Before deciding what to buy, go for a test drive...yeah, right!

Originally Posted by rob
I wouldn't even consider buying from them after that incident and it's too bad because the salesman was very polite and courtous and knew about Ferrari's .


Even a$$h-les can be polite, courteous, and still have a smile on their face.

 

Strangely enough, I arranged with a Ferrari dealer today on the phone a test drive of a 100+K pre-owned Ferrari. I had never spoken to this dealer previously.

Of course, I told him about my experience and involvement with Ferraris, so maybe that helped.

Maybe it was because I told him I was an F-Chatter!

 

Like bob348 from Belgium, I looked around many 348's but only ever test drove the car I actually bought! (Like looking at houses to buy, I'll kerb walk before wasting someones time looking around in there, then I'm pretty well nearly convinced one I go to the stage of looking inside or in the case of a car, driving her).

The feeling for me was that I could have test driven any of the others I looked at should I so wished. I think if you are genuinely in a position to buy a vehicle, a good salesperson can soon tell.

 

This is funny. A friend of mine recently had a similar experience. A Honda dealer told him that unless he put a deposit down on an S2000 he couldn't test drive it. He was so annoyed he walked out and bought a BMW. The irony is that Honda is discontinuing the S2000 because they can't sell enough of them. There has been a brand new S2000 sitting in my local Honda dealer for 9 months and hasn't moved. They ought to put up a sign offerring to let anyone test drive it, just to get rid of it.

My Ferrari was bought long distance and it was the first one I ever saw up close, nevermind drove. And that was well after I bought it. However, if I were buying one at a local dealer and trying to decide between two models, you can bet I would test drive them both for certain. If they wouldn't let me, I would assume they were hiding something with the cars or they thought I was a loser. In either case, that's a good reason to look elsewhere. I mean, if I'm going to buy a car without getting to drive it, that's what eBay is for and I'll get the car cheaper.

However, once you own a Ferrari, I think if you pull up to the dealer in it, they will take you seriously. Works well for looking at houses too.

Birdman

 

Yep. BTDT. I have a nice Lotus Esprit S4s that I really like. I have a Ferrari problem. I have a wife who tells me "you really should just buy a 355 while you can - you'll always wish you had if you don't". Good situation, right?

I'd have to sell the Esprit first but I'm not going to w/o absolutely knowing I prefer the Ferrari. You can imagine how far that goes at a dealer. "Hey, mind if I drive this? I have to sell that car first and it will probably take 6 months...."

I've heard good things about WWoC. Maybe I'll stop there but they haven't had a 355B lately.

 

Actually, you already own an exotic and that makes you a pretty safe customer. I'll bet if you just laid it out--you think you want a 355 but you need to drive one first--they would be happy to let you drive it, and probably be interested in giving you a really crappy trade deal on the Lotus.

Birdman

 

i can't believe some honda dealers require a deposit to test drive a honda s2000! i bought a blue/blue s2000 at a local honda dealer in northern va and they didn't even check my income! ran a credit check, that was it. getting a test drive was easy as pie. after the sales guy talked up the car he went and got the keys. it is a honda, after all.

john

 

donv -- thanks for the links!

To be honest, the 'reviews' I've received from a couple people weren't very nice regarding Ron Tonkin (maybe they're just jealous...I've seen his cars before ) but people here are saying otherwise so I'll keep my mind open to them. And I've been to NWIC as it's just a handful of miles from my house but when I saw the VW Jetta (same model as my own) in there I became sceptical of what they considered "investment" LOL (it was uhg-glie!). BTW, just to keep any other arguments from cropping up, my interest in a Ferrari is purely for the joy of the marque, not as an investment! I'm a driver, baby!!

Thanks for the feedback :thumbup:

 

I just have to chime in. I own a very nicely restored 72 Europa TC, and came across a similar car for sale at an independent dealer close to home. I wanted to check it out and report back to the curious in my Yahoo Europa group.

I pulled up in my TC and couldn't get them to even start the car, let alone drive it. It was a real garage queen and overpriced; almost a Lotus recreation as it was over restored with way too many parts incorrect. Its only value was as a driver; it had zero collectable value. I had no way to tell the curious how it drove and ran, but I suspect it needed a ton of sorting out.

Ken

 

Got another test drive in 512TR last week without any problem.
Very good car, impressive.

 

Don't mean to hijack this thread but I bought a car (not a Ferrari) from a dealer who was really sucking up and being really polite and eventually we closed the deal.
Afterwards when I noticed some faults with the car, the same salesman pretended like we've never met, never saw the car before and blah, blah, blah. Not until I threatend to involve my lawyer did he correct the faults with the car. Needless to say (why did I say it then?), when the car was fixed I didn't go back there again, period.

/Peter

 

Well, Northwest Investment Cars, Inc. has two 308s and a 328 so I took the girlfriend down there to show her EXACTLY what I wanted (not 'just' a Ferrari). Wow, what a difference that made! No, we didn't test drive them nor even ask, but upon SEEING the cars she then became more interested...even pictured herself in the silver one ;-) The sales staff was helpful. There was a nice (overpriced, but nice) '73 Porsche 914 that I immediately gravitated towards and I think that helped once they knew I owned one and knew my way around it (center console, nice, 2.0L, nice, oh, not fuel injected, not nice, chromed 2.0L rims...niiiiice).

As for the Ferraris, well DUH!, they were drop-dead gorgeous! Nooooo doubt about it, I have GOT to get me one (some day...).