Bandar Baru Bangi :Today is Wednesday 10th Sept 2013. Weather outside is really nice devoid of the midday heat. Despite the nice weather people are just reluctant to go out. Last night , there was a slight drizzle in section 9 of the town. A while ago I just finished reading important documents and was pondering of buying a new car. I don't really know whether this is the right time to be doing that as the economy does not look really good (deficit is running high) and some unscrupulous people/ associations (eg REHDA : Housing developers association) are taking advantage of the government's fuel rationalization action to raise the price of houses in the country for another 10 %. One nice thing is that the price of cars are going down slightly and that really motivates me to consider trading in my still mint condition Accord. I've not made a final decision whether to buy the new 2013 Accord or the quite recently introduced Toyota Camry. What I want to do today is relate my experience of visiting those two dealerships in Bandar Baru Bangi.
| Honda Accord 2013 |
1. Place/ showroom : I visited Honda showroom which is not far from section 9 of the town. It is also at the junction between section 9 and Bangi Industrial Estate. The showroom is really impressive in terms of it design and location. The building is mostly covered with glass and thus giving the impression of a bigger premise. It is also easy to reach the showroom. One thing nice about the place is that it also has a service center and a small cafe that serves some light refreshments. The showroom has most of the latest Honda cars on display including the 2013 model Honda Accord with its Teutonic design. From the balcony of the Honda showroom I could see clearly see my house nearby. The Toyota small showroom is however at section 7 of the town. The showroom is actually a shop-lot that can accommodate 2 cars only. When I was there they could only display a Toyota Innova and a Corolla. I was looking for a Camry and was told that it is stored in a storage area somewhere in Bangi. Thus, I was really disappointed. Honda Bangi dealership wins here hands down.
2. Salesman / Sales Executive : When I visited the Toyota showroom not long ago , A Malay salesman greeted me as we bumped into each other at the door of the dealership. I however was directed to another Chinese salesman who was taking a nap at the far end of the showroom . The first salesman could not take me as a customer because it was not his turn. There were 2 other salesmen and a saleswoman lazily sitting behind the counter waiting for customers. They too look tired and sleepy.Sorry to all of them looked so demotivated . They also did not demonstrate eagerness as a salesman to sell off their Toyotas. The situation is very depressing . I got up immediately and left . But I reminded them of the importance of being customer friedly before left. When I was at the Honda dealer, the salesmen there looked really good and they were really eager to show me their products. In fact one was greeting me at the entrace A Malay salesgirl also invited me to test drive the latest model Accord after some explanation of the product . She was reasonably good at explaining the technical aspects of the car to me. I have to say that I was really impressed by the Bangi Honda dealership. Honda wins in terms of the quality of the salesmen.
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| Honda Bangi : Global Amity |
3. Attitude : The attitude of the people at Honda is really good. They didn't really pressure you to buy their products and they really hi lighted the good things about Honda cars. They immediately let me test drive their cars to prove that they are really good cars. When I was at Toyota the salesman I was led to said that he would only arrange for me to test drive if I could confirm my booking. Why I would wan to test drive If I have already decided to buy the car in the first place. The attitude of the Bangi Toyota was very unwelcoming. These are not salesmen but clerks ready to enter data into the order logbook . It is clear that the people at Bangi Honda is positive and very welcoming attitude.
| Boring design Camry |
4. Products. I think the products produced by Honda and Toyota are good and durable. I drive the Accord for 6 years and my car is still as good as new. Only once that I had to change the bearings of the wheels of the car. My other half also drives a very economical Civic for 5 years and the solidity of the car could still be felt.I also used to own a Toyota too and I drove my trouble free Corolla for 13 years before buying a Proton. However, in terms of the car that I wanted to buy , I really think that the new 2013 Accord is a good looker. It looks like an executive car imported from Germany. The Camry however is too squarish and looks like a fridge. It is a draw here. Both companies have really good products. The service provided makes the difference
I still have not decided yet as to which car I would buy but I believe you can guess from this blog which car will sit under my car porch. I guess UMW Toyota must really improve their car selling strategies.They need good and customer friendly salesmen They really have to train their people and be more customer friendly. If they maintained their 'cold' Russian like attitude and outdated selling strategies they will lose a lot more customers. Hi Honda . "Koniciwa "Long time no see (Honda : The power of dreams)
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