spddev

Hello all,

I just went to my local nissan dealership (northern virginia) and checked out the 350z. I am a current bmw 330ci owner and was thinking of trading it in. After talking to the salesman for a while, I asked if I could test drive. His answer was NO!

According to the sales man it was Nissans policy not to put any miles on the car before it was sold!! I know it wasnt that he though i was joy riding, I drove there with my more expensive car and war ready to give them a 1000 dolllar deposit just to test drive it! They still said no. They basically told me that people who buy the car know the car! No need for a test drive.

Has this happened to anyone else? Is this really NISSAN policy? If nissan did not want any miles before the car was sold why dont they make the dealirships have demos? They had 6 cars at the lst dealership i went to. Even BMW had a demo the first year the 330ci came out. I tested it and bought one. Wow, what a concept.

Anyway, any info is grealy appreciated. BTW, I went next door to the infiniti dealership and they let me test drive the g35 coupe! That was only one of two that they had! Thats funny.

Thanks.

Phaneom

I had my mind made up but I still test drove one the 350s they had at the dealer. But the dealer I went to had a car just for that; it already had 4000kms on it.

ares

iTrader: (2)

if you like the car, the drive wont turn you off.

however thats not the question, try another dealer, thats not a nissan policy, thats a dealer policy, those cars are owned by the dealer, not nissan, meaning they can do whatever they want with them.

I test drove mine, but basicly we wanted the car, just needed to drive it to be positive. they stuck to this pretty firm, they said theyd never let anyone test drive a car that didnt end up buying that very car.

phreezee

I test drove one back in October, ordered another one that arrived 2.5 months later. Like the others said, try another dealer.

mark_wilkins

Unless you're pre-ordering (meaning there aren't any cars available to be driven), NEVER buy a car without test driving it. Ever. Ever, ever. There are always other dealers more eager to earn your money.

-- Mark

Kraigman

On the flip side of the coin, I appreciate the dealership not wanting to put miles on a car that will supposedly be sold as new. I suspect that the salesmen at these dealerships have encountered people who want to 'push the car to its limits' which sort of compromises the whole break-in approach, don't you think?

When I buy a new car, particularly a car that ultimately becomes a 'hobby,' I want one with as few a number of miles as possible. My Z had only 12 miles on it when I bought it. I would not have purchased it if it had much more than that.

I agree with the person that stated that a dealership should designate one Z as a 'test-driver,' but ultimately that Z cannot be sold as new (at least not to the discriminating buyer). I wish the dealers would be more straight-up about this and simply say something to the effect that "we cannot afford to have too many miles put on these cars, and unfortunately a few joyriders have made it necessary for us to limit test-drives to a small number of folks that we believe intend to purchase the car that they test-drive."

We want to test-drive a car, and yet typically quite a few of us don't want to buy a car that has been test-driven by someone other than ourselves.

That's my opinion anyway.

ThreeFiftyZoom

I went to 2 different dealers that INSISTED I drive the car and drive it hard. At the second one I told them I already drove one and didnt need to again but they forced me to take it out.

VaGentleman

I pre-ordered mine, so I didn't get a test drive.

However, I have heard of this practice here in the No. Va. area. Just doesn't seem like a good business practice.

Sure the car is an excellent ride, but you wont know if it really suits you unless you can put your butt in the seat and your foot on the gas.

Just my $0.02 for the day.



VG

WayneTN

I was ready to order a Z in September, but I told the dealer that I would like to drive one first, primarily to check the shifting. He took his only Z right out of the showroom and we took it for a spin. I ordered mine as soon as we got back. Someone else bought the one out of the showroom about a week later.

When I took delivery in December, I was the one who test drove it and filled it up with gas.

Come down to Herb Newton Nissan in Oak Ridge. They have 4 right now and I'll bet they'll let you drive one.

WayneTN

leadfoot

Put the product in the customers hands.

I have to respect the fact that a new owner should have their car cared for or protected as best as possible to ensure the new owner the most wholesome experience he can have. But the way many of the dealerships handled this new car was borderline insane.

They did a very nice job of alienating thousands of prospective buyers, myself included who would eventually buy the other 20K cars slated for production in 03'. And of course the 30K plus in following years.

Now it is very common to see 5,6-10 cars lined up at the dealership. A few more months and the 04's will start hitting and they will be an even better bargain.

I would highly suggest you seek anohter dealer, I did just recently test drive one, and though I still like it a lot and thin a roadster may be in my future, it did not blow me away either. Smoething tho think about.

christoc

iTrader: (2)

I test drove on in December, an auto, then a stick last week. I did however order one that is on it's way, that way there are NO miles on it other than loading and unloading during shipment, I know how I test drove the cars, and want to properly break in my car.

