Test drive etiquette

[Dave200]

markmullen said:

Dave200 said:

Sounds like a really tough sales environment; and absolutely nothing like what we're talking about on this thread.

I didn't bring in what I do to this thread, you did.

I didn't suggest otherwise. It's very valiant for you to ride to the defence of your less well-off 'peers'.

[MDMetal]

masermartin said:

markmullen said:

You have inadvertently made my point beautifully, despite the obnoxiously sarcastic HTH at the end, the OP has made it clear he is not interested in trying out the car he wants to drive.

HTH

I'm sorry, but even if he isn't interested, it's still not illegal, and those metaphors you gave are still not relevant.

Look, I wouldn't condone trying to get a test drive of a car you wouldn't be prepared to buy if it's right - OP actually doesn't appear to know, he's saying he only doesn't like the colour, but then says his OH would be driving it so maybe colour doesn't matter so much... It seems to me that this is precisely within the "fuzzy area" that, if it's a really good test drive, the OP could say "right, I'll take it, regardless of colour". Does the dealer have confidence that the product will sell itself on a test drive - if yes, then he'll probably give one, if not, he probably won't. If he doesn't give the test drive, he'll definitely not get the sale, and probably not any future sales; if he does, he *might* (but not "definitely" at this stage) get this or a future sale. That's the rub.

I don't doubt that this is a necessary balancing act to screen out timewasters. But it shouldn't be so hard, IMO.

Exactly! If the dealer can't distinguish between someone literally pulling their card out of their wallet to buy a car vs someone whose in the fuzzy area and needs a little nudge then they've got bigger problems than test drives which aren't guaranteed sales. What is it with the UK and it's horrendous sales attitude? Most mobile phone stores just carry empty shells these days! Hardly surprising car salesmen baulk at the idea of a punter wanting to try before they buy!

[simon1987]

basically just blag it and then drive it like you stole it and then just get out and walk off when your near your house

[All that jazz]

markmullen said:

You're absolutely right, I've only sold five million pound cars in the last five weeks

markmullen said:

Alternatively I work in a job where I don't have a boss looking over my shoulder every five minutes

Not that it matters as he wouldn't be able to see anything due to that chip being in the way.

twing said:

I have, many times, told customers to go and hire one for the day and if he likes it I'll take the cost of the rental off the price.

This thread just gets better.

[twing]

All that jazz said:

This thread just gets better.

Genuinely not sure why you laughed at that.

[All that jazz]

twing said:

All that jazz said:

This thread just gets better.

Genuinely not sure why you laughed at that.

If you seriously think that telling potential customers to "go and hire the car you want to drive first" is a way to win their business then frankly you're deluded.

[CCM604e]

twing said:

Genuinely not sure why you laughed at that.

I guess because sometimes it's in the punters' interest to try the exact car they are possibly going to buy. You know, in case there's issues with it.

[CCM604e]

All that jazz said:

If you seriously think that telling potential customers to "go and hire the car you want to drive first" is a way to win their business then frankly you're deluded.

Yeh and a bit of that, I would just walk off.

[StuTheGrouch]

All that jazz said:

If you seriously think that telling potential customers to "go and hire the car you want to drive first" is a way to win their business then frankly you're deluded.

I agree.

If it's a car that you can easily hire then it's quite a common car. Therefore my business goes to the next seller, as there will be plenty more to choose from.

[Sheepshanks]

twing said:

All that jazz said:

This thread just gets better.

Genuinely not sure why you laughed at that.

Mark probably has real shepherds in his shepherds pie.

[StuTheGrouch]

markmullen said:

I've only sold five million pound cars in the last five weeks

Is that 5x £1 million cars?

or

£5 million in total value of cars?

or

5,000,000 x £1 toy cars?

[Roo]

StuTheGrouch said:

markmullen said:

I've only sold five million pound cars in the last five weeks

Is that 5x £1 million cars?

or

£5 million in total value of cars?

or

5,000,000 x £1 toy cars?

