Extended Test Drives
Discussion
The Moose said:
Did you buy?
I didn't as my Daytona is mint, but it really impressed me and made it a bike I would give serious thought to in future, whereas before that I would have looked straight past the Street and onto the Speed Triple. Were I after a new bike then yeah, I would have bought one and I did give it serious consideration at the time.
papa3 said:
As i understand it the buying model in the US is totally different from the UK. We don't push to conclude a deal on the first visit to the dealership and very rarely deliver a vehicle on the day of sale. We are seeing more first visit buyers as the shopping process is now so heavily influenced online but delivery will be 3-5 days after.
We don't do spot deliveries unless we absolutely have to. 95% of buyers have already researched online before they set foot in a dealership. We are low pressure and in a relatively good position as the next nearest same brand dealer is 60 miles away. However if you sell Ford, Chevy, Chrysler, Nissan, Honda etc.. the next guy is just down the road. We have 5 VW dealers in the city, god knows how many Toyota and Nissan. If you sell any of the mass market brands you'd better close them or the next guy will. unrepentant said:
We are low pressure and in a relatively good position as the next nearest same brand dealer is 60 miles away.
What's that in time though? My experience of the US is people think nothing of driving chunky distances because it's generally pretty easy and everything is spread out anyway. In the UK there might be another dealer 20 miles away but it could easily take an hour to get there.Sweeping generalisation, but I'd say there are far too few dealerships in the UK.
Sheepshanks said:
unrepentant said:
We are low pressure and in a relatively good position as the next nearest same brand dealer is 60 miles away.
What's that in time though? My experience of the US is people think nothing of driving chunky distances because it's generally pretty easy and everything is spread out anyway. In the UK there might be another dealer 20 miles away but it could easily take an hour to get there.Sweeping generalisation, but I'd say there are far too few dealerships in the UK.
We have a small dealer about an hour away but the nearest grouping is 200 miles away in Chicago. My point was that if you go into a Toyota dealer and don't see or get what you want you can drive 10 minutes to the next one. Many people will just call or email all of them for a price and it's a race to the bottom.
I looked at a new Mustang once, new model year just out, and the sales manager offered me invoice before I even drove it! I bought a Camaro instead on the same terms. Those guys churn sales people because when you sell everything at invoice and you're commission only you don't make much money!
Tried to sort a decent test drive in another Leon at another dealer today after the last rubbish one.
Not sure this one is going to be much better. This was from me being in the dealership not on phone or email and actually chatting to the sales guy telling him my problem with the last test drive.
He said their test drive route is pretty similar in that it's just up a 50mph dc round a roundabout and back.
Tried asking if I could take it a bit further onto a better road, with some actual corners and no traffic and he said probably not as they don't want people ragging the cars around.
I don't really know what the salesman are expecting? I'm test driving the fastest, sportiest model in the range and they expect me to base my decision on it based on how it handles a trundle in traffic and and then telling me how much fun it is when they have driven it and given it some stick.
Not sure this one is going to be much better. This was from me being in the dealership not on phone or email and actually chatting to the sales guy telling him my problem with the last test drive.
He said their test drive route is pretty similar in that it's just up a 50mph dc round a roundabout and back.
Tried asking if I could take it a bit further onto a better road, with some actual corners and no traffic and he said probably not as they don't want people ragging the cars around.
I don't really know what the salesman are expecting? I'm test driving the fastest, sportiest model in the range and they expect me to base my decision on it based on how it handles a trundle in traffic and and then telling me how much fun it is when they have driven it and given it some stick.
Fast Bug said:
I think with service it's a case of whatever is there on the day
And the invisible on-going war between sales and service."If sir wants to try an E-Class because sir thinks sir might want to buy one, sir should talk to sales about it and sales can fund an E-Class demo to take care of sir. We'll give sir an A-Class because we don't care if sir wants an E-Class or not. Or a 5-Series, frankly."
RB Will said:
Tried to sort a decent test drive in another Leon at another dealer today after the last rubbish one.
