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  1. Join Date
    Sep 2007
    Posts
    18
    #1
    We have owned every single Corolla since the 1995 "Big Body" to the 2002 "Brad Pitt" model, and added a Vios in 2003. They all have been good reliable cars, but we decided to let go of the 1995 model which has been with us for 184,000 kilometers, with no overhauls and all major engine parts still being original.

    This time I was thinking of getting something different. So two weeks ago we decided to get a Honda Civic 1.8S M/T and paid the reservation fee. A few days later, the car arrived for inspection, so I excitedly hurried to the Honda Dealer to inspect the car. Excitement turned to disappointment when the unit delivered was less than perfect. A small "bubble" in the clear coat of the paint near the roof, a small chip in the paint on the trunk cover. Inside things were worse. I expected a car from the plant to be dusty, but expected it to be generally clean inside. This one had dried mud on the floor near the drivers seat, a large dead spider (yes a spider) at the back and signs of wear on the velour section of the drivers door. Frankly, it looked well used like a display car. Even all the plastic covering were gone except for the ones in the back seat.

    I said I did not want the car... so they showed me another one, which was allocated to their sister dealership. This one had a much higher reading on the odometer (12km) which is not bad except that Honda delivers cars by lifter. But other than that it looked pretty good... until I realized that there were light scratches on the rear bumper on the back (covering a area of about 6-9 square inches) and right side (two 3" deep sctaches... basically it seems to have gone past the clearcoat layer). Running my fingers on the line of the bumper I felt a 1cm or so sized depression on the left side of the bumper right over the light scratches. Minor accident? The other side was perfectly smooth.

    Anyway, I was told they had no other cars on stock at the plant anymore. Since there is a face-lifted version coming out soon this was all that was supposedly left. What they offered was to replace the bumper on the second car. I asked if they could add a small discount since it was a display model (they say it is not). Another 10K on top of the 35K would have been fine. We did not reach an agreement.

    I get a car only once every few years... so I did not feel like settling for seconds. I ran around three other dealerships and none could get the color I wanted and were also offering their "last" units.

    So after a five days, and frankly feeling the stress from work and having to run around buying a car, I decided to place a reservation fee on yet another Corolla and to refund my 5K with Honda...

    Guess what... apparently, they can get me another car from the plant (so they apparently are others available) they just wanted to unload on me the one which they already have at the dealer. Pero medyo napagod na ako, and did not want to buy a car from this dealer anymore. I closed the deal on the Altis and got a very good deal (they gave m a bigger discount than on the Civic) from the Toyota Alabang (that is now car 5 from the same dealer).

    Another dealer who had offered me their very last unit last week, calls back and all of a sudden has five on stock. Sigh, a day too late. I don't feel like backing out of my deal with Toyota for no fault of theirs AND MY SALE HELP THE AGENT MAKE HER QUOTA. THERE IS NO WAY I AM BACKING OUT NOW. Maybe next time.

    Buying a car is supposed to be fun. This time was frustrating. And yes, I am posting this because I am peeved. I guess they don't want my money.

    A day earlier (and had the dealers been a bit more forthcoming) I would be picking up a Civic tomorrow. The good thing is that since Toyota gave me a good deal, I was able to fit an automatic into the budget. Well I did want "something different."

  2. #2
    nice.. dapat talaga thorough ang inspection bago ilabas ang unit. you'll never knew what surprises they bring...

  3. Join Date
    Oct 2005
    Posts
    780
    #3
    Congrats on your new car. It's not like the Corolla is your second choice, you just wanted something different. They are both very good cars by the way. I have a coworker here whom I am helping to purchase his first ever car and he wanted a Civic or Corolla and nothing else. I tried convincing him to atleast look at other brands like the Sentra or the Elantra but looks like he got his mind set on those two great cars.
    Last edited by Camgen6; April 29th, 2009 at 10:58 AM.

