Pointless Test Drives

[Bemmer]

manracer said:

I'm not making this up but when the new Mustang arrived earlier last year i booked a test drive on a Saturday morning and although i had to wait a while for my allocated salesman to become free, what resulted next was 2 hours of joy. The guy was new, only 21 and as the car only arrived the week before, he hadn't been in it yet so we drove around 15 miles, motorway, dual carriageway as well as mixed A and B roads, when we got back i parked the stang next to a focus RS that wasn't there earlier. As we parked up he said, fancy a spin in that too? And off we went again.... :-)

Which one did you buy..?

[valiant]

When I've bought at an independent I've just been given the keys. When buying from a main dealer it's always been accompanied so I'm guessing it's a process that's followed to the letter and comes down from the manufacturer.

Last car was pretty good, went out with the salesman who asked what my typical journey was and found a route that replicated it (dual carriageway and town driving). Was out for a good hour - spent five minutes discussing the car and rest spent chatting about cricket!

Bought the car.

[Little Pete]

unrepentant said:

Little Pete said:

Mine is slightly different, I went to test drive a Toyota RAV4 180 or some such number for Mrs Pete to smoke about in. I had a coffee with the salesman whilst a minion took it for fuel. He told me the test route was through town, out on to country roads then back along a dual carriageway so I could get a good feel for the car. I was very impressed with the service I was getting and was thinking I would do a deal if the price was right.
I hadn't gone more than about a quarter of a mile when I decided I wouldn't buy it! I felt really bad for the salesman but I couldn't bring myself to say anything negative because he'd been so helpful. We must've been out about 25 minutes and it was a cracking route but I just didn't like the thing. I told him I'd think about it over the weekend, then rang him like a coward and said I didn't want it. I felt bad for a while after that.

He'd have much preferred you to be honest instead of wasting his time. Nobody takes it personally if a car doesn't suit, that's life. It's the dicking around that pisses people off.

I realised that, it's probably why I felt such a s??t

[hora]

R E S T E C P said:

My most comprehensive test drive was at Land Rover a couple of years ago. The salesman came along with me, but I think he was maybe bored and wanted to get out of the showroom. He kept telling me to go further and try more roads. When we eventually got back after more than an hour, before even going in the showroom he said "the manual version's really good too, want to try it?" - and out we went again for another hour.

I don't work in car sales but could it be he hit some sort of commission ceiling and wasn't making anything on any sales until new period kicked in?

[andymc]

Bemmer said:

manracer said:

I'm not making this up but when the new Mustang arrived earlier last year i booked a test drive on a Saturday morning and although i had to wait a while for my allocated salesman to become free, what resulted next was 2 hours of joy. The guy was new, only 21 and as the car only arrived the week before, he hadn't been in it yet so we drove around 15 miles, motorway, dual carriageway as well as mixed A and B roads, when we got back i parked the stang next to a focus RS that wasn't there earlier. As we parked up he said, fancy a spin in that too? And off we went again.... :-)

Which one did you buy..?

the Veyron

[daemon]

valiant said:

When I've bought at an independent I've just been given the keys. When buying from a main dealer it's always been accompanied so I'm guessing it's a process that's followed to the letter and comes down from the manufacturer.

Our local indy gave us the keys to their Mustang 5.0 and told us to take it for a good run. Didnt know us from Adam.

[unrepentant]

andymc said:

Bemmer said:

manracer said:

I'm not making this up but when the new Mustang arrived earlier last year i booked a test drive on a Saturday morning and although i had to wait a while for my allocated salesman to become free, what resulted next was 2 hours of joy. The guy was new, only 21 and as the car only arrived the week before, he hadn't been in it yet so we drove around 15 miles, motorway, dual carriageway as well as mixed A and B roads, when we got back i parked the stang next to a focus RS that wasn't there earlier. As we parked up he said, fancy a spin in that too? And off we went again.... :-)

Which one did you buy..?

the Veyron

[Motorrad]

PhilboSE said:

Porsche:
Gave me an unlimited test drive anywhere I wanted to go.
Followed up over the next couple of months with:
- an afternoon's driving session at Chobham circuit.
- a track day at Silverstone (before the Porsche centre was built).
- lending me a tricked up 911 for a weekend, unlimited mileage.

Aston Martin:
Took me around Walton on Thames for half an hour. Didn't get out of third gear.
Didn't follow up.

Guess which one I bought (eventually)?

I've also found Porsche to be excellent. I didn't end up buying one as I moved continents () but since then I've been a real advocate of their sales process and have encouraged some friends of mine who lived close to the dealer in question to give them a try, which has led to a few sales.

It really costs them very little in the long run and when I'm in the market for a new Porsche there is only one place in the UK I'll consider buying from.

[problemchild1976]

Q - what are people aiming to get from a test drive?

Looks, interior, quality of build, seating position, how the controls feel etc etc all can be done in the dealership!

We all do tonnes and tonnes of research online before so we have 50 reviews of driveability from race drivers to vloggers.

So what does the test drive provide?

if you are buying new the car that actually comes is a different car to the one you drive sooooo......

in the private 2nd hand car sales world its very rare to have a test drive unless you have arranged insurance before you get there but the risk is way higher. but then you are only really looking at reliability type clues.

my last buys....

golf gttdi company car - went to local VW dealership and said we would be getting company car and could we test drive - yes we could. Accompanied for 20mins. Excellent "bigger picture" attitude from dealer.

VX220 private sale - taken out as a passanger for 10mins but had a thorough look under and around

zafira company car - never drove one

Smart fortwo modified private sale - swapped for the VX220 - both of us drove the car we owned for 20mins for the other person.

BRABUS forfour - main dealer 2nd hand - car was 300miles away. never drove it or saw it. never drove one at all until i dropped the delivery driver at the railway station!

JJ

[Mr E]

I've had the "you can't drive it before you've bought it". I walked away.

The car I did buy had the keys thrown at us and the instruction to bring it back when it wanted fuel.

The last car I bought was viewed in the dark and not driven at all. I didn't even look at the documentation. It was £300 mind.

[Mound Dawg]

problemchild1976 said:

Q - what are people aiming to get from a test drive?

Looks, interior, quality of build, seating position, how the controls feel etc etc all can be done in the dealership!

We all do tonnes and tonnes of research online before so we have 50 reviews of driveability from race drivers to vloggers.

So what does the test drive provide?

In my case I'd pretty much decided I wanted a 124 Spider but wanted to check that I fitted in it ok and was comfortable driving it, what the noise levels would be like (I drive 100 miles a day) whether it actually had the monumental turbo lag that "everyone" says it has (it doesn't). There are other things like pedal positions that can drive you nuts if they're wrong for your big feet, steering feel, ride quality and general handling that you don't get from sitting in the car in the showroom or watching Monkey burning rubber on YouTube.

My previous daily was a Punto and I didn't bother test driving that because Mrs Dawg had one so I knew it would be fine. Turned out to be better as they'd put more sound deadening and toys in since hers was made.

Edited by Mound Dawg on Tuesday 17th January 21:33

Edited by Mound Dawg on Tuesday 17th January 21:35

[Hoppum]

Few of my experiences:

GT86: 'Don't do test drives'.

M4: First attempt; 'Don't do test drives', second attempt when dressed smarter; Accompanied 15 minutes to do as I pleased.

C63 AMG: Endless promises to call back and arrange, never followed up despite chasing. Dealer has a terrible rep locally, apparently kept Sam Smith (the singer) waiting so long in branch he upped and left.

Golf R: Accompanied 45mins to do as I pleased.

F-Type S: Accompanied preplanned route, but good roads and encouraged to push on.

Cayman GTS: Booked to have the car for the day but was cancelled short noticed, free afternoon session at the PEC Silverstone instead.

[unrepentant]

Hoppum said:

Few of my experiences:

GT86: 'Don't do test drives'.

M4: First attempt; 'Don't do test drives', second attempt when dressed smarter; Accompanied 15 minutes to do as I pleased.

C63 AMG: Endless promises to call back and arrange, never followed up despite chasing. Dealer has a terrible rep locally, apparently kept Sam Smith (the singer) waiting so long in branch he upped and left.

Golf R: Accompanied 45mins to do as I pleased.

F-Type S: Accompanied preplanned route, but good roads and encouraged to push on.

Cayman GTS: Booked to have the car for the day but was cancelled short noticed, free afternoon session at the PEC Silverstone instead.

Which ones did you buy?

