Questions About Test Driving

mackabee · December 2002

Around here Nissan's policy is they will let you drive the car overnight BUT the salesman has to go with you!
; )
Mackabee

zueslewis · December 2002

I wanna buy a new 4Runner and I need a cute female salesperson!

ghulet · December 2002

...yeah, I have to know what the salesman looks like then, in that case. Dammit, all these complications.

astorey1 · January 2003

Last week my husband and I decided to go buy a car. We went to our only Nissan dealership and wanted to test drive the Altima. We were in love with this car and pretty much knew that was the car we would buy. The salesman was pretty nice and we got in the car to take the drive. I turned out of the dealership and drove for 40-45 seconds when the man said "oops we're out of gas, we need to go back to the dealership." I said okay and proceeded back. I figured that we would be getting gas or picking up a different Altima to drive. Boy, was I wrong! He told me to park up front, got out and walked us inside. He tried getting us to buy the car! He must have thought we were idiots! Who in their right mind would drive a car for the first time, drive for 40 seconds and then buy it? Needless to say, we left! We were so unhappy with the dealership and the salesman.

BTW, we ended up buying a Camry the next day(for only $100 more than the Altima)!

nippononly · January 2003

those were two very different driving experiences, weren't they?

But then, maybe you could not gauge the Altima driving experience given the 45-second limit? LOL

astorey1 · January 2003

Even though I only drove the Altima for under a minute I could immediately tell that it was not as smooth or as quiet as the Camry.

kytim6482 · January 2003

I was in the market for a Honda Accord(Feb 2000). I liked the reviews and quality history. I was all but sold...the salesman went with me on the test-drive. That was fine, but he never 'shut-up'. I knew all of the details from Edmunds. The salesman talked so much, I just wanted to separate myself from him, and Honda altogether.

That year, I purchased a 2000 Camaro(Mistake, nice car, but did not 'fit' me. 16 months later I traded for my Accord LX from a nice, "quiet" salesman.

I am already researching my 2005 purchase(lease replacement). The Honda Element looks really cool. By the time I test-drive, I will have researched it enough to know almost as much as the salesman. I will need time to see if the handling, road feel, comfort, driveability and all other issues are compatible with my needs.

A pleasant test-drive will make or break the sale.

zueslewis · January 2003

when to talk during the walk-around/test drive period.

I would give brief statements during the walk-around where I'd give plenty of info without sounding canned. Once we got all set in the car, I quit talking, unless I sensed the driver or passenger wanted to know something about a specific component. Small talk was even avoided because I didn't want anyone thinking I was buddying up with them like some folks do, just to get on their good side.

After the drive, we'd sit in the car for a moment and it's time for the trial close balloons. I think the customer is ready for those questions, because if this is not the right vehicle, we need to find the right one.

One funny aside: I'd never ridden in the back of a Jeep Wrangler and after selling cars for only a month, I talked with a kid and his Mom - they wanted a Wrangler for him to take to college. I did the walk-around then when we started the test drive, I crawled in back. More to myself than anything (I didn't know how to sell yet), I asid aloud, "I didn't realize these rear seats had so much room".

The Mom got mad at me and had junior stop the vehicle. She said "Don't try any of that Dale Carnegie stuff on us". I tried, in vein, to explain that I didn't know who Dale Carnegie was.

I did sell the Jeep, though.

kytim6482 · January 2003

The majority of my new cars have been bought with very little test-drive time. I usually do my homework first, then proceed to the 'hands-on' drive. It is kinda enjoyable to play dumb and hear a salesman tell me all he 'does not' know about a car.

I would never rent a car for the convenience of a dealership. If a salesman wants to sell me a car, the test-drive miles are part of the overhead expense. But, I have rented many cars for vacation simply to save miles on my only vehicle. By renting many different cars, I have been impressed by cars like the Dodge Stratus(although I would never buy one) and I have been very unimpressed by the Olds Alero.

