I drove to the dealership and asked for help to look at the cars. A sales guy came out with meto the cars. I used an app to speak Czech. He could understand English a lot more tan he could speak. But I tried to speak more in Czech using the app.
I started by looking at the 2025 Toyota Rav4 GR and the 2025 Rav4 Plug-in.
I then went to the 2025 Toyota Camry. These are the differences that I noticed.
The hood of the Czech Camry is very light. The USA Camry's hood weighs 3 times more than that of the Czech.
The Czech Camry has headlight washers.
The Czech Camry has fog lights.
The guy was nice. I asked for help to get part numbers but he said he could not help me and gave me his card to email him about it and he may try to get it for me later on.
Here comes Teresa out of nowhere. Eavesdropping on our conversation. Besides, ever since I walked into that dealership, they all have been looking at me. A man who cannot speak their language and looking at brand new cars. They were curious if I really was there to buy a car or what? When I opened my phone and showed them pictures that I owned a 2025 Camry and sold it to buy a 2025 Rav4, they were a bit more receptive.I told them that I bought the Camry cash 8 months ago and decided I wanted electric and bought the 2025 Rav4 Plug-in.
Teresa jumped into the discussion from nowhere and said she is the parts lady and can help me. Great girl! She asked me things about the USA. She spoke very good English. She said she learned only in school and watching USA movies and shows. She has never left her country.
Well, she helped me get all these part numbers I asked for. I asked if they could ship to the USA? she said no. I asked to see the parts. She said they do not stock the parts I wanted but she showed me she could order them from Toyota and they would be there by May 16th.
I told her that if I wanted one of those parts, I would ask for her help by emailing her and sending her the money to please buy it for me and mail it to me. She was stunned. She said I do not know her. Why would I trust to send her money to buy me parts and ship? I told her that if I make up my mind that I want the parts, I will trust her and I would ask her to please help me. And I said if she told me that she would help me, then I would not have any fear and I would send her the money to buy it and ship it for me.
She helped me for a total of 2 hours. I thanked her a lot for her time and I removed $20 from my wallet and reached out to give her. She stepped backwards and asked what is that for? I said 20 US dollars to thank her for helping me. She said no. They do not take money. That she was doing her job. She said they do not take money from people. I asked her if she has ever done anything nice for a random stranger. Like buy some stranger food to eat. She said yes. I said can you just take this as a random stranger doing something simple for you like buying a meal? She said no. She said listen, "In Czech, if a man gives a woman money like this for no reason, it means later on he may ask the woman for any kind of favor (sexual or not) and she cannot say no!" I told her this is not the case. I just want to thank her because she went the extra mile to help me and I appreciate it a lot. Besides, I said this is probably my one and only time I will ever visit Czech. She said no. I can never say that because I can leave today and still come back to that same dealership or country. That I do not know how my future will be.
In the end she accepted to take the money and said it is not something that happens here in Czech. People do not just give money to others just because they did their job. I thanked her for her time and got into my car to drive back to Germany.
