In most cases, we have one of each model to test drive.
It's the time involved. There are professional joyriders like the person who started this topic. they think it's cool to spend time driving cars they have no intension of buying. They want to "stay abrest" (??)of the market or they just get some sort of twisted pleasure driving cars and wasting the time of salespeople.
Few stores will let people drive cars by themselves and there are good reasons for this!
The programmed route is okay if I am just qualifing a vehicle for seat comfort, base ride, etc. IF I decide I'm about ready to buy one, I will expect to take it on the Interstate to make sure how it does at speed, wind noise, etc. I will even want to test drive the exact one that I might be buying to check it out for obvious problems. If you don't want me doing that, then I can buy elsewhere.
Reason I want to drive the one I'm wanting to buy is that I did not do that on my last one since it was on the showroom floor. I drove a slightly different one from the line. Once I drove this one home I started noticing a slight vibration at speed. Took it back and got the 'we have to wait until it has 500 miles on it". Well, after 500 miles I took it back and they balanced the tires and sent me off with call us back if it persists. Well, the vibration was diminshed, but still there. Called the service guy back and got the run around. Finally gave up and cured the problem at 40K miles when I took the Bridgestones off the Trooper and replaced with Michelins (well, dealer had to replace one of the Michelins because it was out of round and cause a vibration). So, if I had driven that one, I could have addressed a problem BEFORE buying it...Okay guys, fix this vibration even if you have to replace these defective ones.
But who hasnt test driven a convertible on a sunny day before? IT CALLS YOU. Especially since we have 2 SUV's YOU NEED A CONVERTIBLE RIDE EVERY ONCE AND A WHILE! And since we have test-driven popular cars, it is not like they arent selling for below sticker price. For goodness sakes does a mini cooper S ever sell for below sticker price? I personally think they are overpriced to begin with!
I said it was the most fun car I have ever driven and I have driven quarter of a million dollar plus Ferraris(thats what a F430 is if you did not know) hence the MINI Cooper S is not overpriced.
They need to teach basic logic diagrams in school for gods sake.
Read this at lunch, thought you said the F430 was way more fun than the mini cooper S. Its like well duh, it better be more fun at that price. But you say it is not? I just thought the MINI was overpriced due to its size vs price.
Where in the US on public roads are you going to use all 500 some horsepower the F430 has?
Unless you have your own private track you aren't going to get to use much of that car's potential.
Yes it was an amazing vehicle and I truly thank my client for letting my drive it but I never got it our of fourth gear.
With an 8,000 ++++ RPM redline the engine always feels board.
Also unless you really are a racing driver you are never going to push the limtis on the F430. If you do get into trouble with the F430 the hard limit comes up fast and then it is all over.
With the MINI you can have lots of fun on a track without pushing the limits of the average driver's ablity. Also the limit for the MINI is a soft limit you can see it coming and not kill yourself.
The F430 doesn't give you that luxury unless you have the stablity control system set to reduce the limits of the car.
It also seems unfair that you say this on a website that is most likely made up of some enthusiasts. Whether they are "joyriders" or not, they will not think driving a fun 2 seater sports car is a waste of time.
Circuit City sets up their television/computers to be demo'ed in the store, not for customers to "joyride" i.e take them home with them for a trial period.
I don't think too many people are taking overnight test drives. (Speaking for myself, I wouldn't necessarily want to bring the salesman over for the night...)
A typical test drive is pretty short. The value of a mile is low, and may ultimately be limited to the price of fuel.
I've noticed you've avoided not responding to my questions on ethics?
There's no ethical issue here to deal with. No one is obliged to be fired up to buy something every time that they walk into a store.
The salespeople don't like it because they don't like to pitch people who are committed to not buy before they've come in. But that's a business risk that runs with the territory, and anyone who is measuring their value by their hourly take should work at a job that pays a salary if they want that sort of guaranteed payoff.
The value of a mile is low, and may ultimately be limited to the price of fuel.
That's certainly debatable. i.e You have multiple joyriders racking up miles, we've already talked about many people wanting to buy vehicles with less than 15 miles,the car may need to be cleaned and re-detailed after a test drive, you have 2 salesmen out with "joyriders" leaving the remaining 4 with 6 cutomers... That's possible loss of thousands of dollars worth of revenue! Since you don't care about the salesmen... this is money coming out of the owners pocket.
