No Test Drive

I like test drives because I need to know how good the suspension and seats are. I am only 5'2 and have neck problems, so I have to check the car out. Plus I hate the idea of spending so much with out knowing how it would feel. Just my thought on the subject. This is my first post/reply.

 

Welp, for me the test drive was gravy too. It would have to have had ( :mrgreen: ) something really weird and out of whack for me to have backed out.

However, I do have to say, if, hypothetically, the dealer told me I could not test drive the car until after "the deal", I would have given them the finger. I personally could not buy a car without a test drive. Or at least have some mechanism in place where I could back out of the sale without too much hassle...

 

Well, yeah. I couldn't stand the Sebring I rented while my Prius was getting it's invisible bra. Granted I had had my Prius for a week and was already spoiled, but even if not I still couldn't stand that car. It was a convertible and the visibility really $ucked. I didn't like the way it drove either. I drove a Neon rental before I bought my Saturn because my previous Nissan 200SX had been totaled. Didn't particulary like that car. I can't even remember the car I rented in Dallas when I was there for a few days it was so unimpressive.

And I test drove a Saturn Ion last November. Decided to keep my Saturn Coupe and get the driver's seat reupholstered rather than buy the Ion. Just didn't care for it much.

So yes, I do think test drives are important. You don't like the way the car handles, you don't like the way things are set up in the car, there are comfort or visibility issues.

Sometimes it doesn't even take a test drive. I went to a car show at the local mall years ago when the dealers had all of the new models on display. One had the hood up and the spare tire was in front behind the engine under the dash. What a stupid place. Like I'm going to crawl up on the fender and lift a spare tire over a hot engine when I've got a flat on the freeway. Like I could life a spare tire at arm's length? It was the stupidest thing I ever saw and I told the dealer that and that I would never even consider buying that car. I have no idea what it was. Don't remember because it was just so stupid.

 

I'd give any of the LHM Toyota dealerships a call.

We've had our Prius for almost 2 months now.. they called us when
one came in.. we test drove it.. then we bought it.

We got ours from Karl Malone Toyota in Sandy

Jim Conforti

 

Yep My wife's '97 Subaru Legacy L wagon. Not bad to be a passenger but:

• Not a bad car, but *I* would not own it as *my* primary vehicle. Fine for her though and it is her car.

 

My Utah experience was better:
I couldn't find a new one at a dealer in Salt Lake. Finally found a 2004 at a dealer in Sandy, drove it, loved it(the salesman was no help, with car features or getting one "give us $1000 and we'll put you on the list".
Ended up at Larry H Miller Toyota in Salt Lake. $500 deposit got me on the "A" list, with my preferences in colors/packages. I wanted pkg 6 and was told I was actually 1st in line on that option as most on the list wanted less options.
2 1/2 weeks later(May 19th) I got my baby! WOW!...paid MSRP, plus some other stuff they loaded on all cars....glass breakage, cargo net, and a laser id on the windows...
The salesman was not that knowlegable on the Prius but very good to work with(Jim Lund).
8)

 

It might be hard to find a rental. Last July the local dealer had one for short test drives, would not rent it. I was able to rent one for a week from Enterprise. Toyota had bought them all back by the time I needed a car for a couple of days in January. Enterprise didn't get any more. :-(

Surely there must be someone on the board living near you that will let you drive their Prius, if only around the parking lot on a Sunday morning when the stores are closed.

Then do the smart thing: call or email around and find the decent dealers, with shorter waiting lists relative to the number they sell monthly, selling at MSRP that will take a REFUNDABLE deposit and let you narrow the choices to acceptable packages and colors. If you only want a specific color and package the wait will be longer especially if it is a package or color they make in small quantities.

Good luck.

 

You must not have known the secret handshake.

 

SailorKid: Could have asked Kyle if you could drive his.

 

lol, guess I'm not the only one....

Had one for a rental in FL, yeech...

:mrgreen:

 

We're renting a car in a few weeks. I can't imagine how bad it will be compared to my beloved Prius. And with all the driving we're going to do I imagine I'll be steamed about the cost of gas....

