How do you test drive?

[Macstang]

I've been finding it hard to truly test drive a performance car and I'm wondering if any of you have tips on how best to do it. Several of the dealerships I've visited provide super limited drives of the high-end cars. I took a C7 test drive that was about the lamest, most limited drive ever. The car totally un-impressed me...then I drove it again at another dealership and I could at least take it on a highway on-ramp as well as a relatively short but spirited drive on some twisty roads and my feeling was quite the opposite.

So how do you test drive a performance car? Any tips to really get a good feel for what it's capable of?

Thanks,

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[xlover]

I've been finding it hard to truly test drive a performance car and I'm wondering if any of you have tips on how best to do it. Several of the dealerships I've visited provide super limited drives of the high-end cars. I took a C7 test drive that was about the lamest, most limited drive ever. The car totally un-impressed me...then I drove it again at another dealership and I could at least take it on a highway on-ramp as well as a relatively short but spirited drive on some twisty roads and my feeling was quite the opposite.

So how do you test drive a performance car? Any tips to really get a good feel for what it's capable of?

Thanks,

Mustangs usually aren't as hard as those cars.... Unfortunately I have found some of the old tricks to show you are a serious buyer buyer work. Like if I show up in my audi vs my gfs rav4. Not wear gym shorts etc. not saying this stuff should matter and it certainly depends on the quality and friendliness of the dealer.

Oh and showing you know a lot about the car, done your research, just haven't driven one will help a ton. For example walking in saying... "Can I test drive a corvette?" Vs "I have been looking at corvettes for a while, I was considering these different colors and options, I am comparing it to x, y, and z but have not driven one yet. What do you have on the lot, I think I want to order but could be flexible"

 

[Tim Hilliard]

I've been finding it hard to truly test drive a performance car and I'm wondering if any of you have tips on how best to do it. Several of the dealerships I've visited provide super limited drives of the high-end cars. I took a C7 test drive that was about the lamest, most limited drive ever. The car totally un-impressed me...then I drove it again at another dealership and I could at least take it on a highway on-ramp as well as a relatively short but spirited drive on some twisty roads and my feeling was quite the opposite.

So how do you test drive a performance car? Any tips to really get a good feel for what it's capable of?

Thanks,

I found it very difficult. I went to multiple dealers to test drive a Camaro, got stroked around. I worked through the internet sales manager at a dealership that had the only 1LE Camaro in Mass. I showed up saw the car, typical salesman comes out, I tell him I'm here to test drive this car. I get the we don't test drive the "hot" cars. I ask him to check with the internet manager, so then I fell in love with the 1LE. The salesman was worthless, no idea what this car was, kept playing with the radio and HVAC controls. I drove it fairly hard, I think he sh*t himself. Backroads to the highway, on ramps, oops missed that exit, gotta go to the next, turn around and get back on

I was interested in the C7 but no dealers seem to have allocations to even order one, so a test drive was impossible.

I test drove an RT with my salesman who had just sold my wife a Jeep, beat the snot out of that with his urging, figured out that was not the car for me.

I test drove a TP '14 GT with the salesman and dealership I ultimately ordered my '15 from. He knew upfront I wasn't going to buy a car from him, I had been in contact with the internet manager there for a couple months and took out the '14. It was an extended test drive, about an hour, thrashed that car. Salesman even called me weeks later asking me to take him for another ride. Imagine that they got the sale

I am jealous of your location, I :love: LRP! Season Pass Holder! Doing Skip Barber in October.

 

[TampaBear67]

Well I'll tell you how My Mom did it when She Test Drove the 2005 Mustang GT. When we were out on the test drive she said she wanted to check the turning radius, so she turned into the parking lot of the County Jail (which just happens to be on the dealers test route) She then proceded to do a few Donuts in the Jail Parking Lot! I was laughing and the salesman was too. He couldn't believe this little White Haired Lady had the Balls to do that. After the 3rd Donut she just drove out of the lot and Squeeled the tires doing it. LOL

My Dad on the other hand had a different approach back in 87. He was Driving a 5.0, 5 Speed, GT Hatchback, Mom was in the Passenger Seat and I was in the back with the Salesman. When Dad Pulled Out of the Lot onto a major 6 Lane Highway, He proceded to Nail It Squeeling the tires, and Barking the Tires in 2nd and 3rd gear too. Nobody was expecting it and the Salesman was Shitting Himself! LOL

 

[L8APEX]

I drive it like I stole it. Seriously. My test drive on my old boss 302 was almost 45min so I can get a feel of living with it daily.

