How to test drive a potential car?

[herculesksp]

Hi all,
Thanks a lot for the informative replies in my last post. Got me thinking of a different car from what I started off with and also encouraged me to give more importance to the test drive. I never took a test drive with my bike. I only bought it coz no one else did and I have not repented that decision whatsoever.
But I cant afford to do that with a car that costs 10 times more. So I need some help from you guys again. What must I do when I take a test drive? What all do I need to check and how long must I take the drive and in what all conditions/roads? Please do give the full scoop with all the nitty gritty detials coz I am a first time buyer and have *never* driven a car till date.

--
kuku

[2L8uLoose]

Simple.. take someone along that you trust..see how the car feels to you and most importantly see if you are going to be able to live with the vehicle day in and day out.

[revharder]

a sincere suggestion: goto a car driving training school and learn driving on city roads. no matter how good the other person is and how good a judge he may be of cars and all, your personal choice always matters. and to get a real feel of a car, you must know how to drive.

i guess you needs to buy a car in diwali time, so it is still some good time left, and since you knows bike-riding, i am sure you might pick up pretty quickly abt car-driving! coz you already knows the working concept of clutch, accelarator, brake and gears!
and after getting thorough with a car, try to go for a test drive ON YOUR OWN.

[2L8uLoose]

Originally Posted by revharder

a sincere suggestion: goto a car driving training school and learn driving on city roads.........try to go for a test drive ON YOUR OWN.

I completely disagree with this.. how is a person that is new to driving a car going to be able to judge anything...
First off he is going to be too worried about what he is doing as opposed to what the car is doing...
I stand by my first post!

[revharder]

2L8uLoose,
thats your own opinion. and this is mine!
imho, one who can drive responsibly and with some confidence can easily derive from a car about what he needs in that!
a test drive doesnot always meant to understand handling, pickup, top-speed, economy, ride etc. some drivers might find solace in the spaciousness, features, comfort, after-sales, etc.

moderators,
please rename the thread to something more adapt like "Tips for test drive by a newbie" or something which you might find proper.
coz imho, the existing thread name might ask for some hardcore test-drive tips, which might be of no use to our friend heculesksp, since he isn't yet aware of how to drive a car!

[2L8uLoose]

@revharder:You know what.. this last post of yours does not even warrant a reply...
Herculesksp... have fun test driving your car... either way... its your money at the end of the day..
Cheers!

[F50]

Originally Posted by revharder

a sincere suggestion: goto a car driving training school and learn driving on city roads. no matter how good the other person is and how good a judge he may be of cars and all, your personal choice always matters. and to get a real feel of a car, you must know how to drive.

test drive ON YOUR OWN.

I disagree too ... just learnt driving and taking a new car for a spin .... he'll take time to get the judgement of the car and by the time he gets he will reach the showroom.
And it is a very good idea to take someone along who knows about cars, helps in judging things far better and quicker.
Whenever I go for a TD, i'll always have a tbhpian along with me like NC and Drifter. You will learn the pros and cons faster.

[DRC]

herculesksp, Rev, 2l8 and f50 are having a good time...
Now listen here! for the answer to your questions..

Ultimately it is going to be your car, and you would have paid for it. So Do not miss out on test driving it. Mean while, being very new to driving you may still not be in a position to look at some thing and make a judgement.

Please visit the dealer ship with some one who is good at it, and you trust him/her.
First you take on to the wheel. You do not have to drive, but pretend as if. Adjust the seat and steering to your liking and see if you get all round visibility, both while you drive and reverse.
See if the pedals and controls are comfortable and YOU feel confident about. Look for the space you are looking for, knee room hear room, etc...

Now drive around in a area where there is less traffic to get a feeling. While doing so, make both right hand turns and left hand turns using all the mirrors. you will learn why I say so. Try to reverese and park in an imaginary parking slot.

Question your self if you felt the power was adedquate. Engine noise levels were acceptable to you. Please note some people like the raspy engine noise, and some prefer super silent cabin.

Then let your competent friend drive the car. on a much longer strech when you cann push the car to the limits. Let this one include some good stretch and some rough patch. Be next to him and find out how it feels inside the car. See if you feel being thrown around when taking turns.

Ask oyu friend to break hard and find out if the car is stable in hard breaking conditions.

Re do this drive again sitting in the back seat. And this is how you family /dog feels when in Back seat.

After the drive, ask you frind for opinions. Ask specific questions. DO NOT ask him "whether I should buy this car or not?" Ask him if he/she felt out of control anytime? How did the car handle. etc..

Remember, finally its your decision... so be judicious!

Enjoy your test drives..

[herculesksp]

@all: Thanks guys for the tips. I know each of you are right in your own way and I respect your viewpoints. I want to drive the car myself in a confident manner so that I can know how it feels without bothering much about how I am dirving. I think I have to practise a lot during my learning classes and in some friends cars so that I can approach the test drive with confidence.

@DRC: Thanks a lot for the advice. I will do just that. Take it for a spin myself and tag a friend along for his viewpoint.

[revharder]

Originally Posted by herculesksp

I want to drive the car myself in a confident manner so that I can know how it feels without bothering much about how I am dirving. I think I have to practise a lot during my learning classes and in some friends cars so that I can approach the test drive with confidence.

exactly.
imho, this is a good initial start to understand where you stand and what are your priorities.

Happy "L"(earning) and then, Test Driving!

[esteem_lover]

hercules,
come on buddy, what do you want to do first ?? buy a car or test drive one ?? either way, you have to learn driving pretty fast. either way, when you buy a car, you will have to take an experienced trustworthy person with you, since you are new to cars. the test driving that you will be doing will only be for the feel & comfort. make sure you have someone by your side who can assess a car's condition in all aspects. Please do find the time to browse the following thread for a comprehensive idea of what to look out for.
http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/indian...-mistakes.html (Buying a Second Hand Car - Learn from my mistakes!!!)

cheers

[kashd]

No use going for test driving as a novice. One needs to differentiate between a car driven and the test driven one. For example a new guy will not understand the pickup unless he has well driven cars in the past. So experience is very necessary for test driving.

[Ironmarine]

@herculesksp
Some more major factors that I would look out before I go for any purchase of the car is that I would see what is the budget and then get details of all the cars available in this category.
Go through the specifications and then see if the cars suits your needs as in if you are the only one who is gonna drive or if there would be others who would drive.
Now check for the space in the car to see if it can accomodate the people as per your choice or if this is only for you and few friends.
Now make sure if this is for your city driving or for long drives.
And some of the points would be what DRC had posted in earlier post.

But guys I am not sure how would a newbie find out about the engine and other technical specifications other than what DRC has suggested. Please pour in more ideas (Gurus)

[condor]

If the car you doing a TD in has an audio system, remember to switch it off. This holds good especially for testing used cars

reg how to get the tech specs - check the brochures, the web-sites, auto-mags. else get the owner's manual from friends.

OT: testing the Indica before purchase in 2000, had tested braking in both directions - forward and backward, at decent speeds

[varunroy]

Hey DRC thats a great rightup and its almost like a visual. You should take up teaching Prof. DRC and I am not kidding.


[quote]

Originally Posted by condor

If the car you doing a TD in has an audio system, remember to switch it off. This holds good especially for testing used cars

And if the sales guy is yapping too much ask him to shut up and lend your ears only to the purr of the engine.

So long....