Went to a main dealer with a friend to discuss purchase and test drive a car.
It's an 80 mile drive as that is the model/specification that she is interested in and the price is £3000 less than locally. It is manufacturer approved.
20 minutes sir.. No, we want longer than that... 30 minutes....Err..
Valuation for her car £900 less than at another dealer near there.
Don't they want to sell cars?
2nd dealer with better offer will get the deal, subject to finance offer from them.
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This is how the free market works.
You have the money, they have the product. You decide who to buy from.
It is not just the price. There may be differences in service, back up, vehicle preparation, defects in paint etc. They may even have a more smarmy persuasive salesman convincing punters to pay a bit more.
You could even try negotiating - match the price and trade in or we will go elsewhere. But you have to mean it.
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If it’s used then buying at a distance of 80 miles is a potential risk. Any post- sale defects that the supplying dealer has to deal with means a fair trip.
Each of my last three manufacturer approved used cars has needed trips back for attention in their first few weeks for faults not evident at collection.
Maybe I was just unlucky but especially the last time the dealer was awful. I had bought from over an hour away and ended up kicking my heels for three separate days on the outskirts of Southampton.
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Seriously can't see how a twenty minute test drive wouldn't be enough to determine if the car was right for you?
Extended test drives are generally only offered to known and valued customers, would you give your car to a potential buyer ( and a stranger) for a couple of hours?
My car went in for its first service a while back, got given the keys to there E Vitara demonstrater without even asking ( had 3 cars from them) and despite them being fully aware I wasn't in the market for replacement.
Your friend has just cost themselves 2.1k potentially...
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Last couple of cars I have bought new. Didn’t bother with test drives. Just read the reviews. Those guys are better at judging how a car handles than I am.
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>>Didn't bother with test drives
#Me too. Last 2 cars = All good.
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>> Last couple of cars I have bought new. Didn’t bother with test drives. Just read
>> the reviews. Those guys are better at judging how a car handles than I am.
>>
>>
I never bothered test driving any new car for the same reason.
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>> Last couple of cars I have bought new. Didn’t bother with test drives. Just read
>> the reviews. Those guys are better at judging how a car handles than I am.
>>
>>
Gracious, for me I always want an extensive test drive. I'm well built and 6ft 4" tall so can have all sorts of problems driving a car - eg headroom,, legroom, B pillar position, seats, pedal offset, screen visibility - many rear view mirrors block my forward vision as head high in the roof space, etc... In addition with a new car there is the modern gubbins factor - speed, lane , collision, SOS etc - some cars are great, some awful.
With my Suzuki Swace We were allowed to have an extensive test drive - I took the car from 10 miles to 26 on the clock! I ended up buying the demonstrator.
Last edited by: BigJohn on Wed 25 Feb 26 at 23:20
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“Gracious, for me I always want an extensive test drive. I'm well built and 6ft 4" tall so can have all sorts of problems driving a car - eg headroom,, legroom, B pillar position, seats, pedal offset, screen visibility - many rear view mirrors block my forward vision as head high in the roof space, etc...“
They are not really problems for which you need a test drive. All you need to do is sit in the car in the showroom.
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>> “Gracious, for me I always want an extensive test drive. I'm well built and 6ft
>> 4" tall so can have all sorts of problems driving a car - eg headroom,,
>> legroom, B pillar position, seats, pedal offset, screen visibility - many rear view mirrors block
>> my forward vision as head high in the roof space, etc...“
>>
>> They are not really problems for which you need a test drive. All you need
>> to do is sit in the car in the showroom.
>>
Totally agree, it's what we did with the Vitara, did have a brief test drive with the swift only because I wanted to experience the new three pot engine ( it's a peach btw).
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Being of fairly average proportions, I fit most cars. If I sit inside for 5 minutes I can be confident the seat is adequately adjustable, controls accessible, size ok etc.
To establish long term seat comfort given the range of adjustment available requires hundreds of miles, not a test drive.
The real deficiencies in car selection only become apparent months after purchase. Example.- having bought a car fridge I find there is no boot socket in which it can be plugged.
I would never have put a 12v boot socket on the list of essential or desirable kit. In fairness, its omission whilst annoying is hardly disastrous - I can wire one in.
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>> I would never have put a 12v boot socket on the list of essential or
>> desirable kit. In fairness, its omission whilst annoying is hardly disastrous - I can wire
>> one in.
