I've been told the way vehicles get in and out of the showroom is by opening an otherwise plain looking non-multi-functional plate glass wall. They must be good at it 'cause I've never seen them do it anytime of the day.
Ya think maybe they don't do it during the day?
Yeah, we do.
Toy of Northampton has large glass doors on the side of the building. They had these ramps that fit the stairs and allow entrance to the building. There was a yellow Celica someone wanted on the showroom floor. Knowing I was a good driver they wanted me to take it out of the building. They left the ramps so they could replace it.
While I was prepping the Celica for delivery they rearranged the cars on the showroom floor. I 'delivered' the Celica, and they gave me it's replacement to prep for the showroom. Boy, did I do a knockout job on that one! It gleamed like a show car. Then they wanted me to drive it into the building.
Now, it was just a LITTLE unnerving driving the Celica down the ramps, but it was REALLY unnerving navigating a $65,000 Land Cruiser up those little ramps and manuevering around the other cars!
I can't EVEN imagine getting the cars off the top deck of the trucks...
It depends on the design of the showroom whether the cars are brought in through the front, side, or rear.
Toyota Motor Sales's HQ in Torrance CA has several vehicles on display on turntables in the central atrium. I have looked, and there is no way that they brought the cars in through the front door. I know that there is an underground garage, and I think the turntables are also lifts - the turntable drops down to the basement to change the car and to wash and wax them.
I have driven a car up on the top deck over the tractor of a car transporter. The regular driver was sitting next to me, coaching me up the ramp. The trick is to roll down the window and line up the tires on the ramp. While still leaning your head out the window, you give it gas to get it going up the ramp, then pull your head in before it hits the side post without twitching on the steering wheel. As you get up top, the only side-to-side references are the side posts on the trailer, and as you approach the end of the ramp over the cab, there is no visual reference because all you see is the ground in front of the truck. You coast to the end and feel the front tires bump up against the stops, set the parking brake, shut off the engine, and open the door and carefully step on to the ramp and hope you don't fall off. Those guys who do it every day make it look easy, even in the snow!
to stand about 50 feet back and watch!
Grief, Ray, I felt my flesh creep, just reading your description of the process. Amusement parks could base a thrill ride on it.
Accckk! I hope their pay is commensurate with their skill!
Cathy
Yow! I always wanted to do this. Now I think I just have, vicariously through this post.... Tomes
LOL....me too....
I don't think I need to do this anymore thanks to Ray!
The drivers make a decent living ;-)
That I haven't seen. This morning I drove by a Chevrolet dealership and evergreens blocked all three sides as far as I could see from the street. Maybe they are fake? Seems like a lot of effort to confuse us ;)
I've thought about this (getting cars in & out of the showrooms) a few times, but never dwelled on it, nor thought to think about it *while* at a dealership. ;-)
Maybe in this instance (the surrounding evergreens), there's the scenario someone else mentioned - with a showroom floor turntable that also acts as a lift. See if there's a ramp leading to a cellar out in back? ;-)
Cathy
Sounds like you're still in pain. Did you get your knee x-rayed? or do I have you confused with someone else? mark_
Why don't you just go in and ask the owner?
----- What a brilliant idea, Scott. You go first. mark_
If it interested me, I would.
It is about time for an oil change....so I may ask...
If I think to next time I'm there, I just might! Any employee will do - doesn't have to be the owner; I doubt if it's a super-secret!
Cathy
If you want to watch, ask to test drive the specific vehicle sitting on the showroom floor ;-)
Heh, heh, heh. ;-D
Cathy
I like to talk to the owner. It is surprising how easy it is to talk to them.
....besides do you really want to talk to a sales type, if you don't have to?
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