25th Nov 2009, 13:27
The very worst vehicles we ever owned were both Japanese-built (late 80's) Honda and Mazda. No more imports for us.
25th Nov 2009, 15:56
You must buy an awful lot of vehicles. So much so all the salesman know and trust you. I've NEVER taken a test drive where the salesman DIDN'T come with me.
27th Nov 2009, 14:03
What on Earth difference does it make if a salesman comes with you on a test drive? They are selling you a car. It is YOU who pay THEIR salary. You aren't under their authority unless you choose to be. My fondest memory of a test drive was when my wife was looking at cars a few years back. A Ford saleman DID opt to ride along with us (We could have cared less) and what a ride we gave him!! My wife and I are both car enthusiasts and former stunt drivers. I was sitting in the back seat and the salesman was in the passenger seat. My wife was test driving a Mustang GT. She pitched it into a full 4-wheel drift at 105 mph on a freeway exit ramp. The salesman turned green and I honestly thought he was going to throw up. My wife decided to test drive another car, so when we got back to the dealership the salesman just tossed us the keys to the other car and said "Have fun". We did.
If you are too timid to put a car through its paces with a salesman along, you need some serious assertiveness classes. I've taught them (I'm a therapist) and I highly recommend them. They're less expensive than buying a car you don't know anything about because you didn't properly test drive it.
14th Dec 2009, 08:28
I used to sell Fords, and let me tell you had I ever had anyone treat one of my dealers cars that way BEFORE they owned it, I would have told them to pull over, given them a ride back to the dealer and sent them on their way. NO sale is worth dealing with that kind of behavior. NO WAY would I have given you access to any other car on the lot.
What business did you have breaking the law and putting that salesman's life on the line? Also, if you want to treat your own vehicles with such disregard that is fine, but wait until you actually own them to do it!
14th Dec 2009, 15:17
I vehemently DISAGREE. First off, I will NEVER buy a car that I have not given a REAL test drive, WITH OR WITHOUT a salesman along. I'm well known as a mechanic, car enthusiast and respected professional in my area. In 99% of the cases I'm either just tossed the keys and a temporary tag and allowed to take the car for as long as I want, or told "just take it home for the night and we'll see you tomorrow". We've done that on several occasions. I would NEVER "wait until I OWNED it" to find out what a car's capabilities are. Then I'd be stuck with a vehicle I might not WANT. If a car can't take a few full-throttle take-offs, a few panic brakings and a few road-holding cornering tests, I DON'T WANT IT.
Any dealer who EVER had one of their salesman throw me out of a car on a test drive would find themselves in court faster than you can say "SUE ME". I myself worked for a car dealership (Ford, to be precise) many years ago. If I had EVER denied a customer a test drive, I would have been fired on the spot. NO ONE should EVER buy a car that the salesman, dealership, or manufacturer has so little confidence in that they refuse a proper test drive to a prospective buyer. My wife was once told that she could not test drive a car unless she signed a buyer's order by a young and inexperienced salesman who didn't know her. She called the dealership's owner (not manager, OWNER) and received a personal apology. The salesman was fired.
Some of the biggest complaints I see on this site (regardless of what vehicle it is) are things that could easily be discerned in a PROPER test drive. A 5-minute leisurely crawl around the block tells one NOTHING about a car. Those who settle for such deserve what they get. When I have friends or family that are looking for a car, I go with them. If they don't have the guts to check out its capabilities, I gladly do it for them. When my little 82-year-old mom bought her Lincoln MKZ last year I knew she wouldn't get over 30mph on a test drive. I took the wheel and quickly discovered that the VERY powerful V-6 in the MKZ really WILL leave huge clouds of tire smoke, just like our Mustangs and will hold corners almost as well as our BMW 5-series. Mom screamed and the salesman (who WAS with us that time) just laughed. He knows me VERY well and knew what to expect. I also gained a lot of respect for the MKZ. Those things are NOT little pussycats. With mom driving you'd never know that.
14th Dec 2009, 16:13
Or at least ask. I have test driven supercars and without saying I condone speeding, let's just say I test drove and bought a few.
15th Dec 2009, 08:24
"Or at least ask. I have test driven supercars and without saying I condone speeding let's just say I test drove and bought a few."
One thing a dealer has to think about is insurance. If you go off with their vehicle, their plates and drive the car hard, breaking laws and such and you just happen to plow into another car or take out a pedestrian, the dealer is going to be responsible. Yes, you are driving, so you'll be involved too, but you did not offer your own insurance to drive that car, therefore the dealer is responsible. It is different when you rent a car and you give them your insurance, or they specifically sell you an insurance plan, but this isn't the case at the dealer.
I never let anyone drive a car that hard on a test drive. My dealer actually said we were responsible for the cars and to use judgment on any test drive as far as the customer driving properly and respecting our property. It is a new car, and it is under warranty if anything is not right after you get it. There is absolutely no need to thrash a brand new car just to see what it can do. Most people that have the need to drive the car that way already know the cars capabilities, so they really have no excuse to do that on a test drive.
I am all for a thorough test drive in all conditions, going on the highway and driving in traffic but I don't condone abuse of others property and breaking the law in the process. Yes there are extremely fast cars for sale for use on public roads. If you want to take your chances after you purchase the car in breaking the law, then do it... on your own insurance, with your own car that you are paying for.
25th Nov 2009, 13:21
Another excellent example of some VERY distorted thinking.
Here are the FACTS:
1) Ford has as many "recommended buys" as Toyota. This not only includes Fusion, but also all the SUV's, the F-150 and F-250 series trucks, the Focus, the Mustang and the Taurus. Ford reliability ratings overall are higher than Toyota and on a par with Honda.
2) Republicans are wealthy. They DO NOT drive domestic cars. My wife's family are fabulously wealthy. All are Republicans, and drive nothing but German cars (Japanese cars are beneath them). They do all have Hummers because Republicans like the wasteful, in-your-face image of the Hummer. No Republican I know drives a domestic, and few drive Japanese either. Virtually all drive Mercedes, BMW or Bentley/Rolls Royce.
3) My wife and I are Democrats, support American jobs, and drive only Ford and GM vehicles.