I bought a Harley Davidson from Harley World, Chesterfield a few years ago. The handover was friendly, professional and above all comprehensive that involved a full demonstration of all controls etc. (how to deploy plough for example ). They were brilliant. Car hand-overs, whilst always pleasant and professional have been less detailed. Still, no gripes with my local Skoda people.

don't blame poor salesman for buyer's ignorance.

It beggars belief that anyone can spend good money and not know what they are getting.

I always make a habit of getting the manual a day or so before delivery and avidly read through it. Every car has its idiosyncrancies and the time spent reading up on your new purchase is always worh it.

I downloaded the manual from the Skoda website just after I ordered. Reading it gave me something to do while I was waiting for delivery but was still good to get my phone synced and to be shown how to fit/remove the tow-bar etc by the salesman when I picked it up.

...I always make a habit of getting the manual a day or so before delivery...

Why not download the pdf Manual for a good free read before you even decide to order the car?

It beggars belief that anyone can spend good money and not know what they are getting.

Why?

Let's say you order your car and between order and delivery the model year changes with lots of extras added - what have you got? Run-out model from last year or the first of new model? Does your car have ASR or ESC? Does that include HH & TPM? Did you even know it had changed? User manual won't tell you what your car has - only what is available across the range.

I always make a habit of getting the manual a day or so before delivery and avidly read through it. Every car has its idiosyncrancies and the time spent reading up on your new purchase is always worh it.

Me too but Skoda user manuals are the weak point in the brand. There is no indication what bits are fitted to which model. Example - nowhere in my manual does it tell you that you only get low washer fluid warning if you have headlight washers.

And

In my user manual it goes to great lengths to describe the contortions with the indicator stalk to turn the DRL's on and off. I have the DRLs in the front foglights - the bulbs are there. Doesn't work - aahh! I learn from Briskoda that it needs to be activated via VCDS.

Oh! And the model year changed so you have an out of date pdf download.

Bad enough when you buy a new car to work out exactly what you get, but with a used car...!

I have to admit, however, that there are limits to what level of ignorance I can accept from car owners. When my dear aging cousin took delivery of a new Yaris after trading in her immaculate 10yr / 28k mile old Fiesta under the scrappage scheme (what a waste!) and asked me what 5th gear was for! Then drove 100 miles in the rain up the M1 to visit me, with the heater on recirc wondering why the windows were steaming up... 4yrs and 6k miles later she still hasn't used 5th gear and the recirc is turned off - "i won't touch that again!"