Originally posted by SpliceVW:
Hahahahaha sorry I know you are just trying to help but.. has anyone actually ever bought a car WITHOUT test driving it...?



Well, I did, actually. Ordered my SVT Contour sight unseen when it was announced in March 1997. I had never seen one in person until the salesman drove it up to me in the dealer parking lot. If you have a taste for performance cars, test drives are not all that easy to get. And even when you do, you can't really tell all that much about the car because you have to

a. be careful with a near-zero mileage car with an unbroken-in motor.

b. have a salesman in the car with you pressuring you to drive as conservatively as possible, as well as get back to the dealership to consumate the deal.

c. realize that a single test drive is essentially meaningless. How much can you really learn about a car with just one drive? Maybe how it fits your body, how the car's controls feel -- that's about it. To really know a car takes a long time.

Before I get flamed, I'm talking about high-performance cars that are relatively rare. Dealers almost never have sports car test-drive mules, and they don't want people to test drive their inventory because no buyer wants to purchase a sports car that has been potentially been beaten on by previous shoppers. It's a Catch 22: you can't test drive the car unless you buy it, but you won't buy it unless you test drive it.

When Evos and STi's first came out, getting a test drive was nearly impossible. That has improved a bit, but the same set of rules apply to a C6 Corvette, Porsche 911, Mustang Cobra, or other similar sports cars.

Much as people rail about the car magazines (rags), they are the only group that has enough access to the cars in environments that allow them to truly explore the car's limits. I find if I pick a writer that I trust based on years of reading their opinions, then I can usually tell whether the car they are writing about is one that I could grow to like. It's a crapshoot, to be sure, but it is a price we pay for being automotive enthusiasts.

Now, if you were going to buy a Dakota or a Camry or Buick, then by all means, take a nice, long leisurely test drive. Most of those dealers would be happy to accomodate you.

Last edited by Lee K; 08/27/04 01:46 AM.
Lee K 98 SVT Contour, silver (sold after 7 years and 100K miles) 03 Lancer Evolution, red