I was told by my mother years ago (probably after I had bought yet another car) that I have the same affection for the automobile that my father's father apparently had. While I have honestly enjoyed each car I have ever had, one of them in particular stands out in my mind:
I have spent so much time recently fussing over the Riviera - test driving possible replacement cars all over the area, bargaining with salesmen, delivering and redelivering the car to Reid Bros. in Arnprior, where the car has been referred by the GM District Service Manager, L. R. (“Luc”) Pelletier; a multitude of phone calls to Oshawa, Ottawa, Orr's and Tommy Arial. The car has been going from bad to worse: the engine knocks, the tape deck doesn't work, the external door entry light is fickle, the transmission is still acting up (I found out that Orr knew all about this before he sold me the car - the bastard! The bastard, I repeat!), the heater still doesn't work, even though the computer was replaced yesterday (Orr's had again improperly diagnosed it as a computer problem, when in fact it must be the heat sensor), the heater fan is off-balance. Almost each day something else goes wrong, although I still have to admit that it's a beautiful looking car, and air-tight, and it drives like a dream, straight as an arrow. Tonight, I went up to Arnprior with Nick Carter, the service manager from Orr's (and the son of Jack Carter, one of my better clients), and finally dropped the car off for the beginning of the repairs. I had spoken with Luc Pelletier this after noon, and told him what else had gone wrong since I last spoke to him. He decided that rather than wait any longer (apparently all the new parts haven't arrive yet - not until next week sometime), it was better to get the car in immediately to look it over thoroughly, and order the new parts which would additionally be required. I told him that these repairs would probably go on for weeks, which of course he has denied. Maybe he wanted to get the car away from me before I found anything else wrong, and GM has to rebuild the whole car! While I would like to be optimistic about the repairs that are being undertaken now, I know from my past experience that it will be a miracle if they're done right.
I suppose everyone gets a “lemon” from time to time. And the red Riviera (my first of two Rivieras) was just that. Yet in another way, it was one of the best cars I have ever had. It's compelling feature for me was its eight cylinders. Many years later, I bought (or rather leased) an Oldsmobile Aurora. When, as was my custom upon first obtaining a new car, I drove it into Ottawa to show it off to my parents, my father commented (rather flatly I thought) that his father had had a sixteen cylinder car. It was probably a Packard. Oh, well, so much for my star performance!
Almost without exception, I have dealt with local car dealerships. Bennett's in Carleton Place have proven to be the most reliable. Everyone on the staff seems to “go the extra mile”, especially the Service Manager, Jim McGregor. The customer can count on the staff to point out problems if they exist, and they tenaciously stick with it until it is resolved. Another unusually pleasant element of dealing with Bennett's is that Clark Larocque (who works as a salesman for the organization)
I have spent so much time recently fussing over the Riviera - test driving possible replacement cars all over the area, bargaining with salesmen, delivering and redelivering the car to Reid Bros. in Arnprior, where the car has been referred by the GM District Service Manager, L. R. (“Luc”) Pelletier; a multitude of phone calls to Oshawa, Ottawa, Orr's and Tommy Arial. The car has been going from bad to worse: the engine knocks, the tape deck doesn't work, the external door entry light is fickle, the transmission is still acting up (I found out that Orr knew all about this before he sold me the car - the bastard! The bastard, I repeat!), the heater still doesn't work, even though the computer was replaced yesterday (Orr's had again improperly diagnosed it as a computer problem, when in fact it must be the heat sensor), the heater fan is off-balance. Almost each day something else goes wrong, although I still have to admit that it's a beautiful looking car, and air-tight, and it drives like a dream, straight as an arrow. Tonight, I went up to Arnprior with Nick Carter, the service manager from Orr's (and the son of Jack Carter, one of my better clients), and finally dropped the car off for the beginning of the repairs. I had spoken with Luc Pelletier this after noon, and told him what else had gone wrong since I last spoke to him. He decided that rather than wait any longer (apparently all the new parts haven't arrive yet - not until next week sometime), it was better to get the car in immediately to look it over thoroughly, and order the new parts which would additionally be required. I told him that these repairs would probably go on for weeks, which of course he has denied. Maybe he wanted to get the car away from me before I found anything else wrong, and GM has to rebuild the whole car! While I would like to be optimistic about the repairs that are being undertaken now, I know from my past experience that it will be a miracle if they're done right.
I suppose everyone gets a “lemon” from time to time. And the red Riviera (my first of two Rivieras) was just that. Yet in another way, it was one of the best cars I have ever had. It's compelling feature for me was its eight cylinders. Many years later, I bought (or rather leased) an Oldsmobile Aurora. When, as was my custom upon first obtaining a new car, I drove it into Ottawa to show it off to my parents, my father commented (rather flatly I thought) that his father had had a sixteen cylinder car. It was probably a Packard. Oh, well, so much for my star performance!
Almost without exception, I have dealt with local car dealerships. Bennett's in Carleton Place have proven to be the most reliable. Everyone on the staff seems to “go the extra mile”, especially the Service Manager, Jim McGregor. The customer can count on the staff to point out problems if they exist, and they tenaciously stick with it until it is resolved. Another unusually pleasant element of dealing with Bennett's is that Clark Larocque (who works as a salesman for the organization)
frequently offered to pick up my car in Almonte in the morning, then return it to my office at the end of the day. Something like that gives an entirely new complexion to having one's car repaired!
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