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

 

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