Weekend rentals are a good way to run up 500-600 miles in a vehicle and really find out if I would like it. But, as I said, I will not pay for a rental for the convenience of a car dealer.

mackabee · January 2003

Why would renting a vehicle be for the "convenience of the dealer"?

Mackabee

nippononly · January 2003

that some dealers will only allow you a really short test drive, and that therefore some people rent a car instead to test it out...which is "for the convenience of the dealership" in the sense that they don't have to put miles on theirprecious new cars/...

kytim6482 · January 2003

Some postings have said they voluntarily rented cars rather than imposing upon the dealer for the precious test-drive miles.

I usually spend $350-$400 a month on a car payment. For me, this is a lot of money. When I am in the market, I want to know how a car drives and feels after running down the interstate 30-40 miles. I was extremely confident about my Accord's performance. And, I have not yet been disappointed. If I had driven my 1999 Tracker more than the "dealer route", I would have not bought it.

I have learned to insist on driving time. If this is a problem for the dealer, I don't need to buy from them.

I once looked at a Cheroke. Functionally, the vehicle was great. But, I went back for a second, extended drive and I was not entirely certain I could live with the 'off-road' feel of the car. Again, if I had not driven more, I may have bought a car that I would not enjoy driving all of the time.

So, the test-drive should be at the expense of the dealer. Car mags and Edmunds can tell me their opinion of a car. But, that does not tell me how "I" will like the ride.

Ironically, I rented a Focus from Hertz with 300 miles on it. I LOVED it. Three months later, I rented the same car(same plate, I checked the receipt). The second time, the car had 13000 miles. I was not as impressed with the car. The Focus was not aging well.

I guess it is safe to say many variables effect my car-buying decision. I want a car I can be happy with for many, many miles. A good test-drive is very important.

I ask the salespeople, would you prefer me to save the miles on your car and possibly buy something I could not live with?

bksward · January 2003

One of the things I mentioned that I was concerned about when I was buying my Maxima was the turning radius. (On the maxima its pretty big.)

The salesman I ended up buying from suggested that during the test drive that I turn into a parking lot and try backing up and pulling into parking spaces.

It was definitely one of the best dealer experiences I had all around. That one and the guy at the Subaru dealer when I test drove a WRX... He just let the car sell itself. It almost did. The worst was a salesman at a VW/Chrysler dealer who, when I came in looking at Passats tried to sell me a PT Crusier before letting me drive a Passat...

mackabee · January 2003

Seems like yuu've had bad experiences with some dealerships. I would ask for extended test drives if that's what it will take for you to make a decision on a vehicle you are considering. At my store we have no problem letting a prospective buyer take the car for a couple of hours or overnight if necessary. Unfortunately there is still some "dinosaurs" in the car business.
; )
Mackabee

caramo · January 2003

But have the discretion to deviate from it based on the customer's wishes. Our fixed route has both surface streets and freeway and is about 5 miles, which sounds like it's longer than some. But we can allow vehicles out overnight or for a couple hours with license and insurance info provided by buyer, but generally need to feel like we have a serious buyer. If I have a customer in without their spouse, letting them take the vehicle home is usually a good strategy.

isellhondas · January 2003

It takes about fifteen minutes and it varies. some freeway, up a long hill, through a residential area. It's a "safe" route with no left trns in traffic.

Maybe, one out of twenty times, a customer will want to so something different or go for a longer drive...no problem.

I once had a guy want to drive in tight circles. I had him pull into a church parking lot where he proceeded to spin circles for a good five minutes!

I felt like I had gotten off a tilt-a whirl at an amusement park!

I've never (in eight years) been asked to take a car home overnight.

caramo · January 2003

In some circumstances. It seems to be especially effective when all the decision makers aren't present. "Here, take it home and show it to your wife (husband)".

