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Old 22nd October 2007, 16:47   #16
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Very few dealerships offer a truly magic-carpet experience. Test cars that are in poor condition give the wrong impression about the vehicle. I once test drove the Dicor 3.0 and it was a mess. Only after driving a friend's Dicor did I realise how much better it actually was.

Another time, an assistant sales manager of a Hyundai showroom raised his voice for having 'exceeded' the alloted test-drive time. (not more than 30 minutes) I happened to know the people who ran the dealership and the end result - poor old asst. sales manager had to bring the car out to us for an 'extended' test drive.

It is appaling that dealerships neglect basic neccessities like sales training and properly maintained test-drive vehicles. Even a nice looking lass with a sweet voice and long legs would suffice This alone can go a long way in creating that 'first impression'.
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Old 22nd October 2007, 16:57   #17
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Recently I had TD of the following vehicles.
Safari - gave me one owned by the owner of the showroom(told to me) .it was rattling at the rear.
Ford fiesta - gave me TD car.
Fusion TDCI - gave me a dedicated TD one.
GM Optra magnum - a beutifiul TD car, with stickers announcing the power test drive, Actually,my new optra doesnt feel as good as the one i drove that day!.
Cedia - gave me the boss's car.
Swift - they didnt have a dedicated TD car, they were so sure of selling it without people TD ing it.
Sx4 - they offered a car some one was going to buy.

I hope my recollection helps the discussion
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Old 22nd October 2007, 17:21   #18
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Quote:
Originally Posted by GTO View Post
Well, if the cars are abused...give them a more stringent upkeep schedule. But if the sample piece does not impress, many will run.
Well, I do agree with what you're saying. If I am looking for a car and get a bad test-drive vehicle, I wouldn't buy the car. It is as simple as that.

I think the dealers need to have more stringent rules for test drive cars. Or maybe have 2, switch and maintain both. Then again, the dealers do think about the cost and blame it on the company for not promoting the product properly when they can't sell with those stinky TD cars.

Quote:
Originally Posted by GTO View Post
Would a mithai shop ever offer you a two day old barfi as a tasting sample?
If a car cost a dime or a quarter, every test-drive vehicle would have been spick and span. I think that is not a very good example, with all due respect to the super-admin.

Last edited by rocksterraghu : 22nd October 2007 at 17:25.
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Old 22nd October 2007, 17:39   #19
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The Grand Vitara I tested was Owner's car, it had 1800Kms on the odo. But it was maintained very clean. No TD stickers on it though.
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Old 22nd October 2007, 17:51   #20
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What really irritates me more than getting a poorly kept car for a TD is getting one that is waiting for delivery. That really creates a bad impression about the dealership. Recently took test drive of a Verna crdi that had just run 120 kms . Of course it didn't stop me from really ripping the car.

Couple of weeks ago, I took test drive of a Ford Fiesta tdci, fully covered with dust, with broken tail lamps, and dents all over the body. The interiors were not bad though, but the whole experience was ok because the sales guy was cool guy and had a joke about everything.

Sometimes a really knowledgeable sales guy can be the difference. A dumb one can really ruin the experience even if everything else is perfect. That's from my experience of TDing a SX4 a week before that. The guy wouldn't utter a word and looked so unpleasant that I just wanted to get the hell out of the car as soon as possible.
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Old 22nd October 2007, 19:28   #21
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not fair, very biased complaint.
Visit Navnit Motors (BMW Sales)and will surely change your thinking of test drive cars and their condition.
the sales consultant thing was even worse as we work real hard to win hearts of clients and build relationships without which there is no reference business...
As far as knowing my product... Dude try me?
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Old 22nd October 2007, 23:09   #22
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in delhi most of the test drive cars are being used for picking and dropping the staff of the showroom...i have seen this many times when the car has the staff/salesperson inside(demo car /test drive car)
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Old 23rd October 2007, 00:15   #23
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Quote:
Originally Posted by doctorque View Post
not fair, very biased complaint.
Visit Navnit Motors (BMW Sales)and will surely change your thinking of test drive cars and their condition.
the sales consultant thing was even worse as we work real hard to win hearts of clients and build relationships without which there is no reference business...
As far as knowing my product... Dude try me?
Understand that you represent a high-end showroom.

But we are talking about the common showrooms here. BMW is something many of us may never test drive in our short lives.
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Old 23rd October 2007, 00:26   #24
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At the time of my Ikon Purchase,

The Hyundai guys brought a 1.6l car whose both right tyres burst after hitting a pothole.

The Maruti Guys brought a 1.6l car that did not have the speedo connected, but was supposedly brand new with cranking noise from the steering column, which according to the sales person speak was a safety feature for not taking turns at high speed where the road is less than perfect. Moreover this car was all over the place at a short slalom course my test drive route used to allow at that time.

The Ford Guys brought a supercar! I was a Ford hater till that time and the car above was being considered. I do regret the decision to some extent.
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Old 26th October 2007, 21:19   #25
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just look at the presentation in Vijay Sales and you will know why they are the undisputed no.1 for electronic goods.
Off Topic, Vijay Sales is having tough competition now with Croma.
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Old 27th October 2007, 11:01   #26
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I once did a test drive of a Palio from Atil Motors (i guess), and they offered it to me on the same vehicle they thought i would purchase. I dropped the idea later on.
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Old 27th October 2007, 23:37   #27
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When I went to TD an Esteem before my purchase , to my surprise I was given a brand new car that was to be delivered to some customer that day. Though it was a good experience for me, I am sure it did not augur well from the poinit of view of the customer that had booked that car. It also made me think if the same thing would eventually happen to my car before it was delivered to me. Not a good practice IMO.

Last edited by rr_zen : 27th October 2007 at 23:39.
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Old 27th October 2007, 23:40   #28
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Quote:
Originally Posted by rr_zen View Post
When I went to TD an Esteem before my purchase , to my surprise I was given a brand new car that was to be delivered to some customer that day. Though it was a good experience for me, I was thinking about the customer that had booked that car. It also made me think if the same thing would happen to that car that would be delivered to me eventually.

Same case with a SX4 that i test drove. There was a maruti mela in my colony & they were giving all the cars for test drives. When i took a TD of the SX4, the guy who came with me inadvertently said that this car was to be delivered tomorrow. Not surprisingly the speedo & odo were not functioning. i felt stupid.
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Old 27th October 2007, 23:44   #29
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I had the same experience test driving the Tavera. It was very poorly maintained with carpet on the passenger side missing. The rubber cover at the bottom of the gear knob had fallen of it and was resting on the base.

When one of the showroom guys is with a test driver at all times, how can the car be in such a state. Regarding all the mechanical parts, well I am sure the show room can send the car for servicing as soon as it starts seeing faults in it.
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Old 28th October 2007, 02:37   #30
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Ive almost testdriven most of the cars made in india,here in NCR i did not ever meet a good salesman who knew well about the product or was able to answer very basic queries,thats pathetic.

The only salesman i liked was in safdarjung hyundai gurgaon when i went for testdrive of sonata crdi,the person knew everything about the car and had answer to every question.

Some of the replies that ive got are -

Mahindra sales man- i asked him what all options are available in scorpio lx,he replied "sab kuch hai".

Hyundai salesman- i asked him if ABS option is available in getz crdi,he told me "ABS to kisi bhi car mein lag jaata hai"

Renault salesman claimed logan to be more torquey than Accent crdi.
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