Test Drives - problems?

[R8]

Originally Posted by waylonrobert

I just noticed a form for this on the dealer's website, although they don't have a field to specify what vehicle. Hmm - I might try this route and see. Maybe they just don't like walk-ins?

The dealers who refused me a test drive simply didn't want any extra miles on their cars. But can't hurt to try!

[RRnold]

This is the 1st year production and the first 86 folks are getting their cars; give it some time. I remember seeing the same thing when the Type R, G35, EVO, STI etc when they were released. They had the cars in the showroom, locked and didn't allow test drives unless you had the payment ready.

[ZmZMWagon]

This is the Holy Grail of all cars right now. You're lucky you even got to breathe on it......

[PoRco]

My local scion dealer has contacted me 3 times that I can come test drive it whenever I'm "ready" :P

I haven't put down a deposit or anything.

I suggest going to another dealerhship.

[Kimsey47]

Originally Posted by waylonrobert

Got it! If you're going to spend the money, makes sense to get what you want. In my area, I have less of a concern for what badge is on the car, but for what is the better fit for me. I will admit that I think the BRZ has the better interior - have you compared to an FR-S in that regard?

Compared just from the pic's... I made my pre-order deposit with the dealer here back in December of 2011! So, when per-ordering/purchasing I didn't have much to go off of except photos then, and after seeing photos comparing the two cars in the forum I'd say that I am very happy with my choice.

The Scion seems to be a bit "busy" especially at night with everything being different colors. The Subaru has all red lighting/back lighting on the instrument clusters etc. The HVAC controls (with the dual climate) look better to me than the Scion too. Just recently in one of the threads we found that the Scion did not have courtesy lights in the door like the Subaru did... In other areas it just seems like Scion was cheaper in their approach to make their car look more "hip" or something. (The pattern on the speedo and dash is odd.) Besides the premium's Alacantra both the Subaru and the Scion seemed to be skipping on the seat material. The Scion also seems to have red on the shoulder supports which looks a bit goofy to me... Either way though, the support the seats provide is AMAZING. In the end the Subaru interior just seems to be more refined. Again this is all my opinion though...

In the end I'll still say that either car is awesome to me. The Subaru just appealed more to me for the little things, but in both the engine and chassis is the same. In that area you can't lose!

I don't know how much time you have to browse the forum but you'll find pics-o-plenty in member journals to compare the cars. This can give you more views then you could think of looking at. Of course driving the car is different from pictures! If it comes down to a test drive hopefully you can find somewhere to let you find out if the car is for you or not!

Good luck!

[Gaiakai]

Utter bullshit. A dealer here in Cerritos let me test drive a Raven 6AT FRS even after I emphasized that I wanted a Firestorm 6MT. I'd suggest finding another dealer.

[thermobox]

It's all dependant on the dealers operating procedures. We don't test-drive any of our WRX, STi, BRZ or LGT's. This was the same way that many dealers in our area work.
For all of my BRZ customers, their test-drive will be when they are here to take delivery of the vehicle.

[Bristecom]

I was fortunate enough to be offered a test drive with both the auto and manual. I even told him it may be a little while before I get one. But because they let me drive it and they aren't pricing it over MSRP, I will be buying from them when the time comes. If a dealer were a little rude or stuck up with a car I was interested in, I would likely go somewhere else. However, I totally understand them not wanting to give out test drives to everyone at this point. If you show them that you are very serious though, they should let you drive it.

[|-Goku-|]

Originally Posted by PoRco

My local scion dealer has contacted me 3 times that I can come test drive it whenever I'm "ready" :P

I haven't put down a deposit or anything.

I suggest going to another dealerhship.

This!

I was able to walk into my local Scion Dealership and they told me they would call me as soon as one came in, and they did!

[Mazdaspeed]

I've driven two, one AT and one MT both at separate dealerships, no questions asked. If they're already giving you a hard time about a test drive things are only going to get worse when it's time to talk numbers. Get out while you still can!

[thill]

Yeah, I don't see how any dealer can expect you buy a car without test driving it first. BS sales move. Find another dealer. At the end of the day we are taking about a $25-28K Scion here, not a $200K exotic Euro car where only a handfull are being produced...

[maxx]

I am on several dealers list to test the car, the bottom line really is, if I cant test drive one I am not buying one.

