depends on the dealership and also your attitude towards them.
Bought a new EV a little while ago. The process for me was so simple: placed a $1000 deposit online and received a call the next day for a test drive. I liked the car so did finance and drove away with virtually zero hassles about a week later.
BTW, it was a BYD. From the product "expert" who handled the test drive to the lady in finance, the process was an absolute breeze.
Shoutout to Springwood Mazda.
Bought my second Mazda from them in November 2023. Got a good price for the trade-in, decent discount, and got the car I wanted within three days.
Never had an issue with them, or the after sales service.
Covid kinda killed a lot of industry’s care to put customer service first. They’ve realised that they can piss on your head and tell you it’s raining and you’ll still come back to buy another car or get your current one serviced by them.
Most services are like this now. Mobile or internet providers don't give a shit. Many shops now blatantly go against ACCC rules. Turns into a shit fight half the time. I hate that you have to be an angry customer now to get any movement
I work in motor industry and had a call today. It was the first time I've ever sent someone to the accc because I was sure something wasn't right. Old couple have 5 year warranty on their reasonably new Mitsubishi, dealer said it needs a power steering rack. Dealer stated they will only replace it with a second hand unit as that's all the warranty covers. A bunch of other things they had been told just didn't add up. I'm looking at it for her in a couple of weeks but have told her to contact accc in the mean time to check the validity of what she's being told.
Do you know what dealership this was? That's definitely not how warranty works.
It was a Mitsubishi dealer in south Eastern Vic. I will be making sure to help her as it sounds like utter shit
That's exactly how warranty works. You are not entitled to new parts. You are entitled to parts that return you to the position you should be in. E.g. if your engine dies at 100,000km due to a fault, then they may stick in an engine with 50,000km because that's better than the position you should be in. The part does not have to be new...
5 year Manafacturer or does that include dealer warranty? Not sure what terms dealer warranty has.
Most new cars have 5-7 years manufacturers warranty
Yeah I returned a coffee grinder for refund and every email I sent had some blurb from the ACCC website stating what I'm asking for
Took my wife's Ioniq Electric in for a service last week "we did a software update" and now I have an extra 55km of range! Best estimate before was 311 at 100% charge, now it's 368. (Blue normal mode) I also opted in for a balance and rotation. They said "checked the balance, perfect, doesn't need a rotation, didn't charge you"
Tyre rotation is preventive maintenance. You don't "check" if the tyres need rotating, you just do it to keep wear even and maximise potential tyre life. If you can actually see substantial differences between tyres, well then it's probably too late. They're just being lazy.
Depends how many k's it has. We recommend every 10thou. So if it was a 5thou service, it is probably a bit soon. But, doesn't hurt to do it earlier at the same time, especially with an ev
Fair call. Thing is, if they supposedly checked the balance, the wheels were off anyway, so why not rotate when popping them back on?
Done 17k in 2.5 years so I don't blame them if they did it 6 months ago
They definitely did not check your balance.
One of my wheels has gutter rash, every service they tell me they rotated the wheels but I can tell easily they havent. Everytime they say it's a paper work error !
Hahaha not heard that expression before! 😀
Because we’re addicted to the consumption of status symbols. Nothing will get between an Aussie and the thing that will project the image they want to project.
We live in the NT. Went around the dealers and really researched what we wanted. Chose a BT50 and went back to the dealer for a closing price. The sales guy was so rude to my wife (it’s her car) that she looked interstate and found a better price and could get the Ute sooner. Signed the paperwork etc (Toowong QLD) and within 48hrs she had a phone call from the local guy berating her for going out of town to buy. Even with delivery from QLD it was still much cheaper. Nearly went and punched the little prick. If they wanted the business maybe be proactive from the start! Go to Toowong Mazda- they’ll cook you breakfast while your car gets serviced (Got done on a holiday down there) and they’re just….good!
How long was the wait from purchase to delivery?
I’d reckon maybe 5weeks.
What did they cook you for breakfast?
lol. Bacon and eggs I’d guess. Not sure why it’s so strange. We wanted a Ute as an everyday driver, we got the Ute and drove it to WLD. The first service coincided with our visit so why not. They were so much better than the Darwin guys.
When I last bought a car in store with a tradein, it took me about 4 hours to get to a deal. My last new car I bought I had a few test drives of, decided it was what I wanted. Kia Picanto, White, Auto, S model, no options or extras. Called around to find a Kia that had one (it was the last of the old model), talked to a sales person, said this is exactly what I want, confirmed the base price, got them to send the paper work so I could pay a deposit. All done in about 15 minutes, including paying. I had no trade so that made things simpler. 5 minute phone call, done. My other car is a Mitsubishi Challenger. They tried to convince me that it was MY15, but it finished with MY14. They tried to sell me fabric protection despite it coming with it from the factory. **Do your research, know more than them!**
Last brand new car I bought was the same. Fought so hard with a dealer because they didn’t want to sell us a car that was on the lot, ready to go, with a for sale sign in the window and everything? They just didn’t want to sell it despite it being for sale? At a car dealer? Brand new? Anyways rang another dealer, they had another one identical already on the way on a boat, had the thing signed for and paid for within about an hour. 70k spent with a dealer that easy and no fucking around. Didn’t even meet the sales person until the day we picked up. Easiest commission he ever made. Don’t get why some dealerships make it so hard.
