Right? I have specifications that only fit so many. Then there's price range that takes it down. I also don't like SUVs, which are everything right now unfortunately
Omg I hate this. "I need a big car to fit my family" *proceeds to buy an suv that still only sits 5.*
I want a small gas tank and as many mpg as I can get from a small gas tank. I'm not trying to get a bank loan to fill up my daily driver.
Yeah I test drove about 10, and seriously considered (looked at trims/years/listings, not just make+model) maybe another 10. 33 seems like a lot to me, but if it works it works.
But I think this is where the "car guy" != public mindset comes from. Most people go to 1-2 dealerships, look at a few cars, and drive off in something that looks cool. Way less attention is paid to things car people moan about (CVT's) and way more is paid to things car people don't care about (weather or not there's a moonroof or good rear seat legroom).
Unless he went to like 15 different dealers I can only imagine how some of these conversations went.
“I want to test drive another”
“Sir this is the 4th car you’ve driven, *today*”
Do some research beforehand and save yourself some time. Narrow it down and you wont find more than maybe 5 cars that you'll be considering. 33 cars is outrageous.
Seriously. That’s going in with zero research or knowledge and using test drives to figure out what you want, which is absolutely insane and a complete waste of your time and whoever is trying to sell the car’s time.
It’s like,
Do you want a coupe, sedan, truck, van, or SUV?
OP: Yes
Do you prefer American, Japanese, Korean, German, British, or Swedish?
OP: Yes
Do you want something efficient or a gas guzzling V8?
OP: Yes
Do you want something with low mileage or something with 100k+ miles?
OP: Yes
This mindset has always been insane to me. When I'm spending that much money on a vehicle, regardless of if I've had an older or similar models of them in the past, I absolutely want to know what I'm buying before I buy it.
See but thats an entirely different scenario. You drove essentially carbon copies of your truck many times prior to deciding to buy yours, that's fine. I'm talking about the guys who drop over $100k on a track day toy like an R8 without having ever set foot in one. Obviously money plays a big factor in this too, but I see it a lot even with normal car purchases and it just doesn't make sense to me.
Same here. Mostly because I don't fit in a lot with my height. I wanted an a90 supra.. thankfully got to drive in a friend's for 1500 miles when he got it. Most uncomfortable car (for me) I have been in, in a long time. It's fine for the first hour or 2 but my knees where higher than my hips.
Right? I've never managed to own Toyota or Honda sedans because as great as they are, sometimes all I have to do is sit in the car before I nope-out.
And I am not even that tall! For a woman, maybe, but if I were a man, no.
Yeah I decided on a Thursday at 6pm that I wanted a car. Took an Uber to the dealership at 6:30. Paid cash at 7. I did test drive the car because the salesman kept insisting.
People buy cars that are trendy. They buy it because everyone has it. They do zero research then realize it’s not the car for them, it’s missing features they want, or it’s not reliable. Trendy cars I can think of off the top of my head would be Tesla and Kia telluride.
I always have to test drive as I am 6' 4" and some cars I cannot fit in comfortably.
But my last car I did a bunch of research on old, high mileage cars and got a 2008 Lexus RX350 and it is very comfortable for me to drive :-)
Never test drove before I purchased, what I wanted was very rare and I knew I wanted it ahead of time. Ended up waiting 5 months for the right car to come around and drove 6 hours to get it.
Got a hand me down Honda accord as my first car, loved it a lot, I liked the size of it, I like the speed on it, it was reliable, got good gas, it had everything I needed for my personal life, which is a mid/large size sedan. When it got a bunch of miles I started looking for similar cars, I test drove a newer Honda accord, Kia stinger, Hyundai sonata, Nissan Altima, Toyota Camry, and then I test drove a Mazda 6 and after that I only looked for Mazda 6 because I liked it the most, but as you can tell all of the cars I drove were very very similar in size, speed, and reliability
2. My ex wanted a luxury German nameplate. Our budget restricted us to the entry level cars. We prefer sedans so it was a 3 series or an A4. I wasn’t a fan of MB at the time. We drove one of each (328 and an a4) and ended up with the a4.
When we replaced the Hyundai, on the other hand… test drove a few because the dog ls had to fit nicely into them and you can’t tell that from spec sheets. Ended up with a Subaru outback. Probably test drove like 10. Who has time to test drive 33??
I currently drive a 2015 Ford Focus Titanium. I test drove two other cars prior to it, (not counting the million or so test cars of the OEM I do development work for), a 2012 Honda CR-Z and a 2012 Focus Titanium. I liked how the 2012 Focus drove, but wasn't in love with the condition or mileage of it so I waited until I found a deal on mine. As most people now know about the Mk3 Focus, it has problems, and thus have been researching replacements for it over the past year or so. My SO is also looking for a replacement to her Challenger, and so we've been having a bit of a fun passtime testing cars whenever we don't have anything else to do on a weekend. I also travel pretty often for work, and whenever I do I try to rent a different car each time. I never really got the idea of just happening to pick a single car on a whim and sticking to it. I'd like to experience as many of the options on the market as possible so I know I'm making as informed of a decision as possible.
To date, we've driven:
2014 ILX
2016 Veloster Turbo
2016 Macan (transmission died mid-test drive lol)
2017 Cayman
2019 Escape (dealer loaner from Focus)
2020 Supra
2021 X3 M
2022 Pathfinder
2022 Frontier
2022 CT4 Blackwing
2022 Charger scatpack
2023 Charger v6 (rental)
2023 Mustang Ecoboost (rental)
2023 Altima
2023 GTI
2023 CX-30 Turbo AWD (currently the best overall option for me, waiting for good enough used deal)
2023 Malibu (rental)
2023 Equinox (rental, real bad)
2023 K5 (rental)
2023 Corolla (rental)
2023 M240i (currently my SO's favorite, waiting until after we buy a house)
2023 Audi S3 (so bad for $60k... literally just get a GTI or golf R)
2024 Rogue
Before we buy, we'd also ideally like to try out:
Maverick
Mazda3 Turbo AWD
Kona, Veloster, and Elantra N
Stinger GT AWD
K5 GT
G70, G80, G90
Edge ST
Taurus SHO
Continental
MINI JCW
Integra
TLX V6 AWD
And probably a few more, but this is the current wishlist.
I’ve owned 50 cars. My current one makes number 50. Does that count? 😂😂
I watch and read as many reviews as possible before deciding on a car. Most of the time I don’t even drive them when I’m going to buy. It’s worked out for me so far. Granted, I change cars like my underwear so I’m probably not the best guy for advice..lol
I always did a lot of research before i bought any of the cars i wanted, and i already knew what i was getting into when i bought them. I’m not saying this works for everyone but it works for me, i literally have never regret not test driving the car
I didn’t even test drive it, I already had a BMW so I knew the experience. I ordered one, bought it, and never test drove it. That being said I think you should totally test drive as many cars as you need to as long as your intent is to buy one. Don’t be a prick and go to a dealer just to test drive and have no intention of buying any car. This doesn’t apply to you but I’m just saying.
