Portiacraft charge £20 for a test drive!

[kamal996]

In a bid to rid himself of "test pilots" Harry at Portiacraft has now started charging £20 for a test drive and donating proceeds to charity-plus he matches the £20 for each sale...

Interesting...cant wait for him to get a 996 Turbo...£20 well spent...IF YOU ARE READING THIS HARRY I'M JUST KIDDING!!!

[dazren]

Sounds cheap for bonafide test pilot hoonmeister tyre shredders.

DAZ

[aceparts_com]

Too cheap if you ask me. Should be more like £100

[shadowninja]

TBH it sounds fair enough when you think about it, esp as its going to charity and he gives it back if you buy the car. £100 would put me off though (assuming it was one that I was considering), even if it was for £30k of car.

[domster]

But if I was genuinely spending 30k on a car, I would expect a free test drive. What next, estate agents charging for viewings???

What I would do tho', to show I am not a timewaster, is pay for a 150-200 GBP independent inspection, and give 40 quid to charity if I ended up buying it.

All's fair in the badger's den...

[silver993tt]

er, pay for a test drive?? I don't think so. For new cars, dealers have dedicated demonstrator cars. If they want to charge for a drive I would certainly walk away and never go back. There are plenty who won't charge and do very good business.

So you get a few time wasters? so what? Happens in many situations of selling - all part of the sales process. Dealers get fat margins on new and used cars which easily absorb the time taken by a few people who aren't serious.

What about a dealer paying the intended purchaser when the promised delivery date isn't met??

What about the dealer paying for the customer's time when a service takes 5 days instead of 1 day due to mistakes made by the mechanics?

It should work both ways, not one.

[Witchfinder]

Someone who takes a test drive and then doesn't buy the car isn't necessarily a time-waster. I imagine the dealer sees them that way, but perhaps they just didn't like the car!

[rubystone]

To be fair to Harry, his cars are priced to attract a lot of people and he is located in an area where a lot of modified jap and german car owners live, all of whch is going to attract many tyre kickers.

I'm willing to bet that if he is able to work out that you do not fall into the latter category, you would be able to get a test drive without paying the £20.

As a matter of interest, how many othehr specialists allow test drives? Does Henry? Autobahn? Paragon?...

993TT did you know that Portiacraft are not an OPC? Clearly OPCs do have the benefit of demo cars

[domster]

Witchfinder said:

Someone who takes a test drive and then doesn't buy the car isn't necessarily a time-waster. I imagine the dealer sees them that way, but perhaps they just didn't like the car!

Or maybe the car had something wrong with it?

That would be a lot of £20 notes and no sale

[silver993tt]

Anyone selling a car has to offer a test drive to a prospective purchaser if they want a half decent chance of a deal. I can't see the sense in buying a car that I've never driven. It's also why I think the culture of putting down deposits on cars that won't be around for 2-3 years is also mad. If I'm buying something I want to see it, touch it and drive it. I'll then decide if I it's worth the asking price or any kind of deposit.

[aceparts_com]

Well I must have balls of steel because I've put down £28K and £40K without driving either of the Porkers I've bought until I drove them home!
If you've serious, you'll pay £100 for a test drive.
I don't think i'm alone when I say I know which porsche model I want to own before I've even sat in it?
Besides, what can you really discover in a twenty minute spin? It takes me three weeks to get the seat adjusted how i want it!

[domster]

Yeah, but ace, what if the car was a piece of junk with a bad misfire at 4000 rpm under load?

Hmmmm.

I would rather pay the 100+ quid for an inspection - that shows my commitment to the car - as well as a commitment to not being ripped off.

Also, a few mins behind the wheel can be revealing. You can sense the general health of the car, any odd behaviour or habits, squeaks and rattles, plus you can check for smoke under load etc. OK, so on the limit handling is never going to be able to be found out on a test drive (unless you are Iguana), but first impressions can be a good guide.

ATB
Dom

[xxplod]

I think all sales reps make a judgement call. At my Lotus dealer they know I've bought 3 new Elises in the last 5 years. So when a new model comes out, I get a call or a letter and they give it to me for a whole day, unaccompanied. I would not expect that if I just walked in to a showroom I'd never been in before.

[silver993tt]

I think that the point is this. If the person selling the car is serious they will allow a test drive. A bit like if you're buying a case of good wine, a good wine shop will allow you to taste a sample before buying and spending a big lump of cash.

I don't think a 20 min drive qualifies as a test drive. A morning or afternoon is more reasonable.

Actually, £100 for a test drive would be great for a dealer. Put on a car that doesn't drive quite as it should and it would become a money making machine! Move it around different branches so it doesn't become too well known and bingo!

Where's RICHCARDEALER?



>> Edited by silver993tt on Wednesday 2nd June 14:32

[aceparts_com]

Domster,

One would hope (expect) that a dealer would not buy a car with a bad misfire over 4000rpm!

I think the Great trade centre or whoever they call themselves now days opperate a system where you pay £100 for a test drive.

I've always done my homework before buying a car and then kept my fingers crossed. So far i've been very lucky

[domster]

You would be surprised... I have been sold a Lotus Carlton that misfired when hot, ie after about 20mins, so the test drive (in the rain) didn't show it up. It was cheap enough and sorted with new leads so I didn't mind.

You can check blue smoke under load, running temps etc. Test drives are valuable. Trusting a dealer is still an act of faith.

[clapham993]

As a matter of interest, how many othehr specialists allow test drives? Does Henry? Autobahn? Paragon?...

[/quote]

Paul Stephens (I've had 2 911s from him now) positively encourages extensive test drives from customers that he perceives are serious about buying the car. With my 1st 911 from him the test drive lasted nearly an hour and covered about 40 mile in town, on dual carriage ways and on country roads with Paul encouraging me to 'press on' and see what the car would do.

I actually commented on how it was a fantastic test drive, to which he replied that he likes to make sure that the customer really gets on with the car.

Paul likes to listen to what his clients are looking for and match them to the right car rather than saying that he has a showroom full of cars and you can take your pick.

If you're in the market for a 911 you really ought to try him.

[steve-p]

Charge for a test drive? No way!

[poorcardealer]

Incredible!!!!

This is how I do it...........most serious customers will telephone first to ask details prior to turning up, they can then look at the car at their pace without me looking over their shoulder, I am around if they want to ask questions etc.............if they request a test drive I enquire if they have a p/ex.if they have I appraise the p/ex and give the customer a price PRIOR to any run out in the car....(common sense, then we are not wasting each others time if we are miles apart on p/ex)
then we go for a run, for as long as the customer wants within reason.
However the man who turns up with a clipboard (yes its happened) and a parkers guide in his back pocket is likely to the royal F**K Off!!!
Also the man who has another 32 cars to look at and drive, I will normally ask him/her to return when they have condensed their list down to say 3.

Works for me, but I am a poorcar dealer.ask Lord Firman hes the wealthy one

[iguana]

domster said:

OK, so on the limit handling is never going to be able to be found out on a test drive (unless you are Iguana)