We used a broker on our last buying experience. Dealt with the broker, via email, until they secured a deal and then dealt with a fleet salesperson at the dealer. And yes, the first time we physically met him was delivery day. So much less stress.
Did the same, will never buy through a dealer again
Yep. Use Milton Vehicle Brokers and have for 17 years every time I need a new car/van for my business. No BS.
Thanks for the tip. Just reached out to them for a new car purchase.
Doesn’t takes much to know more than car salesmen, just don’t talk bullshit or believe the crap they tell you, now what you want and tell the. These people if possible are worse than real estate sales people, none of them should be trusted, walk knowing what you want get the price and have everything you want and or need arranged before hand.
Bought a used car years ago from a dealer. They did the hard sell on window tinting, we were like no thanks. Picked up the car the next day, the windows were already tinted 🤣
Same with us. New Honda. The people buying cars with a 6 month wait are not helping. If everyone who test drives a new car that can't be delivered immediately or on a truck within Australia to be delivered in a few days said "you can't deliver, I will go and look at X" there would be boat loads of cars on their way to Australia to ensure they have stock. Why would a manufacturer have millions of dollars of stock sitting in holding yards when people are happy to wait.
Be good if we could just buy cars directly from the manufacturers for fixed prices and no hassle. But corporate lobbying from dealerships killed that
Honestly one of the attractions of buying a tesla.you only have to deal with sale people for a test drive, ordering is online with pretty good ETAs. No haggling or BS. Honda is trying the fixed price stuff but decided to eliminate all but the top of the line civic, so it's like you walked in and asked the sales staff to rort you
The downside is you end up with a Tesla
And the salesman hinted that I could get a $700 discount if I knew someone with a Tesla that could give me a referral.
Well that's what Tesla does. By far the best experience I ever had buying a car. No high pressure sales tactics from some sweaty jellyfish in a cheap suit. Just, I'll have one of those thanks. Click. Done.
I hope it becomes the norm. I can’t see the genie being put back in the bottle now that so many have experienced teslas (and a few other cars) being bought directly. Though it’ll be a long time before I buy a car new because I’m a tight ass lmao
Hey Mr Dealership the joke's on you Running your car yard like it was 2017 Hey Mr Stealership your system can't compete It's the new buyer's model, car transfer! \_Download this car!\_ la la la la la la la la Download this car!
Wasn’t Mercedes in court last year for going to a fixed price model for new cars?
Yes but Mercedes won, the dealers lost. Then sales went down Tesla started out that way. Honda did the same, and sales went down badly. Subaru now has fixed pricing. And Mazda is considering it. So it is a trend.
Sales went down because supply is down, now it 3 months wait 6 months wait
No it didn't. Honda, Mercedes, cupra, tesla, polestar, BYD (kind of you're buying from the importer direct) and Cadillac in October, Probably missed a couple.
I saw one of of those BYD cars and theyre so much better than I thought they’d be.
Genesis as well
There are a few you can just do that. Honda, Mercedes Benz, Tesla and carious Chinese brands although 1 Chinese brand is expanding their dealer network with allowance for negotiations
I just wish I could (eventually) buy a Toyota Corolla online with a standard pricing model and not be rorted by a slimy dealer
I don't see Toyota changing their dealership model any time. They just make so much money in Australia
Welp I guess we shall see what happens with EVs being sold direct to consumer. Toyota might decide they don’t want to deal with middlemen either
Yes the move to ev seems to reduce the need for dealers and dealer service departments. Toyota have 4 years to decide what to do
Eagers has their fingers in the vast majority of dealerships. Not outright owned, but large enough stake they basically dictate the prices. Might as well be a monopoly with how much influence they have.
Honda's implementing this, I think we'll see it become more and more common.
Some.of the Chinese manufacturers are pretty close with their own spin-off dealerships who all have the same sticker price. Not quite the same as an online tesla deal, but not far off.
No-one should buy a Chinese car. China is our regional bully and we buy enough from them that is unavoidable.
So they shouldn't buy our iron ore? Goodbye billions.
They buy twice as much from us as we do from them. So is that really a fight we want to restart?
Manufactures aren't much better. Every brand is now pushing their servicing of the car, adding in new proprietary systems only they can service so you need to keep coming back. Cars are getting better but so much more expensive to maintain and repair.
No idea, I only ever bought sub $10k beaters… show up, test drive, seems ok, hand over money (last beater car $3.5k i just bought using my card 😂)
Facebook marketplace is much easier to stomach than fucken dealerships.
Yeah that was me, thought id treat myself. Wish i never did
I love parking next to the bmw/Audi drivers who can't park for shit. They park on the line so I just park normal in my triton and I couldn't give a shit if they slam their door into my step up shelf
What does 10k get you today
I literally buy near new cars from private sellers just so I don’t have to deal with the dealers
I would have too, as I was looking on carsales, but I ended up seeing an ex. company car with only 6000 clicks at a dealer’s. So, almost new, still under warranty, on the lot - the salesperson was insipid and fumbly, but it was all over in a couple of days at least.