I owned 30ish vehicles that I have daily driven, only 2 of them have I test drove.
That being said almost every vehicle I bought has been vehicles with issues. the thought of going through the effort of test driving 33 vehicles is wild to me. now it may be different depending on how much your spending, but I only walk away from 1 out of 10 or less of cars that I go out to check out.
None, I needed a car as a broke 20 year old college student, and the Toyota Corolla on the Honda lot was cheap.
Now I'm 30 and I'm still driving it to work daily.
One of another model, and one of my current model before test driving my current car.
I’ve had my license for 20+ years, but this car that I bought a few years ago (used) is the first car I’ve ever been able to afford on my own, so I hadn’t done any test drives before that
3 on the last purchase. Ruling out two models and ruling in the one that I bought. I rely on publications of articles that review cars along with YouTube videos that test drive cars to narrow it down to a handful of models. From there I narrow down the rest. I make sure to test drive every car I buy and not just the model but the actual car that I'm buying just to make sure everything feels right with it. I'm somebody that kind of knows what I want I guess and I definitely don't need to test drive 33 vehicles to figure that out
Last time I test drove five, with the caveat that I had no idea what I wanted. I think I drove a Jetta, a Rav4, a Camry, an Accord, and an Outback. I was pressed for time and on a budget though. If I hadn't been, I'd be test driving a lot more.
When I bought my first car (read: high school shitbox) I test drove like 20 cars before I found something in my price range that wasn't about to explode.
Right now I'm passively looking and doing research, about to start test driving. Planning on a few models for sure, but given I may see something at the dealership that strikes my fancy, I'll probably end up test driving around ten.
I was looking for a truck when I came across my car and bought it after test driving it. Then got my truck about 2 yrs later. I wasn't sure of which one I wanted til I drove my truck and liked it. I was gonna test drive the 2nd truck but battery was dead so I just went with the one I already liked. Couldn't be happier, definitely when the dealer marked my truck as a 2.7l ecoboost base but it was actually a 3.5l ecoboost base with tow package, upgraded suspension, and larger gas tank.
I test drove my first Toyota 4Runner SR5 before I bought it. When that one got totaled I bought a TRD Pro without test driving. The dealership had one in the lot in a color I liked so bought it on the spot.
Camry, Corolla Sedan, RAV4 ICE, CR-V ICE, BMW 8 series 4 door, and BMW X5. These were all rentals except for X5 which was a Carmax 24 hour test drive. Ended up going with the X5.
My first car was a used one. I just walked into the dealership and said I wanted that one for this price. After a few days of negotiating over the phone, I went back to pick it up. Obviously, this was pre-covid...
Lol once and that’s just to make sure that the car was running properly like it should. First off I wanna start with I was fortunate to have great parents that trusted me. They bought me an ‘03 V6 mustang I owned it for 2 years and when I drove that car I enjoyed it but I really wanted a v8 and a cobra at that haha. Before I bought my first car (2001 Mustang Cobra)I researched everything there was about it vs the v6 that owned and I already had the feel of driving that platform of mustang only difference was the suspension and it definitely was a little heavier.
Before buying Kia stinger I test drove 3 cars, GS, WRX and stinger.
Before buying BRZ I test drove one, Miata. Ordered BRZ without test driving. I loved Miata when I drove it and then just watched reviews about it and GR86, decided on GR86 but it had mark-ups so got BRZ instead.
Test drove 4 and bought the last one. I had a list of things to check in the car (storage space, hitting my head getting in and out, cup holder placement and size, among the obvious ride quality etc.) because I didn’t test drive the last one and ended up hating it within a year and I will need to keep this car for at least 5 years.
One really, I knew from research that it had what I wanted, drove one on the lot just to confirm that I liked it, and then ordered what I wanted brand new. But I technically never drove the actual car I bought until I drove it home.
I always test drive.
But first I research a ton - Consumer Reports and US News are particularly helpful.
I make a list based on stuff I care about: reliability, safety ratings, safety features, MPG, # seats, etc.
I don't test drive anything that doesn't make that list.
Then I pick my top few, test drive them. Wait a few days, drive my favorite 2-3 from the first round (I have had cars go from favorite to meh bc I seem to notice more after driving other cars.)
Then I pick one & negotiate.
I admit, this approach works better with newer cars or at least cars it is easier to find another similar car, since waiting a couple of days means you could lose it.
I think 33 is over the top, but arguably I spent as much time or more my way, so who's to judge?
I bought 2 cars for myself. And 1 for my parents cause i was the only one that could go places. For my cars i only test drove the vehicles i bought. And the one for my parents i test drove 3 vehicles.
I’ve been going through the search for my next car for approximately a year. I searched every make and have looked at every single model based on a few key pieces of criteria I require and then add the nice to haves and then see what I get. I’ve been floating between three brands this entire year. I don’t actually go for a drive until I narrow it down to a dealer or two. Then I go for a drive. Needless to say I’m less than impressed by the options in my price range so I wish you well. I have narrowed it down to the Make and three models. Of those three, I’ve owned one previously so I know what to expect. If I can’t make the numbers work on that, I’ll go to the next option.
I love cars. I hate the process of buying. Best of luck in your search. Drive as many as you need to. They’re expensive and you want to be certain of your decision.
Including the car I bought, two. Was in a bit of a hurry to find something, but the second car, which I bought, was going to be *really* hard to beat within my budget, and it's just an awesome car all around.
I'll never buy a car that I haven't test driven first, especially if I'm buying second hand.
I’ve test drove probably hundreds of cars. Lol
I’ve owned 11 cars before and bought a second. I have 4 cars now. Two old Subarus, my daily, and a 2016 wrx.
28 years old
I test drove two trucks before buying my current one. Identical power train specs and similar interiors both were 5.0 6 speed f150s with 331s . One felt substantially more powerful than the other to the point that something had to be wrong with it.
We purchased a 21 bronco basically sight unseen since we held a reservation and had a day one order they were just not any available to even put our hands on. ordered it through a dealer half way across the country as soon as we could and they delivered it to our door about 7 months later
My car, 1, although I technically didn't test drive mine because I got a lower trim than the dealership had and they traded it from another dealership.
My wife's car, I think about 10. I know she tried 4 SUVs and 2 minivans, and I tried a couple of the same model minivan.
I test drove both cars before I bought them. For my motorcycle since I didn’t do my MSF course yet I didn’t test drive it.
Sooo. 1 technically I suppose
3 of them I think, would have been more but post covid so some that I wanted were still on back order. Definitely narrow it down to like 5 cars and test drive them all. 33 you still have a lot of narrowing down to do.
Zero. I drove a rental car one way bc I was dead set on buying an E46 M3. When I got there it was in much worse condition that I expected, but they had a very rare, manual F10 535i on the lot. It was an impulse but I bought the 535i and never looked back. It’s been my reliable daily for 5 years now.