 

[tbonez3858]

LOL...Can't even imagine being a car salesman. Most people I find on the roads ares idiots and strapping myself into a high perf car and letting them see what they can do with it is not my idea of fun....


Heck Ive gotten nervous when I've done hot lap with professional drivers and instructors let alone some yahoo joy riding 400hp.

 

[L8APEX]

LOL...Can't even imagine being a car salesman. Most people I find on the roads ares idiots and strapping myself into a high perf car and letting them see what they can do with it is not my idea of fun....


Heck Ive gotten nervous when I've done hot lap with professional drivers and instructors let alone some yahoo joy riding 400hp.

I went alone on my test drive.

 

[Macstang]

Mustangs usually aren't as hard as those cars.... Unfortunately I have found some of the old tricks to show you are a serious buyer buyer work. Like if I show up in my audi vs my gfs rav4. Not wear gym shorts etc. not saying this stuff should matter and it certainly depends on the quality and friendliness of the dealer.

Oh and showing you know a lot about the car, done your research, just haven't driven one will help a ton. For example walking in saying... "Can I test drive a corvette?" Vs "I have been looking at corvettes for a while, I was considering these different colors and options, I am comparing it to x, y, and z but have not driven one yet. What do you have on the lot, I think I want to order but could be flexible"

Thanks for the reply, I suppose I've been very luck insofar as I've not had any trouble getting the wheel of the cars I'm considering...your tips are in fact wise and I always follow them. What I mean is to really test the car to get a feel for the power, handling and differentiation between that car and everything else. I wish the MFG's had some sort of borrow or even short term rental so you can really get to know this $40-70K commitment before you make it.

 

[Macstang]

I went alone on my test drive.

My wife and I bough a new SUV a few months ago and each time we test drove, we were handed the keys and off we went. When I drove the C7, SS, and ZL1 the salesman has been along for the ride. I've definitely been getting more comfortable with ignoring them, my ZL1 test drive was very spirited. A few years ago I did test drive a Mustang and the dealer was along but this guy was egging me on to go faster...at one brief point I floored it...oddly I loved the car and totally wanted to buy it.

 

[TampaBear67]

Well I know a couple of Dealerships here have let my Parents take a Car Home for the Weekend when they've been seriously Shopping for a Car. One was a 35th Anniversary Thunderbird Supercoupe, which was a really limited edition at the time. Dad ended up buying an All Black Lincoln Mark VII LSC SE though.

 

[tbonez3858]

I went alone on my test drive.

Crazy...many places around here won't even let you test drive performance cars because they dont want people beating on them and they want 0 miles on the odometer.

 

[Tim Hilliard]

Crazy...many places around here won't even let you test drive performance cars because they dont want people beating on them and they want 0 miles on the odometer.

I got that from the salesman when I went to check out the 1LE.

 

[fionic]

Not wear gym shorts etc

What does that have to do with anything?

They're comfortable as fuck; way more than jeans.

 

[DarkSubRosa]

Replies in this thread are the main reason I don't want a car that was been test driven and had the shit beat out of it. They need test drive specific cars, when I start my hunt to find one I'll definitely not be buying one with miles on it.

 

[Trevon]

I look like I'm 16 so how I dress definitely has made a difference. Also how much I know about what I drive to the dealership. I talked to a couple salesmen about the Hummer for 30 minutes and they could tell how much of an enthusiast I am...when I continued to show how much I liked the Mustang I could've probably driven anything they had.

When I showed my interest in a 2015, the saleswoman asked if I wanted to try out a 2014 GT Premium. As we were getting in she said "okay, now you can't drive it like a pansy." With her "permission," I gladly obliged. And scared her a bit. It was a lot of fun. Getting to test drive anything at other dealers has been a bit unsuccessful.

The GM place said I could take a Camaro out but I haven't done that yet...and I got a saleswoman to walk away from me at Dodge. She was trying to sell me the Hellcat while I said I was just looking at Challengers...I kindly informed her that the Hellcat is certainly not a "god-car" (like she was making it sound) and how when it actually comes out people will probably see that it's actually a kind of POS for the price/amount of power it has. She was angry, that one was probably my fault.

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