Honda, Toyota dealers refuse Proper testdrive

[blackman777]

About a month ago I went to testdrive a CR-Z (hybrid). The sales manager rode along, but would not let me take the car more than one exit on the interstate.

I also testdrove a Prius, and it was the same deal.

I said to both these guys, "I spend all my time on the interstate. How am I supposed to see how it runs & what kind of MPG the car gets in that situation, if I'm only allowed to go one mile?" The Honda guy pointed to the EPA sticker and I responded, "That doesn't mean much. We know Hyundai, Ford, and Honda were all sued for dishonest numbers on that sticker." (Honda was later found 'not guilty' upon appeal.) Both Honda & Toyota salesmen said little except to direct me back to the store.

Anyway both dealers lost a sale.

I refuse to buy a ~25,000 dollar car without a proper drive to make sure it is a nice & smooth-running vehicle. What is it with dealers today that they shoot themselves in the foot & willingly lose a sale. When I worked in sales I bent-over backwards to accommodate the customer & keep him happy.

 

[Donald]

Each dealer seems to have a "route" they like to take you on. But a few let you take the vehicle on your own.

 

[SLCraig]

That is just odd. I have only ever had one car brand where the salesperson rode along and it was Hyundai.

Honda told me to take the car all day if I had to, no worries.

Besides, even if the salesperson told me to go one way I'd just go whatever way I needed to... What are they going to do anyway?

 

[Propflux01]

And for every one buyer, there are probably 19 others that either don't buy, or cant make the purchase through credit issues. And appearances do not give the salesman a hint on whether your a buyer, or a time waster.

 

[jeepman3071]

My dad bought a 2013 Grand Cherokee a few months ago. They let him test drive it for the whole day. We actually drove it to a bunch of other dealerships in the area looking for other deals. The one he test drove the whole time ended up being the one he bought.

The same thing happened when he bought his previous Grand Cherokee new in 1999. The dealer let him take it home over night. He bought it the following day. He was probably impressed with the way it handled on our rough dirt road. It makes a difference when test driving a vehicle on roads you drive on daily compared to a short loop around the block.

 

[Spazdog]

Some dealers will let you take the car home for the night. Some insist on having the salesman ride along.

I never could figure out what the criteria was.

I have a decent enough credit score. Maybe they check that when they disappear with your license to "make a copy"

 

[skyactiv]

My wife bought her Mazda at an awesome Mazda dealer as far as test drives are concerned. They advertise: Park Mazda of Wooster - Home of the 13 Mile Thrill Ride!

http://ownamazda.com/?p=Home

 

[NHGUY]

Sounds like they expect the cars to sell themselves just on reputation (ooohhh,its a Toyota/Subaru/Honda,they are all good and bulletproof...who needs a testdrive?) heaven forbid if someone actually drove one and didnt like it.

 

[Pablo]

Originally Posted By: blackman777
About a month ago I went to testdrive a CR-Z (hybrid). The sales manager rode along, but would not let me take the car more than one exit on the interstate.

I also testdrove a Prius, and it was the same deal.

I said to both these guys, "I spend all my time on the interstate. How am I supposed to see how it runs & what kind of MPG the car gets in that situation, if I'm only allowed to go one mile?" The Honda guy pointed to the EPA sticker and I responded, "That doesn't mean much. We know Hyundai, Ford, and Honda were all sued for dishonest numbers on that sticker." (Honda was later found 'not guilty' upon appeal.) Both Honda & Toyota salesmen said little except to direct me back to the store.

Anyway both dealers lost a sale.

I refuse to buy a ~25,000 dollar car without a proper drive to make sure it is a nice & smooth-running vehicle. What is it with dealers today that they shoot themselves in the foot & willingly lose a sale. When I worked in sales I bent-over backwards to accommodate the customer & keep him happy.