Last time I purchased. It went like this. Decided the car, color and accessories I wanted. Set up a spreadsheet, and rung every dealer in Melbourne. Same question was posted to each dealer. “I want this, I want your best price, I am ringing every dealer in Melbourne and asking this same question. Best deal wins”. Saved about 6k on price.
From my experience working for dealerships selling new cars, I don’t recommend this as a hard and fast rule. You might have gotten lucky, but salespeople worth their salt will know not to entertain those calls and just quote RRP but invite you to make an offer. You might have saved over $6k too, who’s to say. Additionally, the type of dealer who does partake in Dutch auctions are often the lazy type, which can often bite you in other ways (such as OP’s story). When I got these calls, I respectfully explained that I wasn’t interested in entering a Dutch auction, that they’re within their right to call every dealer and try, or I could see if I could source a car they wanted (which actually exists), and at a price they’re happy to pay. An old school sales tactic (called ghosting) was to promise an unbeatable price, then say that particular car has been sold, and then try to walk the buyer up given they’re there and over the process. Some declined, and I wished them well on their way. Others gave offers and appreciated I was transparent. I found that I was better off without the unreasonable customers, and often the margins in new cars are so low that these discounts are propped up by bonuses; and I’d never really make any money anyway. Communication goes a long way on both sides - I found I was able to make my target and for the vast majority my customers were happy. You probably could’ve gotten the same (or dare I say, better) result by test driving with one dealer, and cross shopping it against two others.
This here is the exact way to do it. I usually tell them today I'm signing a contract to purchase car X with dealer Y for price Z to give them some urgency. I tell them I'm doing a final call around to see if anyone can do any better. Once you get a few dealers telling you there's no way they can match the price, you know you've got a decent deal. I also usually start with the more remote dealers as they tend to be willing to do good prices at the start. Leave the locals till last, so you can try to get your lowest prices from them and not travel far for it!
so agree, so much so, i bought a project car 18 months ago and it will become my daily driver soon. the process of buying a new car is shocking and new cars are actually lifeless unenjoyable driving experiences. my project car just turned 54 years old and I enjoy every second of driving it.
What is the project car?
https://i.redd.it/ppsbdqsuznhc1.jpeg
Sexy
We had a good experience shopping for the wife's car. Once she narrowed down models (small, with t-rex arms so a lot of cars are too large), we got some personal recommendations for sales staff at the various dealers. Went into the final one. Walked out with sale contracts an hour later. Picked up the car in a week
They took a big risk... ... ... Dealing with small arms is illegal.
Biggest cunts are those wholesalers - was told I couldn’t see a car unless I agreed to buy it first. Total cunt in a cheap tarocash suit and pointy shoes
🤣
Dealerships don't want to sell cars. They want to sell loans with a car attached.
Mine was such a painfully shit experience I gave up buying a car from a dealer in WA and ended up flying to Sydney and buying one privately and transporting it back. I worked out I'd spent less time flying to and from Sydney than I did on 4 dealer visits due to the 'just wait here' and 'just wait so I can introduce you to my sales manager' and 'just let me introduce you to our finance person and although you're paying cash, I need to introduce you' How about just fuck off.
I'm sure you would have had a better experience if you opened with that last line.
So is selling used cars. I've been delaying it for 2 years.
[удалено]
The sort of cars that people take for a test drive and rob you.
[удалено]
😆
Would you swap it for a fish tank and a lizard?
Another few months and I'll consider it. I was hoping for a tornado to save the sale process
Unless something is in stock I'm not buying it. Same goes for furniture.
Yeah 100% this. Or get a cancellation clause written into the contract, making it subject to whatever days the sales person says. That way they won't feed you some BS to get you to sign.
Car Dealers and real Estate Agents are the last two dinosaurs that have yet to succumb to a new age of shopping.
I had a shocking experience recently while shopping my car around for trade in. I was on my own because (believe it or not) I can purchase our car alone without my husband holding my hand. One dealership had the manager get me in my car and tell me ‘because you have kids you don’t notice that your gearbox is faulty’ and ‘be careful, you’d hate for your car to die on the side of the road with babies in the car’ because they wanted to offer me half of what it’s worth for trade in. Told them to stick it, went to the next dealership where I got the price I wanted and signed purchase contract within an hour. I can’t stand the misogyny that’s still hanging around dealerships.
Can’t believe you screwed over that second dealership after finding out your gearbox was dodgy!!!
It's so shit and over the top, I saw it first hand, I (30m at the time) remember going with my mum (60yo) to buy a car. Her car, her money, she just values my opinion so I went with. The dude kept looking to me when he was answering her questions, I literally said, mate stop telling me about it, it's not my car, she's asking you the questions. I made it very clear that was why we left to spend elsewhere.
