"Careful sir, this is a very powerful car!"
Discussion
3ananaPie said:
I remember going for an M3 test drive and the salesman started complaining and screaming every time I went past 5000rpm, telling me to "change gear" and "go easy". No surprise that I hated it and didn't buy.
Conversely, when I test drove the GT86, the guy tossed me the keys and told me to have fun, while I took the car for the day. Which is funny because another Toyota dealer had refused test drive because their insurance would "probably not cover you" because it was a "very fast car" and I looked a bit young. The best he could do was a passanger ride. I expressed my displeasure at the idea and left. I went back there later once I'd bought one elseware just to show him.
I also have a friend who thinks his 320d is faster. He previously thougt his A3 1.9 could "take on" my 330i. He also thinks that a RR TDV6 is faster.
This reads as thought your friend thinks his 320d is faster than a GT86. Conversely, when I test drove the GT86, the guy tossed me the keys and told me to have fun, while I took the car for the day. Which is funny because another Toyota dealer had refused test drive because their insurance would "probably not cover you" because it was a "very fast car" and I looked a bit young. The best he could do was a passanger ride. I expressed my displeasure at the idea and left. I went back there later once I'd bought one elseware just to show him.
I also have a friend who thinks his 320d is faster. He previously thougt his A3 1.9 could "take on" my 330i. He also thinks that a RR TDV6 is faster.
If they were to have a drag race I would put my money on the 320d
(for the record I'd never buy a 320d and I intend on owning a GT86 at some point)
Pommygranite said:
Anyone else think there's a lot of BS stories on here?
Yes, most of them are BS.Anways, I got refused a test drive in a 1.0 EcoBoost Fiesta earlier today, the salesman said I wouldn't be able to handle the power... I'd arrived in my Veyron, with my butler following close behind in my F-16.
TREMAiNE said:
Pommygranite said:
Anyone else think there's a lot of BS stories on here?
Yes, most of them are BS.Anways, I got refused a test drive in a 1.0 EcoBoost Fiesta earlier today, the salesman said I wouldn't be able to handle the power... I'd arrived in my Veyron, with my butler following close behind in my F-16.
Did he call you Sir and speak as if he wore a cravat, had a pencil moustache and was straight out of the 50's?
Were you looking to downsize and buy something with a lot less power than your current 'steed'
Well roll right up and post a lie!
Pommygranite said:
Anyone else think there's a lot of BS stories on here?
99% I'd imagine. Except for the time when I went to Halfords to pick up my new mountain bike, the salesman restricted it to only the three lowest gears and made me wear a fluro jacket and trouser clips as I rode around the car park.
Me and the wife had turned up in our matching LaFerraris, the salesman must not have seen us pulling up.
I once had the opposite experience of a situation where somebody has trusted me against my expectations.
My Dad was considering going racing in Caterham R300s in 2010. He had done several years' racing in Caterhams already, and having caught the bug I too was in the middle of preparing my much more modestly powered Caterham for a shot at racing in 2010 in a lower category, aged 20 at the time.
Dad and I went to meet Simon from Caterham at a Rockingham trackday so that he could try out the car. I brought driving boots and a crash helmet just in case; I would probably drive the car at times as well, and my old man bless 'im seemed keen to involve me in his decision making.
I did some sighting laps in the 320d we arrived in. I had never driven Rockingham, and it was wet. Anybody who has driven Rockingham in the wet will know that the track is as slippery as they come... Trying to get a feel for the circuit had the BMW's TCS twitching nervously. Anyway, so the track time in the R300 started and the rain continued. To my surprise and despite the rain I was allowed to get behind the wheel after everybody else had been out for a short session. I had pretty much gotten used to my own 100bhp Caterham, so a basically simular car with 75% more power and grip to match wouldn't be that much of a leap, would it?
Would it f
k! It was beastly- nobody warned me how slippery Rockingham circuit gets when wet, or how the agressive LSD meant that if you gave it a little too much boot or used a little too much curb the back end would be trying to overtake the front, or that the close ratio 6-speed box would require my attention approximately every three tenths of a second... It was frenetic.
The R300 is a bh, and I spanked it. I kept it all together though and managed 10 hairy but incident-free laps, using full throttle at least ten times in the process 
only to return to the garage and to be berated by the assembled racing drivers as the tyre pressures had actually gone DOWN since before I went out! 
