Don't Forget: Test Drive the Exact Car You Want to Buy

It took just 10 minutes on the way home from the dealership to realize the seats on the vehicle you just bought are hard as granite, or that the cabin gives off an odor similar to the lion's cage at the zoo, or that the four-cylinder engine has so little power you got passed by the neighbor kid on his skateboard when you entered your subdivision.

Now you have five years to live with the irritation.

It happens all the time, especially now, when consumers willing to spend 10 months researching every nuance of the vehicle they expect to buy via computer pride themselves in spending as little time as possible actually buying the vehicle at the store. They even refuse to spend 10 minutes test driving it before handing over a check, hopping in and heading home — which is the first time some set foot inside the cabin.

Huge mistake.

If you buy a new car from the dealer’s stock, drive the vehicle first. Does everything work? Does it have the room, comfort, and people- and package-carrying space you need? Does it take off quickly and, even more important, stop quickly as well?

If you order for later delivery because you want it in brown, not blue, take an initial test drive of it in blue to ensure it does all of the above, even if it means visiting other dealers to drive the car in yellow and white in order to check out all the options you ordered, whether it’s the performance of the engine and transmission or the quality of the sound system coming on that brown car.

Then test it again when the cocoa one arrives to ensure it comes with everything you ordered and all of it works. You want to find any surprises at the dealership, not your driveway.

Common problems come from the fact that many cars are offered in base, mid-level and top-of-the-line versions. Dealerships often have the top-of-the-line version on hand, which has all the goodies, to show you the car at its best, but you end up ordering the base version to save money. Only after buying do you learn that the V-6 you tested has ample power, but the four-cylinder in the base you ordered to conserve gas is sadly underpowered, or the suspension in the car tested was cushiony soft, but the Sport suspension the salesman talked you into is pure torture, or the uplevel sound system in the car you tested at the store was like being in the front row of the concert, but the less expensive sound system you bought to save money is like listening from another country.

Whether bought from stock or delivered later, you need to check if the vehicle comes with all the items you ordered and if all those items work — buttons, knobs, dials, levers and lights. Where's the spare tire and where's the jack?

Whether you buy off the floor or order for future delivery, you need to test drive the vehicle to learn what, if any, problems exist so they are fixed BEFORE you leave the store, not at your next visit.

A common misconception is that there is a three-day cooling off period in which you can return the vehicle if you’re not happy. Sorry, that only applies if a car salesman comes to your door, not when you go to his.

Comments

[Kyle C.]

Well it is funny how You describe a Honda Civic in the first Paragraph and show a picture of them.

I've never had a problem with going to just a well stocked dealership, looking for the car I want and test driving that exact one. Just be firm and to the point on what you want.

[Dave T.]

Kyle,
most well stocked dealers though aren't always available for certain brands.
And some places have just one "tester" of certain models etc. And no we weren't talking about the civic, they just happened to have a good manufacturer photo of the entire lineup of one model. Most automakers don't do that.

[Kyle C.]

Thats why you do your research and look around before even steping foot onto a lot. There is this magical thing call the internet. Some Dealers have entire inventory of new, used, and COP right on their website.

In fact just going to any chrysler contorled website you can enter a zip and search local dealers and see the exact window sticker.

[Dave T]

Still, certain brands out there and hot new models or new 2008s won't always have every trim level in stock. That's what we're pointing out. Obviously everyone should do their research. But I bought a new 2008 before they were in stock for example.

[J]

"Well it is funny how You describe a Honda Civic in the first Paragraph and show a picture of them."

Just another ignorant comment from KC.

But why in the world people do all the work online but not spending time test driving it? Are they really that busy? Or are they just simply dumb? You are plunking down a 5 digit amount of dough in something you have to live with for sometime in your life for Christ sake!

[rangerxlt]

"But why in the world people do all the work online but not spending time test driving it? Are they really that busy? Or are they just simply dumb? You are plunking down a 5 digit amount of dough in something you have to live with for sometime in your life for Christ sake!"
,J

That's because the average car consumer has no taste when it comes to cars and does not care.

That's why the Accord and Camry sell so well.

[J]

rangerxlt,

Perfect dumb example of why people don't test drive first.

I don't think it's taste. The Camry and Accord look perfectly fine and uninteresting enough to NOT be stolen, but people just want to get the whole process done and don't give a care about "beauty" (again, as long as it looks nice enough)