Not sure this one is going to be much better. This was from me being in the dealership not on phone or email and actually chatting to the sales guy telling him my problem with the last test drive.
He said their test drive route is pretty similar in that it's just up a 50mph dc round a roundabout and back.
Tried asking if I could take it a bit further onto a better road, with some actual corners and no traffic and he said probably not as they don't want people ragging the cars around.
I don't really know what the salesman are expecting? I'm test driving the fastest, sportiest model in the range and they expect me to base my decision on it based on how it handles a trundle in traffic and and then telling me how much fun it is when they have driven it and given it some stick.
Slightly off topic - your website isn't working..Not sure this one is going to be much better. This was from me being in the dealership not on phone or email and actually chatting to the sales guy telling him my problem with the last test drive.
He said their test drive route is pretty similar in that it's just up a 50mph dc round a roundabout and back.
Tried asking if I could take it a bit further onto a better road, with some actual corners and no traffic and he said probably not as they don't want people ragging the cars around.
I don't really know what the salesman are expecting? I'm test driving the fastest, sportiest model in the range and they expect me to base my decision on it based on how it handles a trundle in traffic and and then telling me how much fun it is when they have driven it and given it some stick.
I guess it boils down to whether the dealer thinks the OP is a serious buyer or not. When I had my X-Type in for a service a couple of years ago they phoned me later that day to say they needed it in overnight. When I'd dropped it off I'd mentioned I would be interested in part exing it for an XF so on hearing they wanted to keep it overnight I said to them if they gave me an XF until the end of the following day (see how SWMBO and the kids liked it etc etc) on returning it would tell them there and then as to whether I would buy it.
They ummed and ahhed for a bit so I said one thing was for certain and that was without the extended drive the decision would definitely be a no. So they gave me the car, had a great drive round in it, let the missus have a drive and did the deal when I took it back the following day. Everyone was a winner!
They ummed and ahhed for a bit so I said one thing was for certain and that was without the extended drive the decision would definitely be a no. So they gave me the car, had a great drive round in it, let the missus have a drive and did the deal when I took it back the following day. Everyone was a winner!
RB Will said:
Tried to sort a decent test drive in another Leon at another dealer today after the last rubbish one.
Not sure this one is going to be much better. This was from me being in the dealership not on phone or email and actually chatting to the sales guy telling him my problem with the last test drive.
He said their test drive route is pretty similar in that it's just up a 50mph dc round a roundabout and back.
Tried asking if I could take it a bit further onto a better road, with some actual corners and no traffic and he said probably not as they don't want people ragging the cars around.
I don't really know what the salesman are expecting? I'm test driving the fastest, sportiest model in the range and they expect me to base my decision on it based on how it handles a trundle in traffic and and then telling me how much fun it is when they have driven it and given it some stick.
Would you let someone, who's only driving credential is a pink card, start pushing your car to the limit a few minutes after getting into it for the first time? I've had to ask people to pull over before because their idea of "seeing what its got" has been dangerous and one occasion nearly killed a pedestrian. Not sure this one is going to be much better. This was from me being in the dealership not on phone or email and actually chatting to the sales guy telling him my problem with the last test drive.
He said their test drive route is pretty similar in that it's just up a 50mph dc round a roundabout and back.
Tried asking if I could take it a bit further onto a better road, with some actual corners and no traffic and he said probably not as they don't want people ragging the cars around.
I don't really know what the salesman are expecting? I'm test driving the fastest, sportiest model in the range and they expect me to base my decision on it based on how it handles a trundle in traffic and and then telling me how much fun it is when they have driven it and given it some stick.
93DW said:
Would you let someone, who's only driving credential is a pink card, start pushing your car to the limit a few minutes after getting into it for the first time? I've had to ask people to pull over before because their idea of "seeing what its got" has been dangerous and one occasion nearly killed a pedestrian.