At least it ensures a be-back and another shot at making the deal.

timadams · January 2003

>>I once had a guy want to drive in tight circles. I had him pull into a church parking lot where he proceeded to spin circles for a good five minutes!

I felt like I had gotten off a tilt-a whirl at an amusement park!<<

hahahahaha.

I've been with some salesmen that I would have loved to do that to. But I doubt that explains why your customer did it. Did he explain why he did that test?

isellhondas · January 2003

Yeah..that guy said he worked in an office with tight underground parking and he said he had once hit a pillar.

Still...five minutes?

Another time I had a guy who liked to run over the "turtles" in the road to see how much vibration they caused. He did this over and over and over...he ended up buying the car, so it must have passed the test!

fdthird · January 2003

What percentage of cars are sold without any test drive at all??

stickguy · January 2003

just because soemone buys without a test drive doesn't mean they haven't driven the car before. Most people probably figure one Accord s just like the next one. I would insist on driving my particular car, but that's MHO.

fdthird · January 2003

I don't mean at that particular dealer, I mean no test drive at all.

I bet its a bunch

landru2 · January 2003

customers are not allowed to sign unless they have driven the car. If they refuse to drive (which is rare) they must sign a waiver. Saves us a lot of heat down the road ("I thought this car came with cruise.")

Right now, the only car we will not allow test drives for is the Mustang Mach1.

zueslewis · January 2003

if there wasn't a test drive, there wasn't a deal. Period.

caramo · January 2003

We don't normally demo our Z06's. . . But I snuck one out on a demo once. It was fun :-)

isellhondas · January 2003

Cars like that attract joyriders and flakes.

Have to seperate the serious from these types!

audia8q · January 2003

There is one group of buyers that never seem to take a test drive...The standard buyers of the mercury Gran Marquis almost never take a test drive...
They only care about one thing...."how much for my gran marquis trade in?"...

They wont drive the new marquis, dont care about any features...etc...

Well this year the cars ride was changed alot and usually within the week after delivery we hear about it.....of course it's our fault for not forcing the customer at gun point to take a test drive.

haspelbein · January 2003

...at a Lamborghini dealership. The salesperson there assured me that most of these cars were sold over the phone.

sphinx99 · January 2003

I insist on long test drives, but on used cars. With the S2000 I knew that it wouldn't be fair to the dealership to insist on the right to put 100 miles on a new car. However, they had a used '01, leased, sitting on the lot, and I got an hour and a half in it across roughly two 45 minute sessions--one daytime, one nighttime. On "my" new car, one test drive of 5-10 miles, mostly screwing around with the stereo, just to make sure it drove like the used ones.

If the car you are looking at is available from the same dealership used, then that's another option to consider. It is easier on you as well as the sales staff, and a car with 18,000 miles isn't going to mind an extra 75 being tacked on.

fdthird · January 2003

I have never test driven a car from a new car dealer.

I must be a real minority in the car buying business

isellhondas · January 2003

Before I got into this business, I did the same thing. I pretty much knew what the car was like and thought it was a waste of time. I was a busy person. Never bought a car I regretted either.

I'll hear..."I've had four Hondas, I know what they are like...let's do a deal"

bgt1 · January 2003

I was seriously looking into getting a conv like a bmw z4, used porsche boxter or a honda s2000. And I told the sales guy that o help prove I was seriously looking at the S200.

The bmw place I was able to test drive, without any problems, a z4, never got around to test driving the boxter. And at the Honda place, they showed me the car but would not let anyone test drive it. It was silly. They should have had a demo or used one they could let me test drive.

Since the salesperson said that no one can test drive it, I asked if he (or other salespeople) were allowed to test drive it. He said "only if we sell one". Ohhh, so I see. *I* buy the car, without ever test driving it, and then the salesperson is allowed to zip around in MY car?

Thanks but no thanks...the s2000 was/is not THAT nice of a car. I was able to test drive bimmers twice the cost of that thing anytime I wanted.