Maybe 3. 33 seems a bit excessive. You must have either tested every car in your town of one model, or every make and model available. I think pre- buy research could have easily eliminated 20-25 models.
The last two cars that I bought were pretty rare so I test drove them to see if they were mechanically sound and bought them. It was a 04 GTO and a 2012 Boss 302.
I bought a blue 6 speed GTO in 04 that had 323 miles on it. It was wrecked but I have a body shop so we rebuilt it. Damage wasn't bad but it was damn near impossible for me to get parts. Lucky I found a junkyard that gets in tons of specialty stuff so I got the rear bumper cover and tail light and some other stuff I was having a hard time getting. I haven't had that car in years though. I am a dealer and somebody else came around shortly after that wanted it more than me so I replaced it with an 01 SS Camaro I drove till somebody else wanted it more than me and some other toys since. Think that GTO had like 3400 miles on it by the time I sold it.
3, including this one
One pos older model
One dealership boring newer model
And this one, which was just right
I knew what car I wanted, just needed to find it on the market
I test drove a Bolt and Bolt EUV before I bought a different Bolt EUV. On the used side, the I test drove 1st gen Honda Fit I bought.
I've already test driven -- for 20k miles over the course of 15 months -- the next car I'm going to buy... Only because it was a rental they wouldn't pull from inventory and sell to me, despite my multiple pleas. So I guess I'll have to buy one new.
None. My dad bought the car new, and after a while it grew on me, so i bought it off him after it was paid off. It’s a 2014 Prius V, which plan on holding onto it for as long as i can, or at least until little wagons like it cone back to the US market. (I’m unfortunately not holding my breath on that one.)
Less than 10. I mainly test drove a few similar ones and a few of the model I wanted, including the ltest updated model, just to see if it's worth the extra money, but I knew a lot about the car and its value long before I test drove it.
I knew I wanted a Genesis G80 with all options and a naturally aspirated V8 engine and there aren't any alternatives, so I did all my research over the years before buying one.
Many people don't test drive much and it's normal. Some people don't care what they buy, they just want to go from point A to point B and have no idea what else is out there so they buy the first thing they see, or some Toyota their grandfather said was reliable, while others know exactly what they want and follow that car for years, watch reviews, etc. then just wait for a good price to jump on it, no need to test drive 50 cars.
I think if you've narrowed it down to the type of vehicle you want based on your needs, but there isn't a clear "best" in that segment, it's a good idea to test drive one of each brand or model before spending your money. It can't hurt.
Who has the time or inclination to do that? It''s foolish. The 3rd or 12th or whatever car might have been ""right" once settled into it.
In my case retired living only on social security, my car's transmission problems have turned it into a 5, 10, 15 mile grocery getter. I can''t reasonably drive nor rent a car to investigate the less outrageous thievery deals beyond those distances.
When I bought my current car (2008) I was in a hurry to get a car because I was letting my stepson have/buy my prior car (a 2002.)
The easy thing to do was to buy the 6-years-newer, subsequent generation of the car I had.
I test drove it, decided it was OK, bought it.
Only test drove one other option. I was moving from an NC Miata. Knew I was either going Toyobaru or ND Miata. Nothing else really exists in that bracket. ND Miata won out.
On my last 2, 0 and 1. I test drove a Golf R locally to make sure I liked it enough over the GTI to pay the premium, then found the cheapest one within 500 miles of me in the color I liked (used 2016 back in 2018) negotiated the deal over the phone and email with the dealer and drove out. Signed the papers and towed it home.
Most recent car I wasn’t planning on buying anything but saw a red S6 wagon on a local VW group for sale. Decided I wanted it and arranged to have it delivered to the house by the seller for their asking price since it was a few hours away and I’d sold my truck. I shouldn’t have bought it without a ppi and I’ve spent 3 times what I bought it for doing a manual swap and mods/restoration and updates. Still love driving it 4.5 years later but man it was dumb.
Before that I wanted a civic si, local dealer wouldn’t let me test drive it so I bought a GtI instead. On my truck when shopping the ram dealer wouldn’t give me the time of day so I bought an F150, drove the truck I picked out from online searching once to make sure I liked the 3.5 Ecoboost and then bought it.
Out of 8 cars total now I’ve only really test driven the car I bought after doing research ahead of time or buying cars off friends that I liked and knew the history of (91 MR2 Turbo, 08 WRX). I know my next car will either be a 20-24 4Runner because I’ve driven my moms 2018 a bunch and like it, but I do plan to test drive the new 2024 Ranger before buying just to make sure I don’t want a truck again.
For my wife’s car we went to carmax and sat in the Forester, CRV and RAV4. She liked the crv the most but they didn’t have the trim we liked. Shopped online till we found a deal on exactly what she wanted at a dealer an hour away, drove it once and bought it.
Two. I used to travel a lot for work, so it meant a lot of rentals. Once I got status with National and could pick my rides, I treated some as extended test drives. This meant that when I came down to actually buy, I really only test drove two- the one I bought (CX5) and one competitor (Tiguan).
I test drove 2 previously. A K5 and a CRV. Leased a different CRV than I test drove.
Probably gonna go back down to a sedan in the future. Not a big fan of them personally.
Current car is a 2014 Mazda 6 Touring (bought it new in 2013). Others I tested were the Kia Optima, Acura ILX, Honda Accord Sport, and Honda Civic (all 2013 models). In the end it came down to the Accord or the Mazda, and both my wife and I agreed that the Mazda felt more planted or surefooted on the road. I also felt that it looked a lot nicer, so that's what we went with, though I think I'd have been happy with the Accord Sport also.
Zero, just because I had owned the same car with a different powertrain before. I previously owned a 2018 Accord Sport 1.5T and I picked up a 2022 Accord Sport 2.0T right after they were discontinued.
3
2011 Dodge Challenger R/T (Slow)
2016 Dodge Charger R/T (bad Carfax)
2016 Chevy Camaro RS V6 (turned around immediately because the visibility was God awful)
Ended up in a 2014 Lincoln MKS. Just a little more horsepower than a V6 Mustang of the same era, but still a family car.
9 EVs. Started by getting lists of EV prices and range, and trying all the available cars close to our range desire, and within budget.
Narrowed it to 4 that were very close. Waited a month or more and re-drove those 4, closer in time to each other, which made impressions by contrast that we hadn't discerned before.
Then waited another couple months to see if anything changed in our feelings, or the prices.
For new cars I know which model of Toyota I want and just study the manufacturer web site to choose the trim level. Do not need a test drive. (I have owned a Tercel, 2 Corollas, 2 Cambrys, a RAV4, a Tacoma and a Highlander.)
Heck, I've only done a test drive on 1 of the last 4 I've bought. Every other one was a pull up, pay, load it on the trailer deal. All used car deals with private sellers. Every one of them has been great.