And even if the cost of this "joyride" is only a buck or two as you are indicating... so what? It's not your money.
This isn't about coming into a store and being "obligated" to buy and not buying, not about browsing at a Target or Circuit City, not about the salesmen business risk when taking the job . It's about joyriding in someone elses property with no intent to buy. It's depreciating the value of anothers property for no good reason. People who are honest, have integrity, and character don't do this... IMO.
Not really. KBB and Edmunds have both put a value on it, it's just an economic unit.
Try this if you don't believe me -- next time that you buy a new car, at the end of your haggle, tell the dealer that you're disappointed that he is trying to sell you a car with X miles on it, and that you want an extra discount for the mileage. Tell him that you want to knock off some figure, let's say $50 per mile, and then see how he reacts.
I have a feeling that they won't be too accomodating. I'll bet that you start hearing figures like the ones that I've cited above.
Try this if you don't believe me--next time you buy a new car, at the end of your haggle.... ...and then see how he reacts.
I'll try that... if you try asking the dealer for the keys to a Porsche 911 so you can do some "joyriding"
No doubt, after the haggle, most dealers will most likely react with laughter, or anger, when asked for $50 a mile discount. That's a $5,000 discount, for a car with 100 miles, you know?
But, the point of mileage at time of sale has never been relevant to my points of discussion... except that many buyers only buy vehicles with extra low mileage. Which has potential to lose a sale. Certainly not the nickel and dime cost you have been referring to.
You agree that there is some cost, though minimal, coming out of the owners pocket every time someone takes a "joyride" in one of his vehicles. Is it right that the dealer incur this expense? Are you not lieing when you take a dealers vehicle out for no other reason than to have some fun... with absolutely no intent to buy. Again, the expense of this joyride is second in nature to the principle. That is taking(i.e time,money) from a business, without giving "anything" back, is unethical.
Anyhow, we're starting to get into the repetitive/"endless argument" stage of this discussion...mike58 doesn't like that. So, you can have the last word if you want it. :shades:
We typicaly discount our Demos about a dollar a mile unless there are some additional factory moneies to support extra discount.
Since you mentioned Porsche a client of mine was looking at buying a Carrera GT a few months ago. The car stickered for near half a million dollars but this one had 350 some miles on it.
They offered it to him at around 300,000 dollars.
Only about 570 dollars a mile in discount there...
I had a joyrider follow a truck too closely and it dumped some pea gravel. Broke the windshield and put a couple of nasty rock chips on the hood.
Didn't bother him a bit.
Another time, I had a woman return THREE times to drive a certain color Accord. When she finally decided to buy it she wanted a different one because the one she had been test driving had 32 miles on it. All put on by her!
That is taking (i.e time,money) from a business, without giving "anything" back, is unethical.
You may want to rephrase or qualify that statement. Aside from issues of "pure" joyriding, all businesses have overhead expenses. "Taking" up a dealership's time/money through emails, telephone calls, test drives or whatever "without giving anything back" are all part of the cost of doing business. In this regard, car dealers are no different from any other business. Ethics is simply not a factor.
It just isn't right to go on whimsical test drives with no intension of buying the car.
Right now, we have three Mini-Coopers we have taken on trades. The other day, a guy came in. He wanted to drive a regular one and the "S" one.
When he was done, he told the salesman..." Oh, I just bought a new Mustang...it's just that I've never driven a Mini Cooper and I wanted to see what it's like!"
Yes...thank you. All business have overhead expenses to which they are not directly paid. The statement, from me that tidester referred to, was written purely on the principles of "joyriding" with no intent to buy.
Only about 570 dollars a mile in discount there... Yeah Joyriding doesn't cost any money
About time you chimed in with that extremely pertinent information british rover. I could of wrapped up this debate/discussion about 30 posts ago with that information.(just kidding)
Yes... with the average 20-25k vehicle you may be talking small potatoes to the dealership, and large loss of income to the salespeople, when speaking of the expense of joyriding. But, the expense of joyriding when getting into the hi-line luxury/performance vehicles...every mile is BIG $$$, as you've just pointed out.
