YAAAWWWWWWNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN

10,000????

That’s commitment eh?

“What if it had a Holden or Ford badge?”

It would be able to rip a decent skid.

Go ‘Strayla !

Seems the whole Global warming argument is starting to bore more and more people, so the polls say this week,and we all know how much the Toyota lovers enjoy their polls…or is that POLES hahaha Hey got to find excitement where you can with a Toyota I guess!

This may surprise a few people here but i drove one of these this week (dont pay for fuel so dont feel bad) did about 500 klm’s. (not the hybrid) And i gotta say , yes it was boring, all true. But everyhting worked and always will. Like a boring but trustworthy friend.
As an added bonus went through a radar trap doing 96 in an 80 zone and the cop didn’t even look at me. In a camry you are as invisable as the alien in ‘predator’ Nice.

Actually the last ticket i got was in a Golf GTI on the Bruce HWY. Was being over taken by a HSV the same Colour. Of course i got done… Not bitter at all.
Still now Toyota can Greenwash the media. now please buy a LC 200 petrol sahara so i can make some money…!

10,000 a year – thats an awful lot of batteries to find a place for in 15 years. I think Hybrids are a mistake. I know you cant argue with the immediate fuel economy and the Co2 (especially if they dont have to be shipped) but the batteries are and will be a big problem. I also think Australia would be better off building the Avensis Sedan/Hatch/Wagon than the Camry. Plus, you could get diesel if you got the Avensis.

Alex,
Spot on.
Fleets buy 75% of all hybrids sold in Aus.
Vic Govt has committed to 5000 hybrid camrys a year from 2012, with NSW and federal to also commit to large numbers.
Over 90% of hybrid camrys will go to fleets.

Actually more like 65%… Fleets dont buy metallic paint ones so any you see in wildfire, silver, black etc are all mum and dad buyers…
Prius have the least margin of any Toyota on sale in Australia so Fleet disc is not a big deal..

Also customer satisfaction the highest after Landcruiser…. go figure..

DanMan, total BS!
“wildfire, silver, black” just about describes the entire Hertz fleet of Prius’. And the five at the local council are ALL metallic – go figure.

DanMan, unfortunately V-Facts don’t show full story as they only show registrations. Not consumers. And during the years, if you knew what I have sold you would have me arrested. Think the worst brands to have graced our shores and yep I’ve probably sold ‘em.

Salesman, selling well new doesn’t always equate to used sales. It’s more supply and demand and how much you want for the product. (Just ask Q-Fleet)

Will, you forgot all the Silver ones running around as State Government vehicles. Also Doesn’t Kevin drive a wildfire one? (sorry DanMan)
But I am led to believe 1 in every 70 Priuses that go out of the two dealerships I am in contact with are privatees the rest are fleet. Also I know of at least one fleet that have them on the list but they are playing a distant third to the Mondeo and Golf Diseasels.
Will, the thing that people seem to forget is that whilst Falcon (except for last month) & Commodore have dropped in numbers (as did Toyota last month), only 1 manufacturer (Mazda) is really making major gains. The orther slack is being taken up by the prolitheration of brand that have found their way to our shores. Fact, (Salesman count the numbers in the BLUE RJ POUND pocket guide) ther are over 250 different types (not trim levels) of cars on our market. That’s just crazy.

The point here though DanMan is that firstly the Aus govt pay Toyota to build them here, then secondly to justify the first point, they buy them all and say it’s all justified?????
Just to justify my point if you see waht I mean.

Will,
I am able to paint a picture of who a person is very quickly, like most who entertain the car buying public I have developed special talents for this, I don’t expect you would be able to understand this, or accept it but, yes, there are people out there superior to you.
You must learn not to take my comments as a personal attack, some of what I say is a jovial poke to stimulate opinions, I look forward to the comments our fellow bloggers post as they are both entertaining and informative.

Salesthingy,
Oh I understand that there are many who are superior to me, it’s just that you are NOT one of them.
I have known many a salesperson over many years and they ALL think that they can judge people better than anyone else, and guess what they are ALL wrong.