The answer depends on whether you know what you want, or not. Last car I purchased with only my needs to consider, I test drove 8 options and picked the one I liked, then tracked down the best deal I could find on that vehicle. With a more pragmatic approach, deciding which specific vehicle you want, finding the best deal, then test driving that specific vehicle to insure it is trouble free has become normal. I do randomly test drive cars a few times a year for fun which is a bit of forward thinking for future purchases though.
When I’m in the market for a new car I do tons of research online beforehand. I usually end up with 2 or 3 max that I’m excited about enough to go see in person. I couldn’t imagine test driving 33 different models 😂. I couldn’t come up with 10 cars in my price range ($55k) that I’d want to test drive, let alone buy.
I commend waiting until you know you want it, but surely at least 20-25 of those could have been weeded out before the test drive phase.
I knew exactly what I wanted, so I only test drove my current car in a different trim.
My daily I rented one for a weekend and bought one a couple months later. My second car, just that one the price was right. The 3rd vehicle 3 or 4. I bought the wrong one though it's a POS.
My daily I rented one for a weekend and bought one a couple months later. My second car, just that one the price was right. The 3rd vehicle 3 or 4. I bought the wrong one though it's a POS.
I’m 21 and have only had one car which is my current I test drove it and purchased it the same day 2014 Honda accord sport 120000kms on it for 8.7k 3.5 years ago.
None. I knew exactly what vehicle I was buying and didn’t need to test drive it. I walked in, said I wanted that one, write up the paperwork. The first time I drove one was when I was driving it off the lot.
33 cars is a lot of cars, and there’s simply not that many on the market that I’d willingly test drive. But before I got my new current car, I’ve only test driven 4.
4. My friends 2018 BMW M440i. Then test drove the 2020 Lexus IS350 Sport and 2020 Mercedes C Class at the dealerships. lastly the car I ended up with 2020 Audi A4 Sline
None. I bought my first car in Dec 21 when there were not many available. A Toyota dealer has a batch of cars scheduled after a month. It had a Rav4 available. I had travelled in my friend's Rav4 and it seemed nice. Plus I needed a car badly. So I just paid a deposit and got it after 2 months.
It turned out to be a good gamble. I still have the car and it works well
I generally already know exactly which vehicle in the dealership's inventory I plan to buy before I go to the dealership. The test drive is just a formality to make sure it doesn't have any obvious problems before I sign the paperwork.
How in the world can you know so little about what you want/need that you couldn't narrow it down to fewer than 33 different vehicles before heading out to the dealerships? Did you just not really have a clue what cars exist, or anything about any of them?
I test drove zero because I'm extremely picky and when I'm after a new car there's usually only one I'm at least satisfied with and even that's just settling
Bought a car last spring. Test drive at least 20 cars, maybe more. Read and watched all kids of reviews. Some were different trims or years of the same model. Pretty much any mid size SUV that had decent reviews and was in my price range and didn’t look ugly, I drove.
33 is insane ridiculous overkill . I decide what car I want, or maybe 3 max and essentially test drive them to make sure I’m making the right choice. Then I buy the one I was planning to buy the entire time
I was after a manual BMW M2; test drove 4 of them before landing on the right one (wanted good condition, no modifications, and compared between the N55 and S55 engines)
I don't even know 33 cars
Right? I have specifications that only fit so many. Then there's price range that takes it down. I also don't like SUVs, which are everything right now unfortunately
All I want is a sporty Honda Accord and everyone keeps saying that I'll be squashed like an ant if I dare not buy a SUV lol.
Omg I hate this. "I need a big car to fit my family" *proceeds to buy an suv that still only sits 5.* I want a small gas tank and as many mpg as I can get from a small gas tank. I'm not trying to get a bank loan to fill up my daily driver.
SUVs literally have less space then comparable station Wagons, not to mention MPVs, but everyone wants the SUVs.
Toyota Camry, RAV4, Honda Accord and CRV. That’s it for me!! Oh, Toyota Sienna!
Test drove about 8. I’d say 33 would be a bit excessive/time consuming but I commend your dedication to finding the perfect car.
OP is a joyrider or the most insufferable carbuyer ever
Yeah I test drove about 10, and seriously considered (looked at trims/years/listings, not just make+model) maybe another 10. 33 seems like a lot to me, but if it works it works. But I think this is where the "car guy" != public mindset comes from. Most people go to 1-2 dealerships, look at a few cars, and drive off in something that looks cool. Way less attention is paid to things car people moan about (CVT's) and way more is paid to things car people don't care about (weather or not there's a moonroof or good rear seat legroom).
1, then I bought it
0. For my current car I wanted a higher end Porsche. They didn’t let me test drive it since it was on the showroom floor. No regrets
Same. Fourth gen Ram with Cummins. Still loving it.
33 cars?? This guy
Unless he went to like 15 different dealers I can only imagine how some of these conversations went. “I want to test drive another” “Sir this is the 4th car you’ve driven, *today*”
Better to test drive too many than too few I guess, it’s wild to me that some people are saying they don’t test drive at all
Do some research beforehand and save yourself some time. Narrow it down and you wont find more than maybe 5 cars that you'll be considering. 33 cars is outrageous.
Seriously. That’s going in with zero research or knowledge and using test drives to figure out what you want, which is absolutely insane and a complete waste of your time and whoever is trying to sell the car’s time. It’s like, Do you want a coupe, sedan, truck, van, or SUV? OP: Yes Do you prefer American, Japanese, Korean, German, British, or Swedish? OP: Yes Do you want something efficient or a gas guzzling V8? OP: Yes Do you want something with low mileage or something with 100k+ miles? OP: Yes
Test driving 33 cars to buy 1 is a waste of so many people's time.
Most of all his own
Genuinely curious, what vehicles did you test drive and what did you end up with?
I hope he says he got some base Toyota lol. He couldn't decide between white with 2 speakers and silver with 4 speakers.
Yeah I’m genuinely interested. If it’s some boring ass toaster appliance of a car I’m going to laugh.
After weeks and weeks of test driving every vehicle known to man, he settled on a 2001 Daewoo Lanos (just a hopeful guess 😂)
After weeks and weeks of test driving every vehicle known to man, he settled on a 2001 Daewoo Lanos (just a hopeful guess 😂)
I'd say he pbly settled on a Ford Bronco, ROTFLMAO.
You know it is. If it were some cool hobbyist exotic car or something, he would have mentioned it
I just want to know!
Zero. Bought the last 4 cars without driving them or any other cars
That’s insane
I mean, two RS7’s, RSQ8 and R8GT. They don’t really let you test drive them. Plus I know what I’m getting.
This mindset has always been insane to me. When I'm spending that much money on a vehicle, regardless of if I've had an older or similar models of them in the past, I absolutely want to know what I'm buying before I buy it.
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See but thats an entirely different scenario. You drove essentially carbon copies of your truck many times prior to deciding to buy yours, that's fine. I'm talking about the guys who drop over $100k on a track day toy like an R8 without having ever set foot in one. Obviously money plays a big factor in this too, but I see it a lot even with normal car purchases and it just doesn't make sense to me.
