On 04/11/2014 05:58 PM, The Real Bev wrote:
On 04/08/2014 08:16 AM, TJ wrote:

On 04/07/2014 06:14 PM, The Real Bev wrote:

When we buy an automobile, we have certain unstated expectations --
motor, wheels, steering wheel etc. We don't need to ask for these
specifically because everybody knows that they're part of the car. When
was the last time you bought a car and the salesman asked "And will you
be wanting headlights with that, sir?"

Maybe that was how it worked 100 years ago, but not for a long time now.

Buying a cellphone, especially the first one, is very different.
First-time buyers don't know what they don't know. Since this is
relatively new technology aimed partially at first-time buyers, the
decent thing is to provide more and better explanation.

Unless the intent is to screw the customers, of course.

Every motor vehicle I've ever owned had a spec for how many miles you
can drive on a tankful of fuel. And none of those vehicles met that spec
in Real Life.

That number is actually dependent on the kind of driving you do -- the
only value the mpg rating has is as a comparison tool with other
vehicles rated by the same entity. That's very different.

Never having bought a new car, I'll take your word for the miles/tank
thing. All things considered, I've been satisfied with the cheap used
cars I've purchased. You can test drive them, sniff, listen, look at
the oil and transmission fluid, bounce them, push buttons, etc. I would
never buy a car -- even a new one -- just by reading the spec sheet or
instruction manual.

OTOH, I don't have much confidence in my ability to choose or fix a car
with electrical/computer-driven works. In this case I have to trust the
manufacturer based on previous experience. This means I buy only
Toyota, or maybe Mazda. GM and Nissan cars have been disappointing, and
a friend says he would never own a BMW if his son wasn't a BMW mechanic
and could get him free repair and discounts on purchases. Toyotas,
however, have been bulletproof no matter how badly they were abused.

I didn't say the cars were new.

TJ