GR86 Zoo Appreciation

connorolewio

connorolewio

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As I sit at my desk, desperately day dreaming about the GR86 I am due to pick up tomorrow morning, I am taking some time to reflect. Should I be working? Perhaps.



First, I think its fair to say this has, in the round, been one of the worst purchasing experiences I have ever had. However, credit must be given to those who I have actually interacted with. Kish at the online team has been nothing but pleasant and supportive, even when my tone strayed towards ‘harsh’ from time to time. But the stand out has definitely been my nominated dealer up in Elgin. I don’t think I’ve ever received such good customer service! Right from the get go in January when I emailed him about the possibility of the GR86 coming to Europe he has been marvellous. Clearly a car guy, going well above and beyond to keep me updated on the process. I couldn’t be happier with the service he has provided.



But the real point of this post is to thank the Zoo. I’ve never been one for forums. Being on the younger end of the ownership spectrum here, I wasn’t really online when forums were at their peak. As such, I didn’t get them, I would browse forums that interested me from time to time, but I could never imagine actually posting.



But this all changed with the Zoo. I categorically would not have this car without the assistance of this forum. Full stop. But beyond that, you lot have kept me entertained over the last 247 days. The work AndyRC has put into this forum shows, and all of the moderators and members have cultivated a genuinely welcoming and exciting community to be a part of. The antics of the Fox have given me particular pleasure, and I can’t wait to see what kind of well pressed, sleepwear related mischief follow in the coming months!



So thanks boys, and occasional girl, for all your help, insights, tips and tricks over the months! Hopefully this is just the beginning!
 
connorolewio said:
As I sit at my desk, desperately day dreaming about the GR86 I am due to pick up tomorrow morning, I am taking some time to reflect. Should I be working? Perhaps.



First, I think its fair to say this has, in the round, been one of the worst purchasing experiences I have ever had. However, credit must be given to those who I have actually interacted with. Kish at the online team has been nothing but pleasant and supportive, even when my tone strayed towards ‘harsh’ from time to time. But the stand out has definitely been my nominated dealer up in Elgin. I don’t think I’ve ever received such good customer service! Right from the get go in January when I emailed him about the possibility of the GR86 coming to Europe he has been marvellous. Clearly a car guy, going well above and beyond to keep me updated on the process. I couldn’t be happier with the service he has provided.



But the real point of this post is to thank the Zoo. I’ve never been one for forums. Being on the younger end of the ownership spectrum here, I wasn’t really online when forums were at their peak. As such, I didn’t get them, I would browse forums that interested me from time to time, but I could never imagine actually posting.



But this all changed with the Zoo. I categorically would not have this car without the assistance of this forum. Full stop. But beyond that, you lot have kept me entertained over the last 247 days. The work AndyRC has put into this forum shows, and all of the moderators and members have cultivated a genuinely welcoming and exciting community to be a part of. The antics of the Fox have given me particular pleasure, and I can’t wait to see what kind of well pressed, sleepwear related mischief follow in the coming months!



So thanks boys, and occasional girl, for all your help, insights, tips and tricks over the months! Hopefully this is just the beginning!
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Nice post.

Even though I didn't manage to get an order placed on 20th April I can relate to your description of this forum and I to have enjoyed reading all the posts.

I have particularly enjoyed the antics of the @Silver Fox and @drz252 whose posts have raised a smile on many occasions.

Still concerned about the lack of coat hooks though 😃
 
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Good post, and definitely on the money. Without being a member there would be no way I'd have known about the online-only ordering debacle. Without that heads up, I wouldn't have known that the deposit I'd placed at the dealer wouldn't secure me a car, until it would have been too late to place an order online.

And yes, echo your sentiments about the online team. The entire process has been a bit shambolic, but none of it seems to have been the fault of those we interacted with. I, too, spoke to Kish and told him the same; although I had problems with the process, I think the service he and his colleagues provided when we did speak, was first class.
 
I have to agree, without the info that I found on here, I'm not sure I'd have realised I needed to be online and ready at 10am on the day that now feels like a distant memory. The people I spoke to online from Toyota were always polite and apologetic, it such a shame they were given a nightmare to deal with, which seemed to be completely out of their control.
I tend not to normally interact much with a forum like this, but, since those couple of members who were convinced that the GR86 would be coming to the UK by the thousand thankfully disappeared, it's been great to find such a great set of like minded, driver's car loving, enthusiasts. Thanks @AndyRC for all your hard work, and to everyone else who's helped us get to the end of the year, and I'm looking forward to meeting some fellow members at events next year.
 
Great post, I too have found forums to be helpful/good places.

I also would certainly have not have secured my car without the knowledge from the forums. Here & Pistonheads

I had a deposit in with a dealer which was returned afterwards, so glad I got the heads up about online orders only.
 
Thanks to everyone for the kind comments, much appreciated 👍😊. It’s been an interesting journey so far, from virtually only my self posting in the GR86 forum to there being so many contributions wasn’t able to keep up , I much prefer the later 😎

I’m sure with the journey we have gone through together there will always be a camaraderie that can’t be bought. Other than a few hiccups in the “early days” the forum has been good natured and often times hilarious, with virtually no moderation required. ✅

Having watched The Band of Brothers in the middle of the “Online only” and Subsequent “Stalag Derby” debacle seemed very appropriate to what we were going through together. I will be getting a set of Zoo Company Dog Tags to hang over my rear view mirror at car meets and look forward to meeting members Of Zoo Company in due course 😉 Now cars are arriving the fun has really begun 😎
 
Any GR86 owners joining the GR-Zoo club stand at Japfest in April?

Event - 🎌 The Japfest 2023 Thread | 23/4/23 at Silverstone Circuit

Japfest 2023 details will soon be announced and the plan is for the forum to attend - the venue is Silverstone Circuit. More details to follow and if you plan on joining us please follow this thread and let us know whether you will be joining us. (y) ⚠️ Don't buy your tickets until we have...
www.gr-zoo.com www.gr-zoo.com

We had a lot of GRYs and a fair few Supras last year, would be great to see some GR86s there as well (y)
 
The Zoo is, if I briefly review it, my eighth car forum. The tone here is really one of the best I've known so far. Lots of fun and very international! Thanks to the whole team. Happy Holidays and a Happy New Year all :)
 
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Here here! Fabulous forum and bunch of people - Very nice to have been able to share this awful experiance with like minded individuals.

Looking forward to more positive experiances moving forward.

Also please don't forget to donate!

the GR-ZOO forum

www.gr-zoo.com www.gr-zoo.com
 
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