Test drive etiquette
Discussion
maurauth said:
I was in the position before where I couldn't decide between 3series, C-class or A4 before, I made sure I read up online, looked at friend's cars and had a nose on the forecourts of main dealers but when you get to the nitty gritty why should I, or anyone in fact, make a choice out of the 3 without driving all 3?
f
k me this is hard work.If you're seriously considering one out of those three then by all means go and drive all three. If there is something about one of those models that means you're not going to buy it regardless of how it drives then don't bother with that one. THAT is what people have an issue with.
PLUS.....if you want to drive all three that's fine, but don't go to a dealer to have a go in one of their cars if they don't have/can't get the exact spec you want.
Edited by Centurion07 on Friday 22 May 20:46
Centurion07 said:
fk me this is hard work.
If you're seriously considering one out of those three then by all means go and drive all three. If there is something about one of those models that means you're not going to buy it regardless of how it drives then don't bother with that one. THAT is what people have an issue with.
PLUS.....if you want to drive all three that's fine, but don't go to a dealer to have a go in one of their cars if they don't have/can't get the exact spec you want.
what's "hard work"? You're not the OP, you don't need to respond to every post. I was just posting my experience, and that the one dealer out of the three who was unreasonable ended up not getting a sale, and not being considered for the next 3 purchases! If he had bent over backwards for me, shown me around the car, taken me out for a drive etc etc rather than treating me like a sk me this is hard work.If you're seriously considering one out of those three then by all means go and drive all three. If there is something about one of those models that means you're not going to buy it regardless of how it drives then don't bother with that one. THAT is what people have an issue with.
PLUS.....if you want to drive all three that's fine, but don't go to a dealer to have a go in one of their cars if they don't have/can't get the exact spec you want.
Edited by Centurion07 on Friday 22 May 20:46
tbag test pilot he could have had 4 sales from me in 5/6 years! It wasn't even a busy day, I was the only one on the forecourt!twing said:
deeen said:
If I feed 1 kid for 1 week, is that enough for a test drive?
BOOOOOOM, you're absolutely fking SPOT ON, give me 50 quid and I'll take you out!!!!!!!!.... Or take me up on my offer of a free hire car.maurauth said:
what's "hard work"?
You and everyone else having a moan about "why shouldn't I test all 3 I'm interested in?" when nobody has said you shouldn't & it was stated in the OP that he was going to test drive a car he knew he wasn't going to buy, which is what the debate is actually about. 
L
maurauth said:
I was in the position before where I couldn't decide between 3series, C-class or A4 before, I made sure I read up online, looked at friend's cars and had a nose on the forecourts of main dealers but when you get to the nitty gritty why should I, or anyone in fact, make a choice out of the 3 without driving all 3? I drove a C class and a 3 series but was scoffed at by the Audi dealership, fair enough I was 19 or 20 (can't remember exactly), but I had my 3 year old MX-5 as a PX and explained to the salesman I wanted to drive all 3 before making the decision. His reply was "if it drives well will you buy it here and now?", obviously not, I'd just explained that I wanted to consider all of the 'big 3' german marques in that class of vehicle before making a decision. "If you're not gonna buy the car today, you're wasting my time, what's the point of a test drive?".
I'd have walked as well, if he'd said that to me. What's the point in being in sales if you insult the customers?maurauth said:
I was in the position before where I couldn't decide between 3series, C-class or A4 before, I made sure I read up online, looked at friend's cars and had a nose on the forecourts of main dealers but when you get to the nitty gritty why should I, or anyone in fact, make a choice out of the 3 without driving all 3? I drove a C class and a 3 series but was scoffed at by the Audi dealership, fair enough I was 19 or 20 (can't remember exactly), but I had my 3 year old MX-5 as a PX and explained to the salesman I wanted to drive all 3 before making the decision. His reply was "if it drives well will you buy it here and now?", obviously not, I'd just explained that I wanted to consider all of the 'big 3' german marques in that class of vehicle before making a decision. "If you're not gonna buy the car today, you're wasting my time, what's the point of a test drive?".
