Beware of some furious salesman..

[S3000]

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/41925835/ns/us_news/?G...

msnbc said:

"A Pennsylvania car salesman who drove 100 mph during a test drive to show his customers "how it's done" but crashed, killing one of them, faces criminal charges, police said.

what the hell ? this sounds like a bad joke.. RIP

Edited by S3000 on Sunday 6th March 15:32

[parapaul]

Perhaps not - there's a thread running on E90post at the moment about a BMW dealer in the UK who have been caught red-handed test-driving a customer's car at 99mph.

Stupidity is the word we're looking for, I think.

[volvoforlife]

The guy had a drink and a joint and then took customers on a 100mph test drive?!

Even if I was buying a Ferrari, I don't expect to be taken for a 100mph test drive for goodness sake.

I know of a lot of dealers who take out customer cars for test drives. Its really not acceptable but what can you do about it.

[5678]

parapaul said:

Perhaps not - there's a thread running on E90post at the moment about a BMW dealer in the UK who have been caught red-handed test-driving a customer's car at 99mph.

Stupidity is the word we're looking for, I think.

Link? Sounds interesting!

[okgo]

Obviously on paper it sounds horrific, and idiotic, which it is. But breaking speed limits is hugely common on test drives.

I've been in a car and the customer has asked to open it up a bit, I've agreed and before you know it we're breaching the 1 lepton mark.

And this is the customer driving.

Edited by okgo on Sunday 6th March 16:04

[Jasandjules]

I've been a few test drives where the salesman scared me.... But then frankly I feel for car salesman given that they have to have customers drive them.....

[soad]

Unpleasant read

[BlueMR2]

Jasandjules said:

I've been a few test drives where the salesman scared me.... But then frankly I feel for car salesman given that they have to have customers drive them.....

Its one thing that puts me off looking into selling cars.

[okgo]

BlueMR2 said:

Its one thing that puts me off looking into selling cars.

Why?

Most people can drive, and they will only drive to their ability.

[carl_w]

I believe there was a TVR dealer a few years back who had a salesman killed while on a test drive with a customer (customer driving), but this is from memory and I'm a bit sketchy on the details.

[chard]

Salesmen get killed all the time, have you noticed how often they get replaced at your local dealer? Most get danger money so put up with the risk.

[sebhaque]

carl_w said:

I believe there was a TVR dealer a few years back who had a salesman killed while on a test drive with a customer (customer driving), but this is from memory and I'm a bit sketchy on the details.

I'm also a bit sketchy on the details but I believe some of the folks on here knew the salesman - he'd come in on his day off to take someone out in a Tuscan (IIRC) as he was very keen on it. Coming out of the dealership the customer, not used to the power delivery of a TVR, accelerated while turning and span the car 270 degrees straight into the path of an oncoming truck. The salesman died instantly, I believe the customer survived with some nasty injuries.

Happy to be corrected if I've got anything wrong.

[bigandclever]

carl_w said:

I believe there was a TVR dealer a few years back who had a salesman killed while on a test drive with a customer (customer driving), but this is from memory and I'm a bit sketchy on the details.

There was. The driver (customer) was done for careless driving, but found not guilty because Tuscan's are difficult to drive, apparently.

[BDR529]

bigandclever said:

There was. The driver (customer) was done for careless driving, but found not guilty because Tuscan's are difficult to drive, apparently.

The stupid prat should have been banged up.

[Jasandjules]

okgo said:

Why?

Most people can drive, and they will only drive to their ability.

Well, when I've sold cars privately I'd had some hair raising experiences, including one where I was about 0.5 seconds from telling the chap to pull over as I will be driving the rest of the way... Not everyone will drive to their ability, and of course this is doubled when you consider that it's a car they are unfamiliar with.

Imagine taking someone out whose never driven more than say a Golf GTi, in a Chimaera in the damp!?!?!? Brown trousers ahoy.....

[okgo]

True.

The cars I was selling were not anything like as powerful and potentially snappy as a TVR

[XB70]

Years ago back in Sydney, I got out at an intersection when the salesman driver was driving like a lunatic.

I had no desire to be wrapped around a telegraph pole

[TonyHetherington]

parapaul said:

Perhaps not - there's a thread running on E90post at the moment about a BMW dealer in the UK who have been caught red-handed test-driving a customer's car at 99mph.

Stupidity is the word we're looking for, I think.

If you'd said 149mph then I'd agree, but 99 is so utterly easily achievable in even a moderately fast car, I don't see why it's an issue. We all risk getting caught when we go over the speed limit by just a few mph and it would be naive to think salesman and test drivers don't.

[BlueMR2]

okgo said:

BlueMR2 said:

Its one thing that puts me off looking into selling cars.

Why?

Most people can drive, and they will only drive to their ability.

As mentioned above, most peoples driving doesn't instil me with confidence and that's in something they have driven for years.

Driving 2 inches from the car infront, emergency braking at the slightest change etc. Looking no more than a car or 2 length ahead down the road, not really someone i would like to be a passenger with.

[ArtVandelay]

TonyHetherington said:

parapaul said:

Perhaps not - there's a thread running on E90post at the moment about a BMW dealer in the UK who have been caught red-handed test-driving a customer's car at 99mph.

Stupidity is the word we're looking for, I think.

If you'd said 149mph then I'd agree, but 99 is so utterly easily achievable in even a moderately fast car, I don't see why it's an issue. We all risk getting caught when we go over the speed limit by just a few mph and it would be naive to think salesman and test drivers don't.

I'd be annoyed if I'd left my car at the garage and they were speeding in it. It's not so much the speed but how they got to that speed, have they been bouncing off the limiter in each gear to get to that speed? Then again they could do the same if they were only doing 70 I suppose.