Needless to say I did NOT buy the s2000. From what I hear they are a blast to drive and I COULD have been 'hooked' IF I was able to get behind the wheel of one for a few minutes. Oh well.

isellhondas · January 2003

Here's the problem...

Our store doesn't allow test drives on S-2000's either UNLESS, the prospective buyer seems deadly serious and appears to be very mature.

Still, we manage to sell every one we get.

We do tell people that they can buy one, do the paperwork and return the car in an hour if they don't like it. so far, no returns.

The VAST MAJORITY of the people who got through the gauntlet and were allowed to drive one didn't.

Most were joyriders.

Also, the VAST MAJORITY of buyers never drove one.

From my personal standpoint, I am afraid of getting killed by an inexperienced driver.

We aren't used to ultra high performance cars like Porsche and BMW salespeople are.

I would imagine they keep a tight leash too.

Make sense?

isellhondas · January 2003

Did you buy a BMW after test driving one?

paulhuang · January 2003

I guess business must have been really slow the day I stopped by (early November) or the Honda dealer must have been really desperate to sell one. They had 2 new silver ones and a used yellow one on the lot. The sales guy kept trying to convince me to take a test drive. I was only casually looking and declined the test drive. I didn't want to risk getting hooked.

I did get to drive a Z3 3.0 for about 10 miles during the BMW Ultimate Drive. I liked it a lot but fortunately it was automatic and I like stick shifts so it wasn't too hard to walk away.

landru2 · January 2003

Who knows what the Honda dealer's motivation was but even though you didn't buy it, someone else probably did.

bgt1 · January 2003

Isellhondas,

No, I totally understand what the deal was at the Honda place. I wasnt mad I was just disappointed they did not have a demo or used one to try out- they had maybe 3 new ones in their showroom and that was it.

I had read so much about the s2000, I was all excited and had a checkbook with me ready for my downpayment. If everything 'felt' right with the car, it would have been a quick sell!

and Yeah, I did end up buying a BMW instead. But, I went back to the sedan but got the bigger 3.0 liter engine. Kinda a trade off for not getting my convertible! :P BUT, it was the test drive of that 330i that sold me- one really has to get behind the wheel of ANY car to get really 'hooked', imo.

Landru2,

Yeah, with the limited supply of those s2000, im very sure someone else bought it and probably without a test drive too. I just cant let myself do business like that. I need to test drive the car AND still have the option to walk away. Doesnt mean im not serious just dont feel that comfortable 'locking' myself in that way financially.

audia8q · January 2003

Over the years we always seem to have something that attracts the joyriders....right now its the MazdaSpeed. Everyday we see a half dozen 18 year olds who come in with the hat on backwards, pants falling off their [non-permissible content removed], shoe laces untied..etc...
"hey, man..can we take the car for a ride"...LOL

"Sure...give me a thousand dollar deposit and sign the buyers order. IF you don't like the drive I'll cancel the contract and refund your deposit."

This eliminates all the joyriders and real buyers have no problem producing a deposit that has an "out" if the car does not meet expectations. Because the cars are selling well, I don't care if the guy buys the car or not.

This way BGT you could have done your test drive and if the car was a dud then your not locked in.

bobst · January 2003

If I were interested in a car, I would be happy to put down a deposit ($1000+) as long as it was clear that it would be refunded if I didn't like the car.

thel · January 2003

gets thrown onto the roof! (ducks) Just kidding, just kidding! I'll go to my room now.

kytim6482 · January 2003

How do Sales people determine 'who' is serious and who is not? I have always heard the story from my Grandfather about his purchase in the 1960's. My Grandfather was a farmer. He went to the dealership in his farm clothes after a hard day's work. The salesman just laughed at him. My Grandfather was persistent and found someone to sell him a car....CASH MONEY...no checks...no credit.

