How to do a proper test drive
Forbes Autos has seen fit to enlighten us with its idea as how to properly perform a test drive. Needless to say, they are not advocates of the "drive it like you stole it" approach (I've got a friend who treats every test drive like his personal chance to replicate the chase scene from "Bullitt"). There are some good tips in here, such as bringing along a second person to distract the saleman so that you can attempt to concentrate on the driving experience instead of chattering about interest rates or how well his kids are doing in school. To be honest, though, it's dang tough to get an accurate impression of a car in 30 minutes, especially with the complexity of today's features. I still say, try to rent a similar vehicle and live with it for at least a day.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
David 10:25PM (12/18/2005)
Your suggestion to rent the car you are contemplating purchasing is an excellent one. I found renting very illuminating before I made my most recent purchasing decision. The experience allowed me to purchase a car I very much enjoy today and had not visualized owning prior to my 'long term' rental test drives.
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md 10:25PM (12/18/2005)
Most of that is just common sense. the pointer about bringing someone along to distract the salesperson is a good idea, but the rest is just "duh."
I remember when we took our Jeep for a test drive we found a muddy dirt road to maker sure the transfer case was in good working order. The look of shock and horror on the salesperson's face after seeing thes vehicle all muddy when we got back to the dealership (we got it good and dirty) was unforgetable.
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jef 10:25PM (12/18/2005)
if you believe in the product you're selling, the best thing is to let the test driver take the car out him/herself. with discretion of course...
i recently test drove a e90 330i on my own.. took it through the curves and ran up to 100 on the highway. best test driving experience i've had, and i was sold on the car.
didn't buy it, 'cause i wasn't really looking to buy a car, but at least now i have strong impression of the car and not how annoying the saleman was.
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EricNH 10:25PM (12/18/2005)
A three hour solo test ride in a new Subi convinced me it was not the car or me. It felt comfortable for the first 15 minutes, but then the seats just started to aggravate me.
I completely agree a solo test drive at least an hour long to completely experience an car is a great advantage. I appreciate Subaru letting me take the extended ride even though it did push me to the Accord.
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JayP 10:25PM (12/18/2005)
Nice pic. :)
Reminds me of when I borrowed my folks 280S for my commute to high school. Once.
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Bigel 10:25PM (12/18/2005)
I wish the concept of the 24 hr. test drive was a good one. I think GM had it for a while, but haven't heard anything more about it or other manufacturers trying it. I wish they would.
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J ron 10:25PM (12/18/2005)
Some car companies let you take a 24 hour test drive.
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zak 10:25PM (12/18/2005)
The real reason that a salesperson goes on a test drive with you is that your driving a vehicle worth 20K+ and you don't OWN it. When was the last time you let someone you don't know drive your car just because they asked? By the way most people that want to drive the car alone DON'T buy it(ie. Jef). So do me a favor and cut the salesman a little slack, we're not all that bad.
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Peter Eipers 10:25PM (12/18/2005)
When I test drove the 350Z I eventually bought this spring, I was a little surprised the salesman let me take it out without him. It might have been that my wife was with me, and there are, you know, only two seats.
Since I was pretty sure I wanted that particular one, I didn't beat on it too bad... No Bullitt remakes...
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Steve J 10:25PM (12/18/2005)
The rental idea is a good one, but not practical for a lot of cars. There aren't a lot of BMWs, Audis, Infinitis, Mercedes, etc. in rental fleets.
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Pip 10:25PM (12/18/2005)
Right--if you don't want a salesman coming with you, don't look suspicious, bring as many people as the car will hold. Also, if you're concerned about the car fitting in your garage, see if you can just take it home and see (and bringing it back promptly, of course).
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rob rudorf 10:25PM (12/18/2005)
I think each store has their own policy. I drove a Cooper S last week with just me and my son. Today I drove a GXP Pontiac with the sales rep. because of the store rules. It doesn't matter to me if they go or not. If I have questions, it's easier to ask the rep right there. In fact today's guy called me "weak" because I did not drive the car into the ground.
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Michael 10:25PM (12/18/2005)
Zak, you're crazy. _I_ am not in the business of selling cars. _You_ are. I don't need to let strangers borrow my car to make money. You do. The only new car I've bought so far is my Jetta than I am getting ready to replace. The Volkswagen dealership let me take it out for a test drive without anyone else in the car and that made a huge difference in my comfort level when buying it.
If I can't drive a car without the salesman in it, it definitely knocks several points off of that dealership when it comes time to make a decision. And, yes, I will test drive identical cars from different dealerships.
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Robert Farago 10:25PM (12/18/2005)
Ah, the old twin stack headlight 300SEL 6.3, with the world's first air suspension. Now THERE was a car...
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Mal Fuller 10:25PM (12/18/2005)
To Robert Farago,
This Mercedes didn't have "the world's first air suspension" as you claim. In 1959, our neighbor in Dearborn, Michigan, who worked for Buick drove a Buick with air suspension. More often than not, especially on cold mornings, the Buick was on dead axle!
My dad loved this because he was a Ford exec!
I'd bet that the FIRST air suspension predates this '59 Buick.
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John Vilsack 10:25PM (12/18/2005)
Just thought I would share my experience:
Back in 2000, I was interested in three seperate cars: The Toyota Celica GTS, Acura Integra GS-R, and the Mercury Cougar V6. I narrowed it down to two and contacted both the Acura and Mercury dealer. I simply asked for the sales manager and said I needed to take each car seperately for multiple hours. I drove to pick up the Mercury then me and a friend went to the Acura dealer to pick up the teg.
We put them both through the motions in the 8 hours we had them both. We switched out of the cars back and forth. In the end, the Cougar had the comfort and (at least at the time) the power I wanted.
I recommend getting in touch with the sales manager via phone before you even get their and express your intentions. Many of them will explain their procedures to you right over the phone.
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Opposite Lock 10:25PM (12/18/2005)
wasn't it the citroen ds? although that was some hydropneumatic deal i think.
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Za 10:25PM (12/18/2005)
At the Subaru dealership my mom bought her Legacy GT from, there were no questions asked, no licenses photocopied, no salesman in the car, or any of that nonsense. The saleswoman, in this case, just told me [and my 17 yr old friend, I was 16 at the time, and quite newly licensed] just not to redline it and handed me the keys while my dad hashed out the details of the purchase with her.
Service from said dealership was excellent, btw. We will buy from them again, without question. :)
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