Car Buying Tips » Test Driving

Car Buying Mistakes – No Test Drive

Jeff — Sat, 13 Jun 2009 23:27:37 +0000

The car buying mistake of not going on a test drive falls under the heading of I can’t believe anyone would do this.

Second only to not going on a test drive would be not test driving with the purpose of doing a critical evaluation of the vehicle.

I mean really.

Why would you not test drive a potential new car for yourself? Believe me, it happens.

I sold several cars where the person did not test drive the car. The reasons were varied, but none were valid.

Test drive the damn car.

You might even discover some things about the car that you did not know. This, by the way is one of the reasons for taking the car on a test drive. And if you have done some serious shopping and looking around you will want to come back and test drive the car again once you have narrowed your choices down to a chosen few.

Be sure to have your test drive score card with you.

Do not try to commit all your thoughts on the car to memory. This just won’t work for you. Also, insist that you want to take the car on some various road conditions and various speeds.

The sales person may push for a specific route, but be firm. If you have to, speak with the sales manager and politely tell them of your desire to test drive the car thoroughly and that you need to experience different road conditions.

Also, it’s a good idea to test drive your car on rainy or bad weather days. This will give you a different perspective as well. And as you are scoring the car on the drive, don’t allow the salesperson to comment on or otherwise refute any of your scoring.

The test drive is more than a perfunctory ritual.

It is the most important thing you’ll do in the car buying process before you actually sit down and start negotiating your deal.

Test Drive Score Card

Jeff — Sat, 06 Jun 2009 00:25:11 +0000

I tell people that when you are out doing the car shopping thing, you are going to look at and test drive at least a couple different cars if not many.

What I suggest for people to do is to make up an evaluation form or a score card to take with them will they car shop and test drive and fill one out for each car that they drive.

A simple scoring system of 1 to 5 works great; with 1 being poor and 5 being exceptional.

This way at the end of the day you can sit down and add up the scores and examine just the facts. The scoring system is a great way to keep your head clear on what you have driven, the notes you made, and what exactly you liked and didn’t like about the the car.

If you try to keep all your notes logged in your brain… you won’t be able to remember everything. So, here is a quick example of what I am talking about. Feel free to use it if you like.

Component	Score
Dashboard:
Are the gauges easy to read at a glance
Do you have to change positions to see any of the gauges
Can you reach and find all the controls with minimal effort
Are there any protrusions that are uncomfortable or dangerous in a sudden stop

Visibility:
Does the steering wheel obstruct the view. Is the top of the rim lower than your shoulders. If not it could obstruct your view
Do the wipers provide good coverage on the windshield. Squirt the fluid and find out
Is the window tint an acceptable level for night driving
Any potential dangerous blind spots caused by the layout or design
Do the interior and exterior mirrors minimize blind spots

The Steering:
A slight turn of the wheel should generate a quick response
Is the car easy to steer without masking the feel you have for the road
Does the car pretty much remain on track when traveling in a straight line
How much area is required to make a “U-turn”
Note the number of turns from wheel lock to wheel lock (the fewer the better)

The Suspension:
You should feel comfortable and in control at all times
How hard or soft is the ride (performance cars will have a stiffer suspension
On sharp turns does the car lean too much from side to side
Does the car hop and dance over bumpy surfaces

The Brakes:
Smooth soft stop with no pulling from side to side
With ABS systems be sure to test them by stepping down hard on the brakes and holding the pedal down to make sure the car comes to a controlled stop

Power And Transmission:
With an automatic transmission, does the car seem to hunt for the gears and/or do an abnormal amount of shifting (the transmission always seems busy doing something)
When climbing hills with a manual transmission in a higher gears does the engine have enough power and torque
Can you reach highway speeds easily from the entrance ramp
Is there enough power when called upon to pass

Noise Level:
Before you go on the highway, set the radio to a comfortable listening level with all of the windows closed. Then as you enter the highway and get up to highway speeds; how many times did you have to adjust the volume level up to maintain the same listening level.

