I think people deserve respectful treatment regardless of occupation. I never really thought that people looked at military personnel (Air Force at least) in that manner. I mean, I wake up every day, put on my business suit and go to work just like everyone else. The only difference is that my "business suit" happens to be camo and steel toe boots. My conference room is a flightline full of fighter jets, my "business reports" happen to be missiles and bombs and my "business trips" happen to be deployments. The similarities aren't that uncommon (in my eyes) to corporate America. Well, just about any job for that matter.

Anyway, back on topic....
I'm basically in a town that has been around the military so long that they need us as much as we need them (well, they probably need us a little more ). The dealerships (literally every one of them) look at military with $$$ in their eyes. They know that if we don't pay then we're going to get hammered by the long dick of the military justice system (UCMJ). So they're not too worried about that. Also, every (no exaggeration here either) dealership says that they're not really worried about selling cars because a lot of their business is repeat customers. That says to me that they don't care about new business and I should look elsewhere. I know that showing up in my Accord doesn't really make it look like I can ever afford a S2k but that shouldn't matter. I should be able to show up in sweatpants and a cut off shirt if I want. Actually, I'm going to do that when I get my next car. See if I get treated any differently. Honestly I don't think showing up in my uniform would have any affect on them. I'm confident that they see me as another punk kid because of my age. Oh well, their tune will change when I show up with cash money for a down payment

 

Hmm, St. Johns Honda in Portland Or. threw me the keys and my wife and I took one out for a drive last year. Even though I ended up buying the car, they didn't know I was going to.

 

Yes, usually dealers are happy to allow a test drive -- one of their best selling tools. And the OP has highly respectable steady employment, and drove to the dealer in an Accord -- indeed looking to trade up just one model! But you never know about dealers. Ten years ago I had difficulty getting a test drive in the then-new Porsche Boxter model. Finally got the drive and didn't like the car. Poetic justice! Fifty years ago I was a boy living on a ranch with my parents. My Dad and I had been building fence (filthy work) and Dad decided he wanted a new truck. So we went to a nearby small town dealer, and all the salesmen ignored us -- thinking we were bums who came in to get out of the cold! The next dealer we went to did talk to us, gave Dad a good price, and Dad reached in his hip pocket and paid for the truck in CASH. Car salesmen should never be judgmental.

 

Esp to Okies! (I was born/raised in Edmond)

 

show up to the dealer in a car that's nicer than the one you're planning on test driving and you shouldn't have any problems...

 

I'm in Columbia as well. I assume you're at Ft. Jackson. What dealers have you had trouble with?

 

a little while back i wanted to get one of those new body style eclipses and had kinda saved enough to make the payments and i went down to a mitsu dealership and walked in and said i wanted to drive one and they said ok. but i told them to warm the car up first and asked my ?'s in that time went through town nice and the salesman was with me and once we hit the highway he said to open it up a little on the on ramp well i took off and flew down the highway a little over 100mph and he was loving it because most ppl drive slowely and don't push the cars so it's boring for him. he was letting me know where the cops sit and then we went back and sat down but the head manager wouldn't bring it down in price so i shook his hand and walked but not all salesman are like that. he wanted me to test drive the new fully loaded evo 8 mr that they just got that only had 6 miles on it and i turned that down.

 

Well, the frustrating thing is that one HAS TO drive a broken-in S 2000 to experience the car's strong points (which happen above 6000 rpm.) When I bought back in '01, my dealer couldn't give me a test drive, because he didn't have one in stock! But my neighbor who had one was happy to oblige. And, it was broken in, so I didn't feel as if I were driving an Accord.

 

Maybe

 

I'm actually at Shaw AFB in Sumter, but few people have heard of Sumter so I say Columbia to make things easier. I'm pretty sure the name of the joint was Goodwin or something. The other place that had a used one that I can remember was Evan Queen or something. It's on 378/Broad(Garners Ferry Rd exit) on the way into Sumter from Columbia. Where are the good dealerships at? I'm sick of these ****ing Sumter ones. I gotta take my buddy to the Airport Saturday mornin so I might as well check some out while I'm in Columbia.

I don't know if I mentioned this, but I showed up when I heard news of a s2k in Sumter driving my buddies RX8. No dice.