I knew you guys in "the biz" would have some good examples on the true cost to dealerships/salesmen of joyriders.
I don't really think "most" of these people are bad or "unethical". I honestly think that "most" of them don't realize that what they are doing is inappropriate and wrong. But, you guys in the business would know better than I.
FWIW- I'm no Abe Lincoln or Mother Theresa when it comes to ethics... not even close... but I try to be open minded on issues, and do the right thing.
Anyhow, we're starting to get into the repetitive/"endless argument" stage of this discussion...mike58 doesn't like that.
That's too bad, I was looking forward to some more of that apple-coconut salad of yours. :P
You agree that there is some cost, though minimal, coming out of the owners pocket every time someone takes a "joyride" in one of his vehicles. Is it right that the dealer incur this expense?
It's not right or wrong, it's just how business works. If the business' main objective was to avoid browsers, looky-loos (sp?) and what not, they would lose more customers, so they don't do it.
Before British Rover decided to switch sides, he made the same point that I was making -- a lot of people who are "just looking" end up buying. A talented salesperson turns a non-buyer into a buyer, and "no" into "yes."
I don't think that you relate to it because you are a deliberate, careful shopper who won't be persuaded. But most customers aren't like you, and the dealer would happily trade dealing with a few browsers if the overall volume increases as a result. It's a numbers game, and the dealership won't hit those numbers if it spends too much time worrying about the tiny fraction of customers who absolutely will never, ever buy, no matter what.
Before British Rover decided to switch sides, he made the same point that I was making -- a lot of people who are "just looking" end up buying. A talented salesperson turns a non-buyer into a buyer, and "no" into "yes.
You are twisting my words and I don't appreciate that. But since that is what you specialize in, that along with beating a topic to death, it doesn't really surpise me.
I said that lots of people come in and say they are "just looking" as a defense mechanisn to protect them from the big bad salesperson. Many of those people are actually seriously interested in buying a car.
People that are just joyriding with no intention of buying a car are not saying that as a defense mechanism because they have no intention of buying a car.
I said that lots of people come in and say they are "just looking" as a defense mechanisn to protect them from the big bad salesperson. Many of those people are actually seriously interested in buying a car.
And many people spend months and months comparing cars of all sorts and agonizing over their decisions. I'd suppose that you'd label them as joyriders, too.
The funny thing is that I often see these analogies on these forums that compare buying a car to shopping at a supermarket ("You wouldn't expected to know the invoice on a pound of tomatoes!"). But suddenly, the salespeople aren't so quick to use this analogy.
A supermarket doesn't shut its doors to people who are just browsing, and there is no screening process before getting the free food samples, they just give them to you with the understanding that it's the cost of doing business.
I'm sure that most people who go test driving own a car and will eventually buy another. Very few of them are "joyriders" in the sense that will never be in the car market, virtually all of them will eventually buy something. I seriously doubt that the test drives play absolutely no role in what they will eventually buy, even if it is an entirely different car bought at a later date.
Thank you. Why pch101 continues to put "browsers", or people "just looking", into the same category as "joyriders" is beyond me. It's like comparing apples to coconuts.
Why pch101 continues to put "browsers", or people "just looking", into the same category as "joyriders" is beyond me.
Jip, one of my implied points here is that someone who you might believe to be a "browser" might be considered to be a "joyrider" by the salesperson who deals with this customer, because the salesperson wants to sell you a car now. Your definition is probably a lot more forgiving than theirs.
I took a total of 5 different test drives when shopping for my minivan two years ago. In order: Mazda MPV, Nissan Quest, Honda Odyssey, Toyota Sienna... then back to another dealership to retest the Mazda MPV, which I bought that same day.
I test drive every car that I'm seriously considering at least twice, just to be sure that my first impression wasn't wrong.
I'll also drive a couple that I'm not really serious about just to provide some comparison. In part, it helps to prevent buyer's remorse, because it reminds you that there is stuff out there that you definitely don't want. But as it turns out, the last car that I bought was one that wasn't even on the "serious list" until I drove it. The benefits of joyriding...
