TORONTO area, knowledgeable dealers?

[Corrado]

Hello all!
Been awhile since I was here, but the time is VERY near for my gf to purchase her Sky. Trouble is, finding a hard time finding a dealership that has good product knowledge of the actual car. Basic info about the car, such as how to open the convertible top, seat adjustment, suspension (is it the same in the base as Redline version?) etc etc. We went to a dealer today, won't mention which one. They were very friendly, no question about that, but, they really didn't seem to know any of these things. Sadly, I have found this to be the case with about 80% of car dealers I've ever been to. When I was shopping for my vette, I went to probably every dealer in the GTA and honestly, I knew more about the car and its features than most of the salesmen. It wasn't till I went to Wilson Nibblett that I bought it. They are Canada's number 1 Vette selling dealership for a reason. They treated me with respect, and KNEW the Corvette inside and out. If only every car dealer could be like that!

Is it that hard to learn the features of the cars you are selling?! How many models of cars do any one dealer have anywayts, 10 – 15 at the most? That is not too difficult a task and I believe its VERY important to actually know about the item you are trying to sell.

So, my question (and sorry for being so long winded!) is which Saturn dealership in the Toronto area did you find was knowledagle about the car itself? Its features, the differences between models, performance, etc etc.

Any help is greatly appreciated!

[todaresqSL2]

Originally Posted by Corrado

Is it that hard to learn the features of the cars you are selling?! How many models of cars do any one dealer have anywayts, 10 – 15 at the most? That is not too difficult a task and I believe its VERY important to actually know about the item you are trying to sell.

I would say, if you can find a stand alone Saturn retailer, they may have the most knowledgeable sales people. Although, IIRC, most are combined with SAAB in Canada... so yeah, they may not be able to focus on Saturns the way they should.

Good luck!!!

[oogaloo]

Do not go to Mississauga Saturn in the Automall just West of Erin Mills & Dundas. That is where I got mine & the salesman pulled some crap on me after I had bought the car. When I picked it up I told them that they would not be getting any of my service needed on the car. I ended up going to BUDDS in Oakville (Third Line & QEW). There sales & service people have been fantastic with me. I had some little problems with my car & the mechanic (who looks about 14) came out & talked to me & had all the diagrams on exaclly what he was going to do to fix it. Long story short I will PM you.

[e-sarge]

Out in the east end, I have had good experiences with my dealer (Motor City Saturn in Whitby).

In general, you might have better luck if you ask your salesperson to introduce you to the service staff, and ask your technical questions when the service personnel are present.

Or, just post your questions in the forums here

In any case. "I don't know" is an unacceptable answer from a sales person, unless it's followed by "but I'll find out for you and call you back tomorrow". Ask for the sales manager and request a more knowledgeable sales representative or find a new dealership.

To answer your questions:
Top down procedure:
1. Open trunk.
2. Roll down the windows or open doors (optional, but makes things easier).
3. Unlatch the roof.
4. Push the roof to the rear. It will pretty much fold itself into the trunk once you get it started.
5. Get out of the car and press on the roof IN THE CENTER on the main cross rail to "pack" it fully into the trunk.
6. Close the trunk.

With a little practice, you can get this process down to 20 seconds (about the time you spend sitting at a stop light ).

Seat adjustment: fully manual back and forth, electric up & down.

Suspension is different between RedLine & base (I don't know all the details, but could do some web research to find out if you like -- I think it's shocks, springs, & sway bars).

[Corrado]

Thanks guys! oogaloo, sorry I didn't receive your PM in time. I have heard good things about the Oakville dealership though, so thats good.

e-Sarge, I may be out in the East end soon this week, and might try stopping by that dealership, thanks!
It took 3 guys to remember that the release is in the glove compartment. My girlfriend took the car out, and i did seperately. For some reason, they don't seem to let us go together, insurance purposes supposedly, I dunno. When she drove it, she asked if the seat went higher, the sales guy didn't think it did. She's pretty tiny, so she couldn't see over the console too well in the low position. I immediately found the seat height adjuster when I took it out, so that shouldn't be an issue.
I asked him if the suspensions were the same on the base and Redline version, he said they were, but I was pretty sure they were NOT. I quickly realized he wasn't too knowledgeable after that. Also asked about the traction control, I saw there was a switch, but wanted to know if there were different settings, or just on/off.He said 'its always on". Once again, they were very friendly, but not too knowledgeable, and that is VERY frustrating, however all too common I have found.

This was the Redline we took out, even though she will be getting the base model. It was POURING rain out, so not the most pleasant of drives, didn't get over 50 KMs an hour. We will be driving one again in better weather.

From what I can tell from that very short drive, I liked the stiff suspension, car seemed very stable, but the A pillar did seem HUGE and does seem to block the main line of vision. I suppose you get used to that, but that was my main complaint. Other than that, couldn't tell much from the short rainy, slow drive other than I still LOVE the way these cars look!

[e-sarge]

Corrado:

If you make it out there, I can recommend my sales person Liz. She was pretty open an honest, I'm sure she'd be happy to get answers for all your questions and not just feed you some cr@p answers.

Also, since this dealership serves the Oshawa area (a very big GM town) they have a very large sales rate and therefore a sizable allotment of Skys (better chance of getting one sooner, if that's what you're after).

According to their web site (Motorcity Saturn), they currently have a 2.4L Sky in stock (and 3 RedLines), so you might be able to test drive the model you intend to buy.

I'd be happy to meet up with you in person if schedules permit, but I'll be leaving on Thursday for the factory tour in Wilmington, Delaware (birthplace of all Solstice, Sky, and Opel GTs) on Friday. Send me a PM if you will be in the area today or Wed.

Good luck!

[Corrado]

That's awesome, like the Corvette Museum for Skys/Solstices. Have fun!

Very generous offer, I doubt I we would be able to take you up on it before you leave, our schedules are crazy at the moment, but it's much appreciated.

I do have to go to Pickering soon, so I may check out the dealership then.
Good to see there are some good dealers out there!!

[Harrin]

Originally Posted by Corrado

That's awesome, like the Corvette Museum for Skys/Solstices. Have fun!

Very generous offer, I doubt I we would be able to take you up on it before you leave, our schedules are crazy at the moment, but it's much appreciated.

I do have to go to Pickering soon, so I may check out the dealership then.
Good to see there are some good dealers out there!!

Hey Corrado,

When you go to MotorCity ask for Jan, she was great to deal with when we bought ours.


Rick

[skyhigh22]

I have been dealing with Oueensway Saturn/saab,not to happy with this guys over there ,l bought my 2008 Sky from the USA and they tryed to suck $500 from me to change from miles to klms,which l did myself!!!!!!!!!

[pinkygal]

Hey everyone..Corrado and I were able to find a dealership that met our service standards!! Just put a deposit down for my Silver Pearl Sky at Saturn of Woodbridge. I must say Faye has been great so far!! The car is coming from Quebec so I should be getting it in a few weeks.

Faye had Corrado and I take one for a test drive last week...Thornhill refused the day we went there and their knowledge of the car was extremely poor.

Nevertheless all has worked out perfectly and thanks for all input from the fellow GTA members. Looking forward to hopefully meeting you at a future meet!!!

MARIA