Best strategy for test driving next potential car?
Discussion
Hi all
Let's say you've got a shortlist of around 4-5 different cars from different brands (e.g. Audi Q5, Porsche Macan, BMW X3, etc), the only way to really narrow them down is to drive them and see how they feel. However what's the best way of doing that?
From what I understand, you have a few options and each come with their drawbacks...
1. Find a dealer that sells the car/engine/trim your interested in and book a test drive - This seems like the most straightforward option and doesn't cost you a penny. However the downsides (from my previous experiences)...
3. The only other option I can think of is going through a rental company. Like Turo, the benefit of this is that you can have the car for a few days. However this can be tricky again as they aren't able to tell you what they'll have on the day. Once abroad I requested to rent a Velar and got a Volvo XC90! It was in the small print that car on the day could vary, but that's not helpful in the scenario where I wanted to purchase a Velar.
I'd be interested to hear your thoughts and to see if there is a better way of doing it.
Let's say you've got a shortlist of around 4-5 different cars from different brands (e.g. Audi Q5, Porsche Macan, BMW X3, etc), the only way to really narrow them down is to drive them and see how they feel. However what's the best way of doing that?
From what I understand, you have a few options and each come with their drawbacks...
1. Find a dealer that sells the car/engine/trim your interested in and book a test drive - This seems like the most straightforward option and doesn't cost you a penny. However the downsides (from my previous experiences)...
- You don't get long in the car (10-20 mins)
- The salesmen is there with you and constantly talking so you don't really get to freely experience the car
- The salesmen takes you down a specific route so again can't fully enjoy the car
- Feels morally wrong, wasting salesman's time with no intent to buy but have to play the game and act like you're interested.
3. The only other option I can think of is going through a rental company. Like Turo, the benefit of this is that you can have the car for a few days. However this can be tricky again as they aren't able to tell you what they'll have on the day. Once abroad I requested to rent a Velar and got a Volvo XC90! It was in the small print that car on the day could vary, but that's not helpful in the scenario where I wanted to purchase a Velar.
I'd be interested to hear your thoughts and to see if there is a better way of doing it.
Unfortunately the majority of car buyers seem to care about the way the car actually drives least of all and are more interested in what they can fit in it and how it interfaces with their phone. This has lead to manufacturers and dealerships becoming very lazy with the way they bring their product to the consumer.
I went old school approach. Call the dealer, explain what you want, make an appointment and get given some keys.
BMW - gave me the keys, said to be back within 60-90 mins, suggested a route away from the dealers to avoid traffic and get a real mix of driving.
Porsche - salesman gave me the keys, he jumped in a Taycan, we played follow the leader for a good hour down a mix of roads. It wasn't the engine I was after unfortunately, although initially they said to come back 2 weeks later for a drive in the right car, they then delayed and mucked me about.
Audi - refused a test drive until I had ordered a car.
BMW - gave me the keys, said to be back within 60-90 mins, suggested a route away from the dealers to avoid traffic and get a real mix of driving.
Porsche - salesman gave me the keys, he jumped in a Taycan, we played follow the leader for a good hour down a mix of roads. It wasn't the engine I was after unfortunately, although initially they said to come back 2 weeks later for a drive in the right car, they then delayed and mucked me about.
Audi - refused a test drive until I had ordered a car.
When I've had a test drive of something from a dealer I insisted on having it for a few hours as a minimum - how do you know if the thing even fits you properly let alone anything else about the way it moves etc. I've had enough hire cars for work that initially feel and drive lovely, after a couple of days with them I want to burn some!
Edited by tonyvid on Monday 27th June 15:14
boombang said:
I went old school approach. Call the dealer, explain what you want, make an appointment and get given some keys.
BMW - gave me the keys, said to be back within 60-90 mins, suggested a route away from the dealers to avoid traffic and get a real mix of driving.
Porsche - salesman gave me the keys, he jumped in a Taycan, we played follow the leader for a good hour down a mix of roads. It wasn't the engine I was after unfortunately, although initially they said to come back 2 weeks later for a drive in the right car, they then delayed and mucked me about.
Audi - refused a test drive until I had ordered a car.
Tallies with my experience of BMW and Audi. BMW pretty much just gave me the keys and said be back in an hour or so but the last time I went to an Audi dealer about the then new S3 the dealer got all uppity saying "most people have ordered sight unseen" and point blank refused to entertain bringing one round for me to drive.BMW - gave me the keys, said to be back within 60-90 mins, suggested a route away from the dealers to avoid traffic and get a real mix of driving.
