Extended test drives

beasty54

I've recently changed job roles so i'll be handing back my company car next year which means i'll need my own. I've already started looking at what's available and I've also taken a Mini Cooper S and BMW M140i for extended test drives.

My question is, are extended test drives really that rare and am i expecting too much when asking dealers to let me take a car for 24hrs? Mini and BMW (i know they're the same technically) have been great so far and have zero problems with letting me take a car for a day or 2 with completely unlimited mileage. Other dealers like Renault and Mazda have point blank refused and only offer a short accompanied test drive on a pre-planned route! Does anyone really buy a brand new car after only taking it on such a short drive?

I know there's no way i'll even bother test driving unless it's a minimum of 24hrs, i want to know whether it's going to be comfortable after extended periods behind the wheel and as well as testing it on pretty much every road imaginable, i want to know what the interior and infotainment system is like so i'll often spend an hour or two just sat playing with all the gadgets.

Would love to hear everyone else's thoughts on this.

Bl4ckGryph0n

My experience is like yours. I end up complaining to the importer and ask them to find me a dealer who is interested in selling and doing their job.

noiseboy72

It depends on the manufacturer and how they support the demo process. Ford, Peugeot, BMW VW and many others have dedicated demo fleets that they can bring to your home or dealer for you to demo for a few days. Some limit this to company car lease customers only while some are more flexible.

I would agree that 15 minutes is not going to tell you everything about a car and the new buy online and "pop up store" dealer formats make this even harder.

Premium and high performance cars will quite often be restricted in terms of who they will lend them to. Try getting a Mustang out of Ford!! Too many people "borrow" them for a wedding or other event with no intention of purchasing them. Forming a good relationship with the stealer is key here!!

beasty54

The VW and Audi dealer near me weren't willing to let me take anything either, i would understand if i'd asked for an an R8 but i only requested an A3 for the day.  I've currently got a 2017 A180 as a company car so i'm popping into Mercedes tomorrow to see if they'll be happy to let me have a couple of test drives.

I'm glad i started looking this early to be honest, i'm going to need a LONG time to decide whether or not i want the sensible car, or the fun car

outoftheknow

One second without a test drive surely?


Fun car!!!

beasty54

You'd think so wouldn't you! If it was that simple though I'd have already decided on the M140i... It's just a shame the fuel and insurance each month would cost me as much as the actual car

noiseboy72

Golf R??
Really quick and comfortable and dirt cheap to lease.

Bl4ckGryph0n

Did you have adaptive suspension? I had mine from new for 45K miles, but I never found it comfortable. It's quick, especially with DSG and fun, but I did found it tiring on the longer journeys. Also the exhaust gets really noisy with age and miles, mine was loud.

beasty54

Definitely on my test drive list but I couldn't get VW to let me have one.

rousetafarian

The cheap lease deals of old are long gone, but with that said I got one 13 months ago without test driving it, I never even sat in one before taking delivery. I walked in to VW looked at the colour pallete and signed there and then.

Easiest sale ever wrapped up in 15 minutes.

My lease cost doesn’t bother me as it’s company funded but if it was my own money I’d be sure to take an extended test drive and ensure I was happy with what I was paying.