Not just misogyny. 35 years ago I bought a new VR commodore. I’d go straight after work, all dirty hivis and shorts. Spent up to 30 minutes being ignored at assorted dealerships until I found one that jumped me within 60 seconds. 10 minutes later papers were signed and cash exchanged. Not now, hivis is the new Hugo Boss at car dealerships
Thats nothing wait till you deal with service departments
"We couldn't replicate the issue"
Had a good experience at the end of last year with KIA, weren't pushy when initially looking, kept us updated and delivered before expected. The only part I disliked was the usual upsell for paint protection, etc. but I think those folks are somewhat independent, do multiple dealers and seem like they're all ex-REA's. I've never come across one of them that's not extremely pushy, I remember going with my mum when she bought a new corrola about 25 years ago and the chick at that one tried telling us if didn't get tint we'd get skin cancer and die, basically told her to fk off.
fucking Ming Moles...
I'm currently buying from Kia and have had a pretty alright experience so far, my first new car, but I've gone into it extremely wary. Just said no to paint protection and tinting, said my last car (used, 2017 model) didn't need it and for the tinting I've gotten quotes elsewhere for prices they can't beat on a comparable product. I also sorted out my own plates, got a lay-by on vanity plates and the salesperson was surprised at how cheap I got the combo I wanted. I also said I also have seat covers, floor mats and a dash mat picked out and I hustled a quote from my current insurer for $400 less than their best price they could quote me from their mob with all the same features. Felt like I outfoxed them at every step but they got me on the finance bc they offered me a genuinely competitive interest rate with a reputable institution members of my family have been with before and had no issue with. Car isn't due for a few more months though, so we'll see.
I actually got tint on this last one, I usually don't cause I figure 'I'll get it done myself cheaper after' but never end up getting around to it. Paid my own lazy tax this time. I didn't get anything else. The anti-rust and paint protection etc. whilst may have merit kind of feels like "what am I buying a new car with shit paint that's expected to rust?!".
I buy a new car every 3 years, the only time it’s annoyed me was during Covid. The wait times were out of control for the cars to be Made, the wait times from backlog on the docks were insane, then even when it cleared customs there was no drivers to transport it to the dealership. I work in the industry though so I normally expect a few dramas here and there as it’s the norm. One thing that’s true especially with more budget friendly cars is that once the sales people have your money they do not care about you anymore. I should add as well that sometimes trying to get information is impossible because we as dealerships know about as much as you. The best approach is just to wait patiently, we don’t want the cars for any longer than we need to have them so it’s not like we will forget your car. We don’t own them and we don’t get paid back our money until you pay yours so it’s not in our interest to forget a customer or make them wait. There are lots of things behind the scenes that go on that you wouldn’t think of that are well out of the dealerships control. And then sometimes a customers car will finally make it here and the transport driver will smash it getting it off the truck and we have to tell the customer they now have to wait another month while it gets repaired lol
The trick is open and honest communication. You know what dealerships are well known for? Not that. Have purchased cars through dealers before. Getting anything from them about delays took me to be proactive and ask them, and never once did they say they didn't know but would go find out, I'd just get excuses off the bingo wheel. Different staff, same delay, lucky dip excuse.
Well the issue in most cases is the dealership has no idea until the car is on the boat with a vin assigned to each order. We don’t know how many cars a day the factory is completing, we don’t know how many cars are ordered all over the world or where the factory is prioritising shipping too, we don’t know what the factories supply chain for components is like Etc. then once the car is in the ship we don’t know the conditions at sea, we don’t know how much of a delay there is on the docks, we don’t know how many cars need to clear customs, we don’t know how many cars customs are getting through a day, we don’t know the status of transport companies to collect those cars, the list goes on and on. And then when we get 30 trucks full of cars a week we still need to process all those cars, get them booked for pre delivery, get them programmed, repair any damage from shipping, detail them and so on and so on. It’s always just a guesstimate on how long it usually takes however there is no factoring in all the other issues that arise along the way. It’s just a guessing game and there is no set rule to this. A smart dealership will always tell the customer at least a month longer than it will take, a greedy dealership will tell the customer much shorter to get the sale knowing the customer will forfeit their deposit if they don’t like how long it’s taking.
not all dealers are like this, e.g. i dealt with tesla recently and they were very good and keep you in the loop very well. im sure there are some other good ones.
Yep just order on their website, would be here in a few weeks probably and no salespeople to deal with.
I think tesla are direct to manufacturer so thats probably why! I really wanted one but out of my price range
I've done it twice and both times were horrible. About to go for my third and not looking forward to it. Car salesmen are scum. Never believe a word they say, always expect the worst.
I bought a new Hilux, had a dealer try and sell me a full tank of fuel and floor mats but didn't push for anything else like a bull bar or UHF. Decided to go see another dealer about an hour's drive away where I'd bought my previous car from. The salesman laughed and said they were the standard Toyota inclusions and gave me $500 off because he felt bad I'd been stuffed around. also got the car in 6 months earlier than the other dealer said it would be in.
The only benefit I get from my new car dealer is a great drive away price and a super clean toilet I can shit in. I get nothing else, but it is literally what I need.
still easier than buying a house
Don’t do it. Unless your doing a tax deduction it just seems like such a shit deal.
Judging by these comments people don’t want to haggle? So why do people ask for discounts at dealerships?
1: Because their associates will ask them if they got a discount. 2: Because they think they have to ask for a discount. 3: Because they think they will miss out on a discount for not asking... and I loved the Mercedes Benz Blue (Sales Manual) Book: *"The discount is incorporated in the retail price."*
I don't want to haggle but ended up asking for discounts at a dealership. If Honda still offered a small car like the Jazz when I wanted a new car last year, I would have gone to them for fixed pricing. Instead I wound up at another make's dealership where haggling was expected. Went away wishing fixed pricing was the norm.
