No test drive.
 

I called up a dealership today and when I asked for a test drive for the nissan 370z their exact words were " we really don't do test drives on the 370z, the only way we do test drives is if there is an order and a deposit." Has anyone got this before?

I am 27, but look 21, and when I went to my local dealer it was on a weekend after I was messing around with my fish tank. Whenever I clean my tank I wear old shorts and a crappy t-shirt and flip flops and thats the way I went into my dealer. The sales person basically told me I couldn't test drive and that I had to go through a credit check process first. I wasted the sales person time having him show me the car, spoke to the manager about the test drive and he let me drive it. After about an hour I told the sales person thanks and as I left he said 'I knew I shouldn't have wasted my time' but I kept walking. I walked into another dealer that day and wrote a check for a touring with nav.

The kicker is the dealer that gave me **** was the dealer I have been taking my car to for the high pitch noise issue and when I see the sales person I just smile and wave.

^^ that's bitter for that dealership.....lol

Look at it this way; if you are going to lay out $35-$40K for a brand new sports car, do you want one that hasn't been driven by anybody (other than factory workers, etc) or one that has been out on a few or more than a few test drives?

I suspect most of us want a new car to be as pristine as possible...as "unsoiled" as possible and the the only way for that to happen is if the dealer is pretty restrictive about who/when/where they allow test drives.

I can fully understand that most people don't want to buy a car they've never had a chance to drive (at least an example of) but I think we can see the dealer's position here too. And, "fair" or not, they are probably going to be a bit more "restrictive" with test drives based on "who" the potential buyer is/how he/she looks, etc.

If you are serious about buying the car and look the part then chances are you'll get a test drive...if you can't then shop around for other dealers (a lot of dealers, especially larger ones, will let the GM or someone on staff of the dealership have a Z as a "demo" and will often use that for test drives).

I'm 26 and showed up in shorts and a t-shirt and asked to see the inside of the car. Once there I asked the salesman when we were going to drive it and he got the keys. Find another dealer.

larger ones always have one model to test drive, that's where you should go to.....the rest of the Z are stored in the back lot waiting for someone to take it.....i understand they want to put a deposit before you test it b/c those are not demo cars.

+1

I have read so many test drive stories on these boards from people who really don't plan on buying the car anytime soon. Some people have test driven multiple cars without buying. Dealerships don't exist for people to joyride the latest cars to come out. Salesmen work on commission, and you are really wasting their time by test driving with no intent to buy. If you are going to buy one in 6 months, a year, or even more, then come back when you have your finances in order and are ready to do the deal. Otherwise you are just wasting people's time, putting miles on what will be someone else's car, and making yourself want a car that you can't buy yet even more.

Its a Nissan, we are not talking about exotics here.

That's true, but I don't think people are lining up to test drive a Sentra. It's a particular Nissan, that performs pretty close to some exotics. My dealership said they had a huge problem with people just coming in to test drive the Z. They were very fair with price (beat 5 other dealers on sale price and trade in value), so I don't think people were test driving and not buying because the deal couldn't work.

The Z is an icon of Nissan, besides the Gt-R

Very similar to CBRich, I showed up in jeans and a white t... Took about 5 minutes for a salesman to come out and see me, he asked if I wanted a test drive. Of course I said "HELL YEAH!" He went in got the keys and a temp possession vehicle form.

He didn't even ride with me...

I just had to throw my 2 cents in on this one. I went to my local Nissan dealership about 4 months ago (back when the 370z convertible was just a rumor), with my wife reluctantly in tow. Now I was dressed in a nice pair of golf shorts and a collared shirt, and it was about 3:30 PM on a Thursday afternoon, and the place was DEAD.

They had two 370z's on the lot and a GT-R, and while I drooled over all of them, the "salesperson" came out and started the usual "How can I help you today?" I said that I was interested in a convertible Z, but didn't know if I wanted to wait for the new 370 convertible or go for the 350 converitble. He told me that they were not going to make the 370 convertible and that they were going to keep the 350 as a convertible and the 370 was going to remain a hardtop version only (that should have been my first clue).

He took me over to where the 350s were, started telling me about the bells and whistles on that particular 350. I was peering in the windows, and finally had to ask, "Can I see the inside?" He went and grabbed the keys, and came back. He opened the car, let me in it, put the top down, revved the engine, and when I asked him to take it for a spin, he said, "Well, we really don't do test drives without a deposit."

Okay, now I can understand if I had asked to take the 370 or the GT-R for a spin, but the 350??????? Cmon. I'm 36 years old and look like I'm 40, and was thinking of buying that 350 that day. The lot was EMPTY, and no one was losing any business that day. I lost a lot of faith in that dealer, and so I got my wife, and walked out. Could I have pitched a fit and gotten to ultimately take a test drive? Yes. But the moral of this story is that I'll be buying my Z converitble from another dealership which will value my time and money as much as they value theirs. I have no time to waste with a dealership that treats it's customers as if they are only out for a joyride and aren't serious buyers. Any one that does, should be ultimately penalized by not purchasing a vehicle from them.

Kudos to you Roo for showing them how their unwillingness to do their job cost them in the end. Besides, any person who works at a dealership that sells Zs, and doesn't want to go for a ride in one at every opportunity, is not a person I want to buy a Z from!!

Same thing happened to me! I walked out and went down the road a few miles to another dealer and within minutes was on a test-drive with my wife in a fully loaded 40K Z. I later bought a different one from that dealer.

Yet you bought one even though a 370 is "just a Nissan". :confused:

Actually it's only bitter for the salesman. Dealerships make money on the service department (at times more than on car sales themselves), but the salesman lost his commission.

