Chevy refused a test drive

[FordBroncoVWJeta]

Originally Posted By: ArcticDriver


Lol...have you got quite a bit of experience at the management level of Corporations Mr 18-year-old?

Good lesson in life:

"Don't sweat the small stuff...and its all small stuff".

hats off to ya on your work ethic and logging the big hours to get ahead in life.
Did I ever claim to hold a management level of a corporation? No? That's right I didn't. Now I did claim, that I work for a corporation. If I was being that big of an [censored] and they called corporate on me, I dont think I would have a job.

"I raised my kids to sort out conflict or miscommunication by desling with it through the chain of command instead of running to me every time they don't get their way. I look at this as a miscommunication that could be resolved with the manager." Often times going to corporate is next on the chain of command. They love hearing about this stuff. Also I dont run to my father with my problems. Believe it or not I have my own big boy panties unlike some others in my generation.

 

[Blueskies123]

This was my experience with Chevy about 7 or 8 years ago. I have not been back since.

 

[demarpaint]

Sometimes it is management's policy to have salespeople qualify potential buyers from tire kickers killing time. The salesman could have handled it differently and given you a more appropriate and polite reply. Several come to mind which I used in similar situations and never had a problem. Remember a salesman makes peanuts if he isn't selling a car. If he's out on a joy ride and an up comes in that could have been his, and he buys that commission is lost. And for the record 97prizm is right, all management cares about is the people that are actually buying.

Many times to keep tires kickers happy I'd make a copy of their DL, toss a plate on the car and let them go for a ride alone. That worked if management allowed it.

 

[stockrex]

Drama queen is my middle name ;-)

lol, sorry guys, I do not like to argue with people, I try avoid any kinda confrontation (pay attorneys to handle those).

Most of the time dealerships don't even copy my DL for a test drive even after I take it out and offer it. I think the best response is to take my business elsewhere,

hello Jeep!

 

[stockrex]

Originally Posted By: L_Sludger
Originally Posted By: FordBroncoVWJeta
Originally Posted By: bubbatime
Originally Posted By: FordBroncoVWJeta
I just bought a brand new car at 18. Yep, I talked to numerous dealerships and told them my situation. Some told me to go shove it. Others didn't care, and treated me like family.


I dont know if your parents are around to offer advice, but as a 34 year old that's very good with finances, STOP BUYING NEW CARS, especially at 18 years old. What the heck were you thinking?
Ummmmmm A lot of kids in my class bought used trucks for 20K that had 100K miles on them or more. I bought a new vehicle for 14K that I plan to run for at least 150K miles. Im not sure what the problem is with that. I work full time and can more than afford it. I also plan on paying it off within 2 years....
Good luck with your new car and I mean that in the most sincere, well-wishing way; absolutely no snark or sarcasm. I hope that your new car gives you good, reliable service because you'll want a reliable car for the crucial ten years to come in your life.


Amen, if I had do it all over again, I would have bought a new car as my first car, you need to focus on other things than auto repairs. Most 18 year old do not have the knowledge to pick a good used car and get taken for a ride most of the time, yours truly included.

 

[Leo99]

Some dealerships are more into long-term relationships than others. My son and his friend (19 yrs old) went to the local high-end dealership in town a couple years ago. They sell real high-end stuff. My son was surprised how friendly the sales guys were to him. They knew they weren't going to sell him a $100k car that day but who knows about 10 or 20 years from now? Plus he told people and it lowers the intimidation factor.

I don't think Chevy cares that one of their salesman denied a test drive to a person who was waiting for service on their car and had no interest in buying.

 

[6starprez]

I think the OP and the salesman could have handled it better. I've bought several cars in my lifetime and I have always asked to "look at a car" first. Show some interest. I have never walked up to anyone selling a car and ask for a test drive on the spot.

That's why the salesman asked if he was going to buy. No doubt the salesman was perturbed by the approach and flat out "Nope!" response to his question.

The salesman should have asked "Why do you want a test drive then?" The OP would have gave his response. So on and so forth. It could have ended more peacefully and with a test drive.

 

[ZeeOSix]

I bet if I walked into 10 dealerships and asked to test drive a $60K vehicle while telling them I have no interest in purchasing a vehicle and I was just killing some time that most of them would most likely not allow a test drive. But if I told them I was doing early looking/research and plan on buying a new vehicle in the next month or so that most of them would allow a test drive.

