Odd Courtesy Car Choices
Discussion
Baldchap said:
The mention of Honda Jazzes (Jazzs?) on the cars to avoid thread got me thinking about my Lotus main dealer, that has (or had) a Honda Jazz as a courtesy car for when people take their Lotuses (not Loti, I'm fairly confident) for service. You turn up in your Elise, Exige, or Evora (other models are available) and you drive out in a 1.0 Honda Jazz. It's decent of them to lend a car at all, but I couldn't help but hope for something a bit more Lotus-y the first time I went there...
When i had my Exige S from '07-'09 Bell & Colvill had a couple of 3 & 5 door Mk6 Fiesta Zetec's as courtesy cars. Decently specced inside though so quite nice to have for a day or two. I remember dropping my car off for a service once and one of the other service guys having to deal with some bloke having a strop about being offered a "povvo Fiesta" and expected the sales team to hand over a demo Elise or Exige to replace the Elise he'd dropped in. In the end one of the owners came down and essentially told him his options were, the Fiesta if he wanted to drive away, drop him off at the nearby train station, call a Taxi, or he could just leave and find another dealer. Much grumbling ensued before asking for a Taxi to be called - all because he refused to use a pretty decently specced Fiesta
Let me think - Cayman 981 & 718, Boxster 718, Panamera, Panamera Hybrid, Cayenne S diesel (had to check under the bonnet what engine as it was a flying machine!), Macan 2.0 & 3.0 petrol, Mercedes C class, Mercedes E class all from Porsche main dealer.
Then we get many moons ago - a Citroen BX with no power steering and absolutely minging when I told them “mind don’t give me one of those Citroen AX things!” after my ZX went in for service.
Then we get many moons ago - a Citroen BX with no power steering and absolutely minging when I told them “mind don’t give me one of those Citroen AX things!” after my ZX went in for service.
Whataguy said:
A Volvo main dealer nearby used to mainly have XC40 automatics as their loan cars, which was fine...
Except for some reason they also had a manual Vauxhall Corsa on their loan fleer - no idea why, there were usually customers shouting with the service staff when given it after bringing in their £60-80k 5-7 seater Volvo for an expensive £500+ service.
Is this Squire Furneaux Guildford? The Corsa is used by their collection / delivery staff as it’s cheap. I know because I was given it as a loan car once and asked why. Next time I got an XC40.Except for some reason they also had a manual Vauxhall Corsa on their loan fleer - no idea why, there were usually customers shouting with the service staff when given it after bringing in their £60-80k 5-7 seater Volvo for an expensive £500+ service.
My other strange loan car experience was this Smart Brabus when I had my old R8 serviced a couple of years ago
About 4 years ago I took my 2012 325d coupe I had at the time for some recall work and got given a brand new 435d convertible for a couple of days which was nice as it was summer at the time.
When I took my Polestar in recently they put me in an electric XC40 for the day.
When I took my Polestar in recently they put me in an electric XC40 for the day.
Edited by greggy50 on Thursday 25th August 23:46
Took my Seat Leon FR to the local garage for a service and the courtesy car hadn't been returned in time. So I was give a ten year old beaten up white long wheel base transit. The car park at work was a long row at the top and then split down the middle by the road coming onto it. I had to park up the top, lengthways, taking up three spaces!
I once had a major fight with VW in Canada about a defective new car which ultimately resulted in a replacement vehicle. The problem was that it was the end of the production run and there was a three month wait.
The dealer asked if I would like W12 Phaeton as a courtesy car.
I would never have bought one but it was a glorious thing ,beautifully finished and massive.
The dealer asked if I would like W12 Phaeton as a courtesy car.
I would never have bought one but it was a glorious thing ,beautifully finished and massive.
AlexRS2782 said:
When i had my Exige S from '07-'09 Bell & Colvill had a couple of 3 & 5 door Mk6 Fiesta Zetec's as courtesy cars. Decently specced inside though so quite nice to have for a day or two. I remember dropping my car off for a service once and one of the other service guys having to deal with some bloke having a strop about being offered a "povvo Fiesta" and expected the sales team to hand over a demo Elise or Exige to replace the Elise he'd dropped in.
I took a Subaru there twice. First time a nice Mini and the second time a pov-spec Polo which was utterly joyless to drive.rewild said:
Recently, a Macan S, a 718 Boxter S and a Cayenne S.
Main dealers have their benefits, I guess.
OPC will loan you decent and recent cars if they think you’re in the market for an upgrade. Once they realise you’re happy with your 15 year old Porker they’ll likely give you something small and KoreanMain dealers have their benefits, I guess.
Missy Charm said:
People are such a
holes; any car's better than no car, just put up with what you're given. I've had some oddities over the years: a Toyota Carina, a Peugeot 206 and a BMW estate with leather seats and a not very good engine. I was slightly disappointed to get the BMW estate as the garage also had a Suzuki mini Jeep think I fancied a go in but no, the BMW it was...
Yep, particularly where it's a small independent firm, it's bit daft to kick up a fuss. They're hardly going to keep a small fleet on hand for customers to pick from! The cheapest wheeled transport box is plenty good enough for a day or two.holes; any car's better than no car, just put up with what you're given. I've had some oddities over the years: a Toyota Carina, a Peugeot 206 and a BMW estate with leather seats and a not very good engine. I was slightly disappointed to get the BMW estate as the garage also had a Suzuki mini Jeep think I fancied a go in but no, the BMW it was...Insurance hire cars or main dealers are a bit different, it's fair to expect something fit for purpose (e.g. as above, if you use your Discovery off road a Stilo won't really suffice, nor will a tiny hatchback if you're dropping off your workhorse van or estate car). But with the caveat that customers need to communicate any specific needs well in advance.
I had a couple of slightly odd loan cars from a local body repairer. Little family run place, bit rough and ready, but nice people and they always did a decent job on my cars. One was a fairly new (~5 years old at the time) Focus that had been cobbled together from salvage. Panel gaps all over the place, panels a patchwork of slightly different shades of silver, mismatched and missing bits of trim inside, even had alloy wheels front and steelies on the back. Apparently it was still a work in progress and was due a weekend in the shop to get it all one colour and looking respectable! But it drove fine and no doubt cost them a lot less to provide than buying a similar car from a trader. The other was the owner's wife's car, and she was clearly not a spoilt woman... A fairly old base model Passat estate, intergalactic mileage, filthy inside and out, smelled pretty grim, and even had a load of suitcases left in the boot for some reason
. I did have to give the manky steering wheel and gear lever a good clean at the earliest opportunity, but again it did the job and was a lot better than a 70 mile walk to work...Gassing Station | General Gassing | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff