Pointless Test Drives
Discussion
Dangerpete said:
Exactly my point, if i had taken you and 3 other people for 1 hour test drives then that is my day done and no money earned. Whereas if i go for 20 minute test drives and no one bites i still have time in the day to make more appointments or deal over the phone. Salesmen work from commission not customer satisfaction although the both do go hand in hand to be fair. A customer will only buy a car if they feel they have been treated properly however if everyone is treated that thoroughly i wont be able to afford to run my own car!
I was, in no way, expecting an hour test drive. That's just silly. The time wasn't so much the issue it was the route(s) if anything. All cars were a fair bit more than my current car at the time so i wanted to make sure that it was worth the extra cost and justifiable in my mind.The car's i were driving were hot hatches so obviously speed and handling were two of the things i wanted to explore. In all fairness, the Fiesta was just brilliant and i wanted one when i first stepped in the thing and the Mini was a close second but testing them on the roads was the decider.
samwhunt said:
Contacted BMW to test drive a Z4 20i M Sport. After a quick chat about prices/options (had no immediate intention to buy, just a feeler). I was accompanied but the nice saleswoman said feel free to take it anywhere - we were out for an hour.
You must have really liked it if out for a hour. ? I presume you now own one.?CRA1G said:
You must have really liked it if out for a hour. ?
Why? To be honest the longer you are out the more likely it is you are unsure and need more time. Last car I test drove with a view to purchase I took out for 10 minutes. It was obvious after 35 seconds I was buying it so why spend loads more time on a test drive when I could get back, sign the paperwork and take it away for ever?Yep - similar story here.
I took a Nissan GTR out for a test drive once as we were looking for a car with some muscle - but hadn't decided what to go for. The dealer kept me mostly to small side roads and barely let me get it out of second. We were back at the dealership around 5 minutes later.
We put a deposit down on a V8 Vantage a couple of weeks later after the Aston dealership gave us essentially free reign to test drive multiple cars and even brought one to our house to test drive on familiar roads.
I took a Nissan GTR out for a test drive once as we were looking for a car with some muscle - but hadn't decided what to go for. The dealer kept me mostly to small side roads and barely let me get it out of second. We were back at the dealership around 5 minutes later.
We put a deposit down on a V8 Vantage a couple of weeks later after the Aston dealership gave us essentially free reign to test drive multiple cars and even brought one to our house to test drive on familiar roads.
It all depends on the dealership and sales man. Peugeot took me on a supervised route with the 208 GTi but it was a boring motorway run.
I tried another place for an ST and I wasn't allowed to test drive it because it was a luxury sports car and I could damage the alloys at 120mph if I hit the curb. Even if it was supervised. Then again I'm 28 and from Liverpool. 😂
When I bought my used 208 GTi, the garage handed me the keys and let me take it away. Although I don't think I would do this if I owned a showroom it did give me a chance to try it out on different roads and park it up and basically get the feeling that I own the car which was what prompted me to buy it. Most sales men are way too pushy.
I tried another place for an ST and I wasn't allowed to test drive it because it was a luxury sports car and I could damage the alloys at 120mph if I hit the curb. Even if it was supervised. Then again I'm 28 and from Liverpool. 😂
When I bought my used 208 GTi, the garage handed me the keys and let me take it away. Although I don't think I would do this if I owned a showroom it did give me a chance to try it out on different roads and park it up and basically get the feeling that I own the car which was what prompted me to buy it. Most sales men are way too pushy.
I had a test drive in a focus ST a couple of weeks ago.
They wouldn't let me go out on my own due to it being "powerful" and "fast". Even though they know I turned up in a 335i.
Ended up going out with a saleswoman for about 20mins up the motorway and back. She was alright though, said I could drive it how I wanted just don't be silly.
They wouldn't let me go out on my own due to it being "powerful" and "fast". Even though they know I turned up in a 335i.
Ended up going out with a saleswoman for about 20mins up the motorway and back. She was alright though, said I could drive it how I wanted just don't be silly.
I took a Focus ST out for a test drive from my local main dealer last year - it was accompanied, but whilst the salesman said there was an approved route he was happy to let me head where I wanted. He arranged to have the car brought over from another site as the branch in my town is pretty small with only a handful of lower spec demos. His opening words were 'Try to keep it under 120MPH'. We had a 30-40 minute drive over a mixture of familiar roads and on our return I was happy to place an order.
I've used to same place to buy and maintain my cars for close to two decades. If they have something in that they think will interest me, when I take my car for service they often offer me the keys. I've only every bought a quarter or less of those and usually take them out for 30-40 minutes for a good blast on A/B roads that surround them.
On the flip side, I did notice a chancer slagging them off on FB last winter for refusing a test drive in a final edition WRX STI when the outside temperature was -4C.
On the flip side, I did notice a chancer slagging them off on FB last winter for refusing a test drive in a final edition WRX STI when the outside temperature was -4C.
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