A classic was the unshaven, overweight slob in the dirty t-shirt, with the snotty nosed kids in tow, who walked into a particular national computer store, wanting to buy the “best” laptop for his eldest who was about to start high school. He struggled to get the time of day from the guy on the shop floor, so he asked to see the sales manager, who after talking to him discovered that he was the national IT manager for one of the major financial institutions.
It turned into a major account worth more than $50,000 and the “salesman” who thought he could judge a customer got sacked. Oh, and the kid got his new laptop for school gratis.

Aww look, The Salesman comes clean. He’s not a cyborg after all.

Fleet vs private is one of my favourite chestnuts. I say this: if Buddy Franklin soccers the ball through the centre posts, it’s still a goal, innit? Doesn’t matter where it comes from.

I wouldn’t say GM and Ford have ignored the Eco market… its more like they and others such as BMW have continued research and development of their alternative drive systems until they reach the point where the technology is more refined and mroe efficient etc.. as evidenced by the Volt which will have batteries that are twice as powerful as those in the prius.

Yet Toyota in there desire to be the first to release a new hybrid stole the idea off someone else without givng them just recognition etc.

I mean you could say that only now Toyota are playing catch up in a market which they have ignored for years not in relation to the Aurion.. even though its not what you would call a serious competitor or direct rival to the Falcon or Commodore as its FWD

Oh and then there are areas where Toyota were once market leaders but have sat on there laurels offering the same basic bland boring cars [Corolla] whilst their competitors have introduced new features; technology and either closed the gap or overtaken them

Not to mention areas where they were the market leader; decided to pull out and are nowtrying to make a comeback – the sports coupe market for example and the new “supra” which has apparently been “put on ice” for the time being.
Yet in their absence Toyotas former competition has raised the bar quite substantially.

Try finding a dealer that will trade in a V6 anything at the moment.
Today i paid $6,500.00 for a 2005 falcon, 57,000klms.
Now if that same car was a Toyota, Mazda or even a Hyundai it would have been worth more.
Message is clear here, what is popular new, is popular used.
Commodore might be selling used because it is dirt cheap used.
I drive a Ford Falcon, because i have two boys and a wife, so we need the room. (Buying a new Cerato when it comes out) Plus i know that a six run at constant temperature will use less fuel than a six. People buy fours because they perceive them to be better value. This of course depends on the driving you do most. New cars make a good argument because they are so cheap to buy and have a good warranty

salesman,
you just broke your popularity rule by saying the commodore is popular used for reasons out side the “Popular new” theory…..

The circle of trust > O .

^^^
its not working, i give up

Don’t personally have a lot of time for 2nd hand car salesmen. Load of crooks generally, yeh I know they have to make a living but giving misleading information, partial information and occasionally few lies. Yep I bought a dodgy motor from a dealer on Nunnawading road paid a high price for the car in the first place (expecting a decence reliable safe motor) then had to spend another $1000 to get it roadworthy. Did they want to know. Nah not a chance “got your money now eff off” attitiude.
As for the Camry – the right way to go but can’t see mant wanting the extra complexity & expense over the standard car.

Hey all, Damn I hate having to go off line at the end of a day, but the catching up the next morning is always fun

Couple of little pointers firstly, travelling around the traps and talking to dealers, NOTHING has resale out there at the present (Exception being F250 7.3 Td 4×4′s! Unbelievable resale value!) Check out my comment on the Grand Carnival Platinum floating around, 8 weeks old and over 17k drop!!!
Next the so called Ford Holden catch up. Not exactly true, as NO ONE was able to forsee the fuel price hike of the last 3 years. If this was expected and planned for by the other manufacturers why did Toyota introduce Aurion in Aust? and Push very hard on Tundra etc in the States? The Australian Branches WERE designing & developing to the market strong points.
Alternative fuel vehicles again look outside of Australia and you will see that the other manufacturers have been very active in this field. Again look at New York Taxis? Hybrid SUV’s available for the public, Diesels that use less fuel and give off less CO2 than Hybrids, CNG & LPG vehicles, DI-DLPG vehicles that are due for introduction within 18 months. 2.0l four cyl petrol turbo’s putting out similar Torque to the current range of 6 cyl’s on the market, yet at the sub 6l/100km consumption.