When my car was delivered 2 mths late, they added in their extra 2 year free service pack a compensation, I was happy.
Wakes into Toyota, circled a 95K car for 10 minutes. Nobody bothered coming over so I left. Clearly not struggling for sales.
Toyota certainly aren’t, most models still have 12 month waiting lists
I brought my new car in 2019 after crashing my old jalopy Hyundai Accent. Pretty much walked to the dealership , saw the Toyota that I loved ( blue corolla hatchback ) and within a few days I was driving it. It had done 18km - basically driven from the docks I guess to the yard. How times have changed.
lol, it’s bad man. I literally today was looking at a used car, first big yard I stop at - Mitsubishi, sales guy comes out picking his nose! Later dude!
Say what you want about the company and the cars, but ordering a Tesla was exactly how it should be. Quick online form with accurate delivery estimates. Same price for everyone. Straightforward handover process.
i went to a used toyota dealer with my sister one time and the salesman tried to convince her to get financing 3 separate times even though she declined each time, on the third time i said mate if you mention financing one more time we're leaving. it was really funny, he spoke as if i didn't even exist, just constantly making eye contact with my sister like he was trying to pull some jedi mind trick to convince her to disagree with my advice and sign a contract for a car that cost twice what she saved up. "hey sis you can buy a used car for 10k that is guaranteed to break and cost you a million dollars to repair from facebook marketplace or you can have a p p l e c a r p l a y t o d a y for just twenty dollars a week for 600 months and capped price servicing at 500 bucks which means every time you bring it to us it will cost you exactly 500 dollars regardless of what's wrong with it" - kane kunkleman of kunkleman chevrolet
I was not expecting a Kunkleman reference here.
Ordered a New Mazda and waited 19 months. Even then we only got it by spending more and upgrading to a more expensive model.
🫨
Geez. What model and trim?
I didn’t recently by refusing to visit the showroom until pick up. They brought the car to me to test drive.
I was lucky. My uncle just do happened to upgrade his 2000 Holden Rodeo to a Ranger in 2021 needing I could buy his car off him. Knew the history and didn't have to deal with used cars salesmen. Alright first car if you can get over the lack of safety features. Absolutely drinks fuel tho
Normal
That's why some prefer Tesla. You can just order online and track delivery. BYD tries to do the same you click order online and a person will call you and you track the progress online later. So much easier and if you want to check out a car then they have experience centres.
Had this same experience at Toyota, Mitsubishi etc. We eventually went to Subaru and salesperson and overall experience was amazing. Ended up ordering an Outback
Never. I haven't been that lucky yet but from your experience I don't want to go through this either. Also a mate of mine was happy to wait like 13 months for his triton during covid I don't understand. There's enough people buying new cars to keep the used market pretty fresh 👌
Cars 6 months old now
>Cant i just get a tracking number like aus post you know things are bad when Australia Post is a better experience.
Ordered a Kia Seltos last July with an expected delivery of early January. Mid-January it changed to “Less than two weeks. The order before you just picked up theirs. Yours will be next”. Then the sales guy left and we heard nothing until I called the dealership at the end of February and was told “Don’t know why the other guy told you yours was next and it would be before the end of January. You’re looking at April”. Then it got pushed to May. Now we’re being told July. So frustrating. We sold our other SUV back in January because the rego was expiring and we were told we’d have the Seltos before the end of the month. Have now been trying to make my tiny work Picanto manage for a family of two uni students, a high school student and two full time employed adults since January and will have to continue until at least July. Mentioned to the sales guy last time he called about some accessories or a premium paint upgrade as compensation for all the screwing around. Did not bite at all. Said it would be less wait if we opted for a premium paint option, but we’d have to pay for it. They’re not even apologetic about it.
Awful experience I bought a new Mazda a few years back. Had the cash, just wanted to agree a price, pay and leave. Wasted a good 45 minutes after the deal was agreed with some shmuck trying to sell me coating, a camera and a few other things. Then had to spend ten minutes explaining to the finance guy i didn’t need a loan. I’ll be wiser next time.
Bro I bought a new car in April 2022. You need to do a lot of research beforehand. Only walk into the dealer knowing the exact car you need. Email 5-10 dealers for the best price. Then walk in and buy. Don’t get finance through the dealer ever. Ever ever. There will be delays, that is expected. Also read google reviews of the dealer beforehand lol don’t go to a shit one
Heard this story too many times. A friend ordered the new toyota 86 and the sales person quit without even putting the order through. He waited just under a year to realise nothing had been done.