Storage Space:
Does the trunk provide enough room for your lifestyle
Is is accessible for loading and unloading
Do the rear seats easily fold down
Is the spare tire a full spare
Is the spare tire and the jack easily accessible

Seating:
Where the seats as comfortable at the end of the test drive as they were at the beginning
Can you easily adjust the seat and reach all the pedals
Can you get in and out of all the doors easily even with a child seat
Once in the seat is there enough headroom (and with a hat)

The Appearance:
Check over all the paint on the car – smooth with no areas of an orange peel look or consistency
Look for spots where the paint appears too thin
Spacing around the doors, hood, and trunk should be even and uniform

Let’s begin looking at the selling price negotiation process…

The Test Drive

Jeff — Sat, 06 Jun 2009 00:19:27 +0000

Your new car test drive should be more than just a formality, going through the motions, or a primal ritual just before you buy a car.

This the most important part of the process before actually heading inside the dealership to discuss dollars.

This is a time when the salesperson is there to answer questions only.

Don’t let the sales person talk and sell constantly while you are on the test drive. If necessary ask the sales person to save the sales chat so you can concentrate on the test drive.

A quick, polite ride around the block will tell you nothing about the car.

Ask the sales person to point out and take you on a variety of road surfaces. Many may be reluctant, and quote policy saying they have a designated route for the drive. If the salesperson holds firm on this, and you really think you want to test drive the car more, then ask the sales manager for the go, or schedule a time when you can come back and do so.

Leave the the radio off. If you are that much of an audiophile, you’ll probably getting your own system in the car anyway.

Check for the road noise both with the windows up and down. A noisy car will wear you out over time.

If the car you are test driving is a manual transmission pay close attention to how the car shifts, how comfortable the pedals are to work, how comfortable the shifter is for you to reach.

Does the car down shift smoothly? For that matter, if the car is an automatic transmission does it shift smoothly? When you kick it into passing gear, does the transmission make the transition smoothly? How does the automatic transmission react around town?

Is it quiet an smooth? Not too busy constantly shifting back and forth.

On a quiet side street, test the brakes by stopping the car quickly and check for pulling from one side to the other (a heads up to the sales person before you do this is the right thing to do).

Test Drive More Than The Car

Jeff — Sat, 06 Jun 2009 00:17:31 +0000

This is a subject that I want to spend some time with you on.

With all the tips and advice out there on what to do and how to do when buying a car, I never seem to notice much advice on picking out a good car sales person to work with.

Now this is tough to pinpoint simply because every person has a different personality.

So what may work for me with an automobile salesperson may not work for you. But, I want to draw your attention to this piece of the car buying puzzle.

First of all, as you are making your initial contact with the car dealership and a particular sales person, be sure to get a feeling if you think this person will be one who you want to work with.

I guess for lack of a better description you really do want to test drive the car salesperson. If you’re just no quite hitting it off with the sales person you initially talk to, then I can assure you that you won’t want to be dealing with this same person as you head deeper into the car buying process.

As you begin the car shopping and car buying process be in tune with how you feel about the salesperson you are working with.

Are they too pushy for you?

Do they seem to show you cars that you aren’t interested in even though you’ve told them your criteria?

Do they respond to your questions in a straightforward and non-evasive manner?

These are the types of questions you should be asking yourself early on whether you are speaking with the salesperson on the phone or actually face to face at the dealership. If you feel the salesperson isn’t a good match for you for any reason, then ask to work with someone else or just keep looking until you do.

Perhaps one of the more difficult intangibles in test driving the salesperson is how willing is the sales person to truly work on negotiating a deal.

In other words, does the sales person seem ‘canned’ in their approach. Do they just keep parroting the sticker price when you use words and phrases about ‘making an offer’ or ‘asking price’ or you quote some of the market values that you have researched on this car.

Do they shy away or even get defensive about and numbers that you toss at them?

This may not seem like a high priority for you when working on your new car deal but let me assure you, finding a sales person that is will to roll up their sleeves and go to work on the car deal, and isn’t afraid to take legitimate selling prices to their sales manager is truly an asset worth seeking out.

For that matter do they seem frightened by the thought of having to go to their sales manager with an offer.

Find a sales person that is excited about selling a car in a win-win scenario, not just some that goes through the motions of a canned sales or 4- square sales process.

Remember you are going to be working with this person throughout the car deal. Be comfortable with this person. Be comfortable with how they treat you. And make sure they aren’t afraid to work to put a fair car deal together with you.

Pricing your car next…