Test drive from hell
 

Gave it a shot at seeing if I enjoyed the FRS as much as everyone seems to and headed to Autonation Scion at Winter Park.
Waited for a bit and was told by the guy taking care of me that he would "drive the car out of the lot" and then I could give it a spin. I get in the car as a passenger and he proceeds to take off burning clutch in the process and stays in first gear all the way out the parking lot.

Today was rainy as hell yet the salesman couldnt possibly give less of a shit as he put pedal to metal and pulled out into the public road as the poor 10 series FRS with 6 miles on the clock struggled to make sense of what this meathead was trying to do.
As the car swayed from side to side and Stability management finally straightened the car he said " this is a sportscar and you have to drive it like a sportscar" and he proceeded to clutch dump like a true fast and furious fan through gears and speed well beyond the posted limit with full traffic around.
He must have driven 3 miles and fucking hell it felt like a lifetime with me wondering if the next time he blew through 4 gears without lifting the car would finally let go and crash.
Never have I experienced such shit driving and for it to be displayed on a brand new car really ticked me off because I sure as hell wasnt buying it after such abuse went on. Really sucks for whoever buys this car and wonders why their clutch only lasted 10,000 miles.

When it was time for me to drive it he proceeded to pull the e-brake, shift into first and attempt to get out while the car jerked and stalled. As I walked around the car the burnt clutch smell was awful so I took it easy and drove it back to the dealership because I thought I had enough.

After all that and me trying to negotiate a deal on a different FRS, they proceeded to offer me a mega lowball offer for my trade in below even what they had quoted me through email, even though I was told I could get more for it if I drove it in. When i showed the email they were only willing to match that so I walked out.

What a shit day

:::UPDATE:::

Since some members are missing the conclusion posted on Feb. 14th to this whole ordeal Im reposting it here:

It was wednesday this week and the manager for the Winter Park branch hadnt answered my email/voicemail, so I wrote a gigantic wall of text email to Autonation corporate explaining all that went on. It took less than 12 hours to get an answer and on thursday I had a sales manager from Autonation Winter Park apologizing profusely and offering to earn my business again. After some talks and a pretty good deal on a new FRS 10 series that wasnt beat on by Slick Shifts McQueen (who was no longer at the dealership) I ended up signing paperwork today and taking home #1617. To make up for my lost time and gas they also gave me 100 bucks towards parts so I got me some mudguards and the rest I will save for an oil change later. The financing guy was pretty awesome, had an accent that would convince you to even trade in your mother.

All in all a bad experience but a good result. Gonna post the pic on the 10 Series thread since I hate spamming the same thing across different topics.

Yikes,poor 10 series. :(
People need to respect cars more, that was just depressing to read...

Maybe go to a different dealer? Try looking on Yelp, because I sure as hell wouldn't condone that type of behavior by giving him a sale.

I bought my frs when there was a huge shortage. Waited about a month for it to come in and drove it away right after it was taken off the truck. Pretty ridiculous the way they approached that situation. Go elsewhere or wait for a brand new one that's never been test drove.

For the record, they offered me $700 for my trade in, which was low even considering the car I had and it's issues. Turned around and sold it the next day for $1200 with no hassle. You're likely better off doing the same with your trade in.

I'd report the meathead sales-guy to the dealer management for abusing the car.

Wow, that's a pretty terrible experience for both you and the car. If you have it, maybe put the # of the 10 series in the Registry thread so others will know it was abused

:word:

That'd be nice. I was looking at 10 series but was worried this kind of thing would happen. Meathead needs to go back selling muscle cars.
(I'm not saying he should continue abusing break-ins, but he seems like the type that is alllll about straight line speed)

Since I cant remember the number (just that its in the 2400's) here are the VIN numbers for the ones in their lot that match the accessories the car I drove had:

JF1ZNAA11D1732472
JF1ZNAA15D1732734

At this point who knows if they have abused the one I was willing to buy... The VIN for that one was

JF1ZNAA19D1731778

I was fed up with the buying process so I left without saying anything but I think Im gonna call management tomorrow and tell the whole story. It's the worst dealer experience I've ever had

Fortunately, not all salesmen are like that. About 3% of them are car guys...

