Why do they want your license before a test drive?

[Nick R]

When my grandmother test drove the malibu and cruze a few weeks ago, they never asked for her license, she just had us get in the car and drive. They didn't run credit stuff until she actually sat down to get the financing taken care of.

 

[daves87rs]

Pretty soon that might happen though-the age of "just a drive" is slowly disappearing. Many local dealerships here have cut back sales staff-readying for both the sales drop(thanks high gas prices) and more serious buyers.

In the age of the internet, most people (now including the dealerships) have expected you to do your homework. Or brought into the door by good marketing (or a good lease deal). Either way, you are there for a reason. More people buying cars today are more concerned about the color or price than they are about the test drive. Remember, it's like buying a fridge or a washing machine. If they see in for a test drive, they are going to assume you are interested in this car enough to buy it, so don't be surprised if they start asking for more of your info. We already have a few dealerships here (including a very pushy Honda one) that really want to "know" you before they test drive the car. My favorite line came from an ex-salesman there" We want to make sure you can afford a Honda" Ouch!


People tend to forget it's still about the sale, as the customer service is left to the service department.... While not all dealerships are run/going to run like this, many are cutting out the fun of being a window shopper....

 

[daves87rs]

Originally Posted By: Nick R
When my grandmother test drove the malibu and cruze a few weeks ago, they never asked for her license, she just had us get in the car and drive. They didn't run credit stuff until she actually sat down to get the financing taken care of.


Still depends on the dealership....

 

[IndyIan]

Originally Posted By: daves87rs
Pretty soon that might happen though-the age of "just a drive" is slowly disappearing. Many local dealerships here have cut back sales staff-readying for both the sales drop(thanks high gas prices) and more serious buyers.

In the age of the internet, most people (now including the dealerships) have expected you to do your homework. Or brought into the door by good marketing (or a good lease deal). Either way, you are there for a reason. More people buying cars today are more concerned about the color or price than they are about the test drive. Remember, it's like buying a fridge or a washing machine. If they see in for a test drive, they are going to assume you are interested in this car enough to buy it, so don't be surprised if they start asking for more of your info. We already have a few dealerships here (including a very pushy Honda one) that really want to "know" you before they test drive the car. My favorite line came from an ex-salesman there" We want to make sure you can afford a Honda" Ouch!


People tend to forget it's still about the sale, as the customer service is left to the service department.... While not all dealerships are run/going to run like this, many are cutting out the fun of being a window shopper....

I haven't really found it harder to go test driving IME, I pull in with my old beater, most of the time they copy my license, and the odd time the sales guy comes with me. Usually they ask where I work to establish I can actually buy a car, but that's it in terms of salesmen run around. I also say right up front I'm not buying today but when the Neon kicks the can, I'll keep them in mind as I now know what their car is like.
I try to not waste their time and usually they reciprocate.
A couple years ago I has a Mazda salesguy tell me when to shift gears and what route to take... Then he complained about a crazy test drive he'd been on. I bet someone was teaching him a lesson for being so annoying, and I was tempted to do the same...

 

[Hokiefyd]

I just test-drove an Accord at an Acura dealer today and it was the first time in my car-shopping history that I have NOT been asked for my license before we left out.

 

[occupant]

I have worked for four car dealers in my life that ran credit. A Subaru-Kia-Isuzu dealer, an AutoNation used-only store, a Honda dealer, and a Saturn dealer.

None of the four could run credit without an SSN. Now this was in 1997, 1997, 2003, and 2005. You could swipe the DL to see if it was VALID. You could enter the name and address in the computer for mailing list purposes. But you couldn't get the beacons or anything until they signed a credit app.

I tell you what, I really enjoyed working at the AutoNation store. The Honda store was awful and the Saturn dealer was worse, if you'll believe that. It was NOT representative of other Saturn dealers, though. The import store I only got to work at for 3 weeks, sold 7 vehicles, though I was doing ok. But then it got bought out by a large dealer group and anyone without 6 months tenure was given their final commission check and told to hit the road.

It may be possible for a dealer to pull credit without an SSN. But it would be stupid, illegal, and immoral. That said, they are car dealers after all. And they're why I scour CL and impound auctions these days. I haven't bought a vehicle off a dealer lot since 2006.

 

[eljefino]

The salesmen watch these training videos on how to turn a "just looking" customer into a buyer.

I have no moral issues with disclaiming that you're "just looking", if that's what you're doing.

Know, though, that the salesman is going to catch heck if too many times in a row, his floor traffic doesn't convert to sales. But that's his problem.

 

[IndyIan]

Originally Posted By: eljefino
The salesmen watch these training videos on how to turn a "just looking" customer into a buyer.

I have no moral issues with disclaiming that you're "just looking", if that's what you're doing.

Know, though, that the salesman is going to catch heck if too many times in a row, his floor traffic doesn't convert to sales. But that's his problem.

Yep, some of them are pretty good talkers, but with no real trade and no financing, they can't really come up with interesting or confusing numbers... Probably when the Neon is put to out to pasture, its not going to be a convenient time so some pre-emptive shopping will help me get a decent car quickly.
Really if they don't bother to come with me, I take up 10 minutes of their time, and if their sales manager doesn't realize that some people do some research/driving before buying then that's their problem. I guess they could be rude to me, but it just turns their odds of a sale to 0%.

 

[Benzadmiral]

Originally Posted By: eljefino
The salesmen watch these training videos on how to turn a "just looking" customer into a buyer.

I have no moral issues with disclaiming that you're "just looking", if that's what you're doing.

Know, though, that the salesman is going to catch heck if too many times in a row, his floor traffic doesn't convert to sales. But that's his problem.

Oh, sure; I intend to say right up front, "I'm not in the market. You never know in this town, though, when your car could get totalled or stolen, so I'm doing my research to find out what I'd like."

Probably not this weekend, but soon, I'll hit the Buick dealer and check out the LaCrosse and Regal.

 

[hattaresguy]

I have been asked for a license before, they do it for id. Look at it from the dealers perspective they don't know who you are, what happens if your license is suspended on a DUI and you run the car into a bus stop?

 

[dishdude]

Originally Posted By: eljefino
Copying your license is the start of their fight for power and authority over you.

I would not be surprised if your chair at the desk were two inches shorter than the salesman's.


LOL so true! Now I won't just hand over the keys to my trade (although I typically sell PP) I will go out with them as they appraise. It's funny that they think they are going to take my license and ride along with me as I drive their car, and then turn around and just toss them my keys and let them have free reign.

 

[bdcardinal]

Our dealer never did this, but the Ford dealer that went out of business a few years ago in SB ran credit checks to drive certain vehicles. They weren't about to let just anyone drive a Ford GT or a Saleen Mustang. Those credit checks were done with customer permission of course, although I never worked there nor bought any cars from them. They seemed to think getting me to buy a Taurus wagon was the same as me wanting a Mustang GT or a Crown Vic..