Bizarre Test Drive Experiences

[king monkey]

Hi guys,

Was sat at home last night and thinking about some interesting test drive experiences I’ve had. Nothing else to do is there? Wondered if anyone else has any stories.

1. I turned up at an independent dealers to drive a CS. It was dark, lashing down and I didn’t know the area at all. I was a bit sceptical tbh. So imagine my surprise when I turned the corner and the fella had at least 10 CS lined up. ‘Which one was it you were interested in?’

2. First time I test drove a dsg car. I was a bit nervous. The dealer told me what to do but I couldn’t get the car to move. 10 minutes of huffing and puffing, dealer going back into the dealership etc I realised I had my foot on the brake. I kid you not! I did wonder whether I should own up but did. At least we both had a laugh.

3. I was supposed to be test driving a Golf R. Got in the passenger side as the dealer wanted to drive it out if the dealership. He eventually pulled on the motorway and was going over 100mph. He pulled off the slip road and I asked if the brakes felt similar to the PP GTI. He stamped on them nearly launching me through the windscreen. After 15 minutes or so, when he started bombing down back roads, I asked him to slow down. He pulled over and asked if I wanted to have a go. I felt too sick so said I wasn’t interested in the car anymore and went home!

Do you have any??

[Splashalot]

Quite a while back, but anyway........test driving a bright yellow first gen Mazda 6 on a local windy mountain road when an angry  European wasp flies in through the open driver's window.  With nowhere to pull over I'm trying to remain calm and not crash on a narrow winding road whilst the salesman is absolutely freaking out squealing like a little girl (apologies to any females reading). After a few kms it eventually departed the way it entered and the salesman, acting as if nothing had happened, casually says to me "you handled that well"!

I didn't buy the car.

[king monkey]

Probably attracted by the yellow car. 

[Guzzle]

The only one that springs to mind is many years ago when I test drove a brand new Golf Mk4 1.4S (back then it was all the budget could stretch to  ).

Anti-lock brakes were far less common then than they are today, but I got to find out how good they were when an old lady didn't spot the red light in front of her and drove straight across the front of me through the same junction I was driving through. I managed to stamp on the brakes as hard as I could and somehow missed her, but the poor sales girl sat next to me was almost in tears and couldn't believe how close we came.

I didn't buy the car.

[SRGTD]

Maybe not bizarre, but surprising to me at the time.

Back in the early 1980’s, I was a young 22 year old owning a lowly mk1 1.1 litre Ford Fiesta. I went to the local Ford dealer and asked if I could test drive an Escort XR3.

I was given the keys to the dealership’s managing director’s fully loaded XR3 - no questions asked - and told to take it for a spin. The salesperson didn’t come with me, and I didn’t need to show them my driving licence either. I can remember being surprised at the time that they allowed a young driver to go on an unaccompanied test drive in a ‘hot’ hatch (not hot by today’s standards, but it was then).

I wonder if a dealer would be as accommodating today if a young driver went into a dealership and asked to test drive a hot hatch.

I did end buying a new XR3; with hindsight, one of my biggest regrets was that it wasn’t a mk1 Golf GTI.

[king monkey]

@SRGTD-There’s no way you’d be allowed on your own at that age now. You’re not even allowed on your own in a performance Golf at any age now! 

@Guzzle- A near miss on a test drive is never good!

[Guzzle]

No, not good at all. Worst thing is the car I ended up buying instead didn't have ABS.

Fiesta Zetec. But it did have free insurance. 

Weirdly when I got my GTD I didn't bother with a test drive at all. I was so convinced I was going to like it👍

[gixerste]

When my 340i Msport was in for a service I was sat having a coffee one of the sales team decided to take me out in an i8 just to let me see what they were like... very very nice but not practicle enough, so he then took me out in his M3 that would be coming up for sale witin the next month. Again it was very nice but as my car was remapped and pushing about 410-415 bhp and 600Nm of torque I just couldn't justifiy the extra costs involved ie buying it then extra insurance and servicing cost involed with a M car.

[fredgroves]

I've terrified a few sales people over the years, but I'm sure its nothing new to them.

The series of various 90's "hot" hatches I tested, every one of them I gave it a good thrashing.

I think I only had one guy get out visibly trembling.

I'm a lot more sensible now - honest! 

[martin998877]

@SRGTD-There’s no way you’d be allowed on your own at that age now. You’re not even allowed on your own in a performance Golf at any age now! 

You can do solo test drives sometimes...

I was looking to buy a 2018 GTi at a Birmingham VW dealer last week, and was just handed the key and asked how long a test drive I wanted. Much better than having the salesperson with you! I liked the car and bought it, trading in my 2016 GTi. It possibly helped that i'm in my 50's lol.