>>
strangely enough I did.
Bought the Vitara for my biannual continental road trips, and essential for my Alpicool C15 fridge, which is a great piece of kit.
Small & light enough to keep in hotel rooms when i set up ‘base camp’ for a few days.
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>> strangely enough I did.
I did as well, the feature also added two int he rear centre console. needed for the dog cage fans in the boot and the cool box in the rear footwell.
Last edited by: Zero on Thu 26 Feb 26 at 14:41
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>> I would never have put a 12v boot socket on the list of essential or
>> desirable kit. In fairness, its omission whilst annoying is hardly disastrous - I can wire
>> one in.
I think the Xantia only had a cig lighter as part of the centre console set up; OK for blowing up air beds when campimng.
Both Berlingos had 12v sockets and the first, with an extra fittings package, had on in each of two storage boxes in the cabin roof.
All three Skodas have then in, at least, the boot.
They're invaluable for cool boxes whether hoteling or in the 'van.
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Daughters BYD Seal udmi doesn’t have a socket in the boot. Which has taken a lot of folk by surprise as it’s just one of these things you assume is now standard.
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>> Daughters BYD Seal udmi doesn’t have a socket in the boot. Which has taken a
>> lot of folk by surprise as it’s just one of these things you assume is
>> now standard.
>>
Well my ID3 has a socket in the boot but not one in the front. VW supplied an electric tyre pump with the car but the wire is 6 inches too short to reach the near side front wheel.
Last edited by: CGNorwich on Fri 27 Feb 26 at 10:20
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>> Well my ID3 has a socket in the boot but not one in the front.
>> VW supplied an electric tyre pump with the car but the wire is 6 inches
>> too short to reach the near side front wheel.
>>
German engineering at it's finest! Perhaps it might reach if you fold the rear seats down and run the cable diagonally through the inside of the car?
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>> Well my ID3 has a socket in the boot but not one in the front.
>> VW supplied an electric tyre pump with the car but the wire is 6 inches
>> too short to reach the near side front wheel.
>>
Can you get an extension cord? Places like Maplin used to sell such things.
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>> Seriously can't see how a twenty minute test drive wouldn't be enough to determine if the car was right for you? >>
I can. I once bought a very nice Pug 206 special edition after such a test drive. It was only after driving it for long trips that I found the seats became uncomfortable. Traded it in after a couple of months.
<< Don't they want to sell cars? >>
Probably, but not unless they turn a profit. It's easy to compare screen prices and trade-in values, what matters is the cost to change, plus your willingness (or not) to risk long journeys to correct unexpected faults.
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Guys.
We are talking about a near new car. ...
Manufacturer approved...
Risks low from a main dealer.
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Trouble is, and I've seen it is that some people treat test driving cars as a bit of a pass time, something fun to do at no.cost to themselves, you've got to ask yourself would you let someone take your car for a hour or so, put mileage on it, burn your fuel with absolutely no guarantee that they will buy it? I wouldn't, take as long as you like looking and asking questions but a quick drive around the block is all your getting.
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>> would you let someone take your car for a hour or
>> so, put mileage on it, burn your fuel with absolutely no guarantee that they will
>> buy it? I wouldn't,
Over the last few decades I've usually bought new / nearly new cheap (end of model, poverty spec etc) to last about a decade and a lot of miles - cheapest way of coping with a long commute. Basically buy cheap, drive lots, look after them well, and throw away. However I've sold the last 5 cars to colleagues at work as they know how well I looked after them. The last two were over Whatsapp!! None of the buyers needed a test drive!
Last edited by: BigJohn on Fri 27 Feb 26 at 22:55
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<< ... I've sold the last 5 cars to colleagues at work as they know how well I looked after them ... >>
When I got my 207SW from the Macclesfield Pug dealer (now Kia) I traded in my 306 diesel. Apparently one of their mechanics said the service record was so good he kept it for himself ...
Last edited by: Andrew-T on Fri 27 Feb 26 at 23:05
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When we bought Mrs F's Peugeot 2008 over 6yrs ago I can vaguely remember driving a similar model for about 10 minutes but I don't think Mrs F ever bothered to 'test drive' it. After all, one mundane small SUV's seats and controls are much the same as another these days. I was just pleased she was content with the body clothing the powertrain of my choice! (1.2 puretech 130 EAT6)
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Test drives - Terry