Pathetic situation but your post was strangely hilarious.

Yep, report the salesman to management. They'll probably thank you for it, he's an obvious liability to them and customers.

Thanks for posting the VIN's and mention to management that you did. That should put an exclamation point to your experience.

Better yet, call corporate.

Wow... just wow... when I went to test drive the FR-S they wouldn't let anyone take the car out of the lot, you could only drive it around the parking...

When I checked mine out, I actually wasn't thinking of buying one soon. Sales guy was young (25 I think) and fairly knowledgeable. I drove it off the lot and around the local area a little. He never even took the wheel and just talked to me about it a bit but also let me listen to it and drive. I hadn't driven a stick in 15 years.

A week later I called him up and said I was in!

i thought my test was "bad" when the salesman insisted on going with me for a drive, with my husband sitting in the back seat behind me

passenger touching the wheel or changing the gears is so illegal

i hope you can find your car elsewhere

I would've been on the phone with Scion of America during the test drive.

I understand the sentiment but Toyota "corporate" really could do much about that. They don't have any power over what a dealership does internally. So in a case like this you would just kinda be a douchebag.

Call somebody who will care and actually has the ability to make a change happen. Like the sales manager or general manager. And this wasn't a poor dealership expierience it was a just a poor salesman expierience.

Im sure you were "lowballed" on your trade but most people fail to see the flaws in their cars and are not honest with themselves on the true value. Hell how much below sticker did you offer on the FR-S?

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Bullshit. They care. Trust me. And yes, one salesman is representing the ENTIRE dealership. That is like saying Peyton Manning doesn't represent the Broncos because he's just an employee. He works there, he gets paid there. He represents them.

Unfortunately most dealerships wont allow a test drive without an employee present just to cover their own butts in case you damage something. To test drive without an employee or to take the car home for the night you would have to sign paperwork that states you take all liability of the car for the time being and provide any other information they need, most likely valid license and full coverage insurance.

It prevents things like 50 mile test drives, getting food with the cars, stealing any cars, hit and runs, and more things of that nature lol.

not sure if there's any difference between canada and the states test driving policies....but i tested quite a few different cars, and i think the only one that went on a test drive was the weird toyota salesman........he wasn't there 5 months later when i went in to trade in my car for the frs, and the second time husband and i took the frs out for a test, we went alone.....wonder if he was there if he would have come along

i think salesmen that don't go along for a ride do it to show how much they trust you in hopes of getting a sale

My immaculate 2013 GTI (no dings/wear/scratches) was worth 15,800 according to them. It has 16,000 miles and the MSRP last year with my options was 29,900. Cars with less options are sold for 24,000 used. I understand they have to make money on a trade in but I wasnt gonna get raped for 8 grand. I didnt ask them to discount their car any more than they had already priced online

when i asked for a test drive the salesman asked for a copy of my drivers license, handed me the keys and i was on my way:)

My dealer offered me 10k for my 08 silverado single cab, 4.8 w/ 79k miles, 1 accident with VERY poorly recorded damages. kbb'd at 13 with no damages. I took it and ran! i only payed 14 for it and had it for 3 years

I worked at a GM dealership during college and there was never a instance where a customer test drove by themselves without the dealer in car. and personally I have never been on a test drive without a dealer present, for the exact reasons listed by Gaiseric. seems like a good sales tactic though.

Edit, and to the OP, my test drive was done in the "demo" FRS that they had on the lot, the salesman did the same thing, drove really hard, and told me this is how the car is supposed to be driven, I drove not quite as hard as him but it was ok cause I know it was not the car I was going to buy.

Come over to Ocala and see Mike Parker at Deluca Toyota. They gave me all the money for my trade in (2003 Boxster)
You have to spend some time negotiating to get your best deal.