My Dad was considering going racing in Caterham R300s in 2010. He had done several years' racing in Caterhams already, and having caught the bug I too was in the middle of preparing my much more modestly powered Caterham for a shot at racing in 2010 in a lower category, aged 20 at the time.
Dad and I went to meet Simon from Caterham at a Rockingham trackday so that he could try out the car. I brought driving boots and a crash helmet just in case; I would probably drive the car at times as well, and my old man bless 'im seemed keen to involve me in his decision making.
I did some sighting laps in the 320d we arrived in. I had never driven Rockingham, and it was wet. Anybody who has driven Rockingham in the wet will know that the track is as slippery as they come... Trying to get a feel for the circuit had the BMW's TCS twitching nervously. Anyway, so the track time in the R300 started and the rain continued. To my surprise and despite the rain I was allowed to get behind the wheel after everybody else had been out for a short session. I had pretty much gotten used to my own 100bhp Caterham, so a basically simular car with 75% more power and grip to match wouldn't be that much of a leap, would it?
Would it f
k! It was beastly- nobody warned me how slippery Rockingham circuit gets when wet, or how the agressive LSD meant that if you gave it a little too much boot or used a little too much curb the back end would be trying to overtake the front, or that the close ratio 6-speed box would require my attention approximately every three tenths of a second... It was frenetic.The R300 is a b
h, and I spanked it. I kept it all together though and managed 10 hairy but incident-free laps, using full throttle at least ten times in the process only to return to the garage and to be berated by the assembled racing drivers as the tyre pressures had actually gone DOWN since before I went out! I know many of you have seen this before but it is still worth watching again!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tazHkRU1aPo
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tazHkRU1aPo
3ananaPie said:
I remember going for an M3 test drive and the salesman started complaining and screaming every time I went past 5000rpm, telling me to "change gear" and "go easy". No surprise that I hated it and didn't buy.
Because "test drive" not "joy ride".All you need to do is make sure it's not pulling left or right and that the basics are working as they're supposed to.
Perhaps one flat-out squirt through the gears somewhere open and relatively safe is ok. 'Covering ground' is not really ok on an accompanied test drive. That's what you do once you've bought it.
If you want to see how fast it is (and then see how fast it is again, and then again), read a magazine (then read it again...).
celicawrc said:
StottyEvo said:
I recall reading a story on here or somebody who was trying for a test drive in a GTR. He was repeatedly told by different salesman that it was too fast to handle and I believe they declined a test drive.
He had turned up in an Aventador
To be fair, the GTR would blow the Lambo into the weeds.He had turned up in an Aventador
SpeckledJim said:
Because "test drive" not "joy ride".
All you need to do is make sure it's not pulling left or right and that the basics are working as they're supposed to.
Perhaps one flat-out squirt through the gears somewhere open and relatively safe is ok. 'Covering ground' is not really ok on an accompanied test drive. That's what you do once you've bought it.
If you want to see how fast it is (and then see how fast it is again, and then again), read a magazine (then read it again...).
To be fair, I intended to drive it hard (conditions permitting) under my ownership and I had gone specifically to that dealer because it was in an area with more open and clearer roads so I could get a better idea of what it was like. In the end it was more than just a A to B box for me, as with most PH'ers.All you need to do is make sure it's not pulling left or right and that the basics are working as they're supposed to.
Perhaps one flat-out squirt through the gears somewhere open and relatively safe is ok. 'Covering ground' is not really ok on an accompanied test drive. That's what you do once you've bought it.
If you want to see how fast it is (and then see how fast it is again, and then again), read a magazine (then read it again...).
Just reading an article isn't really going to let me know what it feels like.
StottyEvo said:
This reads as thought your friend thinks his 320d is faster than a GT86.
If they were to have a drag race I would put my money on the 320d
(for the record I'd never buy a 320d and I intend on owning a GT86 at some point)
Sorry I meant the 330i. The 320d vs GT86 is an interesting one actually, i'm sure off the line at least the BMW is quicker.If they were to have a drag race I would put my money on the 320d
(for the record I'd never buy a 320d and I intend on owning a GT86 at some point)
Davie said:
Been on the other side of the (service) desk and twice have been denied a test drive by customers. First a chap who refused to let me drive his then new Vectra 2.2 16v back to base as it was a quick car and I was a young lad. Yes I was but was also more used to a 275bhp Cavalier Turbo. Then latterly had an old chap refuse to let me drive his Volvo S60 D5 due to it's "power" even though we'd just finished discussing the finer points of my 300bhp+ S70R...
