Best new/used car test drive stories

[Scott Liggett]

Re: Best new/used car test drive stories

Hey Rebel, I had a 70 Catalina 2 dr hardtop with a 400 in it. Grandparents gave it to me as a graduation present. It was a AZ car (no rust) and Gramps had it painted and the interior redone before I got it. It was a great car, fully loaded with power everything. I don't have it anymore, blew up the engine and it sat for a while before I sold it to a guy who had a thing for 70 Pontiacs.

Sniff.. poor Catalina. I guess that car set the stage for my love affair of big cars.

[daveconrey]

Re: Best new/used car test drive stories

We were looking at new cars for my wife. Being in sales, she wanted something a little nicer with 4-doors and I wanted something that would have some Gitty-up and be able to handle small loads Home Depot when needed, so we took a look at the Audi A3 3.2 turbo. We had this young dude helping us out, some guy that barely knew anything about the cars and probably had never taken a test drive with anyone the likes of me.

My wife takes it around the test-drive loop for about 5 minutes once and then lets me hop into the driver seat. I took the first lap fairly mellow, just getting the hang of the car. I was about to go around again when I noticed the salesman didn't have his seatbelt on. I advised him to put it on because I was going to put this thing through its paces. He said he was fine, so I told him to hold on then.

From the first stop sign, I hammered it in the first straight. We got up to about 65 before coming to another stop light that conveniently just turned green. I stayed on the accelerator and I could tell the dude in the back was getting a bit freaked out. With about 80 yards left, I hammered the breaks and put it into the right turn, sliding the back end just a bit, which set me up for the next quick right. The street was more residential, so I laid off a bit, but there were speed bumps that I didn't slow for (suspension test). The next light, I tested the brakes to a full stop, nearly throwing the guy into the front seat with us. It was awesome. He hollered that I shouldn't drive like that. I told him that he should have put his seat belt on.

I could tell when we got back to the lot that the dude was not happy, but he wasn't going to screw up the sale, so he bit his tongue. I just smiled. My wife let me have it once we left though.

After all that, she decided on a Jetta. Still a decent ride for her, but not nearly as fun.

[ford141]

Re: Best new/used car test drive stories

Like others, this has always been a pasttime with my buddy and me. A few years back we were bored one Saturday cruising around in my then brand-new 05 F150 when he mentions how he likes those Dodge Magnums. So, we stop by the local dealership to see what they have. Just so happens that they only have one HEMI Magnum on the lot, and its buried in the showroom. Black with off-white leather, loaded with everthing but all-wheel drive. The salesman just happened to be about the same age as us (I was 23, my buddy was 21), so he was eager to take something out and beat it. We gave some sob story to the sales manager about how my buddy's car was in the shop and he was looking to dump it as soon as it was fixed, so the guy agreed to let us test drive the Magnum. 15minutes later, they finally had all of the other cars out of the showroom to get to the magnum, so my buddy hops in with me in shotgun and the salesman in the back.

Once we hit the road, my buddy was cruising around like an old granny, since they had just cleaned out a showroom to let him drive a $40k car when he could barely afford the payments on his R-title Grand Am. The salesman says something about how glad he was to get away from the dealership for a while, and suggests some long back roads so we could feel how the car "handles". My buddy's like Ok, lets go, so before long we are blasting corners with the tires howling and stupid kid grins on our faces (including the salesman) and beating the piss out of the Magnum. After 45 minutes we finally start heading back to the dealership and the salesman challenges my buddy and says that he will give him $20 if he can roll the tires from a deadstop without using the brakes. After repeated full throttle 1-2 lauches with absolutely no success (heavy car, electronic throttle control, auto trans), my buddy's says, "OK, now I do it my way". In no time we are bouncing off of rev limiter in low with a cloud of smoke behind us and passing motorists looking at us in complete horror. Priceless.

Back at the dealership, the salesman mentions something about "are you still interested?" My buddy just says "I'll get back to you when my car's outta the shop..." The salesman mutters "ya right" under his breath and laughs. As we walk back to my truck, we turn around to see the salesman fire the car back up to put it back in the showroom and it blows two puffs of blue smoke out of the polished stainless tips. We never went back.