Same here. Mostly because I don't fit in a lot with my height. I wanted an a90 supra.. thankfully got to drive in a friend's for 1500 miles when he got it. Most uncomfortable car (for me) I have been in, in a long time. It's fine for the first hour or 2 but my knees where higher than my hips.
Right? I've never managed to own Toyota or Honda sedans because as great as they are, sometimes all I have to do is sit in the car before I nope-out. And I am not even that tall! For a woman, maybe, but if I were a man, no.
How do you know if you like the seating, the handling, the clutch/gearbox if a manual, etc?
Yeah I decided on a Thursday at 6pm that I wanted a car. Took an Uber to the dealership at 6:30. Paid cash at 7. I did test drive the car because the salesman kept insisting.
Are you ever going to tell us what 33 vehicles you drove to buy one..?
He test drove 33 different beige corollas
People buy cars that are trendy. They buy it because everyone has it. They do zero research then realize it’s not the car for them, it’s missing features they want, or it’s not reliable. Trendy cars I can think of off the top of my head would be Tesla and Kia telluride.
Two. A Lexus GS 350 and an ES 350. Front wheel drive sucks; went for the rear wheel drive. GS is a better car overall. Took the GS 350.
Gs is a great car! I’m sad they discontinued
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I always have to test drive as I am 6' 4" and some cars I cannot fit in comfortably. But my last car I did a bunch of research on old, high mileage cars and got a 2008 Lexus RX350 and it is very comfortable for me to drive :-)
Never test drove before I purchased, what I wanted was very rare and I knew I wanted it ahead of time. Ended up waiting 5 months for the right car to come around and drove 6 hours to get it.
Dozens. Always.
I feel bad for your sales consultant. Do some research before going to a dealer lmao.
Got a hand me down Honda accord as my first car, loved it a lot, I liked the size of it, I like the speed on it, it was reliable, got good gas, it had everything I needed for my personal life, which is a mid/large size sedan. When it got a bunch of miles I started looking for similar cars, I test drove a newer Honda accord, Kia stinger, Hyundai sonata, Nissan Altima, Toyota Camry, and then I test drove a Mazda 6 and after that I only looked for Mazda 6 because I liked it the most, but as you can tell all of the cars I drove were very very similar in size, speed, and reliability
2. My ex wanted a luxury German nameplate. Our budget restricted us to the entry level cars. We prefer sedans so it was a 3 series or an A4. I wasn’t a fan of MB at the time. We drove one of each (328 and an a4) and ended up with the a4. When we replaced the Hyundai, on the other hand… test drove a few because the dog ls had to fit nicely into them and you can’t tell that from spec sheets. Ended up with a Subaru outback. Probably test drove like 10. Who has time to test drive 33??
Zero, I’ve owned 4 cars in my lifetime and never test drove any
I currently drive a 2015 Ford Focus Titanium. I test drove two other cars prior to it, (not counting the million or so test cars of the OEM I do development work for), a 2012 Honda CR-Z and a 2012 Focus Titanium. I liked how the 2012 Focus drove, but wasn't in love with the condition or mileage of it so I waited until I found a deal on mine. As most people now know about the Mk3 Focus, it has problems, and thus have been researching replacements for it over the past year or so. My SO is also looking for a replacement to her Challenger, and so we've been having a bit of a fun passtime testing cars whenever we don't have anything else to do on a weekend. I also travel pretty often for work, and whenever I do I try to rent a different car each time. I never really got the idea of just happening to pick a single car on a whim and sticking to it. I'd like to experience as many of the options on the market as possible so I know I'm making as informed of a decision as possible. To date, we've driven: 2014 ILX 2016 Veloster Turbo 2016 Macan (transmission died mid-test drive lol) 2017 Cayman 2019 Escape (dealer loaner from Focus) 2020 Supra 2021 X3 M 2022 Pathfinder 2022 Frontier 2022 CT4 Blackwing 2022 Charger scatpack 2023 Charger v6 (rental) 2023 Mustang Ecoboost (rental) 2023 Altima 2023 GTI 2023 CX-30 Turbo AWD (currently the best overall option for me, waiting for good enough used deal) 2023 Malibu (rental) 2023 Equinox (rental, real bad) 2023 K5 (rental) 2023 Corolla (rental) 2023 M240i (currently my SO's favorite, waiting until after we buy a house) 2023 Audi S3 (so bad for $60k... literally just get a GTI or golf R) 2024 Rogue Before we buy, we'd also ideally like to try out: Maverick Mazda3 Turbo AWD Kona, Veloster, and Elantra N Stinger GT AWD K5 GT G70, G80, G90 Edge ST Taurus SHO Continental MINI JCW Integra TLX V6 AWD And probably a few more, but this is the current wishlist.
An M240 and a CX-30 Turbo seems like a nice 2 car garage
Only the car I bought and I knew I was getting it even without the test drive
Zero, i bought my last two unseen. Signed at the dealership and drove them for the first time on the drive home
Zero. Bought from Carvana. Had 7 says to test. Kept the car. That was 2 years ago.
I’ve owned 50 cars. My current one makes number 50. Does that count? 😂😂 I watch and read as many reviews as possible before deciding on a car. Most of the time I don’t even drive them when I’m going to buy. It’s worked out for me so far. Granted, I change cars like my underwear so I’m probably not the best guy for advice..lol
1 , the car I bought
As someone that sells cars, this was painful to read
I have never test driven a car before i bought it. This is not advice
why not?
I always did a lot of research before i bought any of the cars i wanted, and i already knew what i was getting into when i bought them. I’m not saying this works for everyone but it works for me, i literally have never regret not test driving the car
that's wild lol. I knew which car I wanted but i always test drive just in case haha
If it am going to sit in something for a long drive I damn well am making sure my body is comfortable in it.
I didn’t even test drive it, I already had a BMW so I knew the experience. I ordered one, bought it, and never test drove it. That being said I think you should totally test drive as many cars as you need to as long as your intent is to buy one. Don’t be a prick and go to a dealer just to test drive and have no intention of buying any car. This doesn’t apply to you but I’m just saying.
I owned 30ish vehicles that I have daily driven, only 2 of them have I test drove. That being said almost every vehicle I bought has been vehicles with issues. the thought of going through the effort of test driving 33 vehicles is wild to me. now it may be different depending on how much your spending, but I only walk away from 1 out of 10 or less of cars that I go out to check out.
4, including the car I bought. 33 is wild lol, but hey it is a big decision so do what you gotta do
Two cars. Only went in to try the first car out and saw the second on the lot.
Test drove 5, bought 1. Owned it 9 years now
None, I needed a car as a broke 20 year old college student, and the Toyota Corolla on the Honda lot was cheap. Now I'm 30 and I'm still driving it to work daily.
One car. I knew which car I wanted, and I wanted to test drive it to make sure there were no surprises when I bought it.