I'll bet that there are plenty of people who buy cars who don't drive them at all, except on the day that they buy it. Maybe they can deposit their unused miles into a Test Drive Bank, which the rest of us excessively careful buyers can use to work out our demons.
I'll admit to having tried out a couple of new models along the way without intention of buying but I told the salesman up front and in none of these cases did he come along. That certainly would have affected how I felt about driving it for a reason stated here. I don't want to waste that much of a guy's time.
I have had both the salesman comes for the test drive and tells you where to turn and the "here's the keys - have fun." I infinitely prefer the latter. In my experience when the salesman is around he is both overpitching the car (I know what the basic car is or I wouldn't have reached the test drive stage) or sizing me up as a customer ("how much are you thinking of spending?" or per month, etc). Of course the more he is evaluating me I am evaluating him. If he's too slick I won't bother with him.
Never heard of someone taking home a big TV for the Super Bowl and returning it the next day? Guess you've never been to Costco...... I wouldn't do it but they make it easy to do so.
2015 Mazda 6 Grand Touring, 2014 Mazda 3 Sport Hatchback, 1999 Mazda Miata 2004 Toyota Camry LE, 1999.
Never heard of someone taking home a big TV for the Super Bowl and returning it the next day? Guess you've never been to Costco...... I wouldn't do it but they make it easy to do so.
Actually, Costco issued a profit warning related to returns of the large screen TVs ... that might be a policy that will be changing pretty quickly.
Hey fezo, haven't seen you around these parts for awhile, but glad you made an appearance!
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So, the key to getting a test drive without the dealer is to be a nice guy and have great credit? I don't want anyone running my credit prior to taking a test drive! What other tips are out there on this topic??
Do you want to go for a test drive without a sales person? No problem.
If the sales person wants to come along, tell them to sit in the back seat and stay perfectlyly quiet - no vocal or other bodily noises. Then just pretend he is not in the car.
Do you want to go for a test drive without a sales person? No problem.
If the sales person wants to come along, tell them to sit in the back seat and stay perfectlyly quiet - no vocal or other bodily noises. Then just pretend he is not in the car.
I am sure you were joking, if a customer told me that I would gladly tell them that the exit to the dealership is the same place as he entered.
Here where I work if you are not a repeat customer and ask to test drive by your self you are politley told that is not our policy. If you were to leave the lot in our $30K+ car and not return the salesmen pays the insurance deductible, + $100 for losing a dealer tag and possibly his job. Also anything that a customer may do in the car is ultimatley the dealers responsibulity seeing that you are running in our car, on our dealer tag, and our insurance. If Joe Customer runs through a red light and kills some one we are ultimatley responsible. We have also had several cars stolen in past but those are stories for another time.
I guess my point is that though the test drive is when you find out if you have a real customer or a Ice Cream licker, thats not the end reason we like to be on the test drive with you.
I don't think he was joking. There are a lot of shoppers that like to listen to the car while driving, and not a salesperson asking the following canned lines:
"So, where are you going to take your first trip to in this car?"
"What kind of payment are you looking for?"
"Will you buy this car today?"
You - "I guess my point is that though the test drive is when you find out if you have a real customer or a Ice Cream licker"
I would think you would have figured this out before ever getting to the test drive??
Comments
It's the time involved. There are professional joyriders like the person who started this topic. they think it's cool to spend time driving cars they have no intension of buying. They want to "stay abrest" (??)of the market or they just get some sort of twisted pleasure driving cars and wasting the time of salespeople.
Few stores will let people drive cars by themselves and there are good reasons for this!
Reason I want to drive the one I'm wanting to buy is that I did not do that on my last one since it was on the showroom floor. I drove a slightly different one from the line. Once I drove this one home I started noticing a slight vibration at speed. Took it back and got the 'we have to wait until it has 500 miles on it". Well, after 500 miles I took it back and they balanced the tires and sent me off with call us back if it persists. Well, the vibration was diminshed, but still there. Called the service guy back and got the run around. Finally gave up and cured the problem at 40K miles when I took the Bridgestones off the Trooper and replaced with Michelins (well, dealer had to replace one of the Michelins because it was out of round and cause a vibration). So, if I had driven that one, I could have addressed a problem BEFORE buying it...Okay guys, fix this vibration even if you have to replace these defective ones.