  4. Join Date
    Jan 2007
    Posts
    2,954
    #4
    What happened to Honda's company philosophy, "The Three Joys"?

    Honda Monthly No. 4
    December 1, 1951

    The Three Joys
    Soichiro Honda

    I am presenting "The Three Joys" as the motto for our company. These are, namely, the joy of producing, the joy of selling, and the joy of buying.

    The first of these, the joy of producing, is a joy known only to the engineer. Just as the Creator used an abundant will to create in making all the things that exist in the natural universe, so the engineer uses his own ideas to create products and contribute to society. This is a happiness that can hardly be compared to anything else. Furthermore, when that product is of superior quality so that society welcomes it, the engineers joy is absolutely not to be surpassed. As an engineer myself, I am constantly working in the hope of making this kind of product.

    The second joy belongs to the person who sells the product. Our company is a manufacturer. The products made by our company pass into the possession of the various people who have a demand for them through the cooperation and efforts of all our agents and dealers. In this situation, when the product is of high quality, its performance is superior, and its price is reasonable, then it goes without saying that the people who engage in selling it will experience joy. Good, inexpensive items will always find a welcome. What sells well generates profits, as well as pride and happiness in handling those items. A manufacturer of products that do not bring this joy to people who sell those products is disqualified from being a manufacturer worthy of the name.

    The third, the joy of the person who buys the product, is the fairest determiner of the products value. It is neither the manufacturer nor the dealer that best knows the value of the product and passes final judgment on it. Rather, it is none other than the purchaser who uses the product in his daily life. There is happiness in thinking, "Oh, Im so glad I bought this." This joy is the garland that is placed upon the products value. I am quietly confident that the value of our companys products is well advertised by those products themselves. This is because I believe that they give joy to the people who buy them.

    The Three Joys form our companys motto. I am devoting all my strength in order to bring them to reality.

    It is my hope that all of you, as employees of the company, will exert every effort so that you never betray this motto. I also hope that our agents will understand my desires in this regard so that we may continue to benefit from cooperation.
    http://world.honda.com/history/limit...n/text/03.html

  5. Join Date
    Jan 2009
    Posts
    5,576
    #5
    Sorry it didn't go well with you. Couldn't say the same for mine, though. Honda is still regarded as one of the finest Jap car around. It's the darn dealerships that's giving it a bad rep.... that "talyer" culture. They should really get their ducks lined up.

  6. Join Date
    Mar 2004
    Posts
    2,053
    #6
    Quote Originally Posted by donbuggy View Post
    What happened to Honda's company philosophy, "The Three Joys"?



    http://world.honda.com/history/limit...n/text/03.html
    Sad...
    Although I'm very much satisfied with my 2004 City CVT ... I also didn't have a pleasant buying experience. Ang daming minor defects nung car ko, which HondaKal eventually addressed, but at the cost of bearing the burden of taking my car to HondaKal and leaving it there numerous times. No joy. Absolutely no joy.

  7. Join Date
    Nov 2005
    Posts
    394
    #7
    honda prestige... NOT!

  8. Join Date
    Mar 2005
    Posts
    1,011
    #8
    NO JOY!!!

    read my sig hehehe

  9. Join Date
    Nov 2008
    Posts
    101
    #9
    Buying a car really involves things more than the car itself. If someone you know is a lying, thieving, poor excuse for a human being is selling you something.. would you buy from that person? This is an extreme example, but those SA did lie, and they did wanted to put one over the OP.. Seems everyone's a hustler

    Anyway, I think the OP made the right choice..

    Actually, dapat nga sinabi dun sa manager or something. Para naman madala ung mga un at magbago kahit papano..

  10. Join Date
    Nov 2005
    Posts
    989
    #10
    Thanks for sharing, ral.

    Good job in rejecting the defective Honda units.

    Would you be able to share which Honda Casa this was?

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How I (almost) became the owner of a Honda Civic