CR-V question

E Meyer respectfully typed:

How would you rate the service department?

Personally, I was shocked that the Honda service center was closed on a
Saturday, while the Toyota Service Center was open.

I kind of have an idea of which vehicle I am leaning towards.

I might rent a vehicle for a day and drive it on the highway (not something
I would do on a demo test drive), then when I am ready to take the official
test drive, I will have real world knowledge.
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===fish===
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You ARE aware that the dealers are *NOT* run by the auto maker, right?

Your dealer is an independent franchise. My local Honda dealer is open
every day but Sunday, and the service department is top notch. I rarely
use them, though, since my car has never broken, and they are too far away
for normal maintenance...

 

The three times I've been in there in 12,000 miles, they were extremely
accommodating. Two free oil changes while I waited and on the third visit,
they did a four wheel alignment and replaced a defective plastic cargo hook
in under an hour while I waited. Although I did call ahead for
appointments, I haven't need one. Free car wash and Starbucks coffee every
time.

I don't know if they are open on Saturdays - being semi-retired, I don't
have that problem anymore. About the only issue I have with them is the
fact that they are 20 miles away.

The car is showing itself to be unlikely to need any further visits for
dealer service for a long time. Now that I've used up the free oil changes
that came with it I'll start doing them myself. so barring some major
mechanical catastrophe while its under warranty, I doubt I'll see the place
again.

Not a bad idea at all. Talk to the dealers, they might just give you one
for a day. When I started looking, the 4-cylinder RAV-4 looked better on
paper (more horsepower, features, etc.), but after driving them both, the
Honda just felt better - it had a tighter feel & seemed more responsive
despite the horsepower numbers.

At the time I was shopping, the V6 Rav4 had just come out and the one dealer
that had one was so overtly sleazy that I never got to drive it ("we have to
run a credit check be allowing a test drive in case you steal the car"), or
the decision might have gone the other way.