Least you got the offer of a test drive, BMW salesman recently told me that I should just order a new X5 as that is what his customers did and why did I need a test drive anyway as there was one in the showroom.For me its check condition first, service history, have a poke about, check all the spec. If I then think I want to buy it - then I drive it. On my last purchase I took the car out of the dealership drove about 1/2 a mile and said lets head back. That's all I needed, I know how it drives FFS. I am just checking for odd sounds, strange rattles, gearbox, brakes, smoke etc. If it drives and stops and bits don't fall off then jobs a gooodun.
deeen said:
twing said:
deeen said:
If I feed 1 kid for 1 week, is that enough for a test drive?
BOOOOOOM, you're absolutely fking SPOT ON, give me 50 quid and I'll take you out!!!!!!!!.... Or take me up on my offer of a free hire car.I get no salary and only make money when I sell a car. It's reasonable that I should qualify my customers and I do. That's not to say that I don't test drive shoppers as well as buyers, I do as it's part of the job but I will draw the line at joy riders.
The cheekiest people are those that buy somewhere else on price and then come and ask me to show them how their car works as the untrained monkey in the car supermarket who sold them the thing didn't know his arse from his elbow......
Some car salesmen appear to want to be no more than order-taking clerks judging by the stories on this thread. It seems like it's too much like hard work to qualify customers and actually sell cars. Why would anyone spend thousands on what is the second most expensive item they'll ever buy and not drive it? And why is the assumption made that anyone who doesn't sign on the dotted line within five minutes is a time waster?
Paul Dishman said:
Some car salesmen appear to want to be no more than order-taking clerks judging by the stories on this thread. It seems like it's too much like hard work to qualify customers and actually sell cars. Why would anyone spend thousands on what is the second most expensive item they'll ever buy and not drive it? And why is the assumption made that anyone who doesn't sign on the dotted line within five minutes is a time waster?
Read the thread, nobody's said that. In fact some people think its wrong to qualify prospects, something that those of us who are successful always do.unrepentant said:
You missed the point. He drove the car, enjoyed the experience and the car and then went and bought one somewhere else. The guy who gave him a great experience and effectively sold him the car made nothing.
I get no salary and only make money when I sell a car. It's reasonable that I should qualify my customers and I do. That's not to say that I don't test drive shoppers as well as buyers, I do as it's part of the job but I will draw the line at joy riders.
The cheekiest people are those that buy somewhere else on price and then come and ask me to show them how their car works as the untrained monkey in the car supermarket who sold them the thing didn't know his arse from his elbow......
Thanks for your considered answer, most un-PH! Viewed from your end of the telescope, I can see your point. Maybe the problem is not the customer or the salesman, but the "commission only" business model?I get no salary and only make money when I sell a car. It's reasonable that I should qualify my customers and I do. That's not to say that I don't test drive shoppers as well as buyers, I do as it's part of the job but I will draw the line at joy riders.
The cheekiest people are those that buy somewhere else on price and then come and ask me to show them how their car works as the untrained monkey in the car supermarket who sold them the thing didn't know his arse from his elbow......
twing said:
Sheepshanks said:
Why should that be customers' concern?
simples....because you shouldn't want to waste a man's time, cost him money and get him in the st with his boss because he took a tyre-kicking c t out on a demo when he was NEVER going to buy the fking thing!berlintaxi said:
Least you got the offer of a test drive, BMW salesman recently told me that I should just order a new X5 as that is what his customers did and why did I need a test drive anyway as there was one in the showroom.
For years after it came out X5 was famous as no-one ever test drove them - lead-time was 12mths and the dealers didn't have demos.unrepentant said:
Paul Dishman said:
Some car salesmen appear to want to be no more than order-taking clerks judging by the stories on this thread. It seems like it's too much like hard work to qualify customers and actually sell cars. Why would anyone spend thousands on what is the second most expensive item they'll ever buy and not drive it? And why is the assumption made that anyone who doesn't sign on the dotted line within five minutes is a time waster?
Read the thread, nobody's said that. In fact some people think its wrong to qualify prospects, something that those of us who are successful always do.deeen said:
Maybe the problem is not the customer or the salesman, but the "commission only" business model?
Absolutely that's the problem, and it's an appalling situation for most (I'm sure some do very well out of it) car salespeople. As is the focus on selling finance, GAP etc rather than cars.
But those are their problems - customers just have to adapt and work around it.
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