 

[Wolf359]

Originally Posted By: ArcticDriver
Originally Posted By: bubbatime
Originally Posted By: umungus1122
What you should have done was explained to the owner/ manager how this salesman lost them your business.


This. A letter or in person meeting with the owner of the dealership would be in order.

"I will be in the market for a vehicle very soon, and this buffoon that thinks he is a salesmen, just cost your dealership a $60,000 sale. I've never been more insulted in my life. I will NOT be buying a vehicle from your dealership. Thank your very rude and unprofessional sales boy."


"Never been more insulted in your whole life" !?

Letters to Owners and Corporate have more traction when they are not prone to extremism. Such a claim makes it look like the author is a little whacky when being told he can't joyride a truck he said he was not interesting in buying is the biggest crisis in his whole life.

Maybe it was a busy day at the showroom.
Maybe they were understaffed.

Maybe the salesman was doing a bit of triage.

Given the OP I think its not unreasonable to think he may have been over-emotional.

Or maybe my real world just has much larger and more complex challenges in a day than if whether I was allowed to go play in a truck to kill some time.

My apologies if I sound insensitive.

Right, that would be somewhat over the top. Being denied a test ride should probably be low on the rankings of insults or they haven't lived long enough or haven't been insulted enough.

 

[grisby]

Got a few stories about dealers. Quite a few yrs ago(1976) I went in to buy a new Pontiac Gran Prix. I always buymy cars alone and never take the wife. Anyway after I gave the salesman all the options I wanted to order one, never been to this dealer before, he tells me to bring the wife back and she will tell him what I want. Well I left told the wife and that weekend we bought a new Monte Carlo off the lot optioned the same way. I took my wife back to meet the Pontiac salesman at that dealer, introduced her and he proceeded to talk to her. She pointed out the new MC in their lot and told her that is what she wanted. Needless to say I never went back and never bought a Pontiac.

Flash forward a few yrs and I went to a Buick dealer(1992) to buy a new Roadmaster. It was Easter weekend, a Friday night and he gave me the keys and told me to bring it back Tuesday since they were closed that Monday. I came back and told him the car was too big for my wife to drive and pointed out a Park Avenue that I bought it. I told him I put around 200 miles on that car and he said YEP bought you bought the PA. Been buying there ever since.

I went to look at a new Continental a few months back and the dealer said that I could not drive it on the street but only on the lot, I told him to have a nice day and left, went to the Caddy dealer down the street and drove a new CT6, nice car but they did not want to dicker on price so I thanked him for the test drive and kept his card for future reference.

Now flash forward a few months ago to the same Buick dealer, my old salesman had died, I bought 5 more vehicles since and the new salesman asked for my my license. I asked what for, he said for insurance reasons when I test drive the new Lacrosse I was looking at. I told him I had never given my license before and he said that was policy. I asked for keys and he said he would ride with me. I then asked him for his license or the person that was going to test drive my Lucerne. He asked why and I told him if you drive my car that I needed it for insurance reasons. He talked to the mgr, came back and gave me the keys to the Lacrosse to drive, I went out to the car and he wasn't there. I went back in and he said to take it out and come back when I was done. I did and bought the car!!

Guess it all depends on the dealer.

 

[Mr Nice]

I knew a Pontiac salesmen that his fellow coworker was held at gunpoint during a Trans Am test drive.

Dealerships have no idea of the person's background or intentions when test driving a car.

 

[demarpaint]

This got me thinking. I turned away a lot of people that wanted to test drive the Civic SI back in my Honda selling days. Kids as we called them, would come in with a fresh drivers license and wanted a test drive. We turned away about half a dozen of them on Saturdays and another half dozen or so Sundays for quite a while. Some left in a huff, it happens. Management would give the salesman a good chewing out for letting them take a test drive. OTOH if they came in with a parent and we felt they were potential buyers they took the car for a ride. In all honesty time is money, especially when you're working for a commission.

 

[Virtus_Probi]

These places gotta know that good sales can develop from unlikely scenarios.

Before my last purchase, I was fairly set on getting an Acura RDX. My biggest concern was that the AWD system would be inadequate, but I liked the V6 and the size of the vehicle. I really liked the salesman who helped me when I stopped for a test drive, he really knew the Acuras well and treated me the right way.

