Dealers not letting people test drive?

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Dark101Knight

Member

• Sep 28, 2002

• #1

Since the MSP is going to be in very limited production, do you think dealers will still let you test drive the car, or do you have to buy one? My friend had this problem when he was looking for a new car and wanted to drive the WRX but the dealer wouldn't let him and told him he had to buy one to drive it because of its limited availablity. Do you think any Mazda dealers will do this too? I hope not....

 

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sleeper_

Member

• Sep 28, 2002

• #2

for the most part, i doubt that most dealers wouldn't. The reason is simple: there are gonna be a ton of people who would buy it without test driving it.

 

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andr3w

Member

• Sep 28, 2002

• #3

1. The dealers do not want to sell a demo at less than full price. So why even have a demo.

2. A car with this image will get thrashed on a test drive. I could not help myself but put a WRX and Focus SVT thru its paces.

3. The actual buyers want their car with as few miles on it as possible.

 

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saided18

Member

Contributor

• Sep 28, 2002

• #4

when i went to buy my MP3 i went to one dealer and he let me test drive it no problem. but when i went back to buy it wasn't there so i found another dealer with a MP3 and he told there was no way in hell i can test drive that car. so i guess it's based on the dealer.

 

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Sir Nuke

Member

• Sep 28, 2002

• #5

I am sure that a lot of dealers will...and others won't....however...I would bet that the ones that will, will NOT allow you to go out in it SOLO...but rather have a salesmen in the car with you to MONITOR and HINDER your ride. and I wouldn't blame them either.

 

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Mosel

Member

• Sep 28, 2002

• #6

MP3 Test Drive

A Mazda dealer in Austin let me test drive a blue MP3 the first day it came in, solo for about 30 minutes. I resisted the urge to redline the car or thrash it so to speak, but I put it through its paces mildly. However, I had been talking to the saleswoman for several months before its release; they knew I was serious. Ironically enough, I didn't buy that car, but I didn't mess it up for its eventual owner either. So to get to my point, it does indeed depend on dealer and I'm sure their read on the specific buyer as well.

 

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Prophet

Member

• Sep 28, 2002

• #7

I doubt that any dealership that has people lined up will test drive the car. If deposits are on cars, then they won't let you drive them, because so to speak they are sold. If someone tests my car I am going to be furious....

-Jeremy-

 

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zbillster

Member

• Sep 28, 2002

• #8

The dealer near me is working it like this: you put down a refundable deposit to be on a waiting list, they go to the top of the list and let #1 test drive it, if they don't buy it, they get their deposit back, then on to #2 for a test drive, etc., till someone buys the car. But you gotta put a deposit down to test drive it.

I can understand why with a limited production sports car they don't want a bunch of hot-rod kids putting hard miles on it before someone buys it. I sure wouldn't want a new car that's been redlined within the first 100 miles.

It all depends on the dealer and the customer. One advantage of being older and having gray hair is that I get to pretty much test drive anything I want, since a lot of the salespeople are younger than me. (I've tested 2 RSX Type-S's with no problem while a younger friend was asked to put a deposit down first.) Another dealer I talked to would probably let me test drive it without a deposit for that reason, and also because of the socioeconomic status of the neighborhood they are in.

Wonder if they'll let a third party be a passenger while someone else test-drives it?

 

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andr3w

Member

• Sep 28, 2002

• #9

Yeah, not gray (yet) but it also helps me that I show up to test drive in an Audi A6.

 

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Lath

Member

• Sep 28, 2002

• #10

My deposit slip says refundable based on test drive.

 

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LinuxRacr

Contributor

:

2001 Mazda MP3

• Sep 29, 2002

• #11

Re: MP3 Test Drive

Mosel said:

A Mazda dealer in Austin let me test drive a blue MP3 the first day it came in, solo for about 30 minutes. I resisted the urge to redline the car or thrash it so to speak, but I put it through its paces mildly. However, I had been talking to the saleswoman for several months before its release; they knew I was serious. Ironically enough, I didn't buy that car, but I didn't mess it up for its eventual owner either. So to get to my point, it does indeed depend on dealer and I'm sure their read on the specific buyer as well.

Click to expand...

I remember getting my car from Mazda South in Austin. They let me testdrive it, no problem. I also went over to the Arlington Automall, and test drove a WRX for the hell of it, without even setting foot into the sales office. The sales guy just came out, and we told him that we wanted to testdrive a WRX. He said, "Let me get the keys." It all depends on the dealer.

 

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APEXistud

Member

:

1990 Mazda Miata

• Sep 29, 2002

• #12

I will be test driving one for sure. If us MP3 owners show up with our MP3, there's a good chance that they'll say "sure, let go for a spin". It might depend on how you come across to the salesman too. If I was a salesman, I definately wouldn't let some punk kid test drive it, but anyone that looked like they had some respect I'd hook up with a test drive.