Test driving a used Ferrari

I would let them test drive for a small deposit (the asking price of the car) !

 

I personally would never buy a used car without a test drive.

However, as a potential buyer I would not want every T Dand H taking my car-to-be out on joy rides either. A seller will know when to allow a test drive but I think their initial position should be absolutely not!
Dave

 

I don't think it really matters if it's a used Ferrari or a 10 year old Kia. It's
the job of the salesman to 'qualify' his customer. What does that mean?
Usually a long series of questions and chat that reveals to the seller if the
potential 'buyer' is just a tire kicker or a real prospect. And of course
as the value of the car goes up, the channel for 'qualifying' narrows
accordingly. So would I let someone drive my 328 (if God forbid, I should
need to sell!), I'll make that determination when I meet the person.

But NEVER EVER EVER let them drive alone

 

I would give them a ride in the said vehicle, but letting a complete stranger drive the car? Not likely.

On the other hand, I would never buy an used car without being able to test drive it before the paper is signed. (I can produce the funds, write the check, but before the transaction is completed I am driving the car around the block at least)

 

Nope, I would not let just anyone to test drive my vehicle until the talks are complete....
I will, though give him a ride in the car so as to give him a "feel"... After further deals are made than I will let him drive with me in the passanger seat for a short drive.

 

More opinions

http://ferrarichat.com/forum/showthread.php?t=232549

 

get a feel for the buyer over the phone. emails dont count, always speak to them by phone. many drive several hours just to see the car, which weeds out some of the flakes. the rest are determined by their body language and mannerism. i am happy to let them look at the car, and i take them for a ride.

serious buyers get to test drive, and i can arrange shipping and a local PPI for them.

i should add i am always armed with a concealed firearm ( i have a permit to carry) so any idiot wanna be car thieves are going to have a bad day.

 

Do you know how hard it is to get blood and gun powder residue out of tan Italian leather? Trust me, it ain't easy.

 

Yes, pre-qualified the buyers over the phone and in person is important. Don't just let anyone drive your car as you hear horrible news these days. I've heard suggestions to see the potential buyers / to close the deal nearby a police station

 

This is why when I sold my last car, I consigned it to the dealer. I let them worry about it. Well worth the fees.

And as a buyer, yes, I'd want a test drive. I've always gotten one, too.

 

the first couple months on agreeing on a price on my 308 I never got to drive it till my machanic checked it out and on the day I was to pass the money over is when I drove it for the first time,it was a long wait,but a happy one,all the way home

 

I test drove 4 different 355's aside from the one that I purchased as my first f-car. I was an informed buyer and showed keen and genuine interest in all of the cars I drove. For the 5 cars that I drove there were 10 to 20 that I didn't go to see. Any of the 5 I chose to see would have sufficed as my first f-car. None of the sellers has a problem with me driving their cars. I believe you have 2 at least drive the car 2 even consider it. I was cociencious whenever I drove their cars. As a seller, you can probably make out the true enthusiast from any powers or even worse, joy riders.

 

If a test drive was the last thing on his check out list (prior to wring a check), I would be agreeable to a ride along.
If the first thing they were interested in was a test drive, no way.

 

When my stuff can make someone else happy and it's no skin off my back...I'll do every thing I can to make it happen. It makes me feel good.

I guess that makes me a sucker or a soft touch, I don't know which

When buying, it really depends on the circumstances

 

There is a reason why car dealers are in business. When you sell or trade a car with them, they take the risk of qualifiying the buyer.

If you sell it yourself, you assume that risk.

I remember the story of a customer going with the salesman for a ride in an F50. they were out in the country and while switching so the customer could drive, the customer drove off leaving the salesman stranded. It was obviously a pre-arranged theft as they must have had an enclosed truck located nearby...they never recovered the F50 and is probably sitting in some collector's garage somewhere. this may or may not be a true story...but it could happen.

We had some cases in Colorado where people were selling their cars via ads in the paper. they would go for a test drive, the owner would be shot fatally, and the car stolen. In short, qualify your buyer before you go for a test drive.

sometimes going through a dealer is the smart thing to do...espcially when you don't know the buyer.

 

As a buyer, I of course want to do the test drive before talking price and before the PPI. As a seller, I would definitely qualify the potential buyer to makes sure that he is serious and capable of buying the car and, just as importantly, is capable with a clutch and a stick shift as well as mature enough to drive the car without beating on it.

Realistically, a ride with the owner plus a thorough PPI should be enough to figure out the flaws of the car, but of course a personal drive (with the owner alongside) is best. Essential, no, nice to have, very definitely yes.

 

Agree with above ....

 

A PPI will reveal the mechanical state of the car with which you can negotiate price. If the PPI checks out, the car will be fine. At that point, either you want to buy a Ferrari or not.

First comes the interview, second comes the PPI, then if everything checks out a test drive.

OR, it's the sellers tactic to reduce unnecessary joyrides by uncommitted buyers. FWIW, I bought my car from a dealer without a test drive. Before I turned the key and fired up the engine upon receiving the car I had never even ridden in a Ferrari. Granted the purchase was from a dealer with a reputation at stake.

-F

 

I've never sold a Ferrari but for any expensive vehicle, I have the car PPI'd, I take the potential buyer on as many test drives as he wants with me driving and if everything checks out and I've answered all of his questions, I send his info to my insurance company, run a background check with the same info without him knowing and if everything checks out I make him produce 10% of the purchase price before he tests drives. I've lost a couple of buyers because of my 10% rule but I've never been screwed out of cash, never had someone abuse the car and I've never had a "tire kicker" because unless they make a great case for NOT buying the car I keep the 10% after the test drive and put it towards the purchase of the vehicle. If they don't buy and fail to give a very good reason why they don't want to buy the car, I keep the cash and if they buy it's a great way to make them pay full asking. {It's hard to negotiate a lower price when you've already started paying} . And they do know about the 10% going towards the purchase and when they get behind the wheel they've already had all of their questions answered so a crappy reason as to why they don't want to buy, won't hold up. Also you should find out if they've driven that kind of car before, cars have different feels and driving positions. If they haven't driven one before, tell them all about it because "not knowing" isn't an excuse.

I do this EVERY time and I've never failed to sell a car.

 

What he said.

 

Then you probably won't get many deals done, at least with dealers. We're not talking about a Honda where thousands were made and you can just move on to the next one.

That reveals a problem with the person doing the PPI, not the process or strength of a PPI in the research process.

The best you can do is to find someone who owns each and see if you can get a ride. Obviously not the same thing as driving the car but that's the way it is. What if you were looking at a really old Ferrari? How can a person know the difference in feel between say a 250 SWB, GTO or a 275? Do you think that person can get test drives in all these cars? I don't. Maybe at the very end of the negotiation process but not before.

It's the same thing with the new Ferraris. I know someone who just bought a new 430 S from the dealer. Do you think he got to perform a test drive to get a feel for the car before he threw down hundreds of thousands of dollars? Uh, no.

But what do I know? I've only bought a Ferrari, never sold one.

-F

 

thats where my ppi came in,whar ever came up we then talked about the price and then the seller can see I was for real,