But who hasnt test driven a convertible on a sunny day before? IT CALLS YOU. Especially since we have 2 SUV's YOU NEED A CONVERTIBLE RIDE EVERY ONCE AND A WHILE! And since we have test-driven popular cars, it is not like they arent selling for below sticker price. For goodness sakes does a mini cooper S ever sell for below sticker price? I personally think they are overpriced to begin with!
Most fun car I have ever driven and I have driven a F430.
I also don't understand what you are saying...
Since you drive popular cars that aren't selling below sticker price that is ok???
and i am sorry but you seem to be over reacting to testdriving for fun. We will buy a fun to drive car as our third car eventually.
I said it was the most fun car I have ever driven and I have driven quarter of a million dollar plus Ferraris(thats what a F430 is if you did not know) hence the MINI Cooper S is not overpriced.
They need to teach basic logic diagrams in school for gods sake.
Unless you have your own private track you aren't going to get to use much of that car's potential.
Yes it was an amazing vehicle and I truly thank my client for letting my drive it but I never got it our of fourth gear.
With an 8,000 ++++ RPM redline the engine always feels board.
Also unless you really are a racing driver you are never going to push the limtis on the F430. If you do get into trouble with the F430 the hard limit comes up fast and then it is all over.
With the MINI you can have lots of fun on a track without pushing the limits of the average driver's ablity. Also the limit for the MINI is a soft limit you can see it coming and not kill yourself.
The F430 doesn't give you that luxury unless you have the stablity control system set to reduce the limits of the car.
Uh, me for one. I have never once, wasted my time and the time of others test driving cars I have no intension of buying.
You see, you are a joyrider and the vast majority of others are not.
How about hauling horses over Teton Pass?
tidester, host
I don't think too many people are taking overnight test drives. (Speaking for myself, I wouldn't necessarily want to bring the salesman over for the night...)
A typical test drive is pretty short. The value of a mile is low, and may ultimately be limited to the price of fuel.
I've noticed you've avoided not responding to my questions on ethics?
There's no ethical issue here to deal with. No one is obliged to be fired up to buy something every time that they walk into a store.
The salespeople don't like it because they don't like to pitch people who are committed to not buy before they've come in. But that's a business risk that runs with the territory, and anyone who is measuring their value by their hourly take should work at a job that pays a salary if they want that sort of guaranteed payoff.
That's certainly debatable. i.e You have multiple joyriders racking up miles, we've already talked about many people wanting to buy vehicles with less than 15 miles,the car may need to be cleaned and re-detailed after a test drive, you have 2 salesmen out with "joyriders" leaving the remaining 4 with 6 cutomers... That's possible loss of thousands of dollars worth of revenue! Since you don't care about the salesmen... this is money coming out of the owners pocket.
And even if the cost of this "joyride" is only a buck or two as you are indicating... so what? It's not your money.
This isn't about coming into a store and being "obligated" to buy and not buying, not about browsing at a Target or Circuit City, not about the salesmen business risk when taking the job . It's about joyriding in someone elses property with no intent to buy. It's depreciating the value of anothers property for no good reason. People who are honest, have integrity, and character don't do this... IMO.
Not really. KBB and Edmunds have both put a value on it, it's just an economic unit.
Try this if you don't believe me -- next time that you buy a new car, at the end of your haggle, tell the dealer that you're disappointed that he is trying to sell you a car with X miles on it, and that you want an extra discount for the mileage. Tell him that you want to knock off some figure, let's say $50 per mile, and then see how he reacts.
I have a feeling that they won't be too accomodating. I'll bet that you start hearing figures like the ones that I've cited above.
I'll try that... if you try asking the dealer for the keys to a Porsche 911 so you can do some "joyriding"
No doubt, after the haggle, most dealers will most likely react with laughter, or anger, when asked for $50 a mile discount. That's a $5,000 discount, for a car with 100 miles, you know?
