merc sls test drive

[andy355]

just got told needed to give them a 5k deposit to drive one (in case of damage, refundable after test drive). gave them an earful so checking with their manager.

anyone else had this on these or other top end cars?

i understand they have to sort out the chaf but that can be done in other ways

[martinvantage]

Go to Brooklands if you can. Let them know you are serious and I wouldn't be surprised if the new car sales team arrange a half hour drive on their track with an instructor.

[andy355]

yes thats what i said to the salesman. i dont mind paying a fee to drive on on a track but definitely not putting a deposit down to test drive one

anyone on here own one? worried about the width, particularly how wide it is at the rear wheels as daily car park has alloy munching kerbs by the barriers

[Drclarke]

I can't quite see the problem?

If you don't like / don't damage it you get your deposit back.

You surely can't think that if you kerb a wheel or bend a panel you expect to be able to wander off from the showroom leaving them with a repair bill

[andy355]

it means that

a) i have to have 5k in my current account so they can draw on debit card - no idea if i do or not
b) i have to check that its been refunded after via online banking

thats just unecessary admin

point is that you dont do that elsewhere and they are doing it to deter wannabees. that they can do in other ways.

THEY need to sell themselves to me, not me to them.

[jvdp]

Serves you right for thinking about an SLS !

Meanwhile there's a huge thread already this week about test drive deposits which suggests its becoming normal

http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&a...

[Ash333]

if you don't have a cc thats good for £5k you can't afford an SLS. Simples.

[christer]

Desposit needed for test drive = no deal in my book. Nothing to do with being able to afford it.

[Drclarke]

christer said:

Desposit needed for test drive = no deal in my book. Nothing to do with being able to afford it.

If it's refundable where's the problem?

[RevHappy]

I don't think they'll actually take the money off the card, they'll just make sure the card will take the hit if you stack the thing.

[4leks]

I personally can't see a problem if 5k is refundable and no catch in small print
Why would you give 100k+ of your property to some stranger to drive & test it without knowing that he can afford at least to kerb the alloys...Imagine queue of people you would get if you decide to give away SLS or any similar car to test drive t any stranger.
If you don't have £5k+ cc limit it is unlikely you can afford £100k+ car, very simple.
If you buy £100k+ vehicle privately a lot of people wouldn't potentially allow you even to test drive the car and I think this is perfectly fine.
I think £5k is VERY reasonable based on the fact it is fully refundable....unless you are not sure about your driving skills

[northo]

RevHappy said:

I don't think they'll actually take the money off the card, they'll just make sure the card will take the hit if you stack the thing.

It's called an authorisation - what they do when you book a hotel room.

[andy355]

they are insured against damage surely?

its not the damage thing thats annoying me its because they are using it as a way of filtering out those who cannot afford it/are not serious

i expect they will change their mind when they speak to the boss.

for me, what i end up buying is a factor of a wish list of cars, test drives and attitude/relationship with dealers. if there is no test drive/dealer is unhelpful then its never going to happen. probably why im driving a california now - ferrari know how to sell high end cars. mercedes dealers are not very good at this from my experience - i have had 3 SL's over the years - there was never much of a dealer experience

regarding the other thread and deposits - i see that as being more a small dealer/indie/private seller occurance. thats a different situation from a main dealer representing the marque in London

Edited by andy355 on Sunday 18th September 09:31

[ted 191]

Before I bought a 599 I test drove SLS,Bentley supersport,California and 997 turbo S, no problems getting a drive in any of them, wouldn't bother with a SLS, it was by far the worst car I drove.

[andy355]

interesting Ted.... i wouldnt do a 997T"s" as i had the regular 997T and it didnt do much for me. bentley too big for my liking. 599 i always liked but decided on the cali due to the dual clutch box being more suited to london. sls is the unknown to me, ive always liked merc SL's so if its a bit like that to drive may suit me.

[DayTrader]

andy355 said:

its not the damage thing thats annoying me its because they are using it as a way of filtering out those who cannot afford it/are not serious

Edited by andy355 on Sunday 18th September 09:31

So? How else are they meant to do it? I really don't see what the issue is at all - otherwise they would have every man and his dog asking for a ride. I am sure if you were known to the dealer than they wouldn't be doing it but it's just a sensible precaution.

[christer]

Drclarke said:

If it's refundable where's the problem?

There are many:

In order for me to put down a 5k refundable deposit with a dealer I would need that in writing. That either takes time on the day or has to be done up front. It would also need to state that I receive back my deposit within a x days so that I can either budget for having 5k less in my current account for that period or face the possibility of not getting the 5k back on the cc (if I use one) in time to avoid charges or having to transfer the 5k to the cc whilst I wait. colleagues at work have had this problem before - I.e. A long delay.

The dealer will be fully insured for customer test drives so this is not a problem if a wheel is kerbed or something else happens.

At the end of the day, if you want to go through the hassle or the risk then by all means go for it, however as already stated I wouldn't personally. It shows a lack of trust in the potential customer - which I instinctively reciprocate.

Imho, dyor

[christer]

P.s. If a dealer is not insured or expects me to "contribute" to their insurance requirements and so on then I would definitely not risk it unless I arranged my own insurance but then it would absolutely have to be a very special car that I could not access anywhere else. I am happy to drive the car in question with a dealer rep present in the car - I am not suggesting that I drive the car on my own.

[4leks]

unless you re known to the dealer who would they know you are serious buyer? I think 5k is not about insuring the risks but to protect the dealer against giving a car for test drive to someone who can't even afford it (well, I think if you turn up in Cali it should be slightly different)
good luck anyway
I personally think SLS is cool looking car but Cali is much better driver's car

[andy355]

im sure a 5 minute conversation could split those that could afford it from those that cant. also the prospective buyer's car history would give an idea if "capable" of driving it. not like the sls is intimidating anyhow apart from its a bit fat and possibly has awful rear 3/4 visability

there are ways of doing these things. as i said, ferrari/maserati/lamborghini/porsche seem to manage from my experience

im just raising this as a topic of conversation. i fully expect they will come back and offer the drive without this. if not then i wont go and see it.

just to contrast this - a ferrari dealer brought a california demo to my work and took about 20 of us out during the course of a day last year. i guess that is the other extreme