Bless em...
Hold up, Davie. That seems a bit weird to me. I'm not saying you're wrong, but I'd find it a bit odd if anyone at a service desk asked to "test drive" my car, regardless of their age (unless it was in the course of their work or they were trying to replicate a fault or something, in which case crack on). Never mind what car, I'd find that odd for a 1.0 Corsa.Bless em...
Are these "test drives" for your own amusement, or as part of the job?
SpeckledJim said:
3ananaPie said:
I remember going for an M3 test drive and the salesman started complaining and screaming every time I went past 5000rpm, telling me to "change gear" and "go easy". No surprise that I hated it and didn't buy.
Because "test drive" not "joy ride".All you need to do is make sure it's not pulling left or right and that the basics are working as they're supposed to.
Perhaps one flat-out squirt through the gears somewhere open and relatively safe is ok. 'Covering ground' is not really ok on an accompanied test drive. That's what you do once you've bought it.
If you want to see how fast it is (and then see how fast it is again, and then again), read a magazine (then read it again...).
If you don't get to hear and feel the car's main selling point, what is the point of the test drive?
If you don't stretch the legs on an M3, you are pretty much learning "Oh, its a petrol 3 series".
ORD said:
SpeckledJim said:
3ananaPie said:
I remember going for an M3 test drive and the salesman started complaining and screaming every time I went past 5000rpm, telling me to "change gear" and "go easy". No surprise that I hated it and didn't buy.
Because "test drive" not "joy ride".All you need to do is make sure it's not pulling left or right and that the basics are working as they're supposed to.
Perhaps one flat-out squirt through the gears somewhere open and relatively safe is ok. 'Covering ground' is not really ok on an accompanied test drive. That's what you do once you've bought it.
If you want to see how fast it is (and then see how fast it is again, and then again), read a magazine (then read it again...).
If you don't get to hear and feel the car's main selling point, what is the point of the test drive?
If you don't stretch the legs on an M3, you are pretty much learning "Oh, its a petrol 3 series".
If the guy sitting next to you says "go on, give it some stick", then fine.
If you're sitting next to the owner of the car, who has told you once to stop driving in that manner, then that's exactly what you should do.
I did say a quick squirt through the gears is ok, where safe. That's enough to confirm "yes, this is quick, and the engine is ok".
More than that is joy-riding. And, probably, very uncomfortable for the poor chap accompanying you.
(and nobody checks the actual mpg on a diesel before buying it. That's partly why diesel owners are so disappointed.)
SpeckledJim said:
ORD said:
SpeckledJim said:
3ananaPie said:
I remember going for an M3 test drive and the salesman started complaining and screaming every time I went past 5000rpm, telling me to "change gear" and "go easy". No surprise that I hated it and didn't buy.
Because "test drive" not "joy ride".All you need to do is make sure it's not pulling left or right and that the basics are working as they're supposed to.
Perhaps one flat-out squirt through the gears somewhere open and relatively safe is ok. 'Covering ground' is not really ok on an accompanied test drive. That's what you do once you've bought it.
If you want to see how fast it is (and then see how fast it is again, and then again), read a magazine (then read it again...).
If you don't get to hear and feel the car's main selling point, what is the point of the test drive?
If you don't stretch the legs on an M3, you are pretty much learning "Oh, its a petrol 3 series".
If the guy sitting next to you says "go on, give it some stick", then fine.
If you're sitting next to the owner of the car, who has told you once to stop driving in that manner, then that's exactly what you should do.
I did say a quick squirt through the gears is ok, where safe. That's enough to confirm "yes, this is quick, and the engine is ok".
More than that is joy-riding. And, probably, very uncomfortable for the poor chap accompanying you.
(and nobody checks the actual mpg on a diesel before buying it. That's partly why diesel owners are so disappointed.)
The very strongest reason to buy an M3 is that you love the way that it feels and sounds above 6000rpm. You cant know that unless you have experienced it. I am not talking about razzing the car around like a lunatic, scaring the passenger or disregarding any instructions that he gives.
