1975 versus 2020
Last month I took delivery of a new company vehicle. It made me reminisce about buying a vehicle in the “old days”.
The first new company vehicle I arranged to purchase was in 1975 (from memory). It was an interesting experience that I well remember. The firm always purchased station wagons.
I went into the Holden – General Motors dealership that was Manthel Motors on the corner of Taranaki and Wakefield Streets. On going into the showroom and looking at the range of vehicles, a salesman finally came over to see if I needed help. I asked about Holden wagons. Firstly, he told me about the long waiting list and then explained that there were three models available, but 90 of the sales were Kingswood 6-cylinder vehicles. The other 10% was made up by Kingswood V8s or Holden Premiers, that he implied may be out of my price bracket. One got the impression that he was doing me a favour.
Little did he know that any new vehicle was out of my bracket, but it was our company wanting the vehicle, not me personally. When I mentioned we wanted to trade in a two-year-old Kingswood wagon he became more interested.
Then we moved on to accessories. I am not sure, but I think the radio was standard, so there were only two accessories available - a tow bar and a window monsoon shield. The only other matter to be decided was the colour. Not a lot of choice, but if one had no preference then you get the vehicle a month earlier. So, deal done.
Then the big day arrived – collect my new company vehicle.
So in the weekend check for faults. The average our company experienced over the years was 8-10 from memory. Some examples include:
- Rattles
- Doors not fitting correctly
- Leaks around windows, especially front windscreen
- Upholstery faults
- Windows going up and down faults
- Paint work faults
- Wheel nuts overtightened and not able to be removed by me with a tyre brace.
And the list goes on....I know of one guy that had no spare wheel. The pleasures of a new vehicle in 1975.
Well what has changed in 2020. This time I purchased the most popular new vehicle by sales in NZ over the past few years – a Ford Ranger.
First of all, no need to look at models in the showroom – it is all online. A total of 14 variations of Ranger, and that excludes auto or manual transmission. I was also able to check the accessories available – a total of over 20.
These include:
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I sorted out what we need and then looked at Trademe to ascertain what our trade-in should retail at. With that in mind I called into Stevens Ford (now called Capital City Ford but still the same owners). No sooner do I walk in and I am greeted by a guy who is keen to help. All matters are finalised except the trade-in price within 20 minutes.
After a day or two of emails we agree on a changeover figure, but it is mid-March and I was concerned about the effects of what may happen with COVID-19. So, I decline the good deal but said when things settle down, I will review the company’s position.
This I did in late June. He came down to my office and took my trade-in for reappraisal, and I had a test drive of the new model. He came back and confirmed that the original deal was still available. All signed and sealed on the spot. About two weeks later I received a phone call to say he could deliver the vehicle that afternoon. Number of faults: nil.
Congratulations to Ford Thailand that assemble these vehicles and the sales team at Stevens/Capital City Ford for their level of professionalism. I will now keep my fingers crossed that the Service Department will be as easy to deal with.
What will it be like to purchase a new vehicle in another 45 years? I will be 116, so will never know the answer!