My daughter's travel softball team happened to practice close to a Subaru dealer and I decided to stop by their lot just before picking her up on a Sunday evening. I only had a few minutes and I believe they were closed, but I did notice a Forester XT in a dark color I liked. I decided to stop by earlier the next Sunday for a test drive despite the fact that I had really disliked a turbo Forester I tried out around 2006, as I knew this was a redesign with a new engine. I was pleasantly surprised, but still favored the RDX because it was a V6 instead of a turbo 4.

I took the family to the Acura dealer to see what they thought of the RDX on a test drive, they were pleased and the salesman and I started talking about what might be coming off the truck soon that would meet my needs. I wasn't dead set on ordering that day, but it sure was a possibility. I won't go into great detail, but the sales manager got into the picture and was so rude to me that I decided to never buy a vehicle from or even return to that dealership. I felt terrible for the great salesman who had been helping me...

I could have found another Acura dealer, but there was nothing close and I started thinking about what a pain it would be to have to go a long distance for service (was planning to have the dealer do all maintenance during warranty at that time). I started thinking more and more about the FXT and how good the AWD system was on my underpowered Outback...well, I ended up feeling good about going back to Subaru.

If the Subaru salesman had asked me how serious I was and I had been honest and told him I was already pretty set on another vehicle (pretty likely), he would have lost a sale in the end.

 

[Virtus_Probi]

Originally Posted By: demarpaint
This got me thinking. I turned away a lot of people that wanted to test drive the Civic SI back in my Honda selling days. Kids as we called them, would come in with a fresh drivers license and wanted a test drive. We turned away about half a dozen of them on Saturdays and another half dozen or so Sundays for quite a while. Some left in a huff, it happens. Management would give the salesman a good chewing out for letting them take a test drive. OTOH if they came in with a parent and we felt they were potential buyers they took the car for a ride. In all honesty time is money, especially when you're working for a commission.


A buddy of mine had parents who ended up doing quite well in our HS years and he used to take their nicest car (Porsche, BMW, or MB depending upon the exact time) to luxury dealers and try to tell the salesmen that he was thinking about upgrading to something even nicer.
Didn't work even once.

 

[oil_film_movies]

There are certainly two sides to the story. A sales person needs to somehow sense the true intentions of the customer. I'd probably turn down young dudes trying to play with a real toy. Driver's licenses go to 16 year olds.

 

[bunnspecial]

When I'm in "car buying mode" I tend to test drive a lot of cars. Since I only buy used and generally have a make/model decided before I seriously start the shopping process that just tends to happen in my search for the "right one." I'm generally up-front with the dealers about where I am in the buying/decision making process-whether I'm determining if a particular make/model is right for me or if I'm comparison shopping for different cars.

I've had a few deny me a test drive because I wouldn't commit to buying the car before driving it, but that's few and far between.

I'll also make it clear that regardless of whether or not I've just driven the most perfect example I could hope to find, I'm probably NOT buying that day.

I tend to deal with the same dealers, and have built up enough relationships that if I just mention a car a lot of them will toss me the keys and ask me if it has enough gas in it

. Even if I don't buy that particular vehicle, most know that they will get my business some time.

With that said, I'll also throw in one particularly memorable instance of being denied a test drive. I'd been keeping my eyes open for a Ranger just as a knock around truck. I wanted about as bare-bones of a base model as I could get-4 cylinder, 5 speed, and standard cab. I saw a Ranger being delivered to a lot up the street, and popped in to ask about it. It turns out it was exactly what I was looking for and right at a price I liked. They were just taking delivery and asked for a chance to clean it up, so I said "Can I come by tomorrow and drive it?" We set up a time, and since I had every intention of actually buying it I actually stopped by the bank before and had more than enough cash in my pocket to pay for it(asking price $1500). I got to the lot at the agreed time, asked to drive it, and was told "we don't allow test drives on manuals-if you buy it and don't like it you can bring it back." I pulled $2K in a bank envelope out of my pocket, told them "I'd planned to buy it if I liked it, but I don't buy a car without a test drive" and walked out. I'll also add that I drove up in a manual car(worth a lot more than their truck) so it wasn't as if they had any reason to question my ability to drive it. They called me 3 or 4 times after that begging me to come back, and I finally had to get rather hateful in telling them to not bother me again.