But, the point of mileage at time of sale has never been relevant to my points of discussion... except that many buyers only buy vehicles with extra low mileage. Which has potential to lose a sale. Certainly not the nickel and dime cost you have been referring to.
You agree that there is some cost, though minimal, coming out of the owners pocket every time someone takes a "joyride" in one of his vehicles. Is it right that the dealer incur this expense? Are you not lieing when you take a dealers vehicle out for no other reason than to have some fun... with absolutely no intent to buy. Again, the expense of this joyride is second in nature to the principle. That is taking(i.e time,money) from a business, without giving "anything" back, is unethical.
Anyhow, we're starting to get into the repetitive/"endless argument" stage of this discussion...mike58 doesn't like that. So, you can have the last word if you want it. :shades:
Since you mentioned Porsche a client of mine was looking at buying a Carrera GT a few months ago. The car stickered for near half a million dollars but this one had 350 some miles on it.
They offered it to him at around 300,000 dollars.
Only about 570 dollars a mile in discount there...
Yeah Joyriding doesn't cost any money :mad:
Didn't bother him a bit.
Another time, I had a woman return THREE times to drive a certain color Accord. When she finally decided to buy it she wanted a different one because the one she had been test driving had 32 miles on it. All put on by her!
You may want to rephrase or qualify that statement. Aside from issues of "pure" joyriding, all businesses have overhead expenses. "Taking" up a dealership's time/money through emails, telephone calls, test drives or whatever "without giving anything back" are all part of the cost of doing business. In this regard, car dealers are no different from any other business. Ethics is simply not a factor.
tidester, host
It just isn't right to go on whimsical test drives with no intension of buying the car.
Right now, we have three Mini-Coopers we have taken on trades. The other day, a guy came in. He wanted to drive a regular one and the "S" one.
When he was done, he told the salesman..." Oh, I just bought a new Mustang...it's just that I've never driven a Mini Cooper and I wanted to see what it's like!"
What a stroke!
I understand that. I just wanted to head off any potential ethics flames on these pages.
tidester, host
Yeah Joyriding doesn't cost any money
About time you chimed in with that extremely pertinent information british rover.
Yes... with the average 20-25k vehicle you may be talking small potatoes to the dealership, and large loss of income to the salespeople, when speaking of the expense of joyriding. But, the expense of joyriding when getting into the hi-line luxury/performance vehicles...every mile is BIG $$$, as you've just pointed out.
I don't really think "most" of these people are bad or "unethical". I honestly think that "most" of them don't realize that what they are doing is inappropriate and wrong.
But, you guys in the business would know better than I.
FWIW- I'm no Abe Lincoln or Mother Theresa when it comes to ethics... not even close... but I try to be open minded on issues, and do the right thing.
While I was there I saw his 911 Turbo and that reminded me of the conversation.
He didn't buy the Carrera GT he is also one of those people that likes to buy cars with less then 25 miles on them.
That's too bad, I was looking forward to some more of that apple-coconut salad of yours. :P
You agree that there is some cost, though minimal, coming out of the owners pocket every time someone takes a "joyride" in one of his vehicles. Is it right that the dealer incur this expense?
It's not right or wrong, it's just how business works. If the business' main objective was to avoid browsers, looky-loos (sp?) and what not, they would lose more customers, so they don't do it.
Before British Rover decided to switch sides, he made the same point that I was making -- a lot of people who are "just looking" end up buying. A talented salesperson turns a non-buyer into a buyer, and "no" into "yes."
I don't think that you relate to it because you are a deliberate, careful shopper who won't be persuaded. But most customers aren't like you, and the dealer would happily trade dealing with a few browsers if the overall volume increases as a result. It's a numbers game, and the dealership won't hit those numbers if it spends too much time worrying about the tiny fraction of customers who absolutely will never, ever buy, no matter what.
You are twisting my words and I don't appreciate that. But since that is what you specialize in, that along with beating a topic to death, it doesn't really surpise me.
I said that lots of people come in and say they are "just looking" as a defense mechanisn to protect them from the big bad salesperson. Many of those people are actually seriously interested in buying a car.
People that are just joyriding with no intention of buying a car are not saying that as a defense mechanism because they have no intention of buying a car.