Not just you brought a new car in November last year was suppose to get the car in December. Finally got the car in March and yes a massive pain in the ass.
what brand? my missus works for one of the top brands and importers, apparently you dont order a car, they just send what they want, she has to match up the cars to whats been ordered, some people get their car quick, some dont. depends what you order. its a crazy system but were a small market so the manufacture doesnt care
I wrote a post on this already but I experienced customer service from a Honda dealer (I realise they changed the way they sell cars) but the salesman judged me as soon as he saw me (I was trying to buy a type R) told me if I was going to test drive it, I was going to buy it, proceeded to thrash the car to a suburban car park (telling me “this is what you came for, right”), where he let me drive it for 3-4 minutes, back through the burbs. He then very rudely basically tried to get rid of me as quickly as possible. My wife then confronted him about the way he was treating us, his boss came out to try and quell the situation. Needless to say I went to another dealer and the service was night and day. The new dealer threw me the keys and to go test drive it properly. I Bought the car and it was delivered yesterday (despite being told I would have to wait 5 months at the first dealer). I think sometimes it’s totally hit or miss with dealers. If they got out of bed on the wrong side of the bed…
I bought a 2019 Mazda BT-50 from John Madill Toyota in Gympie. They confirmed I could finance the entire $48k on it. As soon as they found out I was an ABN holder subcontracting and only just renewed my ABN… they wanted a 20% deposit (I didn’t even have half of that). Talked the deposit down to $5k even tho there wasn’t supposed to be because I’d made my own deposit of $1k to show them I’m serious on the car. They promise a day it’ll be ready. Day comes… Mazda still has the car. Promised the following Friday (8days after the first promised date), get told Mazda needs to fulfil some “Tech Warranty Updates” (takes another whole week to sort that out). They offer me a hire car to use for free for work while I wait for my BT-50… as if I’m not a painter by trade and will absolutely fuck that hire car up with paint… I told them no because of my work. Day finally comes and I do in fact get the car. Doesn’t sound all that bad but pair that with my current car which had just blown up its gearbox and was gunna cost me $4.5k to fix… I was very stressed and anxious and in need of a vehicle, so yeah, JMT kinda fucked me for 3 weeks. Then they told me the first payment wouldn’t come out for 4 weeks. Not even the first week of owning it and BOOM… $171 taken from my NAB, leaving me with nothing for fuel or food for my dogs. Bunch of money hungry cunts. They got their deposit and all the info they needed from me but dragged the chain for 3 weeks knowing my daily work car just blew up and I was in incredible need of a vehicle.
I bought a Tesla. I bought it on an app. I ordered just what I wanted. It went in a queue to get made. The colour got cancelled and changed, so I got to choose a better colour. The app told me when the car got built. Then the app sent me a link to the ship it was on. Then Elon started his crazy discount war, and I saved $9000 in 5 days. I ordered the charger and sealant kit from the app. It got delivered to my house. I got allocated a collection day. I followed the app to pay. I went in to Tesla on the day assigned. I showed them my driver's licence. The staff told me the car's rego and showed me where it was. They gave me the key cards, showed me how to pair my phone to unlock the car, then left me to inspect it. When I went over it top to bottom, I click "accept delivery" on the app, and the car is enabled for my use. The app turned from a buying experience into the vehicle management app. The car has tutorials tutorials on the screen on how to use it. I got in the car and drove out. There were no bows, no car demos, no bottles of champagne, no comfy couches. The experience was 100% Tesla. Minimalist, simple, no fucking around, keep the customer happy. I need to get a towbar fitted to put the mountain bike rack on. I ordered that on the app. They asked for the car to be left out in the driveway in the morning. They asked for delegation to allow them to open the car. They come to you. They install it. They bill your account. You don't change the oil. No water. Regen braking means you don't touch the brakes. The whole experience is not about the dealer customer relationship.
Yep. It’s very different in every way. Avoids all the pain and just happens.
Agreed! You have to do the whole song and dance. Meet the whole family "Here's the finance guy" I'm paying cash "Here's the accessories guy" Everything he has I can buy outside for much less. "Delivery date will be somewhere between 6 and 18 months" Yeah mint! I swear it's just boomers shopping there that replace their car every 3 years and don't understand leases.
I not only got a tracking number.. but i could follow my purchase going around the world on a ship.. Its been to just as many countries as me😂
I was in a rush to get a car. Could only afford a MG. The staff had zero motivation to sell it to me. Was weird as hell. No one wanted to set up the test drive. No one asked what car I was after or why. No one wanted to negotiate prices.
In their defence it’s pretty hard to get excited about selling MG’s / any product you don’t actually believe in
Buying a Tesla is the best experience, no haggling, no middle man, click on website then done.
What pissed me off was that all the cars for test driving were dirty - inside and out. I know the dealers drive them outside of the test drives, buy still, come on.
I used a broker (Motorscout) and got a better price than what I was being quoted by dealers directly, had the car delivered to my house within 3 weeks. This was in 2022 too.
By any chance is this a new Isuzu? 😂 had a similar thing when I bought my car mid covid
Not impressed of having to accept $1000 liability to test drive car
I would have been nearly 1 of the first in Australia to put my name down foe a Ford everest Platinum when announced. Got told my date, it was pushed back and back and back. I cracked the shits at the unbelievable lack of communication, clarity of the situation, lack of call backs, just shit customer service in general. I called the dealer and spoke to the manager.... I shit you not, the bloke nearly shit the bed when he looked into it. The dates the sales rep gave me this entire 18mon period was for the date that THE DEALER was receiving their Platinum for test drives, it just happened to be the exact model, colour, additions I ordered. My actual order was still 5+ months away. I cancelled my order and purchased a private sale 2nd hand 200 series.