RAW22

I test drove mine, then when I went in and was talking numbers to my salesman, the bastards let some other guy test drive it.

I was pissed, but there were 3 people up there to buy the car, and I ended up leaving with it.

Richard

jj1814

Not policy.

I test drove the car in Jan. They knew I wasnt going to get it right then and there. They just knew I loved the car, and wanted to see me in it. All they required was a copy of my license.

Went back to the same dealership last month (in March). They let me drive it again knowing that I had already driven it. No problem. They didnt require anything of me.

If the dealership has a demo available, and not just others' ordered cars, they will let you drive it. Then if someone is interested in the demo car, they sell it at a discount (or at least they should).

tonkadog

Which dealer did you goto. We went to just about all of then in the NOVA area, and finally bought from Rosenthal in Tysons. If you want, I can give you the sales guys name. Pretty much, no one is going to let you test drive the car. But, if you go up the the CarMax in MD (I believe it is Rockville) they are a Nissan dealer and will let you test drive.

also:

https://my350z.com/forum/showthread....threadid=23215

Oh yeah, and the bit about that being Nissans policy is a complete lie. My wife's family owns a Nissan dealership down in LA and when we told them what dealers here were saying and doing, they couldn't believe it. They said that Nissan does not instruct dealers to not allow test drives. It's the dealers excuse. If you think about it, it makes sense. Dealers buy cars from the manufacturer on a 'floor plan' - a blanket loan from a lending institution. Once the cars are delivered, they are no longer owned by Nissan, but the dealer on whose lot the car now sits, as Nissan is paid for the car through this floor plan. The dealer is too much of a wuss to tell you the truth.

AndyB

I agree with the other posters here. This dealer doesn't seem to want your business AND he lied about it being Nissan policy.

My dealer was plenty happy to let me drive the car. He knew once I did I would be hooked.

Find a better dealership is my advice. This one has already lied to you and they don't even have any of your money yet.

zh.guitar

iTrader: (1)

Sometimes salespersons judge you and if they don't think your a serious buyer they won't waste the time to give you a test drive.

true story:

I went to Premeir Auto here in Albuquerque. Went in to test a Boxster S, Audio A4, A8. The first time I went in on the weekend I was wearing jeans and a T-shirt. Not only did I not get a test drive but no one even approached me. (yes I did shower that day). Second time same thing. Third time I went in after work. In scrubs after a day of surgery and it was like flies on you know what. So the guy says would you like to test drive the Boxster? ( I had already driven one elsewhere and was just looking) So I said no, I already decided on a 350z, they let me test drive it and I really liked it. He says, "You can't compare a Porshe Boxster to a 350z." I said, "Your right, I can't compare because you guys wouldn't let me test drive it."

moral: Don't deal with people who won't let you test drive their cars. I drove a 911 turbo which is almost 4x what a Z costs. Would you marry a girl without a "test drive" first?


zhguitar

nosuchsol

Exactly - know the car you're buying. New or Used you should be able to test drive a car. If you like a car just from reading about it you're entire perception of the car can change when you finally step foot into it. Example One - saw pictures of the new Z and didn't really like how it looked, but I went to the LA Auto show for both openings and in person it looked much better. Example Two -always been a Nissan/Infiniti fan so never thought twice about looking at BMW's but the dealership was right next to the Infiniti dealership and I liked how the Bimmers looked. Got to test drive a 325 and was really impressed with response, feel, interior and exterior build quality. Made a believer out of me(I went with a used car rather than paying for a new one)

Any dealership should allow you to take a car out regardless of what manu. you're looking at. If anyone is interested make a drive out to Palm Springs - Desert European will let you take out a porsche - BMW will let you take out a Bimmer(if you're over 21 I think) - and Infiniti will let you take out a G. Have fun!!

uklooney

So you boys think you've got it bad!
I've pre-ordered my 350Z and I haven't even seen one yet, never mind driven one!
7mths delivery!

Did I complain?

No...

Scotland

spddev

Thanks for that info guys. That dealership was browns nissan in sterling. I just got contacted by a freind today who tried to test drive the car at that same dealership, and yes, he is also interested in buying and not just driving the car They told him the same thing they told me. Nissan policy blah blah blah. I am going to make sure all my friends and coworkers know about that dealership and never go there again. I work at a very big company right next to them so I hope it hurts!!!

Anyway, I guess I will be going to rosenthal, I'll see what they say.

Thanks.

trash259

I guess the samesman doesnt care about his sales evaluation...huh.

On the customer survey one question was 'was a test drive offered'. i think that's why some dealers insist on a test drive. go back and tell them they are full of it.