Porsche - salesman gave me the keys, he jumped in a Taycan, we played follow the leader for a good hour down a mix of roads. It wasn't the engine I was after unfortunately, although initially they said to come back 2 weeks later for a drive in the right car, they then delayed and mucked me about.
Audi - refused a test drive until I had ordered a car.
InitialDave said:
I don't think you're wasting the salesman's time, you're not test driving with no intention to buy. You do intend to buy the car if you like it.
Eventually yes, but most likely not that day. I'll then be going to other showrooms and trying out their cars. Then let's say I decide on the make and model, then I'll be shopping around for the best price online, auto trader, etc.
Unless the dealer has the exact spec and trim level that I wanted and I couldn't find it elsewhere for less, it's unlikely I'd be buying.
boombang said:
I went old school approach. Call the dealer, explain what you want, make an appointment and get given some keys.
BMW - gave me the keys, said to be back within 60-90 mins, suggested a route away from the dealers to avoid traffic and get a real mix of driving.
Porsche - salesman gave me the keys, he jumped in a Taycan, we played follow the leader for a good hour down a mix of roads. It wasn't the engine I was after unfortunately, although initially they said to come back 2 weeks later for a drive in the right car, they then delayed and mucked me about.
Audi - refused a test drive until I had ordered a car.
I've heard of this happening but I've never experienced it myself, where the salesmen would just give you the keys to take the car away. An hour would be more than sufficient! BMW - gave me the keys, said to be back within 60-90 mins, suggested a route away from the dealers to avoid traffic and get a real mix of driving.
Porsche - salesman gave me the keys, he jumped in a Taycan, we played follow the leader for a good hour down a mix of roads. It wasn't the engine I was after unfortunately, although initially they said to come back 2 weeks later for a drive in the right car, they then delayed and mucked me about.
Audi - refused a test drive until I had ordered a car.
Do you reckon it is down to the dealers discretion? Or is it something that you can request? I'm pretty sure I did ask one at Jaguar when testing an F-pace and they said it's company policy for the salesmen to be in the car
tonyvid said:
When I've had a test drive of something from a dealer I insisted on having it for a few hours as a minimum - how do you know if the thing even fits you properly let alone anything else about the way it moves etc. I've had enough hire cars for work that initially feel and drive lovely, after a couple of days with them I want to burn some!
Exactly. Do they give in to your requests? Also are these for new or used cars?Edited by tonyvid on Monday 27th June 15:14
QuattroDave said:
Tallies with my experience of BMW and Audi. BMW pretty much just gave me the keys and said be back in an hour or so but the last time I went to an Audi dealer about the then new S3 the dealer got all uppity saying "most people have ordered sight unseen" and point blank refused to entertain bringing one round for me to drive.
Very interesting indeed! Was this a used car you test drove at BMW or a brand new model? London1986 said:
Let's say you've got a shortlist of around 4-5 different cars from different brands (e.g. Audi Q5, Porsche Macan, BMW X3, etc), the only way to really narrow them down is to drive them and see how they feel. However what's the best way of doing that?
If you want to save yourself some time, the best way may be by reading reviews.If you are genuinely concerned about the driving dynamics of your SUV, I'd guess it's probably the Porsche you want. I appreciate a car that feels nice to drive too, but you don't need to research this from scratch. Reviews and comparisons will tell you 90% of what you need to know. The test drive should just confirm that you agree it feels decent and don't hate it for some reason.
It's an SUV, so buy based on reliability, visibility, equipment etc. And off-roading ability obviously.
London1986 said:
boombang said:
I went old school approach. Call the dealer, explain what you want, make an appointment and get given some keys.
BMW - gave me the keys, said to be back within 60-90 mins, suggested a route away from the dealers to avoid traffic and get a real mix of driving.
Porsche - salesman gave me the keys, he jumped in a Taycan, we played follow the leader for a good hour down a mix of roads. It wasn't the engine I was after unfortunately, although initially they said to come back 2 weeks later for a drive in the right car, they then delayed and mucked me about.
Audi - refused a test drive until I had ordered a car.