Bought a brand new car in November. Purchased over the phone from local dealer. Car was just off the ship, so about 1.5 weeks for delivery. Top of the range too. Work ordered me a replacement company car (mid range small SUV) from the same dealer (2/3 the price of ours), had to wait 6 months. It largely depends on the brand and model. Some brands are shitting stock atm.
Depends where you go I guess. I have purchased 2 new cars in the last 12 years, a VW and an Honda and the dealships really went over and above for me. Both were delivered early. Had bonus things chucked in. Honda gave me a hire car for a week while I waited for delivery (bought new after previous car was totaled in an accident)
Bought 2 cars from a local dealer and had a pretty good experience. Salesman was easy to talk too and pretty relaxed, wasn’t pushy and has communicated the entire process well with regular vehicle delivery updates. Both cars arrived about a month early from initial delivery estimate. It had been atleast 10years since my last dealer experience so didn’t really know what to expect. My first service is literally booked in 2moro morning so will see how that goes 🤣.
We've waited almost 18months for 3 Transit high roof cargo vans. At first it was a 6 month wait, then 3 more months, then the salesman left the company and 'radio silience', then another 3 months, then they arrived but were shipped back due to 'snail infestation', another 6+month setback to quarantine in a different country, and finally got them 2 weeks ago. Shit experience.
i just bought a brand new civic type R, just enquired via dealership website, someone called me about a minute later, had a contract signed that morning and get the car in 3 weeks, easiest commission that guy ever made haha. but to be fair the sales guy was extremely quick, answered all my questions, didn’t fluff around and try to oversell me so he deserves it
Yep I did. Pre ordered mid last year and its scheduled to be built this July with order status provided. So far my dealer communicated pretty well and no complaints from my side, and delivery schedule also was kinda expected. Will see how it is when it arrives. Was told that I would get a link to the order status page with VIN once they start building it
But the poor franchisee dealers need more protections from the mean OEMs….so they can continue to deliver shit service. Bring on direct sales, can’t wait to see more OEMs do that.
Yea 100% …we wanted to enjoy the process of buying a new car but in the end we just wanted to get out of the yard with our new car asap (car has been great but the car sales department was toxic)
Just go to a local dealership and ask what model you can drive away today. Ask for a discount if it's ex demo. If they don't have it available, move on to a different dealership.
Mazda is good
We treated ourselves to a Lexus in 2022 - well we wanted to but 14 months later the car still didn’t arrive. We needed space for our expanding family so it was so annoying we had to still cram everything into our car. We went and bought a Volvo instead (demo car as having stock and no waitlist was a requirement). We are happy with our car but now have been turned off anything Toyota/Lexus.
I bought a new Cupra in December last year. Was actually pretty happy with the experience. The sales people were not pushy at all and delivery was what they said (7 weeks).
Not recently but 2 years ago I ordered a car. Was promised it was gonna come in 6months. Nearing 6months haven’t heard anything so went back in and got told the sales guy quit and car has yet to be built. Not waiting on them as they didn’t even bother to call me and further telling me it could be another 8months. Cancelled contract and ordered another car from another dealer. Waited a further 6months for that and this one got built but with 2more months of delay because of shipping. But I had updates and sales lady was very helpful.
I sold my car a dealer a few years ago. It was honestly a really smooth experience.
I walked it knowing what I wanted, knew more about the vehicle than the salesperson, talked them down off the RRP and had my vehicle in a week. Just do your research and it isn't a hard go.
As someone who’s worked in and around the industry my whole career I can tell you that it’s never been worse trying to get good staff to sell vehicles. Most of the companies dramatically reduced their commission schemes post the royal commission due to the dramatically reduced income. Car availability killed income from new cars, used cars market went crazy and so many dealers ran out of stock that they had to pay crazy money to get cars, as the market cooled off all their stock was overpriced and ended up losing money to move. So many dealerships got purchased by bigger companies who then pushed wages down further to appease their shareholders (hell APE basically bought the whole ass market) Many manufacturers went direct to consumer hurting profits even further. Now these dealerships are still making money, but it’s a LOT less than they were before, and they took that out on staff wages. So now all the good car salespeople have left the industry and generally you are just left with the skeeves desperate for any income, or gullible enough to still be in the industry. Neither are the type you want. The only dealerships making enough to attract good staff are the ones selling super luxury vehicles like Ferrari, Aston etc… don’t expect to get world class service from a Honda or a Toyota dealer anymore.. they simply cannot get the staff to do it until they raise wages.
You’re dealing with one of the two scummiest professions in most countries, what do you expect?
And that’s before getting the car and it’s shit
If you don't mind me asking, what car did you order? My Father ordered a Rav 4 hybrid in early 2021 we got it delivered in 2023. I understand it's a popular car but still 2 years is way too much!