I'm not sure he mentioned pushing it to the limit. This forum is very binary.Don't need to push it to the limit but would like to have at least a semi spirited run in it. See how it is on a bumpy road as I spend more time on a/b roads than town driving and what the power delivery is like, play with the different drive modes, get an idea of the fuel economy etc
I don't see why Seat are so fussy about it.
Subaru let me have their top performance model for a week. Lotus let me take an S1 Exige home to see if it would go on the driveway.
Even the local used sellers have been good. With my Audi allroad they just gave me the keys and said take it for a spin and another dealer with an RX8 again just gave me keys and off I went.
The Renault and Honda dealers came with me in the 182/ type r but they did let me go out of town onto country roads.
None of the cars were ragged or crashed but then again I expect I'm a bit more respectful of other people's things than your average punter.
As I said I don't understand how the dealers think the customer is going to form an opinion of a performance car by trundling about in stop start traffic.
I don't see why Seat are so fussy about it.
Subaru let me have their top performance model for a week. Lotus let me take an S1 Exige home to see if it would go on the driveway.
Even the local used sellers have been good. With my Audi allroad they just gave me the keys and said take it for a spin and another dealer with an RX8 again just gave me keys and off I went.
The Renault and Honda dealers came with me in the 182/ type r but they did let me go out of town onto country roads.
None of the cars were ragged or crashed but then again I expect I'm a bit more respectful of other people's things than your average punter.
As I said I don't understand how the dealers think the customer is going to form an opinion of a performance car by trundling about in stop start traffic.
RB Will said:
Don't need to push it to the limit but would like to have at least a semi spirited run in it. See how it is on a bumpy road as I spend more time on a/b roads than town driving and what the power delivery is like, play with the different drive modes, get an idea of the fuel economy etc
I don't see why Seat are so fussy about it.
Subaru let me have their top performance model for a week. Lotus let me take an S1 Exige home to see if it would go on the driveway.
Even the local used sellers have been good. With my Audi allroad they just gave me the keys and said take it for a spin and another dealer with an RX8 again just gave me keys and off I went.
The Renault and Honda dealers came with me in the 182/ type r but they did let me go out of town onto country roads.
None of the cars were ragged or crashed but then again I expect I'm a bit more respectful of other people's things than your average punter.
As I said I don't understand how the dealers think the customer is going to form an opinion of a performance car by trundling about in stop start traffic.
You're an excellent driver (everyone is). I don't see why Seat are so fussy about it.
Subaru let me have their top performance model for a week. Lotus let me take an S1 Exige home to see if it would go on the driveway.
Even the local used sellers have been good. With my Audi allroad they just gave me the keys and said take it for a spin and another dealer with an RX8 again just gave me keys and off I went.
The Renault and Honda dealers came with me in the 182/ type r but they did let me go out of town onto country roads.
None of the cars were ragged or crashed but then again I expect I'm a bit more respectful of other people's things than your average punter.
As I said I don't understand how the dealers think the customer is going to form an opinion of a performance car by trundling about in stop start traffic.
Except most of the public aren't, especially when driving a car that is:
- unfamiliar
- fast
- not theirs
- not likely to ever be theirs
- occupied by a salesman who needs to be impressed by a 4-car overtake over a crest. In the wet. One-handed.
SpeckledJim said:
You're an excellent driver (everyone is).
Except most of the public aren't, especially when driving a car that is:
Having spent a few years working for local dealers I'm actually very experienced in all those situations, except parts of the last one Except most of the public aren't, especially when driving a car that is:
- unfamiliar
- fast
- not theirs
- not likely to ever be theirs
- occupied by a salesman who needs to be impressed by a 4-car overtake over a crest. In the wet. One-handed.
RB Will said:
SpeckledJim said:
You're an excellent driver (everyone is).
Except most of the public aren't, especially when driving a car that is:
Having spent a few years working for local dealers I'm actually very experienced in all those situations, except parts of the last one Except most of the public aren't, especially when driving a car that is:
- unfamiliar
- fast
- not theirs
- not likely to ever be theirs
- occupied by a salesman who needs to be impressed by a 4-car overtake over a crest. In the wet. One-handed.
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