John

Right on. Corporate does care. I had 2 Toyota dealerships bickering over the wrong size rims installed on my Toyota minivan after an accident in 1988. The dealer 60 miles up north which replaced the broken rims with the wrong size (the front tires rubbed the body so the van wasn't drivable) was arguing with my local dealership over cost and who knows what.


The service managers knew each other and didn't get along I later found out.


One call to corporate Toyota solved the whole matter. Pronto...after a week of me in a rental car after the wheels were put on! They ended up reimbursing me for the rental too.


Thanks corporate!

This is sad but true. The sales guy I had has been a car guy his whole life, he showed me pics of his previous projects and could talk the talk. He was one of the good guys and I found myself just hanging out BS'ing with him while I was at the dealership a few times.

Edit-
Oh yeah, and definitely report this asshat. That car will belong to someone someday, and that person might not give a fuck, but that person might also be a true car enthusiast who deserves better. If I found out MY car had been driven in such a manner before I bought it, I'd be FURIOUS.:mad0260:

Yep, I'd stay away from that dealership ...... and the dealership where the salesman worked previously ...... and make sure he isn't on the payroll of the next dealership you go to ....http://www.runemasterstudios.com/gra...otallthere.gif

you forgot something...


humfrz

Same thing happened to me. I was extremely annoyed. My sales rep actually took me to an empty lot so he could do donuts. Then he was like, "I used to have one of these but traded it in...so whenever I get to drive one out I gotta get my fun out of it."

This was the best post I've read on this forum.

And this is why I question the small number of miles on these new cars when driving home with it.

Oh yes, and he hasn't recently worked at the port that receives new cars ....daaaa..... me ....:bonk:

Heh, my salesman never asked for any of that. Went in to the dealership after talking to the guy on the phone, and test drove my 10 series FR-S right away.

Corporate has paid for a rental 3 separate times for me and they have helped me a ton. When I told them about a local dealer that treated me shitty when I had some work to be done, they pointed me in the right direction and also gave me a free 8 year/100,000 mile warranty. They also wrote me a check worth one month's car payment.

OP, maybe if you contact corporate, they will work with you and offer you incentives like I received when you buy a new car. It NEVER hurts to ask. At first they offered me only 7 years for warranty but when I told them I wouldn't come close to 100,000 miles in 7 years, they gave me 1 more year, just because I asked.

same here.........i tested a golf a few times, audi a3, challenger, focus.....alone or with my husband.....except the frs.......the dealer was weird too.....he didn't think the frs was the right car for me because i have two kids
he couldn't have been more wrong......it's the best car....i love it so :)

So in all that how did they change the way the dealership did business.

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I'm saying that they will care about him as a customer more than anything.

Thats your problem right there. It's a VW. You prolly paid close to $24 when you bought it new.

To husker..you must be a major squeky wheel and
He ain't their customer. He drives a VW grocery getter.

thank you for reading. sent using Tapatalk! (wouldn't want to forget that)

It does sound like your experience was due to an out of control salesman. I'll bet his sales manager had no idea what he actually was up to. My experience was far different. To do a test drive all I had to hand them a copy of my drivers license and insurance card. My wife was with me so the salesman had to ride in the fetal position in the back seat. Didn't look like he was enjoying himself back there. (lol, those seats are not made for adults.) I got to drive both highway and back curvy roads. Liked the FR-S so much that I made an order for a Monogram. Keep looking around. There are lots of dealers who train their employees to act responsibly!

I would've said something during the test drive. I went to Vandergriff Toyota to test drive the FRS. The salesman did almost the same exact thing but not nrealy as bad. As soon as he pulled out of the parking lot and redlined first gear, I told him to turn around and that I didn't trust him driving like that. I got out of the car, called another dealership to see if they had an FRS in stock, and I was on my way. Came home with my car that day.

This salesman could've sold a car that day. I was ready to by. Too bad he lost the sale by driving like a jackass.

I work at a toyota dealership 50min north of you in st. Augustine called beavertoyotawe onky have 3 autos but ill gladly let you drive mine. Im used car inventory manager basically a glorified mr. Do it all lol. If you want I can help you.