Had 2 little scares over the past month in the little C3. Both times the SensoDrive gearbox showed an "error" (i.e. SNOW and AUTO icon flashing) and left me in neutral gear, once in the carpark and the other time on the road!
Anyhow, after those 2 experiences, wifey and I decided to visit some showrooms to check out the models which we were interested in last Saturday.
1st stop: Mazda showroom at Chun Tin (run by Village Credit)
This little showroom is tucked away behind the eating places opposite Beauty World on Chun Tin Road. The showroom was very small and empty. Because of this, service was very good. The sales guy took the time to explain everything (all the features and specs etc.) about the new Mazda 5 (2 months in SG) which we were looking at. In fact, he was so helpful that we decided to take the 5 out for a test drive.
As we were looking for potentially a mini-MPV, the 5 was very nice. A 6+1 seater with electric sliding doors, it was spacious and practical. The base specifications were impressive, auto wiper, auto headlight, sunroof, electric doors, factory integrated stereo, 16-inch rims etc. I was told about bad fuel consumption, but it is supposedly improved with the new VVT engine and 5 speed (instead of the previous 4 speed) gearbox. Also, it looks particularly good in white.
2nd stop: Honda showroom at Leng Kee (Kah Motor)
The next showroom we went was to Honda @ Leng Kee to take a look at the Stream and Civic. The Kah Motor showroom was huge and the feel was very "corporate". Not as "personal" as the one run by Village Credit. We were served by this guy who brought us to the cars we were interested in. Then, he asked the "filtering" question which was "when do you think you will be buying the car". When we told him that it will be a couple of months down the road, he told us to take a look at the cars first and call him if there are any questions. After that, he left us on our own, probably to look for "immediate buyers".
Anyway, we looked at the Stream and the Civic. The Stream was more sporty and lower than the 5. However, this meant slightly less space at the back with lower headroom. Also, Kah Motor doesn't bring in the RSZ which looks better than the standard Stream. For the Civic, it is a spacious car with a huge boot. Wifey was interested in the Hybrid Civic cos it is much cheaper to run. Unfortunately, it is more expensive to buy. Working out the sums, the Hybrid may not be that much cheaper overall.
3rd stop: Toyota showroom at Leng Kee (Borneo Motors)
The final stop of the day was to Borneo. We expected a crowd but as it was near dinnertime, the place was quite empty. We walked in wanting to take a look at the Picnic and the Wish. The Picnic is quite a dated model, not to mention that it looks quite "uncle". The Wish was not on display but the showroom car was supposed to be currently being cleared by LTA to be brought in. Again, the Wish shown in the pictures at the showroom looked the same as the ones running around on the road from the Parallel Importers (PI).
The most interesting experience was with the sales lady which served us. I was sitting in the third row of seats in the Picnic when this lady (quite pleasant looking) called me through the open door ... "Hi Boss, your price list and brochure!"
Eh, its a bit strange to be called "Boss". Borneo is not exactly a coffeeshop and I am not here to buy Prata you know. Anyhow, she kept on calling me "Boss" while trying very hard to explain to me that PIs are no good. "They sell you used car as new car, sometimes they also take the car which is cut in half in Japan, then stick them together and sell it to you like new one also" ... yeah, er, ok. I think she overdid the downselling of the PI bit.
In the end, as we were about done, she (not very tactfully) said "If you are not 80% interested in buying, then dun waste your time and my time ...". How true. Dun think I will be visiting Borneo in the near future.
Its been a while (4 years) since my last rounds at the car showrooms. Good to feel, touch, play with the showroom cars (and smell too). In terms of spec/features and design, the Mazda 5 was tops.
When the Village Credit guy called me on Sunday to see how was our evaluation of the other cars, we told him the 5 was our pick, but had to disappoint him and told we are not making a decision immediately. End of the day, the current plan is to stick with the C3 for a little longer as the major service was just done and the tyres and radiator fan is also new. The next servicing to fix the accessories belt is end of the month. Hopefully it will "behave" itself after that.
