Test Drive Etiquette
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From: Bay Area
Originally Posted by JonBoy,Aug 8 2008, 01:31 PM
If someone did that to my car, I'd have thrashed them.
Proper test etiquette in a sports car is to let the OWNER drive it hard and show you what it's capable of doing. Then, ask him what he is comfortable with you doing when you take the wheel. I wouldn't buy a sports car that I wasn't allowed to push a little bit but realistically, all I'd be looking to check are the brakes, the acceleration, and general handling. The rest can wait for a track or the street, when I actually own the car....
Proper test etiquette in a sports car is to let the OWNER drive it hard and show you what it's capable of doing. Then, ask him what he is comfortable with you doing when you take the wheel. I wouldn't buy a sports car that I wasn't allowed to push a little bit but realistically, all I'd be looking to check are the brakes, the acceleration, and general handling. The rest can wait for a track or the street, when I actually own the car....
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Originally Posted by tonerockyhorror,Aug 8 2008, 01:23 PM
Yeah, at this point I don't why to see my car go to someone so reckless. And yes, I tend to be a very patient person but my god did he and his father test that.
"p.s. how long did it take you to recover from that little fall through the green house? ;-)"
Either this is an expression I'm completely unaware of or I just have no clue what green house you're talking about. Or it's just been a long Friday and I'm missing something which is very possible.
"p.s. how long did it take you to recover from that little fall through the green house? ;-)"
Either this is an expression I'm completely unaware of or I just have no clue what green house you're talking about. Or it's just been a long Friday and I'm missing something which is very possible.
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From: Bay Area
Originally Posted by Mr.E.G.,Aug 8 2008, 02:56 PM
screen name=pulp fiction=win
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From: raleigh
Originally Posted by JonBoy,Aug 8 2008, 01:31 PM
If someone did that to my car, I'd have thrashed them.
Proper test etiquette in a sports car is to let the OWNER drive it hard and show you what it's capable of doing. Then, ask him what he is comfortable with you doing when you take the wheel. I wouldn't buy a sports car that I wasn't allowed to push a little bit but realistically, all I'd be looking to check are the brakes, the acceleration, and general handling. The rest can wait for a track or the street, when I actually own the car....
Proper test etiquette in a sports car is to let the OWNER drive it hard and show you what it's capable of doing. Then, ask him what he is comfortable with you doing when you take the wheel. I wouldn't buy a sports car that I wasn't allowed to push a little bit but realistically, all I'd be looking to check are the brakes, the acceleration, and general handling. The rest can wait for a track or the street, when I actually own the car....
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From: San Francisco, CA
The first mistake you made was going to meet this "potential buyer". Buyers have to come to you if they are interested in purchasing what you have to sell. By travelling to meet a buyer, it puts you in an immediate disadvantage. The buyer has won a small psychological battle as you have already invested time and energy before negotiations have even begun. This will only allow the buyer to set the tone and pace of negotiations to their advantage. Next time, let the buyer come to you. That way, if they want to dick around, you can politely tell them "Thank you, have a nice day."
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Buyer should go meet seller at their place of choice. When I test drive a car I drive it like a total granny then as "I would like to test the acceleration here. Is that ok? I would like to test the braking here, ok?" etc etc. It's someone else's baby until the title is signed over.
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From: Dallas
That sucks, man. As soon as the father gunned it initially, I would have asked him to drive normally or he wouldn't be allowed to drive any further.
Easier said than done though. I'm starting to think that sometimes it's better to trade into a dealer and take a 1-2k bath than death with the dillrods out there trying to sell privately. I've done it both ways and had okay success generally speaking.
Easier said than done though. I'm starting to think that sometimes it's better to trade into a dealer and take a 1-2k bath than death with the dillrods out there trying to sell privately. I've done it both ways and had okay success generally speaking.
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Originally Posted by QUIKAG,Aug 9 2008, 09:35 AM
That sucks, man. As soon as the father gunned it initially, I would have asked him to drive normally or he wouldn't be allowed to drive any further.
Easier said than done though. I'm starting to think that sometimes it's better to trade into a dealer and take a 1-2k bath than death with the dillrods out there trying to sell privately. I've done it both ways and had okay success generally speaking.
Easier said than done though. I'm starting to think that sometimes it's better to trade into a dealer and take a 1-2k bath than death with the dillrods out there trying to sell privately. I've done it both ways and had okay success generally speaking.