Am I the only person who doesn't bother with a test drive
Discussion
I love cars, driving them, cleaning them, looking at them etc but know little of the workings of them. I change them frequently and often on a whim. Interestingly, I normally just fall in love with a car, pay a deposit over the phone and toddle off to secure if it looks as described. I almost never test drive the particular car or compare one to similar. I do however generally buy from dealers and fairly recent models. I do start them up (usually) but if it looks good, i go for it. How unusual is this?
Cars drive differently. I test drove about 5 MR2 MK1s and there were two distinct styles between them.
Plus you want to check that it brakes it a straight line and so on, and feels good to you and sounds good etc. and doesn't feel like she will fall apart over 40mph.
So I always Test Drive a car, and I won't buy a car I haven't test driven.
Plus you want to check that it brakes it a straight line and so on, and feels good to you and sounds good etc. and doesn't feel like she will fall apart over 40mph.
So I always Test Drive a car, and I won't buy a car I haven't test driven.
Judging by the attitude of many dealerships, I'm sure the OP is not alone. I've frequently been refused test drives, and one dealership even said to me once: "you like the colour, it's the right spec, all the magazines love it, why would you want to drive it? If you put a deposit down you can take it round the block". I walked out and bought a Lotus Elise instead because they gave me a decent test drive and I loved the way the car drove.
Personally, how a car drives is the car. The operation of the major controls and the way the car rides and handles is 90% of what I'm buying when I get a new car. Even the boring practical stuff needs a test drive, such as noise on the motorway, ergonomics, etc.
For me, buying a car without a test drive would be like choosing a wife from a photograph.
Personally, how a car drives is the car. The operation of the major controls and the way the car rides and handles is 90% of what I'm buying when I get a new car. Even the boring practical stuff needs a test drive, such as noise on the motorway, ergonomics, etc.
For me, buying a car without a test drive would be like choosing a wife from a photograph.
Although I'd driven other examples of the same model, I didn't actually test drive my Jaguar when I bought it. I did however trust a friend to drive it (still not really sure why I didn't drive it 
) and tbh I think I even sat in the back! The first time I actually drove it was the way home after paying for it.
I also didn't test drive a £12 Metro about 10 years ago.. I didn't even start it before handing over the cash. It lasted about 6 months
) and tbh I think I even sat in the back! The first time I actually drove it was the way home after paying for it.I also didn't test drive a £12 Metro about 10 years ago.. I didn't even start it before handing over the cash. It lasted about 6 months
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