[VTJUNK]

Re: Best new/used car test drive stories

Those puffs of smoke were a thankyou

[fahrenschnell]

Re: Best new/used car test drive stories

I test drove a Steeda Q Mustang about 10 years ago with a little old lady salesperson riding shotgun and my buddy in the back. The first time I ran it through the gears she just kind of looked at me in disbelief. When I started doing donuts in a cul-de-sac she was definitely not happy, but when I ran it up to about 120 she reached over and tried to grab the wheel. My friend gently grabbed her arm and asked her not to touch the wheel as he did not feel like dying today. When we got back to the dealer, she jumped out of the car and stared at me with as much contempt as she could muster. At this point my buddy looked at her and said "Can I drive that green truck?" She didn't even answer and walked away.

The next day my friend went back and bought the truck. She told him that his friend (me) was a lunatic. Oh, to be young and stupid again.

[Eliteman76]

Re: Best new/used car test drive stories

I don't have any stories of wreckless abandon with new cars, but after my DD '84 f150 started having issues I got fed up and went searching for a newer truck. I think I put the salesmonkey through hell for the fun of it, test driving over three weekends probably 16-17 different trucks.
The last truck I had picked out, was a nice '97 F250 {old body style} extended cab truck, 460 5 speed 4x4, push bumper , lifted, just a beast. It had 75k on the clock, and ran like new...anyways, I took it out with the wife, {by this point the salsgeek was just handing me the keys and letting us the hell alone} and I decided to "test the 4wd", by finding a farm field and putting the damn thing up to the hubs in mud, thank god for the super swampers or I wouldn't of been sure how to explain "oh, BTW I am stuck about 500 feet off the highway in a mud hole, bring the tractor".
I took the truck back caked in mudd, chunks on the roof, hood, rims packed.
Sales geek looked ammused, his boss was pissed.
I was going to buy it, but then the loan company would only go a 2 year loan, and I could not afford a $700 a month truck payment at that time...I even had in the sale of the truck to get a new hd clutch and all the brakes redon as part of the cost of the truck.
I ened up buying my POS V6 SE Contour, because it was like driving my bro's '96 maxima, only with out the then $30k price tag. I wish i would of stuck with the truck, even with that thing having a 460.

[std]

Re: Best new/used car test drive stories

Took an brand new '85 T/A for a test drive and ended up with a wife. Kinda surprising after the ride we went on.

[Fordplay0621]

Re: Best new/used car test drive stories

Recently:
Drove a New Pontiac GTO going west out of Amarillo at 165.

1986:
I picked up a New 86 Mustang Gt and Drove it around for the Weekend. My friends called me around 2 in the morning and asked if I would come to get them sinse they had been drinking pretty good that night. So like the nice guy that I am I shot over 20 miles to pick them up. On the way back home I was traveling the Speed limit, when I pulled up behind a Car that seemed to be weaving all over the road. So I sped up and went around Him. A state Trooper was coming from the oposite direction, he turned around and put on the lights and pulled me over. 60 in a 55, after he heard the story I had he told me he would have chased the other guy, but he had called it in before he stopped me and wrote the ticket. I signed the Ticket in a scribble like form across the Drivers Lic number so you could'nt read it and I went on my way. The Catch I was Driving this New Car for the weekend and I signed the Dealers Name on the Ticket. The following Monday after I turned the Car in and signed the papers the manager was yelling at all the Salesmen about a ticket over the weekend, and all of them looked at each other. It was the funniest thing I ever saw. The Salesman that sold me the car was quitting that night, so he bought me a Beer for sticking it to the Man. It still brings a laugh

[bbbad2dabone]

Re: Best new/used car test drive stories

Back in the 70's when there were cusom vans on every lot in town, I'd sometimes take my girlfriend with me for a "test drive". Many times the the salesman would insist on going and it was a short drive. But sometimes since I was leaving my Harley with them they would let us go alone. Those took a little longer. I wonder if they ever noticed that we were gone 40-60 minutes and only put 10-15 miles on them.

[Matt Cramer]

Re: Best new/used car test drive stories

No tales of really crazy driving, but I once took a Nissan 300ZX on a test drive alone and returned to the dealership on foot. I had only made it a half mile down the road when the fuel pump died on me. When I got back to the dealership, the dealer said something like, "I thought we'd had that fixed..."