Wow My post kinda killed the debate didn’t it..

See how it mutated into salesperson bashing..

Ahh the old ‘my mate walked into (insert store here) dressed like a slob and got judged and then went and bought somewhere else and then the salesperson lost his house and got divorced and ended up being shot by police after a hostage siege gone wrong’ story..

Funny how you cant get into RSL’s without the right attire… They must judge people too… My thoughts are if you cant be bothered to at least wear clothes that have been washed in the last week you deserve what you get… Not PC but true…

CSANN, further to what the salesman says. If you fell that you have in anywy been coerced into buying something, via pressure or sales tactics, then by law you are able to get out of the sales contract before you take delivery.
As to the comment of the sales person lying, you should try the other side. When you have Eddie the expert sitting there telling you that the car he is trading in is the best car he has ever owned and that there is not a thing wrong with it and that noise in the Auto ahs been there all it’ life etc. etc., then ask him “if it’s so good whay are you trading it?”. Good for the facial expression. Secondly, I’d like a dollar for every time I’m down the pub and I hear how this bloke or that bloke traded in a P.O.S. falcomoamryagna that was full of motor honey ahd fooled them into giving him $$$$$ for it. Or how they swaped the tyres and the Battery before handing the trade over. Other common lies told to sales people every day,
1/ Just looking
2/ have to talk to my wife, husband, accountant, bank
3/ the dealer down the road offered me……….
4/ yes if you can do that I’ll buy right now………
5/ no I’m not on the market till next year…
Do any of those lines sound familiar?? Every person reading this thread has said or will say at least one of those LIE’s to a sales person this year.
So the real liers out there are the customers, and there is NO law against THEM doing it. You will find the largest majority of times when a sales person has “ripped someone off” has been when that somebody has mad e a mistake and in typical Australian fashion wont stick their hand up and admit to it so they blame the next person.
No I don’t hate the sales industry, I actually love it and love going back and playing in it from time to time.

Well said FRONTMAN couldn’t have put it better…

It’s not your looks that get you judged it’s your actions and words… god i hate customers that swear.. esp. in front of their wifes.. happens all the time.

Oh and customers who ‘shop the 8rse of their local country dealer, for some reason that really burns me.

danman,
what do you mean “shop the 8rse”???

try for a fair deal??

Andrew M,

Call me crazy but the lines Frontman put forward are the same old lines that have been around forever, I am sure customers go to car buying school before walking into dealerships.
My personal favorite example.
Customer walks in and says
“I have a price on this new car of X”.
Salesman says
“X can’t be done, thanks for stopping by”.
Customer says
“If you cant do X what can you do?”
I say
“Why is that relevant if you have already been offered X?”
You must think we are stupid?

Andrew, why would a customer walk into a dealership if they were “Just Looking?”
I don’t walk into Woolworths to just look. They are thinking about buying something and it is the salesman’s job to sell them a car. If you walk into a car yard a salesman will approach you, that’s their job.
We are trained to overcome objections and sell our product.
No surprises there.
I don’t know how many times i have sat with customers filling out a contract and they say
“You know, we weren’t going to buy a car today”
Then i know i have done my job well.

frontman,
well its the silly dealers fault for not putting their best foot forward to start with.

i just purchased a new vehicle and took delivery of it on monday.

here is how the deal went.

i went to one dealer where i arrived at a figure in which i told them i would do the deal.
he went to the manager and came back and said this is the best they could do.
that figure was 4K short of what i told them i would sign for. (and yep, i even gave the salesman my card to swipe a deposit there and then)
still not comfortable with the offer i went to the next dealer where i told them i wanted the exact same figure as what i had told the other dealer.

