Hey everyone,

I just setup a test drive this Saturday at Crown Honda in St. Petersburg. I spoke to a nice guy, his name is Mike Hadad. The phone conversation was very straight and to the point. It seems that setting up a test drive over the phone is a better method than just showing up to the dealership from my experience.

When I tried to test drive a S2000 up in NJ, they stated "Our policy is not to test drive the S2000. You can buy the car, and if you are not happy, you can return it the next day for a full refund." Well, I obviously walked out. I can understand his stance though, I'm a young looking guy [22], and I probably appeared like all the other kids that just come into rip on that car, so it's no hard feelings.

Well, I hope this car fulfills all my dreams and hopes that all so many of you have conveyed on this forum. I'm pretty confident it will, but I just need to make sure before I buy my "first car."

I'll tell all you guys how it turns out this weekend. Any tips on my test drive, what to look out for, what to convey to the dealer, what to hide, etc? Thankx in advance guys and girls.

--John

 

when I did a test drive i did the same thing, called in advance. My salesman was great he drove first and showed me what the car could do, (this showed me my limits for the test drive as well)
He v-teched, I v-teched, and I bought the car, however I did not test drive the one I actually purchased. Had to wait for my color to come in.
Good Luck

Mitch

 

Thanks for the info and insight Mitch. I can't wait to get there on Saturday.

 

So how much did Crown Honda get out of you ???

 

Well, it turns out I won't be having a test drive this saturday. The dealer called me last night and said the car was sold, and the soonest he would get in an s2000 would be at the end of July. They also said they were selling them for 34000. Who knows if that is negotiable. I didn't spend much time on the phone with him after he told me there would be no test drive.

I guess it's time to call the other dealerships. Wish me luck.

 

Find a dealer with an used one to test drive. Most dealers will not let you "rag" on a new one, some won't even let you test drive it for obvious reasons.

 

They have a used '00 S2K at Germain Honda - Naples - in excellent shape with 4600 miles on it. It is a bit of a hike but if you call ahead I bet they would let you take it for a spin - this way you can feel v-tech as it is broken in. I bought mine there and they treated me real well. The number is 239-643-4044 - pre-owned vehicles. Best of luck - you will want one as soon as you drive it, likely as soon as you sit in it Also, the girl who sold me mine said she would do MSRP on anyone I referred since I told her about this site and what others were paying around Florida - and i'm betting you could do better with some negotiation.

 

Thankx for the info troylmer. I'll have to look into this Naples dealership. This one will not be as far as a drive to Miami if I were to go there to get MSRP.

You guys are probably right about testing on a used car. I"ll get a better feel for what the car can really do. Personally, the test drive can occur at any dealership within a reasonable distance. Buying on the other hand; I'm more open to just about most places in Flordia to get the best deal.

Thankx for the help guys.

--John

 

John, what you could do of course is play the dealers off against each other especially with '03 models just around the corner or pre-order an '03 model if you get a good enough price - have to wait but you gain a whole year worth of resale. The other thing to consider is sometimes when you buy from a dealer local, your service might be a bit more 'friendly' shall we say. Don't like to think this happens but you know how human nature can be. All the Honda dealers service departments are rated by Honda - I know Germain in Npales is #1 in Florida because just about everyone there quotes that - I've bought a CRV there as well and they do treat you well and do good work. They might let you know how some of the dealers near you rank. All this is moot of course if you can do your own servicing. Try to test drive one with over 600 miles so you can v-tech. If you get a test drive in a new one and they let you v-tech, their knowledge of the damage it can possibly do is limited which may make you think twice about buying from such an uninformed salesperson. Anyway, happy hunting!