Originally Posted By: blackman777
No unemployed. I start the day eating food & reading forums (hence lots of early posts). Then I start applying for jobs which is almost a full time job itself. (I could be a slacker my unemployed boss who has done zero job hunting & instead wastes days at spas, gyms, and restaurants.)

 

[blackman777]

And $400,000 in the bank.

 

[daves87rs]

Originally Posted By: blackman777
And $400,000 in the bank.



And so you would buy a car with no job? It's great you have money to buy it, but they cost money to run too you know!

You could get a great cash deal on a Cruze or Civic and save like ten grand.......

 

[George7941]

Originally Posted By: jeepman3071
My dad bought a 2013 Grand Cherokee a few months ago. They let him test drive it for the whole day. We actually drove it to a bunch of other dealerships in the area looking for other deals. The one he test drove the whole time ended up being the one he bought.

The same thing happened when he bought his previous Grand Cherokee new in 1999. The dealer let him take it home over night. He bought it the following day. He was probably impressed with the way it handled on our rough dirt road. It makes a difference when test driving a vehicle on roads you drive on daily compared to a short loop around the block.


Did your Dad buy it as a new vehicle or as a demonstrator? I would hate it if a new vehicle I bought had been previously lent out to a customer unsupervised and the customer had been free to abuse the vehicle.

It would be a plus for me when considering dealerships if they insisted on supervision on test rides.

 

[simple_gifts]

Dealer saw a tire kicker IMHO.

 

[dparm]

Vote with your feet. If the dealer treats you like [censored], take your business elsewhere. There are plenty of other dealerships. I've never understood why some just don't seem interested in taking my money.

 

[Silverado12]

Originally Posted By: blackman777
And $400,000 in the bank.


With that kinda money you can retire (but not in CA) and live off the interest. There are some bonds that pay a guaranteed 5-6%. If you take your chances in the mkt you could do better.

 

[crazyoildude]

i dont like them taking my license at all and even if you grab it back its still in their server. I Dont trust them

 

[Tdbo]

Originally Posted By: dparm
Vote with your feet. If the dealer treats you like [censored], take your business elsewhere. There are plenty of other dealerships. I've never understood why some just don't seem interested in taking my money.


+1. I don't worry about it because I'm not the one paying floorplan on several hundred cars plus they have given me a preview of how I would be treated as a customer.

 

[bullwinkle]

Originally Posted By: Silverado12
Originally Posted By: blackman777
And $400,000 in the bank.


With that kinda money you can retire (but not in CA) and live off the interest. There are some bonds that pay a guaranteed 5-6%. If you take your chances in the mkt you could do better.
$400K times .06=$24K, minus taxes, etc.-maybe you could live in a single wide trailer somewhere cheap if you had no spouse, family, outstanding debts, etc. I agree with the OP though, if they won't let you drive it, don't buy it!

 

[john_pifer]

Originally Posted By: Spazdog
Some dealers will let you take the car home for the night. Some insist on having the salesman ride along.

I never could figure out what the criteria was.

I have a decent enough credit score. Maybe they check that when they disappear with your license to "make a copy"

They aren't supposed to check credit without permission.

 

[JOD]

Originally Posted By: blackman777
About a month ago I went to testdrive a CR-Z (hybrid). The sales manager rode along, but would not let me take the car more than one exit on the interstate.

I also testdrove a Prius, and it was the same deal.

I said to both these guys, "I spend all my time on the interstate. How am I supposed to see how it runs & what kind of MPG the car gets in that situation, if I'm only allowed to go one mile?"



Trying to determine fuel economy from a test ride is utterly ridiculous, and if they're letting you take it on the highway, that should be plenty of time to "see how it rides".

There are literally hundreds of Prius and Insights on Fuelly, along with the EPA estimate--yet you think you can be a better judge on a singe test ride? Really??

I'm on the dealer's side on this one, and I think you're being totally unreasonable. For every person like you, there are probably 10 more who will complain about a "new car" having too many miles on it...