[unpc]

markwm said:

Is this the norm noawadays? Just had a test drive at Land Rover. They obviously had a designated route for accompanied test drives. Every single road I was told to turn on had either speed bumps or speed camera. Complete waste of time

Wasn't Southend was it? If so find a dealer away from the Southeast. Drove an F-Pace from there and and told them I learned nothing from driving it that slowly.

[manracer]

Bemmer said:

manracer said:

I'm not making this up but when the new Mustang arrived earlier last year i booked a test drive on a Saturday morning and although i had to wait a while for my allocated salesman to become free, what resulted next was 2 hours of joy. The guy was new, only 21 and as the car only arrived the week before, he hadn't been in it yet so we drove around 15 miles, motorway, dual carriageway as well as mixed A and B roads, when we got back i parked the stang next to a focus RS that wasn't there earlier. As we parked up he said, fancy a spin in that too? And off we went again.... :-)

Which one did you buy..?

Neither, the Mustang didn't feel that quick, and the focus, although a lot of fun disappointed on the interior front and if I'm being controversial left me feeling bemused with the handling, i get it's different to the way other 4wd quick cards handle and feel i just didn't feel comfortable, though i admit it's a sensation you probably grow to love.

[Jimmy No Hands]

manracer said:

Neither, the Mustang didn't feel that quick, and the focus, although a lot of fun disappointed on the interior front and if I'm being controversial left me feeling bemused with the handling, i get it's different to the way other 4wd quick cards handle and feel i just didn't feel comfortable, though i admit it's a sensation you probably grow to love.

Time well spent for the sales lad then.

[OverSteery]

problemchild1976 said:

............stuff........

in the private 2nd hand car sales world its very rare to have a test drive unless you have arranged insurance before you get there but the risk is way higher. but then you are only really looking at reliability type clues.

........more stuff...........

Eh? I guess I've bought 40+ 2nd hand cars private and always had a test drive. I've never been refused one and would walk if I was.

[rainmakerraw]

The most pointless test drive I've had (anyone's had?) was just last year at a big BMW main dealer in Liverpool. I was looking at the 3 series touring, with a view to ordering that same week (which the salesman knew). I arrived for my pre-booked appointment, was left waiting for 20 minutes, then finally got into the car park. They couldn't source a petrol model, so would I mind driving the 320d instead? Well it's not what I'm wanting to order, but it'll give me an idea of the layout, seating comfort etc in the interim...

Please turn right out of our car park onto the main road. Now turn immediate left these lights. Now left again. Now left again, and pull into our car park. The berk had literally taken me around the exterior of the Costco opposite! I just stared at him, I didn't know quite where to begin. We'd not even hit 4th gear and were under 25mph for the two minute duration due to traffic. He just got out, took the key and said let me know if I would like to order, and he promptly walked away. Colour my flabber ghasted. I'd already told him I'd be placing an order if I liked the car, and spent the duration of the short drive asking about options I could add. My wife and daughter were waiting back in the showroom, having looked around the car and expressed their approval. It's not like he didn't think I was serious!

Strangely, I ordered a 2.0 TSI engined Superb instead after a three hour test drive consisting of 'Here's the key, do what you like and let us know if you need to arrange another longer loan/drive'. A coupe of weeks later I received a call from the BMW franchise head office asking if I was still considering ordering from them, and if not why not. I briefly explained that no I most certainly am not, and the guy was just silent at the other end. After a bit of stuttering, he repeated back 'He just took you around the outside of Costco?'. I confirmed that was the case and I asked whether he'd ever bought a brand new £30,000 car after taking it literally around the building in 2nd gear, and he said 'Um... no.'. That was that.

[Hoofy]

OverSteery said:

Hoofy said:

Guess it varies. I once test drove a Griffith 500 and they just gave me the keys.

No car eh? Probably for the best. No moving parts in the key, so unlikely to break down.

Damn you!

[405dogvan]

I stopped bothering with test-drives when I arrived for a pre-booked drive and was told I had to sign-up for finance for the car BEFORE I could drive it (Subaru - you know it was you!)

You have to be realistic tho, main dealers aren't really interested in selling 'easy to sell' models and so give you the least they can get away with but specialists who want to SELL cars will usually just throw you the keys.

Note: you need to be an actual adult who's had a licence more than 20 mins - obviously - under 25s should be amazed they're allowed to sit in the car in the showroom ;0