BTW, I found an even nicer one a week later for $1200 from an unfamiliar dealer, but I drove in on a whim and was signing the paperwork an hour later.

 

[HoosierJeeper]

Never been denied a test drive. I normally don't plan out vehicle purchases...usually spur of the moment trade...so I honestly don't know if I'll buy or not, depends on the test drive.

Probably the best test drive was at a Ford dealer with an off road course. I was looking at a used Jeep Commander they had on their lot and the sales guy said feel free to take it on the course, so I did. Didn't buy it, as I figured out it had been wrecked. In Florida, the sales rep always came with me, up here in Wisconsin none of them ever have. About 50/50 chance of getting asked for a licence.

 

[cadfaeltex]

Originally Posted By: Virtus_Probi
These places gotta know that good sales can develop from unlikely scenarios.

Before my last purchase, I was fairly set on getting an Acura RDX. My biggest concern was that the AWD system would be inadequate, but I liked the V6 and the size of the vehicle. I really liked the salesman who helped me when I stopped for a test drive, he really knew the Acuras well and treated me the right way.

My daughter's travel softball team happened to practice close to a Subaru dealer and I decided to stop by their lot just before picking her up on a Sunday evening. I only had a few minutes and I believe they were closed, but I did notice a Forester XT in a dark color I liked. I decided to stop by earlier the next Sunday for a test drive despite the fact that I had really disliked a turbo Forester I tried out around 2006, as I knew this was a redesign with a new engine. I was pleasantly surprised, but still favored the RDX because it was a V6 instead of a turbo 4.

I took the family to the Acura dealer to see what they thought of the RDX on a test drive, they were pleased and the salesman and I started talking about what might be coming off the truck soon that would meet my needs. I wasn't dead set on ordering that day, but it sure was a possibility. I won't go into great detail, but the sales manager got into the picture and was so rude to me that I decided to never buy a vehicle from or even return to that dealership. I felt terrible for the great salesman who had been helping me...

I could have found another Acura dealer, but there was nothing close and I started thinking about what a pain it would be to have to go a long distance for service (was planning to have the dealer do all maintenance during warranty at that time). I started thinking more and more about the FXT and how good the AWD system was on my underpowered Outback...well, I ended up feeling good about going back to Subaru.

If the Subaru salesman had asked me how serious I was and I had been honest and told him I was already pretty set on another vehicle (pretty likely), he would have lost a sale in the end.


Reminds me of a loaded GMC my parents bought. Business manager tore up the check for the entire price of the vehicle because he wasn’t going to accept a personal check (already cleared with owner mind you). Salesman turned a color I don’t think I’ve ever seen on a human being. Parents just said ok and we’re walking out. Salesman sprints for owner and sale is made.

My experience lately is salespeople are aggressively trying to get me to drive even when I’m just there for service. Guess they figure the car might get a sale for them if I’m impressed enough.

 

[buck91]

Originally Posted By: stockrex
Background: I received the airbag recall for my duramax truck, called my local Berger Chevrolet in Grand Rapids where I bought the truck brand new and they set me up with an appt.

While I was waiting I thought I would check out 2017 Duramax's as my oldest is going to driving soon.
I picked a sales guy in random and request a test drive.
He asked if I was going to buy one today, to which I was truthful and said nope.
The sale guy then became very short and started shouting that he is not going to let me "joy ride" in a $60k truck.
What the flip, I was in disbelief, I thanked him and asked for my lic back and walked out of there.

Good Bye chevy, you not going to see my casino winnings anymore!



Late to the party here but I had a similar experience at the Ford dealer down the road (Fox). Was looking to replace my totaled 2012 Mustang and found a reasonably priced 2011 GT in their used lot. Spoke with a real JEM of a salesman about it and he started our conversaion by telling me I can't take it for a "joy ride." While he didn't get the sale, ironically one of his coworkers sold me my current F150 a few months later. That said, still not my first spot to stop to shop (say that ten times).

 

[bubbatime]

At 34 Ive owed at least 30 cars in my life. I used to buy, fix up, sell for profit a lot of cars. More for fun and as a hobby, than to make money.

Ive had cash in my pocket, ready to buy several cars, when the owners said, "Nope. No test drives." I even had a guy take me around the block in a truck once. I told him to scoot over so I could drive. He said, nope. No test drives."

No test drive? Not buying the car. Period.

I cannot fathom what these idiots are thinking.