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Would you buy a car without test driving it? - READ ONLY

37 messages,  Last post on Jan 26, 2013 at 7:18 AM

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What is this discussion about? Car Buying, Car Leasing, True Market Value (TMV)

Messages Page 4 of 4

#28 of 37 No way in hell... by andys120

Oct 18, 2011 (3:55 pm)

If nothing else I'd want to check things like the seats, the driving position, controls etc. I like to drive on different types of roads to find out how well it rides handles and brakes. If it's an old car I try to wring it out to check things like brakes. I was once out in a '68 Firebird Sprint convertible I was interested in. I stood on the brakes as hard as I could at 30 or 40mph and damned if the frame didn't flex so much that the fan started chewing up the radiator. NO SALE!
 
I sold our Saab 900S to some friends and had to insist that they test drive it. I figured Saabs have certain peculiarities that they might not like. They bought the car, still have it and use it to commute daily.
 
If I'm buying new it might suffice to drive a similar car but I make the sale conditional on my satisfaction after driving it prior to signing the papers.

#29 of 37 Car Match by Stever@Edmunds HOST

Oct 20, 2011 (1:36 pm)

A reporter would like to interview anyone who has used Edmunds.com's Car Match.
 
Please email predmunds.com by November 4, 2011 with your daytime phone number and a comment about your experience.

#30 of 37 Re: No way in hell... [andys120] by isellhondas

Oct 30, 2011 (10:31 am)

Replying to: andys120 (Oct 18, 2011 3:55 pm)
That Firebird had a bad motor mount. A frame won't flex like that.

#31 of 37 From the 11/11 (online) New York Times... by hpmctorque

Nov 11, 2011 (8:27 pm)

"For New-Car Buyers, Taking a Test Drive Now Seems So 1995
Vanessa Vick for The New York Times
 
UNTESTED Charles Van Stone did not test drive the 2010 Camaro he leased.
By ALAN RIDER
                 
AT a time when consumers have become accustomed to buying flat-screen televisions from Amazon.com without ever seeing the picture quality and ordering shoes through Zappos.com without trying them on, is it any wonder that some would buy a vehicle without ever taking a test drive?..."
 
This is just the first paragraph of a two page article that gives a lot of reasons, pro and con, why an increasing number of people pass on test drives.

#32 of 37 the trend continues by Stever@Edmunds HOST

Aug 14, 2012 (8:37 am)

"More than 1 in 10 U.S. car shoppers skip a test drive, buying a car without checking the ride, a new study shows."
 
The article talks about net research as a substitute but I think this quote may be the real reason:
 
"The aversion to test drives may be rooted in the dealership experience"
 
Translation - people hate going to car dealers.
 
Car Shoppers Often Skip Test Drive, Study Reveals (Inside Line)

#33 of 37 Re: the trend continues [steve_] by roadburner

Aug 14, 2012 (10:32 am)

Replying to: Stever@Edmunds (Aug 14, 2012 8:37 am)
In 1995 I special ordered my Club Sport without driving one- mainly because Munich was building less than 400 of the little beasties. I had already driven a base 318ti and liked it, so I figured that adding an M Technic suspension and M Technic bodywork would only make the car better. Seventeen years later, I still love the car.
Last month my wife bought a CPO 328i- again without a test drive. Both of us had driven several permutations of the E9x 3ers, so there was no need to waste everyone's time.
Having said all that, there is NO WAY that I would buy a car that I had not driven in the configuration I was buying. One example:
 
I was a bit interested in a Lincoln LS V6 with a manual. They were extremely rare and there was no way to test drive a stick prior to purchase. I might not have liked the clutch take-up or the shift quality, but I'd be stuck with the thing(I guess I should count my lucky stars that I didn't get one, as Ford threw the LS under the bus and Lincoln began to specialize in building overpriced, tarted-up Fords).

#34 of 37 Re: the trend continues [roadburner] by Stever@Edmunds HOST

Aug 14, 2012 (6:49 pm)

Replying to: roadburner (Aug 14, 2012 10:32 am)
I think the big issue is the ergonomics, especially with the seat. What if it turns out that the thigh support is just too short for you?
 
The problem is that often test drives are just too short for you to learn how comfortable the car is going to be after sitting in it cruising the Interstate for four hours.

#35 of 37 Rent a car first by nortd

Aug 15, 2012 (6:16 am)

First, I do my homework on the internet as to what I am interested in. When ever I purchase a new vehicle, I almost always rent that make and model for an overnight week-end day (the rates are very low on weekend days). This eliminates all the sales pitch nonsense (until you get to the Finance guy, who then tries to sell you everything from an extended warranty to a "lifetime wax job"!!!
  I have done this with my last three vehicles. I know someone will say "well that's expensive" but this way I get to really test drive the car and can put bookoo miles on it and get to really feel how it drives and feels.
  I am not an expensive car buyer, so almost always I can find what I am interested in at local rental agencies.

#37 of 37 pardon the cross-post by Stever@Edmunds HOST

Jan 26, 2013 (7:18 am)

"A new online service enables car shoppers to test drive vehicles without going to a dealership.
 
Tred, a Seattle startup with ties to former GM CEO Rick Wagoner, cuts dealership trips by delivering new vehicles for consumers to test drive and possibly purchase.
 
Tred drivers, not salespeople, deliver the vehicles wherever the shopper wants. The service ensures that dealerships can keep salesmen on the floor at all times, the company said."
 
Seattle startup tied to Wagoner delivers cars for test drives (Automotive News)

Messages Page 4 of 4

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