[waylonrobert]

Originally Posted by Kimsey47

Compared just from the pic's... I made my pre-order deposit with the dealer here back in December of 2011! So, when per-ordering/purchasing I didn't have much to go off of except photos then, and after seeing photos comparing the two cars in the forum I'd say that I am very happy with my choice.

The Scion seems to be a bit "busy" especially at night with everything being different colors. The Subaru has all red lighting/back lighting on the instrument clusters etc. The HVAC controls (with the dual climate) look better to me than the Scion too. Just recently in one of the threads we found that the Scion did not have courtesy lights in the door like the Subaru did... In other areas it just seems like Scion was cheaper in their approach to make their car look more "hip" or something. (The pattern on the speedo and dash is odd.) Besides the premium's Alacantra both the Subaru and the Scion seemed to be skipping on the seat material. The Scion also seems to have red on the shoulder supports which looks a bit goofy to me... Either way though, the support the seats provide is AMAZING. In the end the Subaru interior just seems to be more refined. Again this is all my opinion though...

In the end I'll still say that either car is awesome to me. The Subaru just appealed more to me for the little things, but in both the engine and chassis is the same. In that area you can't lose!

I don't know how much time you have to browse the forum but you'll find pics-o-plenty in member journals to compare the cars. This can give you more views then you could think of looking at. Of course driving the car is different from pictures! If it comes down to a test drive hopefully you can find somewhere to let you find out if the car is for you or not!

Good luck!

Makes sense. Granted, I can only judge by pictures, but I agree with a lot of your comments. The reason I'm leaning towards the FR-S is mostly due to lower entry cost. Thanks for the good luck!

Originally Posted by Gaiakai

Utter bullshit. A dealer here in Cerritos let me test drive a Raven 6AT FRS even after I emphasized that I wanted a Firestorm 6MT. I'd suggest finding another dealer.

Good to know that there are dealers allowing test drives.

Originally Posted by thermobox

It's all dependant on the dealers operating procedures. We don't test-drive any of our WRX, STi, BRZ or LGT's. This was the same way that many dealers in our area work.
For all of my BRZ customers, their test-drive will be when they are here to take delivery of the vehicle.

What is the reason for this? Is it purely to keep miles low on the cars? What happens if a customer isn't happy with the way the car drives after purchasing?

Originally Posted by Bristecom

I was fortunate enough to be offered a test drive with both the auto and manual. I even told him it may be a little while before I get one. But because they let me drive it and they aren't pricing it over MSRP, I will be buying from them when the time comes. If a dealer were a little rude or stuck up with a car I was interested in, I would likely go somewhere else. However, I totally understand them not wanting to give out test drives to everyone at this point. If you show them that you are very serious though, they should let you drive it.

Now that's a dealer I would go with. I understand the reasoning, I'm just not happy with it. Such is life I guess.

Originally Posted by Mazdaspeed

I've driven two, one AT and one MT both at separate dealerships, no questions asked. If they're already giving you a hard time about a test drive things are only going to get worse when it's time to talk numbers. Get out while you still can!

That echos my feelings too.

Originally Posted by thill

Yeah, I don't see how any dealer can expect you buy a car without test driving it first. BS sales move. Find another dealer. At the end of the day we are taking about a $25-28K Scion here, not a $200K exotic Euro car where only a handfull are being produced...

Agreed. I completely understand if it is a car that is a true limited edition and very expensive - but it's not either of those. Certainly not when you factor in that, despite some cosmetic differences, the car is being sold under two different brands and model names.

Originally Posted by maxx

I am on several dealers list to test the car, the bottom line really is, if I cant test drive one I am not buying one.

My feelings as well.

[ahausheer]

Pffff, I walked in to a Subaru dealer and checked out the BRZ. A salesman asked if Id like a test drive, I said no because it was out of my price range and I would likely get the FR-S. I also said explicitly if I drove it, it would just be for fun and I didn't want to increase the miles on someones car. He appreciated my honestly and said feel free to sit in it and check it out. 30 seconds later hes like, hell lets take a ride around the block. Probably went a half mile at most, odometer didn't even turn over. This dealership is well known for customer loyalty and if I ever get a Subaru ill go there.

Also, salesmen dont get paid at all if they dont make a sale, they only make commission. They have no motivation to let you test drive if you are not going to buy. That would put them in back of the ''line'' so to speak and could ruin their whole day.