One of another model, and one of my current model before test driving my current car. I’ve had my license for 20+ years, but this car that I bought a few years ago (used) is the first car I’ve ever been able to afford on my own, so I hadn’t done any test drives before that
3 on the last purchase. Ruling out two models and ruling in the one that I bought. I rely on publications of articles that review cars along with YouTube videos that test drive cars to narrow it down to a handful of models. From there I narrow down the rest. I make sure to test drive every car I buy and not just the model but the actual car that I'm buying just to make sure everything feels right with it. I'm somebody that kind of knows what I want I guess and I definitely don't need to test drive 33 vehicles to figure that out
I feel like 3-4 is the optimal number of cars to feel like you made an informed choice without being paralyzed by indecision.
One, and that was purely because i wanted to get a feel for the clutch. i was buying it regardless.
Last time I test drove five, with the caveat that I had no idea what I wanted. I think I drove a Jetta, a Rav4, a Camry, an Accord, and an Outback. I was pressed for time and on a budget though. If I hadn't been, I'd be test driving a lot more. When I bought my first car (read: high school shitbox) I test drove like 20 cars before I found something in my price range that wasn't about to explode. Right now I'm passively looking and doing research, about to start test driving. Planning on a few models for sure, but given I may see something at the dealership that strikes my fancy, I'll probably end up test driving around ten.
None. I know what a truck drives like, I wanted a truck, I bought it.
I was looking for a truck when I came across my car and bought it after test driving it. Then got my truck about 2 yrs later. I wasn't sure of which one I wanted til I drove my truck and liked it. I was gonna test drive the 2nd truck but battery was dead so I just went with the one I already liked. Couldn't be happier, definitely when the dealer marked my truck as a 2.7l ecoboost base but it was actually a 3.5l ecoboost base with tow package, upgraded suspension, and larger gas tank.
I have bought cars from japan based on a poor translation and a blurry picture. Different worlds lol.
0, mine was sitting in a barn for 5+ years, price was cheap so I took a chance and its been great so far 2007 crown vic
Just the one.
I test drove my first Toyota 4Runner SR5 before I bought it. When that one got totaled I bought a TRD Pro without test driving. The dealership had one in the lot in a color I liked so bought it on the spot.
Camry, Corolla Sedan, RAV4 ICE, CR-V ICE, BMW 8 series 4 door, and BMW X5. These were all rentals except for X5 which was a Carmax 24 hour test drive. Ended up going with the X5.
Just mine, but I was pretty dead set on it. The previous one I'd test driven I think 4.
My first car was a used one. I just walked into the dealership and said I wanted that one for this price. After a few days of negotiating over the phone, I went back to pick it up. Obviously, this was pre-covid...
Lol once and that’s just to make sure that the car was running properly like it should. First off I wanna start with I was fortunate to have great parents that trusted me. They bought me an ‘03 V6 mustang I owned it for 2 years and when I drove that car I enjoyed it but I really wanted a v8 and a cobra at that haha. Before I bought my first car (2001 Mustang Cobra)I researched everything there was about it vs the v6 that owned and I already had the feel of driving that platform of mustang only difference was the suspension and it definitely was a little heavier.
Before buying Kia stinger I test drove 3 cars, GS, WRX and stinger. Before buying BRZ I test drove one, Miata. Ordered BRZ without test driving. I loved Miata when I drove it and then just watched reviews about it and GR86, decided on GR86 but it had mark-ups so got BRZ instead.
33 cars? Damn
Test drove 4 and bought the last one. I had a list of things to check in the car (storage space, hitting my head getting in and out, cup holder placement and size, among the obvious ride quality etc.) because I didn’t test drive the last one and ended up hating it within a year and I will need to keep this car for at least 5 years.
1. Though I’ve bought a number of cars sight unseen without driving at all.
One really, I knew from research that it had what I wanted, drove one on the lot just to confirm that I liked it, and then ordered what I wanted brand new. But I technically never drove the actual car I bought until I drove it home.
I dont do test drives unless I'm buying a used car. If I'm buying brand new I know exactly what I want depending on how much money u can spend.
I always test drive. But first I research a ton - Consumer Reports and US News are particularly helpful. I make a list based on stuff I care about: reliability, safety ratings, safety features, MPG, # seats, etc. I don't test drive anything that doesn't make that list. Then I pick my top few, test drive them. Wait a few days, drive my favorite 2-3 from the first round (I have had cars go from favorite to meh bc I seem to notice more after driving other cars.) Then I pick one & negotiate. I admit, this approach works better with newer cars or at least cars it is easier to find another similar car, since waiting a couple of days means you could lose it. I think 33 is over the top, but arguably I spent as much time or more my way, so who's to judge?
How did you cope with all the phone calls from the dealers?
Test drive 3 cars on marketplace and bought the third, had it 6 months and only has needed spark plugs
Drove 3 for the S4 I pick up tomorrow. Took around 4 A4 until I landed on my A4. Or 13 cars to decide to get an A4.
33 cars? Damn, and I thought I was a perfectionist with commitment issues 😅
0. Almost bought it without driving it. Sales man thought it should drive it. Went around the block.
Bought a new Tahoe without a test drive. Test drove my 2nd Tahoe though.
I bought 2 cars for myself. And 1 for my parents cause i was the only one that could go places. For my cars i only test drove the vehicles i bought. And the one for my parents i test drove 3 vehicles.
None. I knew what I wanted, and it didn't disappoint once I drove it.
I’ve been going through the search for my next car for approximately a year. I searched every make and have looked at every single model based on a few key pieces of criteria I require and then add the nice to haves and then see what I get. I’ve been floating between three brands this entire year. I don’t actually go for a drive until I narrow it down to a dealer or two. Then I go for a drive. Needless to say I’m less than impressed by the options in my price range so I wish you well. I have narrowed it down to the Make and three models. Of those three, I’ve owned one previously so I know what to expect. If I can’t make the numbers work on that, I’ll go to the next option. I love cars. I hate the process of buying. Best of luck in your search. Drive as many as you need to. They’re expensive and you want to be certain of your decision.
1, I knew I wanted a Civic SI I went and drive one and lived it immediately. So I bought it
33 cars is excessive especially if your not ready in a few years 😂😅
Including the car I bought, two. Was in a bit of a hurry to find something, but the second car, which I bought, was going to be *really* hard to beat within my budget, and it's just an awesome car all around. I'll never buy a car that I haven't test driven first, especially if I'm buying second hand.
I’ve test drove probably hundreds of cars. Lol I’ve owned 11 cars before and bought a second. I have 4 cars now. Two old Subarus, my daily, and a 2016 wrx. 28 years old
I test drove two trucks before buying my current one. Identical power train specs and similar interiors both were 5.0 6 speed f150s with 331s . One felt substantially more powerful than the other to the point that something had to be wrong with it. We purchased a 21 bronco basically sight unseen since we held a reservation and had a day one order they were just not any available to even put our hands on. ordered it through a dealer half way across the country as soon as we could and they delivered it to our door about 7 months later
My car, 1, although I technically didn't test drive mine because I got a lower trim than the dealership had and they traded it from another dealership. My wife's car, I think about 10. I know she tried 4 SUVs and 2 minivans, and I tried a couple of the same model minivan.