And many people spend months and months comparing cars of all sorts and agonizing over their decisions. I'd suppose that you'd label them as joyriders, too.
The funny thing is that I often see these analogies on these forums that compare buying a car to shopping at a supermarket ("You wouldn't expected to know the invoice on a pound of tomatoes!"). But suddenly, the salespeople aren't so quick to use this analogy.
A supermarket doesn't shut its doors to people who are just browsing, and there is no screening process before getting the free food samples, they just give them to you with the understanding that it's the cost of doing business.
I'm sure that most people who go test driving own a car and will eventually buy another. Very few of them are "joyriders" in the sense that will never be in the car market, virtually all of them will eventually buy something. I seriously doubt that the test drives play absolutely no role in what they will eventually buy, even if it is an entirely different car bought at a later date.
Jip, one of my implied points here is that someone who you might believe to be a "browser" might be considered to be a "joyrider" by the salesperson who deals with this customer, because the salesperson wants to sell you a car now. Your definition is probably a lot more forgiving than theirs.
tidester, host
Well, I am quite forgiving by nature.
Apple-CoConut salad for all! :P
You talking about my salad or my metaphors?
If my salad, I'll compromise and throw in a couple tangerines for ya.
If my metaphors... well, you're outta luck on that one.
I test drive every car that I'm seriously considering at least twice, just to be sure that my first impression wasn't wrong.
I'll also drive a couple that I'm not really serious about just to provide some comparison. In part, it helps to prevent buyer's remorse, because it reminds you that there is stuff out there that you definitely don't want. But as it turns out, the last car that I bought was one that wasn't even on the "serious list" until I drove it. The benefits of joyriding...
I'll bet that there are plenty of people who buy cars who don't drive them at all, except on the day that they buy it. Maybe they can deposit their unused miles into a Test Drive Bank, which the rest of us excessively careful buyers can use to work out our demons.
Me, in my previous life, I bought at least two new cars withour driving one first. I knew what the cars would be like and they worked out just fine.
The local car stores probably chipped in to buy that!
I have had both the salesman comes for the test drive and tells you where to turn and the "here's the keys - have fun." I infinitely prefer the latter. In my experience when the salesman is around he is both overpitching the car (I know what the basic car is or I wouldn't have reached the test drive stage) or sizing me up as a customer ("how much are you thinking of spending?" or per month, etc). Of course the more he is evaluating me I am evaluating him. If he's too slick I won't bother with him.
Never heard of someone taking home a big TV for the Super Bowl and returning it the next day? Guess you've never been to Costco...... I wouldn't do it but they make it easy to do so.
Actually, Costco issued a profit warning related to returns of the large screen TVs ... that might be a policy that will be changing pretty quickly.
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If the sales person wants to come along, tell them to sit in the back seat and stay perfectlyly quiet - no vocal or other bodily noises. Then just pretend he is not in the car.
If the sales person wants to come along, tell them to sit in the back seat and stay perfectlyly quiet - no vocal or other bodily noises. Then just pretend he is not in the car.
I am sure you were joking, if a customer told me that I would gladly tell them that the exit to the dealership is the same place as he entered.
Here where I work if you are not a repeat customer and ask to test drive by your self you are politley told that is not our policy. If you were to leave the lot in our $30K+ car and not return the salesmen pays the insurance deductible, + $100 for losing a dealer tag and possibly his job. Also anything that a customer may do in the car is ultimatley the dealers responsibulity seeing that you are running in our car, on our dealer tag, and our insurance. If Joe Customer runs through a red light and kills some one we are ultimatley responsible. We have also had several cars stolen in past but those are stories for another time.
I guess my point is that though the test drive is when you find out if you have a real customer or a Ice Cream licker, thats not the end reason we like to be on the test drive with you.
I don't think he was joking. There are a lot of shoppers that like to listen to the car while driving, and not a salesperson asking the following canned lines:
"So, where are you going to take your first trip to in this car?"
"What kind of payment are you looking for?"
"Will you buy this car today?"
You - "I guess my point is that though the test drive is when you find out if you have a real customer or a Ice Cream licker"
I would think you would have figured this out before ever getting to the test drive??