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But seriously, people buy a Lexus because they DON'T want to spend time at the dealership.
Thats also true for me, but I think you might be surprised by the number of people that do enjoy going to the dealership and using these amenities. Personally? I want to get in the loaner and get out on the road, to me thats luxury, but a lot of people like to hang out at the dealer, make service an event, play putt putt, watch a movie, whatever...so I think a great modern dealer needs to cater to both.
My dealer is very generous with loaners, but I am always surprised by the number of people happy to hang out and wait there, all of those people have a free loaner available to them same as me...
^^^ I'm one of those who doesn't mind hanging out at the dealer, if the service is planned to take 90 minutes or less. Otherwise it takes more time for me to drive there, drop off my car, pick up a loaner, drive home/work/wherever, then later in the day, drive back, pick up car, and drive home again.
I don't mind spending time there. I get a cup of coffee, check out the new and used cars, read on my iPad, and in general just take a break. My life and work are so hectic right now I enjoy the downtime.
And my dealer while new and nice doesn't have a ton of amenities, so imagine how many more people might be happy to hang out if they had more interesting things to do?
Over the years, I've used two Lexus service centers. One of the service centers was a mile away from the actual sales dealership. It was nice, with free breakfast, lunch, wi-fi, boutique, TVs, couches, but that was it. On occasion, I would wait on-site while my car was being serviced. I would work at a desk with wi-fi, etc, but I missed being able to walk over to the inventory and sit in the newest models. Based on these experiences, I would always recommend that the service area is part of the main dealership.
I also like that some dealerships have a play area/room for children. It keeps them occupied while talking business with the salespeople. Free Lexus-branded water bottles are a nice touch, too. However, one service center (the one separated from the sales dealership) had switched to generic Arrowhead water bottles. I don't know if that was temporary or permanent, I hadn't been back there in a while.
The Naperville IL test track is owned by the Village and those dealers that Pay...Play.
Acura, Chevrolet, Lexus, Toyota use it regularly. Even includes a hill and rough (!) lane.
Thats also true for me, but I think you might be surprised by the number of people that do enjoy going to the dealership and using these amenities. Personally? I want to get in the loaner and get out on the road, to me thats luxury, but a lot of people like to hang out at the dealer, make service an event, play putt putt, watch a movie, whatever...so I think a great modern dealer needs to cater to both.
My dealer is very generous with loaners, but I am always surprised by the number of people happy to hang out and wait there, all of those people have a free loaner available to them same as me...
If it's quick then I'd like to hang out. Not to bash Lexus but the MB dealership up north is a place I like to hang out. It has a nice coffee bar, high table seating with nice lounge. Also there's a lots of glass & ceilings are huge. Makes one feel like their in a fish bowl. lol. Seriously it's nice.
People may not like to wait while getting their car serviced but some may not have much of a choice. Some people drive a fair distance to service their car at a preferred dealer so a nice, comfortable waiting area is a good thing to have, IMO.
I used to do that when I drove Toyotas and would drive back to my old hometown to purchase and service my Toyotas. That dealer had a nice, clean and bright drive-through / drop-off service bay; it felt welcoming. The lounge / showroom area was equally clean and bright with a mix of couches and television, small tables with chairs, children's play area, coffee, and adjoining showroom so you could look at new cars (or even the occasional old Tercel or Land Cruiser) while you waited.
We no longer use that Toyota dealership; ironically, the Lexus dealership is closer to home. But I have not felt the waiting area to be as welcoming or comfortable as in my old Toyota dealership; it seems quite efficient but does not offer the same variety of seating and no children's play area. Perhaps the renovations that expand the waiting area will help.
We still do drive out a fair distance to service my wife's Honda Accord but I find that dealership to be even less welcoming and less comfortable than the efficient Lexus dealership. The Honda dealership, I find, is dark and does not offer many comfortable areas (no couches) to sit; it does have a large indoor showroom but you do not always want to sit in a tiny Honda Fit while waiting for service. But my wife is more comfortable with the service people at that dealership than at the Honda dealership that is very much closer to home. We usually walk over to the Tim Hortons coffee shop next door while waiting for her car to be serviced.
Zulu
The irony. I found the Toyota dealership to also be more inviting than the local Lexus one. Perhaps because Toyota is more oriented towards families? The best I can describe this Lexus dealership is it's a throwback to the days of cubicles & business. No thought went into comfort or making your "stay" a priority. Here's some chairs, coffee, water and that's it. Sad. Even the Mazda dealership were we brought several new from had a decent area for kids, big expansive showroom with snack machines, updated magazines and soda fountain. Hopefully it'll improve.
[The dealership] resembles that of a five-star resort. There are ten varieties of palm trees, including a multi-trunk Phoenix Reclinata specimen tree. The buildings are surrounded by decorative pavers and stamped, colored concrete. The highlight of the site is a dramatic water fountain at the corner of MacArthur and Jamboree and a 1,600 square foot professional-quality putting green.
Click here for a photo slideshow of the dealership. (scroll down a bit on that page to see the images)
The perfect Lexus dealership at least for service) was the one that I did not have to drive to. They would pick up my car, leaving the loaner in it's place.
i'd day they are somewhere between mundane and controversial.
btw, wifey saw the new IS250 parked at the local shopping center and her first impressions out loud were "MuffinTop". I was taken aback and then stood back and saw what she saw. It sure is one.
The perfect Lexus dealership at least for service) was the one that I did not have to drive to. They would pick up my car, leaving the loaner in it's place.
Most Lexus dealers will do this, all the ones here do.
They don't outwardly offer it like they used to, but if you ask I bet they will.
I never use the service because 1. I don't want a porter driving my car all that way, 2. It's more convenient to me to stop by the dealer while I'm out and about than it is to sit at my office or home and wait for them to arrive.
10-26-15, 11:52 AM