they couldnt get there either but they were within $2800 of my price. i told them i would think about it (no lies because i was going to) and then the manager came running at me and slashed $1800 off it as i was walking out the door. therefore they were within 1K of what i proposed. I then sat back down and signed up.

i dont have all day to run back and forth to play games, and the attitude of the first dealer indicated they wouldnt better anything to get a sale.

salesman,
people do walk into a dealership to “Just look” especially when a new model arrives.

if you are a supporter of a particular vehicle/brand/make, one may actually be enthused about the improvements made on a new model.

i doubt you would see this working in a Korean dealership.

how many blokes do you get through that dont want to duck into woolies with the MRS so they kill time by strolling through the car dealership across the road???
once again maybe not in a korean dealership???

salesman,
i know some consumers operate on a method of false economy.

i know someone whos grocery shop consists of 3 or so supermarkets to shop out what each of them has on sale.

the time wasted and fuel spent driving far out weighs the saving of 80cents on an item here and 80 cents there.

Salesman,
Im in business myself.
you dont need to tell me “Profit” aint a dirty word.

what you can negotiate is related to the profit there in the first place.

there isnt much profit to be had on grocery lines. sometimes when something is on a ripper special, the supermarket loses money on every item that walks out the door. I know, i used to manage a supermarket.

also your builder may be reluctant to reduce his price for your renovation because he may have to account for a possible cost blow out.
how would he feel if he cut his profit right to the line, and that unexpected hiccup happened and then all of the sudden his already low profit diminished to a point where he didnt make any money???

with motorvehicles you are selling a fixed cost item with a fixed profit. you know when you can cut 5 grand and still ensure you make money at the end of the day whereas a builder doesnt. a builder also has to allow for cost increases that occur from the quotation stage till the time a certain material is delivered on site. this is another unknown to cover for in a quotation.
if your renovation goes over the time on the contract, they have to pay you compensation.
if your vehicle takes longer to deliver than what the salesman told you, do you get compensation??

thanks Golfie,

this demonstrates that salespeople only “think” they totally understand the consumers like tha back of ones hand.

oh and salesman,
do you know how annoying it is to compile a quote for a renovation on ones house or for a new home construction, only for them not to go ahead with it??
do you know how much time that takes??
longer than a 10 min test drive coupled with a 20 min price evaluation.

Andrew says
if your vehicle takes longer to deliver than what the salesman told you, do you get compensation??

No, the dealer is not responsible for any delays.
You are only driving my point home, if you paid the price the dealer wants and their is a hiccup, we will go all out to see you are assisted as much as possible. You take the profit and their is a hiccup, there is nowhere to go.
Example, if you had a trade and you have to wait two months for the new car, the dealer can re value your trade, this nearly never happens, for the sake of good service.

danman,
i travelled 20k’s??? to save 3K.
i didnt know if i was going to save anything before i drove to the next dealership, but i would be silly to purchase from the first offer put forward.

when i bought a new clothes dryer 6 months ago, i went around and found out a few prices.
i certainly wasnt going to settle on the first price for something worth 70 times more.
i actually told the first dealer that line too.
i told them they were a fool to think i wasnt going to get another price. (well in words a little more polite than that).

i have not only seen sausages made, but actually made them myself.
i dont care what happens in the managers office, or how they juggle their figures, as long as im happy with my deal.
i like things black and white. it is or it isnt. we can do that deal or we cant.
salespeople play games just as much if not more than the consumers.
why do you think the first line salespeople are told to spit out is what do you want??
it puts the dealer on the front foot and ensures they dont give anymore money off the deal than they have to.

its all about knowing each others cards first

Believe it or not i nearly always go with one quote. I want a good job done and if i think the price is fair, i will pay it. Pushing for a cheaper price only cuts into the quality of the job done.
I have had two homes built, one swimming pool and various other things(Patio, driveway, landscaping, painting, solar etc)
I have been a consumer to.