I've heard of this happening but I've never experienced it myself, where the salesmen would just give you the keys to take the car away. An hour would be more than sufficient! BMW - gave me the keys, said to be back within 60-90 mins, suggested a route away from the dealers to avoid traffic and get a real mix of driving.
Porsche - salesman gave me the keys, he jumped in a Taycan, we played follow the leader for a good hour down a mix of roads. It wasn't the engine I was after unfortunately, although initially they said to come back 2 weeks later for a drive in the right car, they then delayed and mucked me about.
Audi - refused a test drive until I had ordered a car.
Do you reckon it is down to the dealers discretion? Or is it something that you can request? I'm pretty sure I did ask one at Jaguar when testing an F-pace and they said it's company policy for the salesmen to be in the car
We have had a few get annoyed and storm off because they could not test drive the car alone or for more than an hour.
all depends on the garage policy i guess
London1986 said:
Do you reckon it is down to the dealers discretion? Or is it something that you can request? I'm pretty sure I did ask one at Jaguar when testing an F-pace and they said it's company policy for the salesmen to be in the car
I didn't ask for a solo drive, it was offered by default.Solo test drives seem to have made a comeback since Covid forced them to happen for a while. When I changed my car a few months back, the option of anyone coming with me wasn't even really offered - it was "here's the keys, there should be enough petrol in it for about 50 miles, see you in an hour"
Presumably the sales people (or rather their managers) have realised that it's more productive for then to remain at the dealership rather than ride around with customers.
If the OP is thinking of secondhand cars, there is also the option of buying completely remotely, trying the car for a few days and if you don't like it return it - there doesn't need to be a fault with the car Legally the remote sales laws require this to be possible, though they can make a small "admin" charge and the miles driven have to be reasonable. You end up paying a month's worth of tax to the DVLA too if you do return.
Most of the car supermarkets and online only places seem to offer this as a feature. I suspect they've realised that in reality very few people actually dislike a car enough to return it once they've bought it.
Presumably the sales people (or rather their managers) have realised that it's more productive for then to remain at the dealership rather than ride around with customers.
If the OP is thinking of secondhand cars, there is also the option of buying completely remotely, trying the car for a few days and if you don't like it return it - there doesn't need to be a fault with the car Legally the remote sales laws require this to be possible, though they can make a small "admin" charge and the miles driven have to be reasonable. You end up paying a month's worth of tax to the DVLA too if you do return.
Most of the car supermarkets and online only places seem to offer this as a feature. I suspect they've realised that in reality very few people actually dislike a car enough to return it once they've bought it.
London1986 said:
QuattroDave said:
Tallies with my experience of BMW and Audi. BMW pretty much just gave me the keys and said be back in an hour or so but the last time I went to an Audi dealer about the then new S3 the dealer got all uppity saying "most people have ordered sight unseen" and point blank refused to entertain bringing one round for me to drive.
Very interesting indeed! Was this a used car you test drove at BMW or a brand new model? Audi wouldn't sort a test car,
BMW brought round an M140 auto (exactly what I wanted to try)
Ford insisted on joining me for an incredibly boring drive long M3 and M27 in the focus RS at rush hour,
Same salesguy then insisted on doing the same route in the Mustang.
Narrowed it down to M140 and Mustang at that point, but then Ford scored an own goal by not s much as taking a penny off the price OR giving a full tank, BMW on the other hand offered £5k off list and with my options I ended up with £8k off list.
Bought the M140 and had three great years with the car......
But then Ford did a 0% deal on mustangs AND were offering decent discounts so I ended up buying the car I probably should have bought first time round
SkodaIan said:
Presumably the sales people (or rather their managers) have realised that it's more productive for then to remain at the dealership rather than ride around with customers.
Exactly, this is what I've always thought. SkodaIan said:
If the OP is thinking of secondhand cars, there is also the option of buying completely remotely, trying the car for a few days and if you don't like it return it - there doesn't need to be a fault with the car Legally the remote sales laws require this to be possible, though they can make a small "admin" charge and the miles driven have to be reasonable. You end up paying a month's worth of tax to the DVLA too if you do return.
Most of the car supermarkets and online only places seem to offer this as a feature. I suspect they've realised that in reality very few people actually dislike a car enough to return it once they've bought it.