And on the point of not soiling all the Z's on the lot for buyers that want them pristine: the best policy from our point of view is that dealers should use one (or two I guess, manual and auto) as test drive vehicles and sell them a slightly lower markup than the pristine ones, and offer customers the option of either. Most dealerships opt for the less complicated and more profitable options though, either letting them all get driven and marking them all up like brand new anyways, or trying not to let anyone test drive unless they're fairly confident of a sale.

The dealership I went to had a specific Z for test drives...which was the non-sport version. I asked to test drive the sport version (was interested about the mechanics of Syncrev) and was told I could not do it. Then I explained to the sales guy that A) I was probably not going to pay 35k for a car I could not test drive and test out the fancy new never-before-seen SyncRev 2) if I got the deal I wanted -there was a good chance I was walking out of there with a Z. I did my research, I knew invoice pricing for the car and all options as well as any rebates...I knew what I wanted to spend. There was no harm in throwing the guy a bone and telling him "hey, you treat me right, I'm probably going to buy this thing"

He was like..."Yes Sir, I totally understand, let me get the keys" and 5 mins later I was syncreving all over town. Being honest with your intentions really doesn't hurt if you've done your homework and know how munch the car is worth and set a limit as to what you will pay for it.

Funny how people think you should 'dress the part' when you go car shopping. I wear expensive suits all week at work, but if I am not at work I wear shorts, t-shirt, and flip flops. Went with my business partner when he bought his R8, we were both in shorts and flip flops.

We were early buyers, and they literally removed other vehicles from their showroom whereby they drove what was to become our Z out into the parking lot to go for a test drive—before we even got down to negotiating or a credit check. We were both in blue jeans.

I don't think the way you dress has anything to do with it. Ever watch the Mecum auto auctions and look at the way guys are dressed that are shelling out 100K for cars? Most good salesmen can tell if you are truly ready to buy, or if you are just window shopping. Apparently some of them got it wrong with some of the forum members here. When I was looking I went to dealerships and asked them what they had in stock. I knew the options I wanted and wasn't going to bend there, I was flexible with color, but I preferred yellow. The only colors I didn't want was silver and PG. I didn't even want to go on a test drive until I knew they had a car that we could work numbers on. I am pretty fortunate that I have a Carmax near me that sells new Nissans. I always go to them first to get a trade-in value and their price on a similar car. The other Nissan dealers around here love to beat them.

Bottom line... Money talks.

Unless you're buying that instance, then go somewhere else if one dealer do not let you test drive. Simple.

I went to test drive one wearing normal clothes. Talked to a Sales rep about the car for about 20 minutes and I told him I wouldn't buy today. I asked for a test drive and he gave me one. And that was it.

I have a lot of sales rep friends and they tell me that 50% of the sale is the test drive, so they try to give everyone a test drive.

Because I was ready to buy a G37 since it has 4 seats, but after the test drive it changed my mind about 4 seats.

Kids in the back seat cause accidents, accidents in the back cause kids

:iagree:

I'm 25 and I went into my dealership wearing camo shorts and a Lamb of God T-shirt. I first joked with the guy about letting me drive the GTR then after being shot down, told him I was there to check out the 370. After a quick walk around he got the keys for a 6spd Touring Sport w/ Nav Pearl White with the light gray interior. When we got back from the test drive, he wanted to start paper work but I wasn't ready to buy yet. He was real cool and gave me his card. I've been in touch with him over the last few months and I gotta say, Key Nissan in Bluffton, SC is awesome!!

That's funny. I was torn between the G37 coupe and the Z. I went with the Z for looks, and I didn't really want a backseat since I don't have kids. One week after I bought the Z I found out I will be having a child next January. I will soon be in the market for a second vehicle.

I came to the dealership with no intention of buying that day, just wanted to check the car out and see what I was dealing with. I was just minding my own business when they started throwing keys at me. Long story short - left for work in my 6 series came back in a 370z, then had my wife drive me back so I could pick up my car.

hell no, I got to test mine by myself -- only 26

My approach was to point to the Z and say "I want one of these. Unless something bizarre comes to light during the test drive." That's all it took to send them running for the keys. Do you see the subtle difference in this approach? Most people put the test drive first; it's a 'Let me take a test drive, and if the experience impresses me, I might want it' approach. Whereas my approach was to flip-flop things and take an 'I already know I want it, the test drive isn't to sell me on it, it's to make sure no red flags pop up' approach. I think dealerships are a lot more willing to give out test drives this way, because basically what you're telling them is that they don't have to earn or make the sale, and you're not just there to joy-ride; all they have to do is avoid screwing it up by being stupid.

That's pretty much how I approached it....Told them I wanted to drive both a 6MT and the 7AT and did....Also told them I wasn't interested in any of the 4 they had on the lot. That night a Blue 6MT with sport got delivered and they called. I showed up next morning with trade, title and VPP certificate in hand. I made em work for it, but rolled on out in my new car. I was ready, they knew I was serious and we made the deal work..

I've never gotten turned down for a test drive, but I usually go on the weekends when I'm sporting one of my Penn State hats & tees. I'm glad my little brother got accepted to that school cause my dumb *** sure as hell couldn't!:bowrofl:

.....which means "This is the hottest car on the planet for the money and if you're really serious and have read the reviews, well, show me the money and it's yours. I know this car will sell!"

Roo, you have missed the point. Think!

My first test drive was after I paid for the car and they handed me the keys. My wife thought I was nuts buying a car without test driving it first. I've been waiting 20 years for a new Z and knew exactly what I wanted. I found the exact package I was looking for on the mainland so I made a deal on the phone and went and picked it up a few days later. A little nerve racking at first not having driven a stick for eight years but its like riding a bike....

I never test drove before buying mine. Dealer insisted but I simply turned down. I kinda had a clue what this car can do! ;)