First or second one, definitely not the third. I'll guess at the first one though.

[StuTheGrouch]

Third one may have been a joke

[All that jazz]

StuTheGrouch said:

markmullen said:

I've only sold five million pound cars in the last five weeks

Is that 5x £1 million cars?

or

£5 million in total value of cars?

or

5,000,000 x £1 toy cars?

I suspect none of the above, although having witnessed his arrogance in all his other posts I wouldn't be at all surprised if he works for one of the main supercar manufacturers. I wish he'd let us know which one so we all know which one to avoid.

[wolves_wanderer]

All that jazz said:

twing said:

All that jazz said:

This thread just gets better.

Genuinely not sure why you laughed at that.

If you seriously think that telling potential customers to "go and hire the car you want to drive first" is a way to win their business then frankly you're deluded.

I'm guessing that he is making an educated guess that they are (like the OP) on a bit of a fishing mission and aren't likely to buy the car they want to drive. I always find it interesting on these threads when people who don't sell cars always say that salesmen should be able to qualify and work out whether people are serious but when they do you get streams of the same people bhing at them saying that they are doing it all wrong and how badly they are treating customers.

[MDMetal]

Either way its clear that powerfully built executives know exactly which car to buy without needing to test drive or consider multiple cars. But then people who need to pick between cars clearly are just chancers right?

[DeuxCentCinq]

Last time I was looking for a car, dealers couldn't wait to get me test driving all sorts of stuff, despite me telling them they were entirely unsuitable. I remember a large independent putting me in an E91 318d, despite me saying I wouldn't consider diesel, or anything under a 330i.
I protested when it was brought round. Told the guy I didn't want to drive it when he made me sit in it, and slagged it off for the entire journey. At the end of the drive, he asked me to follow him into the salesroom to "talk finance".
"Not for this?" I asked.
"Did you not like it?"
"..."

[Tannedbaldhead]

Test drives can and do sell cars.

I swanned into a MINI dealership to kill 10 minutes while a tanker was refilling the Shell station next door. Was running a three year old MX5 at the time. I'd bought it from new and had no intention of changing it in the foreseeable future. Salesman asked if I'd consider the new (at the time) MINI Roadster to which I replied I'd never consider a front drive car as a proper sports car. (So I've now told the salesman I'm not buying a car AND if I was it wouldn't be his. Wonder how the average salesman would qualify me as a prospect).

Salesman said he was sad to hear this but why don't we go for a spin in (a bloody awful looking) MINI Coupe Cooper S JCW just for the hell of it. I did and had enjoyed driving the MINI so much that within a year had chopped my other car, an E Class Merc Estate, for a Clubman Cooper S.

[unrepentant]

Ali_T said:

This thread will not end well. Everyone with a gripe against car sales staff will pile in. Everyone in car sales will become ultra defensive and start mumbling about "qualifying" people for sales.

My basis on whether to test drive a car is if a test drive is offered. Of course, if you don't offer one, you'll not see me or my money again...

What's wrong with qualifying? You're a pretty poor salesman if you don't do it. If you pull up in a Ford Fiesta and ask to drive an F-Type R or a Range Rover Autobiography I'm going to ask you a few questions. In fact I'm going to ask you a few questions whatever you pull up in and whatever you want to drive.

It's also more of an issue with the kind of cars I sell (and even moreso the kind that Mark M sells) because you get a lot of joy riders. You have to do a little qualifying. I bought my first 2 TVR's from HHC Harrogate. Nigel wouldn't let people have a test drive the first time they came in. You had to make an appointment and come back. Made a lot of sense to me.

[Roo]

unrepentant said:

I bought my first 2 TVR's from HHC Harrogate. Nigel wouldn't let people have a test drive the first time they came in. You had to make an appointment and come back. Made a lot of sense to me.

Used to do the same when I sold them.