2 minute read

No fuss car buying

Maintaining your independence as you get older is a huge deal and part of that for many is being able to hop in a reliable car and pop out to see friends or head down to the grocery store.

At Manukau Toyota Group, we get it, and we’ve got you.

We get that our seniors want as little fuss as possible from the time they make their first enquiry about a new or used car to when they take that car home, and we absolutely get that they want straight talk from our salespeople and a streamlined, no bother approach when it comes to getting their Toyota serviced, or getting a warrant of fitness.

Our older customers come from all walks of life and tell us the most entertaining stories about different cars they have owned or driven over their lifetimes and, perhaps most importantly, just what having a car means to them.

We had one couple who had only one garage space in the senior village they were moving to, so had to tearfully part with their two Toyotas and downsize into one.

“We love our new C-HR Hybrid; it’s bright yellow so everyone can see us coming, and we are saving so much money in petrol. Having that extra money means the world at our stage of life!”

They also told us they are really enjoying going out and driving together in the one car!

We had another customer, Joan, who had just sold the car of her dreams after 300,000 kms and many happy memories and wanted something she could love just as much. She bought a Toyota Rush from our Manukau Used Car team and calls it her little pocket rocket.

It’s a fantastic little car – I love it!

One of our older service customers was getting increasingly concerned at a rattling noise when she was driving and had been too embarrassed to mention it. She accidentally let it slip to one of our Service Advisors who promptly organised a test drive with one of our technicians and the issue was solved. One of her grandchildren’s toys had fallen down under the seat and was causing quite the racket every time the vehicle went over judder bars!

And it’s not just about sales and servicing either. It’s important that all our customers feel at home behind the wheel, that they know what buttons do what, which switches are set-and-forget and what all the dials are saying.

Annette and Alan were recently at the stage of buying their second Hybrid Yaris Cross because they were so impressed with the size and fuel savings of their first one. Annette says Daniel at Botany Toyota was extremely patient with her.

“He spent a considerable amount of time patiently showing me the new car’s attributes – it is quite a bit more technical than my old RAV that I’ve had for 23 years! I was very happy with the process and would happily recommend the experience to family and friends.”

Across the Group, we regularly get customers calling in again, some time after purchase to get us to go over things again once the excitement of the new car has settled down somewhat. And we’re happy to do it! We encourage especially our more mature customers to ask us about anything they don’t understand because we want them to get the most enjoyment possible out of their Toyota.