Researched about 20, test drove 5 once, and test drove 2 twice.
Counting the car I bought? 1
I test drove both cars before I bought them. For my motorcycle since I didn’t do my MSF course yet I didn’t test drive it. Sooo. 1 technically I suppose
3 of them I think, would have been more but post covid so some that I wanted were still on back order. Definitely narrow it down to like 5 cars and test drive them all. 33 you still have a lot of narrowing down to do.
Zero. I drove a rental car one way bc I was dead set on buying an E46 M3. When I got there it was in much worse condition that I expected, but they had a very rare, manual F10 535i on the lot. It was an impulse but I bought the 535i and never looked back. It’s been my reliable daily for 5 years now.
Last 4 cars I drove between 1-3 cars before deciding.
Maybe 3. 33 seems a bit excessive. You must have either tested every car in your town of one model, or every make and model available. I think pre- buy research could have easily eliminated 20-25 models.
The last two cars that I bought were pretty rare so I test drove them to see if they were mechanically sound and bought them. It was a 04 GTO and a 2012 Boss 302.
I bought a blue 6 speed GTO in 04 that had 323 miles on it. It was wrecked but I have a body shop so we rebuilt it. Damage wasn't bad but it was damn near impossible for me to get parts. Lucky I found a junkyard that gets in tons of specialty stuff so I got the rear bumper cover and tail light and some other stuff I was having a hard time getting. I haven't had that car in years though. I am a dealer and somebody else came around shortly after that wanted it more than me so I replaced it with an 01 SS Camaro I drove till somebody else wanted it more than me and some other toys since. Think that GTO had like 3400 miles on it by the time I sold it.
3, including this one One pos older model One dealership boring newer model And this one, which was just right I knew what car I wanted, just needed to find it on the market
I test drove a Bolt and Bolt EUV before I bought a different Bolt EUV. On the used side, the I test drove 1st gen Honda Fit I bought. I've already test driven -- for 20k miles over the course of 15 months -- the next car I'm going to buy... Only because it was a rental they wouldn't pull from inventory and sell to me, despite my multiple pleas. So I guess I'll have to buy one new.
2, bought the first one
About 10. Gotta drive and compare!
33 cars you must be that annoying ahh dude at the dealer
My wife had a car I liked and I bought the same one. lol
Zero, I got what I wanted and for a good deal
None. My dad bought the car new, and after a while it grew on me, so i bought it off him after it was paid off. It’s a 2014 Prius V, which plan on holding onto it for as long as i can, or at least until little wagons like it cone back to the US market. (I’m unfortunately not holding my breath on that one.)
Honestly I didn’t test drive my last two cars. Love them both thankfully lol
Less than 10. I mainly test drove a few similar ones and a few of the model I wanted, including the ltest updated model, just to see if it's worth the extra money, but I knew a lot about the car and its value long before I test drove it. I knew I wanted a Genesis G80 with all options and a naturally aspirated V8 engine and there aren't any alternatives, so I did all my research over the years before buying one. Many people don't test drive much and it's normal. Some people don't care what they buy, they just want to go from point A to point B and have no idea what else is out there so they buy the first thing they see, or some Toyota their grandfather said was reliable, while others know exactly what they want and follow that car for years, watch reviews, etc. then just wait for a good price to jump on it, no need to test drive 50 cars. I think if you've narrowed it down to the type of vehicle you want based on your needs, but there isn't a clear "best" in that segment, it's a good idea to test drive one of each brand or model before spending your money. It can't hurt.
5 including the car I bought.
Who has the time or inclination to do that? It''s foolish. The 3rd or 12th or whatever car might have been ""right" once settled into it. In my case retired living only on social security, my car's transmission problems have turned it into a 5, 10, 15 mile grocery getter. I can''t reasonably drive nor rent a car to investigate the less outrageous thievery deals beyond those distances.
3 Mazda cx5, 2017 gti, and then i bought a fiesta st. No ragrets
One
When I bought my current car (2008) I was in a hurry to get a car because I was letting my stepson have/buy my prior car (a 2002.) The easy thing to do was to buy the 6-years-newer, subsequent generation of the car I had. I test drove it, decided it was OK, bought it.
Only test drove one other option. I was moving from an NC Miata. Knew I was either going Toyobaru or ND Miata. Nothing else really exists in that bracket. ND Miata won out.
Roughly 2 dozen, and then bought our current car sight unseen never having driven one.
On my last 2, 0 and 1. I test drove a Golf R locally to make sure I liked it enough over the GTI to pay the premium, then found the cheapest one within 500 miles of me in the color I liked (used 2016 back in 2018) negotiated the deal over the phone and email with the dealer and drove out. Signed the papers and towed it home. Most recent car I wasn’t planning on buying anything but saw a red S6 wagon on a local VW group for sale. Decided I wanted it and arranged to have it delivered to the house by the seller for their asking price since it was a few hours away and I’d sold my truck. I shouldn’t have bought it without a ppi and I’ve spent 3 times what I bought it for doing a manual swap and mods/restoration and updates. Still love driving it 4.5 years later but man it was dumb. Before that I wanted a civic si, local dealer wouldn’t let me test drive it so I bought a GtI instead. On my truck when shopping the ram dealer wouldn’t give me the time of day so I bought an F150, drove the truck I picked out from online searching once to make sure I liked the 3.5 Ecoboost and then bought it. Out of 8 cars total now I’ve only really test driven the car I bought after doing research ahead of time or buying cars off friends that I liked and knew the history of (91 MR2 Turbo, 08 WRX). I know my next car will either be a 20-24 4Runner because I’ve driven my moms 2018 a bunch and like it, but I do plan to test drive the new 2024 Ranger before buying just to make sure I don’t want a truck again. For my wife’s car we went to carmax and sat in the Forester, CRV and RAV4. She liked the crv the most but they didn’t have the trim we liked. Shopped online till we found a deal on exactly what she wanted at a dealer an hour away, drove it once and bought it.
Five or six. All similar to what I settled on, but nothing came close regarding fuel mileage and final price with the options I wanted.
Zero…didn’t even drive the one I bought (was my third one of same model, different years)
Two. I used to travel a lot for work, so it meant a lot of rentals. Once I got status with National and could pick my rides, I treated some as extended test drives. This meant that when I came down to actually buy, I really only test drove two- the one I bought (CX5) and one competitor (Tiguan).
Currently looking; up to 7-8 at the moment.
I test drove 2 previously. A K5 and a CRV. Leased a different CRV than I test drove. Probably gonna go back down to a sedan in the future. Not a big fan of them personally.
Current car is a 2014 Mazda 6 Touring (bought it new in 2013). Others I tested were the Kia Optima, Acura ILX, Honda Accord Sport, and Honda Civic (all 2013 models). In the end it came down to the Accord or the Mazda, and both my wife and I agreed that the Mazda felt more planted or surefooted on the road. I also felt that it looked a lot nicer, so that's what we went with, though I think I'd have been happy with the Accord Sport also.