 

Not only that but you will curse the thing for wasting gas every time you stop and it doesn't! Of course in the rental, having the engine stop is not a good thing unless you turn the key to 'off'. Gad what a horrid and ancient practice THAT is! ;-)

 

Good luck

They should let you drive it before you sign the papers at the very least. So relax, try not to get to anxious during the wait, and remember you can always refuse delivery if you don't like it.

 

This is the same policy as our local Toyota dealership in Springfield, MO.

Look, sit-in, but since anything they have has already been sold - no test drives. (I'd guess this policy will change when they catch up on the backorders.)

In my case I was lucky as I happen to live in the same area as Moderator Efusco. Evan took the heart of a day to answer my questions and let me drive his car. (Thanks again Evan! ) I was doubly lucky in that a small rural dealer about 100 miles east of here had a deal fall through so I was able to get into my Pkg6 in less than a week.

As you can imagine, it was a good week.

 

I did get a test drive, right out of Salt Lake, up Parley's Canyon to the summit...and back...(I work in Park City)... there is no question on the Prius handling a long mountain grades in Utah...

 

I'm about 6'2", and had been driving a twelve-year-old Paseo that didn't fit me very well, and which had poor rear visibility. I knew I wanted a Prius, but these were the things I checked out when I test-drove an '04. I was amazed at all the room inside, and was moderately pleased by the improved rear view. I also noted that I could pass cars with ease--that was a no-brainer, as the Prius had greater horsepower.

My wife wanted performance, so she tested the handling and acceleration of her hybrid Accord. I didn't even try it out; the passenger seat was so comfy, and it was more fun to watch her enjoy driving than it would have been to drive it myself. I knew I'd love it.

For a lot of folks, a test drive is not about the fear that one won't be able to stand a car. It's about the need to be sure that a potential new car is worth the enormous sticker price.

Me, I mostly just wanted high mpg and all those package #6 gadgets in a car I could squeeze into.

 

It's not about whether you "can't stand" a car. I'm not paying $20K+ for something that I intend to own for 9-10 years that's "tolerable." If I'm shelling out that kind of money, I want to make sure I like what I get. I spend 1 1/2 hours per day in the car, and by definition that time can be frustrating enough, I want to make sure that the car I will be riding in will provide me with the comfort and joy that will make that 1 1/2 hours at least tolerable.

I can't understand how someone would lay out that kind of money for something sight unseen. Would you buy a house based on the ad in the paper?

There were several concerns I had that the test drive allayed:
--Comfort. The cabin had plenty of room, and even though I'm not big by any means (5'9",180), there are still cars that I can feel confined in. Further, I have two children that will be riding in the back at times. I want to make sure they have room to sit without absolutely guaranteeing that they would be constantly kicking the back of my seat. As an example, I test drove a Civic Hybrid the same day. The seat felt like it was confining me, and it was clear that, while there was a back seat, the leg room was minimal and would make for a tough ride hauling the kids.
--Noise: How much noise/vibration do I hear/feel when driving? While some complain about the noise, I don't think it's bad at all. As a counter-example, we test drove a Matrix, and the vibration of the engine felt through the floor and the wind whistle we heard while driving were unacceptable. We knew at least the vibration/engine noise was going to be unfortunately typical with high fuel economy cars, but the Prius was a step above.
--Handling/Pep: Would the by-wire "feel" different? How does it handle moderate bumps? Could I feel comfortable pulling this thing out into traffic? These are things you can read about, but you need to "drive to believe."

We lucked out. A dealership happened to have one on the "sales floor" because the buyer backed out. It was kind of in purgatory while they made arrangements to go down the rest of the waiting list, which gave us opportunity to drive.

Really, I have a hard time believing anyone would part with that kind of money without ensuring that it would be a proper fit. To me, it would be like buying a house based on the ad in the paper....

 

A test drive was absolutely essential for us to make sure that the car would be able to do what we needed it to do in terms of accelerating and feeling safe in it.


Driving a Prius and Civic Hybrid made us 100% confident that the Prius was for us and Civic was not.


I trust Toyota, but there really is nothing like seeing and feeling what a car is like.