Please explane how a delivery delay could be the fault of the dealership?
Yes we will assist those we made a bigger profit from first.(we need money to operate)
No you wont get the same service.

Danman,
Yes i think the Camry is going to be a big winner on the Australian market, i do think the other family car makers will struggle to achieve all that Toyota has within the next few years based on market acceptance and perceived value.
I only hope Korea follows the same trend for my benefit.

I am starting to feel like i am at work.
Oh look a customer just walked in, wonder if he is just looking?

Salesman,
do you think the service department knows how much profit you stole from the sales department??
do you think if you use “Lube Mobile” to service you car they will be rude because you got a beter deal than your neighbour??
salespeople pretty much just sell the car. once there is a problem you dont deal with them anyway

Andrew M
SALESPERSON
Andrew M
SALESPERSON

LOL look at the live comments.. totally dominated by this LOL

Yes we have covered this, accidents happen, i did not say they didn’t.
The customer i just dealt with was filling in time while the wife was at the hairdressers next door.
Guess what, he said he was just looking.
After about 10min of chatting (we talked about this site as well) about the car his wife turned up.
They bought a new Kia Rio in stock, delivery tomorrow.
Interesting that happened not long after some of our topics here.
Lucky i ignored the “I am just looking” statement?
No, just doing my job.

i know they are separate departments.
you just proved my point.

why would the service department care that the sales department didnt quite get the max profit from the vehicle they are servicing??

please send my apologies to the new Kia customers…..

maybe you didnt directly say accidents dont happen, but you had no idea of how a delay could be the fault of a dealership, and that is what i enlightened you on.

Damn work gets in the way of all the fun
Andrew, from a customers side, a lot of what you say is true. However, from a dealership side (talking solely new cars here) if you really new how much rpofit a dealership actually made on a new car you would actually question their viability.
As for not getting the discount upfront, when you were a retail manager, if you found your employees were pricing everything at cost straight up without any attempt to make a profit you would sack them. (yeah, you would)
But the thing is, if the salesperson is any good then the customer will leave there feeling compelled to comeback and give them the last bite of the cherry. I survived like that for a long time and still get customers calling me now that I sold VN Commodores to.
By reading your posts, you seem to be of the opinion that as soon as you have bought your car the sales department don’t want anything to do with you. Well for the fly by night group, that may be true. But they are the ones that are there for 6 month and have moved on. The groups I train are all taught that they haven’t sold a car to someone till that person comes back and buys their second car of them. So that means keeping in contact with that person for the next 4 years. Dropping them to work when in for a service etc. That is a lot of work for someone who only earnt the base commission (between $50 & $75 /car)

Yes they do, the system is called ERA or Reynolds and Reynolds.
I can look up any car sale, any time and so can service.
Notes can be made to.
I don’t sell ham or steak so i wont pretend to know how they operate their business.

sure the service manager could find out what you paid for your car, but my point is why would he and why would he care??
he is interested in making his books good.
if you are good to the service staff they will be good to you.

i totally fail to see your point in that your good deal when you purchase, reflects in bad service from a totally different department.

you certainly must catch up with “old” owners if they have time to call in for a coffee all the time.

one minute you dont want people in your dealership that arent ready to sign that instant, then you say you welcome those that prob wont re-purchase for at least another 5 years….

And it reflects through the whole dealership, as i said the service department is in constant contact with sales staff. It makes a difference, trust me.

The Prius cannot tow anything.
Will the Camry Hybrid be able to tow a trailer?

a good shopper wont look for a good salesman.

if they look for a good salesman, they will be sold something they dont really want.

i shop for the car, not someone to tell me what i want

ok so that means you got nothing…

i agree wheelnut,
but i find most of the salespeople that remain in the dealerships are no better.

fords salespeople are probably the worst ive come across.

Good for you mate.

Now how about endulging in some of your own medicine and restrain yourself from ramming your thoughts about consumers down others throats……

You hate almost all Consumers, well that’s fine.

Now werent you going somewhere till the 20th??