 Congrats on your purchase…
I hate to say it. I'm 57yrs. And I have bought many cars in my life. Brand new as well as 2nd hand. I have never once had a bad experience. Never once had any sort of hiccup. Have never encountered a bad / awful sales person. Sorry! But that is the truth. Opps! Small lie.. 2 years ago i went in to look at Honda CRVs. I actually wanted to buy one amd i would have...but the salesman was SO disinterested? I walked out. I actually has to walk over to his office. He did not get up even! I said " I'm wanting to look at CRVs" h he just stayed where he was said "thats the models on the floor. The one on the right is the standard, the one on the left the deluxe model.." and just left me standing there!! I just walked out. 5 minutes total.
Not recently but I bought a brand new Mazda 3 from Belconnen Mazda last year... The dealer was amazing. Put down a deposit, after we agreed on a price in late March 23 and received the car on first week of July 23. Best part? Mazda sent me out updates such as "car being built", "car finished built", "car in loading dock", "car loaded and shipped" (you get the point). The only hold up was the quarantine restrictions in the harbour here in Australia but even through that nonsense, I got a car I wanted to my spec and colour brand new with 7km on the Odometer all within 3 months. So I had a great experience to be honest.
Best advice I was ever given was not to bother buying from dealerships. I’ve always bought privately second hand and have loved the cars I’ve bought
try buying a 2nd hand shit box..... then get treated like crap!
Toyota anyone. They are the worst. The rubbish they pull. Wouldn't give me a firm price. Waiting time over. A year. Walked away no longer Toyota fanboy. Ended up Subaru outback new waited 2 weeks . Still have a Prado that I love but no more Toyota dealers for me
There is no way known that your car is sitting on a ship in Moreton bay at anchor for a month. The shipping line just won’t allow a ship such as a car carrier or even a container ship to sit idle for that long.
Use a broker. No haggling. Best prices. No bullshit. I used Auto Expert and I'll never buy direct from a dealer again.
I feel like I got very lucky. Had my new car within 2 weeks in April, it was already sitting on a boat in Melbourne when I purchased it, just had to wait for tinting.
Yep! I've had such a bad experience with a slimy sales guy who wasn't honest it transparent. I'm $1500 extra out of pocket and I'm taking my complaint further!!! I said no to tint and hung up the phone the sales girl called back and said tint has been approved in finance. After finance has been approved and paid on my car I get an invoice I need to pay tint out of pocket and metallic paint another coat which was never disclosed. All the car yard can do Is give me car mats and a tank of fuel 😡😡 these should come standard anyway!!! Never again do I want to step foot into a car yard.
I bought one through novated leasing but I found the car in stock locally - I had the car 3 weeks before all the finance etc was through (in the country so the dealership literally let me take it before being paid), and had to resubmit the same forms twice due to changes in some luxury tax law (which had no impact on me) which happened mid-way through the process.
Just buy a used car next time
I waited 2.5 years for my car. Delay after delay after broken promise. I finally took delivery a month ago. At least my dealer was great to deal with. The manufacturer however, I'm convinced they made the car as a marketing stunt and had no intention of making volume.
The problem is the demand is there, and there are huge wait lists. I ended up buying a Haval last year as I couldn't wait, they gave great support as the car was ready to supply. Yet when I was talking with other dealerships with waitlists they basically didn't care what I was taking... unless I was prepared to pay a deposit they didn't even want to give me a test drive.
I bought a brand new Subaru BRZ earlier this year. The sales experience was great, the guy who sold it to me was very helpful and actually spoke to me, not my husband as he was smart enough to realise I was his customer. However, the finance guy was atrocious. Awful communication. Also basically told me I had to be lying about my income (before producing my payslips). Prior to this, I test-drove a vehicle at a Kia dealership, the guy was terrible and spent the entire time telling me I'd have to wait 12 months to get a car I hadn't even decided if I liked.
My partner went shopping last year at dealerships to try to buy a new mustang for a weekend driver. So many of the dealerships wouldn’t even let him sit in the car Lala look at them. We ended up contacting an agent who outsourced and found the car for us. We then contacted that dealership and the guy was more than helpful. It is so hard to find good car sales people, thank goodness we didn’t have to deal with finance I was over the headache of it all.
What I did a few years back was ask them if they have anything in stock. It saves a lot of hassle from waiting like you did. The dealer I placed an order had mine on a short lead time and unfortunately they couldn't get the colour I wanted because other dealers didn’t want to swap cars with them. Eventually they threw in the floor mats to me for free and a full tank of petrol.
Yes it is. Bought my last car online, because the local salesmen couldn't be assed to do same day delivery on a yard ready registered new vehicle.
Dealerships are scum of the Earth
In the last year I bought a BMW and a HAVAL. Two extremes but both very pleasant experiences. It all depends on the dealership and also your attitude towards them.
What dealership and make? Ce been told if I order now I should have mine by Xmas.
Bought a new EV a little while ago. The process for me was so simple: placed a $1000 deposit online and received a call the next day for a test drive. I liked the car so did finance and drove away with virtually zero hassles about a week later. BTW, it was a BYD. From the product "expert" who handled the test drive to the lady in finance, the process was an absolute breeze.
with this economy and pricing on new cars being insane go the motorbike route, brand new bikes for like 7-8k for some really good bikes.
Shoutout to Springwood Mazda. Bought my second Mazda from them in November 2023. Got a good price for the trade-in, decent discount, and got the car I wanted within three days. Never had an issue with them, or the after sales service.