I mean saying "Once it's warm, I'll need to hear how it sounds at the top of the rev range.". If anyone offering a test drive of a car that revs to 8,200 doesn't expect the driver to pin the throttle in 2nd gear at least once, he's an idiot!
It doesn't make it joyriding anymore than it is joyriding to drive a sports car down some country roads to see whether or not it is an enjoyable car to drive.
A test drive is not solely to test mechanical integrity! If it was, there would be pretty much no point test-driving a new car.
Davie said:
Been on the other side of the (service) desk and twice have been denied a test drive by customers. First a chap who refused to let me drive his then new Vectra 2.2 16v back to base as it was a quick car and I was a young lad. Yes I was but was also more used to a 275bhp Cavalier Turbo. Then latterly had an old chap refuse to let me drive his Volvo S60 D5 due to it's "power" even though we'd just finished discussing the finer points of my 300bhp+ S70R...
Bless em...
From the other other side, a chap at a Halfords autocentre was adamant he needed to personally drive my car in to the service centre to change a tyre despite the car being parked in a designated "tyre change bay". Reluctantly I hand the keys to a very young looking guy who proceeds to not know A) Where the start button was B) how to disengage the handbrake and C)how to engage reverse. I watched on painfully, in the end I explained through the window how to get the car moving only for him to drive aggressively in to the bay. Had he requested to do an extended drive for any reason I probably would have refused.Bless em...
Perhaps he was trying to be helpful or perhaps he just wanted the worlds shortest test drive in a not particularly interesting car?
ORD said:
You're missing the point.
The very strongest reason to buy an M3 is that you love the way that it feels and sounds above 6000rpm. You cant know that unless you have experienced it. I am not talking about razzing the car around like a lunatic, scaring the passenger or disregarding any instructions that he gives.
I mean saying "Once it's warm, I'll need to hear how it sounds at the top of the rev range.". If anyone offering a test drive of a car that revs to 8,200 doesn't expect the driver to pin the throttle in 2nd gear at least once, he's an idiot!
It doesn't make it joyriding anymore than it is joyriding to drive a sports car down some country roads to see whether or not it is an enjoyable car to drive.
A test drive is not solely to test mechanical integrity! If it was, there would be pretty much no point test-driving a new car.
It depends on how confident I am in the ability of the driver as to how much I encourage him to give it, if they obviously know what they're doing and are controlling it well I am happy for them to redline it in every gear. If they're not very good I won't let that happen. It is better to remain alive and healthy and potentially lose a deal than sit there meekly whilst someone with more enthusiasm than talent ploughs you through a field on your roof because they've got carried away.The very strongest reason to buy an M3 is that you love the way that it feels and sounds above 6000rpm. You cant know that unless you have experienced it. I am not talking about razzing the car around like a lunatic, scaring the passenger or disregarding any instructions that he gives.
I mean saying "Once it's warm, I'll need to hear how it sounds at the top of the rev range.". If anyone offering a test drive of a car that revs to 8,200 doesn't expect the driver to pin the throttle in 2nd gear at least once, he's an idiot!
It doesn't make it joyriding anymore than it is joyriding to drive a sports car down some country roads to see whether or not it is an enjoyable car to drive.
A test drive is not solely to test mechanical integrity! If it was, there would be pretty much no point test-driving a new car.
blearyeyedboy said:
Davie said:
Been on the other side of the (service) desk and twice have been denied a test drive by customers. First a chap who refused to let me drive his then new Vectra 2.2 16v back to base as it was a quick car and I was a young lad. Yes I was but was also more used to a 275bhp Cavalier Turbo. Then latterly had an old chap refuse to let me drive his Volvo S60 D5 due to it's "power" even though we'd just finished discussing the finer points of my 300bhp+ S70R...
Bless em...
Hold up, Davie. That seems a bit weird to me. I'm not saying you're wrong, but I'd find it a bit odd if anyone at a service desk asked to "test drive" my car, regardless of their age (unless it was in the course of their work or they were trying to replicate a fault or something, in which case crack on). Never mind what car, I'd find that odd for a 1.0 Corsa.Bless em...
Are these "test drives" for your own amusement, or as part of the job?
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