My Grandfather did not need a test-drive either; but, when he wanted to buy a car, he wanted to buy it with no hassle. The sales staff looked at him and assumed he was poor.

I'm sure you do get a lot of young kids out for a joyride. But is is so easy to determine who has a hefty savings account? Oh yeah, isn't that why the dealers always want to run a credit history first? The buyer must PROVE wealth to be taken seriously. In this case what does a credit report show for someone who has always paid cash and never touched a credit card or entered into a bank loan?

landru2 · January 2003

it's pretty easy. After a while you become a pretty good judge of whether or not someone is only interested in a joyride.

Your grandfather's story illustrates a diffferent issue. I doubt the salesman thought your grandfather just wanted a joyride.

zueslewis · January 2003

a deposit and contract should not worry someone who is actually looking to buy a vehicle.

kytim6482 · January 2003

Okay, my Grandfather knew what he wanted. My example illustrated the salesman's incorrect character judgement. The dealership almost lost a sale because of a bad call by the salesman.

thel · January 2003

There was an episode were Cliff went to buy a new car for the family and he went dressed in old shabby clothes instead of his nice expensive sweaters thinking that he would get a better deal if the salesman didn't know he was a rich doctor. It was a hoot.

bobst · January 2003

My father was a farmer, and he said that one day he stopped to buy a car in his work clothes. They wouldn't take him seriously, so he went somewhere else and bought a Cadillac and came back to the original dealer to show it to them.

I had a cousin who was pretty eccentric, and he used to hang around the Ford dealer a lot. When he wanted to buy a Thunderbird, they didn't believe him, so he had to drive several miles out of town to buy his car.

bgt1 · January 2003

Ive noticed different treatment when ive looked during work hours, so I had on my nice work clothes, and during the weekend with my jeans and shirt on. Looking young does not help either.

Its too bad lots of salespeople still judge on looks because once they see my perfect credit report, they are soooo happy to work me me....nice.

zueslewis · January 2003

I was a reginoal mgr making $75K annually. I also helped out part time with a friend's towing company. My friend was the Music Minister/[non-permissible content removed]'t Pastor at our church and I'd drive a flatbed or recovery tow truck some evenings and on the weekends.

One particular time (we were in Beaverton, OR), after a police tow, since the low lot was next to the Nissan dealer, I stopped in to look at 4x4 Xcab pickups. I got out of a very nice, new tow truck in a decent looking uniform, but they guy started pounding me for cash down and payment immediately.

I told him I would arrange my own financing and see if his lender could compete, but I'd have to drive the truck, then bring my wife by later.

He kept asking about my credit, cash down, etc, so I walked in to his boss's office and explained my situation.

I told the boss that his salesmen should be taken off "pit bull" mode if they want to sell me a truck. I ended up buying a 2 yr old Nissan 4x4 from a Ford dealer.

kytim6482 · January 2003

Credit Reports are a sore spot for me. That borders on 'guilty until proven innocent'.

I will not work with a dealership that requires a credit history before I can look at a car. I do not feel the need to prove my income or credit just to look at a car. I had financing secured before I entered the lot last time. In fact, if I have my own financing, is there any reason to run a credit history? Must I have a certain credit score to look at a car?

This will sound very arrogant, but I expect to be treated the same (30k year income) by the dealership as someone who makes 10 times as much.

Car rental companies are very bad about placing people in "Classes". Platinum class gets the best and newest cars brought to the front door of the terminal. Regular customers, like me, get the car with 14,000 miles and I must walk to the rental yard. Platinum customers often get lower rates for premium service. This status is often based on income and social status. But, that complaint belongs in another topic.

biscayne · January 2003

That mazdaspeed story is hysterical!! I bet there are an equal number of these "joyriders" looking at the civic vtec, RSX, Spec V ect..ect..ect..

Just curious, would a mid 40's guy in a business suit that wanted a test drive be required to put down the deposit as well or is this done only at the discretion of the salesman or manager?

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