Ownership Experience – It’s not just the price tag you’re paying

If you’ve not read the article written by veteran motoring journalist Chris Wee about the lost art of selling a car, I implore you to do so HERE. Not only did Chris delivered his opinion in a manner that’s entertaining and easy to understand, he touched on a subject we’d all experienced at one point or another while shopping for a new car.

There is however one point of contention; what Chris described is the Pre-Purchase experience instead of the Ownership Experience. At the point of writing, Chris doesn’t own any of the vehicles he was ‘mysteriously shopping’ about; the same goes for any prospective customer. As a matter of fact, no automotive reviewer can conclusively paint the full ownership picture unless he/she is the user (not just owner) of the vehicle.

What prospective shoppers is looking for is that wonderful feeling of being wooed. A chance for the sales advisor to make them feel special, to be validated for their selection and perhaps the satisfaction of negotiating for a better deal. Then, there are some who just wants a car so give them a few quotes and they’ll decide based solely on economic factors without the hassle of dealing with idiotic sales people who’re more interested in their phones than serving the customer, as Chris found in his article.

Anything that comes before signing the dotted line is Pre-Purchase. Potential buyers would probably:-

• List their requirements,
• Shortlist their options based on their requirements,
• Research by reading automotive reviews about the shortlisted options and/or asking friends who may or may not be owners of the shortlisted vehicles.

Not much different from choosing a spouse actually.

They then visit a showroom and it’s the sales adviser’s job to make them feel comfortable enough to say “I do”.

And thus, they’ve graduated from Pre-Purchase and began life in Post-Purchase.

Level up to experiences such as:-

• How amazing it feels blasting the vehicle at full speed in its first long distance drive
• How great it corners on the roads
• How reliable it is, especially when you hear horror stories of friends/relatives who can’t get their cars to start
• The envious stares you get from your colleagues, friends and that-whycantyoubemorelike-cousin-your-mum-always-compares-you-to
• That proud stare of your loved ones when they sit in the cabin and acknowledge how capable you are
• Heck, forget about the loved ones. It’s how your own Ego stares at itself for being so capable of owning that vehicle you drive now

It is as you imagined it to be – perfect within the confines of what you expected it to be when you paid the down payment for it. It’s your virtual honeymoon with your car and you’d do anything to keep the feeling going, including being meticulous about service appointments and using the best engine oil if it was an option.

If you’re lucky, the vehicle performs as well as the care you’ve given it and throughout the Ownership Experience, you would evaluate the brand based on;-

• The process of getting the vehicle serviced
• The process of resolving unscheduled breakdowns
• The frequency of the vehicle breaking down
• The process of dealing with accidents
• The process of vehicle recalls
• The financial costs of the above (if chargeable)
• The financial costs of wear & tear items such as brake pads, tires, wipers, etc.

 

 

If you’re unlucky and experienced multiple breakdowns and numerous visits to the service centre, you’ll feel the intangible aspects as well. Imagine you’re driving with your family members and the vehicle broke down suddenly, causing you to be stranded in the middle of nowhere, in a manner that’s possibly dangerous on a busy highway. Your Ownership Experience will then encompass:-

• Fear of placing your family, yourself and other motorists in harm’s way,
• Embarrassment at causing traffic congestion,
• Anger of knowing despite following the recommended service cycle, the vehicle failed you in such a manner
• Inconvenience of having it towed to the service centre while you arrange transport for your family members and yourself .

 

Then you spend week after week after week waiting for parts to arrive. Great if you’re provided a courtesy car, bad if the courtesy car is worth less than half of what you’re paying for monthly to the bank and downright sucks-to-be-you if no courtesy car is offered.

The good news is some service centers are more efficient than others. I’ve heard (and experienced) amazing customer service examples from Proton, Perodua, Toyota and Honda who went the extra mile to ensure minimal inconvenience to the customer.

Others don’t update you (because there isn’t any), requires you to repeatedly call them to check and if you’re really suay and not able to reach the service adviser attending to your car, you’d have to take time off to pay them a visit.

And you experience that nauseating feeling when you see parts being dumped into your car without any plastic or wrappers to protect the cabin. Now every time when you see that grease stain in your boot, you’d have something to remind you why this particular brand’s ownership experience is so awesome!

 

So, if you imagine a weighing scale, the pros and cons would probably look something like this:

 

 

Does it still look like a fair deal?

Some say you should be prepared to sacrifice some convenience for that driving feel, that technological advancement, that amazing discount. Really? I’d like to see them explain to their parents who might be stuck in the middle of nowhere why they recommended them to buy that vehicle in the first place.

The ownership experience doesn’t start in the showroom and end at the service center. It goes on to encompass how easy or difficult it is to dispose of it. Some less common brands may be sold at a lower price to representing better value but it might be a hassle for the owner to get another car if they’re still servicing a loan for it. Like it or not, there will always be some who would harp on resale value and if new models are often offered high discounts in the dealer’s effort to rid of old stocks, there’s only so much an owner can ask when letting his/her ride go.

The fact is, ownership experiences differs from one another. For every unhappy customer, you’d bound to find some who’d swear by the brand.  Ultimately, it is for you to do your own research and decide what works for you.

 

Just remember one thing:-