Why I did the “unthinkable” and bought a BYD Atto 3

We received this letter from Ron Groves of Cooloola Cove, Queensland.

Thanks for the New Zealand article. You see I looked at the new BYD Web site and found that, online, I could order an Atto 3 and have it delivered to my door.

I won’t drive in Brisbane, because I am not used to driving in so much traffic, and being an old man makes it more difficult, especially when you are driving a totally unfamiliar car. This way I can read up on all it’s systems and learn to drive it on familiar roads close to home. This was much better than trying to pick up one from Brisbane.

So I did the unthinkable and sent in the $1000.00 deposit and placed the order.

You see I have always wanted to own and drive an all-electric car. I don’t know why, but perhaps it is because I am an electrical tradesman, who spent his working life doing what started out as a hobby, and this is probably my last opportunity to own one. The delivery date is possibly January or February 2023 by which time I will be, if I am lucky, 77.

The next day you had the servicing costs on your website which put me off a bit, but I do all my own servicing so it might not affect me.

When I got the Toyota Echo they said that it would void the warranty because there was no guarantee that the servicing was done properly, and I told them that from my experience, getting your vehicle serviced at a certified service center does not guarantee that it was carried out properly either.

Anyway the Echo is still going 100%, and I have been driving it for 20 years.

I also have a 1985 Land Rover 110 which also has been serviced by me and is also going 100%.

Being an ex sugar mill electrician, I have worked with much higher voltages and currants both AC and DC than there is in an electric car, so servicing it should not be a problem, so long as I can get the required parts. Parts suppliers like Auto Barn probably won’t have anything for electric cars for some years.

Anyway, I hope that this explains why I placed an order for a car without seeing it and giving it a test drive first. It is only your “The Driven” website that has made the impossible, possible, and I thank you so much for such an informative publication. Keep up the good work.

(Editor’s note: Thanks for the letter Ron, and good luck with the Atto 3. If anyone else has a letter to be published or contribution, please send it to news@thedriven.io