TEST DRIVE - HOW LONG ?

[shilts]

Hi , i will be arranging a test drive soon and was wondering what the current set is ! How long do you get and accompanied or unaccompanied . I'd like to have a good go and not just a run up and down the road , thanks .

 

[prt57]

I had 2 hours on my own before I bought my S3.

 

[shilts]

Thanks prt57 , do you know if there is a general rule or does this vary from dealer to dealer ?

 

[8ig_steve]

I like to find a used car with spec. similar to what I want for a test drive so that you can get a feel for how the car will be in a year or so. Dealers seem happy to allow longer test drives in used car stock.

 

[gordongecko]

I had about 45min with dealer sat next to me, mixture of motorway driving and some local roads

 

[h5djr]

One big advantage of having a good relationship with a dealer - I'm just given the keys and told see you if a few hours.

I have also 'borrowed' some cars for a day long test drive.

It does depend on the individual dealer but personally anything less than a couple of hours unaccompanied would be a waste of time.

 

[sunscreemer]

Had about 20 or 30 minutes accompanied but was enough to sell me the 170bhp TDI engine as it was quieter than i thought, handled well and had plenty of power. Had test drove a BMW X1 previously and after an accompanied 20 minute drive they offered to lend it to me for a couple of hours unaccompanied if i wished so that sets the benchmark for me.

 

[shilts]

Thanks guy's , was thinking of going into either Norwich or Lowestoft Audi and wondering what sort of drive i would get here !

 

[Brett Butler]

I Have not even bothered test driving, though not got mine yet (This week I hope), but some Garages do let you have a substantial test drive the Inchcape they have a few dealers (think it is spelt like that) look on thier web site, it shows you the routes from their garages.

 

[BigBird]

When I got my S3 last Year the (non-Audi) main stealer was happy enough to leave me and the missus alone with the car. Just looked at my driving licence & noted down the main details.

I asked how long I could test the car for before he'd get worried. He said 30 mins or so. We agreed on 45, but I didn't need that long to be convinced.

The missus had also got somewhat tired of my car "testing regime"

 

[iyrix]

buying my sisters Astra, was given the keys and told "take your time". It was a 1.4... so i did! lol

 

[quattrojames]

I think in a used car you should be looking for a couple of hours unaccompanied as a benchmark really.

This 'shouldn't' really be less in a new car, but realistically will be. I know of several people over the years who've managed to get to keep cars for 24 hours or more to get a really good feel for them. You're probably gonna get short shrift from the dealer if you ask this, unless of course you mention that the BM dealer just up the road is prepared to off you just that.....!

 

[jojo]

I've never been given a loan car to be driven away for an hour+ on my own, is there a tact to this? All my test drives have been with a sales man, probably 20 minutes max.

 

[bn9af]

dont want to offend anyone but i find this thread really odd!

never needed more than half an hour with the dealer to decide on a car. get in, drive along a fast A road/dual carriageway, drive slowly around a town, then give it an absolutely thrashing down a country road. keep an eye on the fuel guage (shouldn't move much if at all). if i'm honest i'd get bored driving a car alone for more than half an hour or so if i didnt have anywhere to specifically get to, you can get a real feel for a car without spending hours behind the wheel.

 

[firstglass]

When we test drove ours a couple of weeks back, then bought it we told the sales man we wanted to have it for half the day, he agreed we gave it a good run, pushed all the buttons and all good.

 

[shilts]

Hi , spoke to the dealer and they agreed that i could take the 1.6tdi in the spec that i wanted away for a couple of hours , then if they had a 2.0tdi on the forecourt at the time i could give that a go , but not for a couple of hours i might add ! The main thing that i wanted to do was check that the spec i was after ( sport spec ) was ok from a ride firmness point of view as the kids suffer slightly from a car sickness point of view . This i should be able to do quite well given that i'll have a couple of hours . The other thing that i want to do is compare the 1.6tdi and the 2.0tdi engines as i can't make up my mind which . From an MPG point of view i wanted to go for the 1.6tdi but having read recent threads it would appear that the 2.0tdi 140's are getting as much if not more MPG than the 1.6tdi's . As the prices for both at the moment are within £100 pound or so of each other i wanted to try both . :icon_thumright:

 

[Oranoco]

The other weekend we took a Mazda Mx5 Roadster out for a test drive for my missus. The dealer just filled it up took some details before telling us it was a beautiful day go and enjoy it.