This is very interesting and something I hadn't considered. I just checked Cazoo for example, they do a 7-day back guarantee with a 250 mile limit. It does seem a lot of bother to go through though, what with arranging insurance, tax, DVLA etc not to mention transferring 30k over, but interesting option nevertheless Most of the car supermarkets and online only places seem to offer this as a feature. I suspect they've realised that in reality very few people actually dislike a car enough to return it once they've bought it.
QuattroDave said:
Brand new, I was looking for a new car in 2016, had a shortlist of an S3, M140i, Focus RS and Mustang GT.
Audi wouldn't sort a test car,
BMW brought round an M140 auto (exactly what I wanted to try)
Ford insisted on joining me for an incredibly boring drive long M3 and M27 in the focus RS at rush hour,
Same salesguy then insisted on doing the same route in the Mustang.
Narrowed it down to M140 and Mustang at that point, but then Ford scored an own goal by not s much as taking a penny off the price OR giving a full tank, BMW on the other hand offered £5k off list and with my options I ended up with £8k off list.
Bought the M140 and had three great years with the car......
But then Ford did a 0% deal on mustangs AND were offering decent discounts so I ended up buying the car I probably should have bought first time round
Interesting, thanks for sharing. Audi wouldn't sort a test car,
BMW brought round an M140 auto (exactly what I wanted to try)
Ford insisted on joining me for an incredibly boring drive long M3 and M27 in the focus RS at rush hour,
Same salesguy then insisted on doing the same route in the Mustang.
Narrowed it down to M140 and Mustang at that point, but then Ford scored an own goal by not s much as taking a penny off the price OR giving a full tank, BMW on the other hand offered £5k off list and with my options I ended up with £8k off list.
Bought the M140 and had three great years with the car......
But then Ford did a 0% deal on mustangs AND were offering decent discounts so I ended up buying the car I probably should have bought first time round
Your experience with the Ford guy is exactly what I've experienced, the drive is simply 'boring' with the salesman sat next to you, quite the opposite of what you want to do.
But then the M140 is meant to be a great car, i've heard only good things!
London1986 said:
I've heard of this happening but I've never experienced it myself, where the salesmen would just give you the keys to take the car away. An hour would be more than sufficient!
Do you reckon it is down to the dealers discretion? Or is it something that you can request? I'm pretty sure I did ask one at Jaguar when testing an F-pace and they said it's company policy for the salesmen to be in the car
In my experience, most serious dealers will either hand you the keys or will accompany you but let you have as long as you like/take the route you like.Do you reckon it is down to the dealers discretion? Or is it something that you can request? I'm pretty sure I did ask one at Jaguar when testing an F-pace and they said it's company policy for the salesmen to be in the car
London1986 said:
QuattroDave said:
Brand new, I was looking for a new car in 2016, had a shortlist of an S3, M140i, Focus RS and Mustang GT.
Audi wouldn't sort a test car,
BMW brought round an M140 auto (exactly what I wanted to try)
Ford insisted on joining me for an incredibly boring drive long M3 and M27 in the focus RS at rush hour,
Same salesguy then insisted on doing the same route in the Mustang.
Narrowed it down to M140 and Mustang at that point, but then Ford scored an own goal by not s much as taking a penny off the price OR giving a full tank, BMW on the other hand offered £5k off list and with my options I ended up with £8k off list.
Bought the M140 and had three great years with the car......
But then Ford did a 0% deal on mustangs AND were offering decent discounts so I ended up buying the car I probably should have bought first time round
Interesting, thanks for sharing. Audi wouldn't sort a test car,
BMW brought round an M140 auto (exactly what I wanted to try)
Ford insisted on joining me for an incredibly boring drive long M3 and M27 in the focus RS at rush hour,
Same salesguy then insisted on doing the same route in the Mustang.
Narrowed it down to M140 and Mustang at that point, but then Ford scored an own goal by not s much as taking a penny off the price OR giving a full tank, BMW on the other hand offered £5k off list and with my options I ended up with £8k off list.
Bought the M140 and had three great years with the car......
But then Ford did a 0% deal on mustangs AND were offering decent discounts so I ended up buying the car I probably should have bought first time round
Your experience with the Ford guy is exactly what I've experienced, the drive is simply 'boring' with the salesman sat next to you, quite the opposite of what you want to do.
But then the M140 is meant to be a great car, i've heard only good things!
For me the sense of occasion and a burble V8 won me over and I doubt I'll sell the mustang until I can afford a McLaren!
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