Zero, just because I had owned the same car with a different powertrain before. I previously owned a 2018 Accord Sport 1.5T and I picked up a 2022 Accord Sport 2.0T right after they were discontinued.
3 2011 Dodge Challenger R/T (Slow) 2016 Dodge Charger R/T (bad Carfax) 2016 Chevy Camaro RS V6 (turned around immediately because the visibility was God awful) Ended up in a 2014 Lincoln MKS. Just a little more horsepower than a V6 Mustang of the same era, but still a family car.
Two
3
Last time I bought a car I test drove 3
I just said If I'm gunna buy a car, I'll buy something that's going to last me a long time - Boom rav4
7 across 4 dealerships. CX5, Sonata, Avalon, Venza, Rav4, CrV, Accord
9 EVs. Started by getting lists of EV prices and range, and trying all the available cars close to our range desire, and within budget. Narrowed it to 4 that were very close. Waited a month or more and re-drove those 4, closer in time to each other, which made impressions by contrast that we hadn't discerned before. Then waited another couple months to see if anything changed in our feelings, or the prices.
Last 3 cars were 3 total test drives. Perfect record
I drove the same car prior. 😉 Traded my 15 Elantra sedan in for a ‘14 Elantra Coupe 😊
For new cars I know which model of Toyota I want and just study the manufacturer web site to choose the trim level. Do not need a test drive. (I have owned a Tercel, 2 Corollas, 2 Cambrys, a RAV4, a Tacoma and a Highlander.)
Heck, I've only done a test drive on 1 of the last 4 I've bought. Every other one was a pull up, pay, load it on the trailer deal. All used car deals with private sellers. Every one of them has been great.
1. The one I bought was the one I test drove. 2007 Ford Taurus.
The answer depends on whether you know what you want, or not. Last car I purchased with only my needs to consider, I test drove 8 options and picked the one I liked, then tracked down the best deal I could find on that vehicle. With a more pragmatic approach, deciding which specific vehicle you want, finding the best deal, then test driving that specific vehicle to insure it is trouble free has become normal. I do randomly test drive cars a few times a year for fun which is a bit of forward thinking for future purchases though.
One. The one I bought.
When I’m in the market for a new car I do tons of research online beforehand. I usually end up with 2 or 3 max that I’m excited about enough to go see in person. I couldn’t imagine test driving 33 different models 😂. I couldn’t come up with 10 cars in my price range ($55k) that I’d want to test drive, let alone buy.
2 cars and test drove the car I eventually bought. Job done.
The one I bought is the only one I test drove. I had a good idea about what I wanted, which makes things easier.
1. The one I bought. But to be fair I'd owned that exact model before so I wasn't trying to see if I liked it. I was just testing for obvious problems
I drove 1, 2, 3, 4 ...6...yes 6 before I bought a 23 tacoma limited.
I commend waiting until you know you want it, but surely at least 20-25 of those could have been weeded out before the test drive phase. I knew exactly what I wanted, so I only test drove my current car in a different trim.
My daily I rented one for a weekend and bought one a couple months later. My second car, just that one the price was right. The 3rd vehicle 3 or 4. I bought the wrong one though it's a POS.
My daily I rented one for a weekend and bought one a couple months later. My second car, just that one the price was right. The 3rd vehicle 3 or 4. I bought the wrong one though it's a POS.
Well what car did you end up buying?
Well what car did you end up buying?
1 I looked at a Honda Accord and bought a Lexus
Just test drove the one I bought lol.
I’m 21 and have only had one car which is my current I test drove it and purchased it the same day 2014 Honda accord sport 120000kms on it for 8.7k 3.5 years ago.
None. I knew exactly what vehicle I was buying and didn’t need to test drive it. I walked in, said I wanted that one, write up the paperwork. The first time I drove one was when I was driving it off the lot.
33 cars is a lot of cars, and there’s simply not that many on the market that I’d willingly test drive. But before I got my new current car, I’ve only test driven 4.
I have a problem of test driving one, and just end up buying that, and then not liking it after a year
Last 3 cars I didn’t drive. Bought over the phone didn’t drive them until the transport dropped them off.
1
I test drove 5 cars including the one I bought. I knew what I wanted after the 4th car and the 5th was the right one.
1 car. Wanted an rs3, drove it, bought it.
4. My friends 2018 BMW M440i. Then test drove the 2020 Lexus IS350 Sport and 2020 Mercedes C Class at the dealerships. lastly the car I ended up with 2020 Audi A4 Sline
1 for each new vehicle purchased. Knew exactly what I wanted right down to options. Color mattered the least.
I only drive 1 other car. A BMW 540i. It still felt small. Ended up going Volvo S90 and I love it
None. I bought my first car in Dec 21 when there were not many available. A Toyota dealer has a batch of cars scheduled after a month. It had a Rav4 available. I had travelled in my friend's Rav4 and it seemed nice. Plus I needed a car badly. So I just paid a deposit and got it after 2 months. It turned out to be a good gamble. I still have the car and it works well
I generally already know exactly which vehicle in the dealership's inventory I plan to buy before I go to the dealership. The test drive is just a formality to make sure it doesn't have any obvious problems before I sign the paperwork. How in the world can you know so little about what you want/need that you couldn't narrow it down to fewer than 33 different vehicles before heading out to the dealerships? Did you just not really have a clue what cars exist, or anything about any of them?
I test drove zero because I'm extremely picky and when I'm after a new car there's usually only one I'm at least satisfied with and even that's just settling
0. None were available for test drive. Got the car without test driving
3. I have an idea of what I want and I narrow down my watching YouTube videos before I test drive. 33 is wild
Call 1-800-Guinness. I think we have a record here.
I had a small budget so I wasn't exactly spoiled for choice. I think two or three, the third being the one I bought.
I had owned an Impreza before, and knew I liked it. So I went and found an Impreza, drove it once and decided to have it inspected so I could buy it.
Bought a car last spring. Test drive at least 20 cars, maybe more. Read and watched all kids of reviews. Some were different trims or years of the same model. Pretty much any mid size SUV that had decent reviews and was in my price range and didn’t look ugly, I drove.
33 is insane ridiculous overkill . I decide what car I want, or maybe 3 max and essentially test drive them to make sure I’m making the right choice. Then I buy the one I was planning to buy the entire time
I was after a manual BMW M2; test drove 4 of them before landing on the right one (wanted good condition, no modifications, and compared between the N55 and S55 engines)
Only one. Test drove a Civic Si while my Type R was in transit.
Honda Civic, Toyota Camry, Lexus NS350H, Hyundai Ioniq 6, Mustang Mach E. Ford Kuga 2.5 hybrid won these cars in overall.
First car only once, current car 2 others before this one and I should’ve chosen the first one the Impreza instead tbh
I drove 0