What do we do? Ready-to-deliver cars given for Test Drives!

santosh.s · 23rd December 2005, 18:54

my maruti dealer said they have only one baleno for TD, which is white colored VXI model... and I indeed got the same vehicle when I went for 2nd TD at a different branch of the same dealer... did not observe the odometer, but it didn't have plastics and all, so hope they are trustworthy (at least for this matter!)

Petra TD vehicle was a quite old, visually apparent even in the very first glance itself.

Dippy · 23rd December 2005, 19:21

This is not uncommon. I very well remember when I test drove the Lancer Invex 1.8 over a year ago. The same car was tested by GTO and Revvmaster as well. I asked the sales guy why the odo was disconnected and the guy had cheek to tell me " We will sell it Sir". I really pity the guy who ultimately bought that car because it was " Ripped by Team BHP"

.anshuman · 23rd December 2005, 19:42

Quote:

Originally Posted by tsk1979

Hunch? Its the truth. I tested the indica turbo. the odo had been disconnected. Infact the PDI also handn't been done. They disconnect the odo, give test drives and then sell to the unsuspective owner. Very few dealers have specific test drive cars.

this was the same case with me, when the indigo tdi was launched i went to a-one motors for test drive and the car i was given to drive didnt have the odo and speedo working and thats the case for most auto dealers except for some big dealers which have separate cars for test drive,i liked the maruti's campaign with swift every dealer had separate cars for test drive which had "test drive" stickers placed on bonnet and had working odos and speedos(see my testdrive post on swift with speedo pics).

k36 · 23rd December 2005, 19:51

Most maruti dealers seem to have Swift TD vehicles, usually orange coloured, with big stickers on them. I have taken two test drives, in Nagpur and in Pune, and both time the odo was working. In Nagpur, the security guard of the dealer, infact noted down the odo reading before and after the drive !!

islero · 23rd December 2005, 20:40

Yeah, what I cant beleive is that while the small car manufacturers are beig honest, these luxury car sellers are going thw wrong way!!! Horrifying!!!

.anshuman · 23rd December 2005, 20:46

i think that has nothing to do with a manufacturer,it is the dealers which are cheating us.

satyamenon · 24th December 2005, 03:23

Well, I'm happy to report that all the Hyundai cars I've tested from Trident Hyundai (Bangalore) were official TD cars and not cars that were going to be delivered to unsuspecting buyers... I think most of the bigger car dealers today do have official TD cars... Its the smaller ones (I think) who do this kind of stuff...

But to date, any bike I've test driven has been new bikes with the odo disconnected. In fact, one showroom even gave me a customer's bike (which he had given for routine service) for test drive. I told that guy that I didn't want to buy a bike from him if this is how he treats old customers and went and bought my bike from another dealer.

devarshi84 · 24th December 2005, 03:48

Quote:

Originally Posted by Samurai

We must refuse test driving a car unless it has big sticker on it saying it is a test drive car. When I test drove the Baleno, it did have the big Test Drive sticker on 3 sides.

Or else there is a good chance that the dealer will sell us previously test driven car.

agreed. IF we start spreading th word at t-bhp to refuse using cars for test drive other than the official demo car or test drive car then we can be assured that the car we buy is a new car.

My WagonR was brand new. There were already advance bookings so there was no chance. On top of this We got the car straight out from warehouse for puja and stuff. The reg and other requirements were fulfilled later.

Same with my lancer. I have had three test drives in the same car. So I am sure my car was not test driven. Anyways it was Cama motors who also has the dealership for mitsubishi in Ahmedabad so There was no space for mistrust.

Also the skoda octavia petrol I had test driven had close to 12k on the odo. The sales guy said we want people to know how skoda drives even after so many have had their turns to drive.

me and my friends excahnge mobiles many times, but when it comes to cars or bikes I am a bit touchy and I dont let others drive mine. two reasons for this.

1. I dont like others driving my vehicle
2. Why should others drive my vehicle or even theirs when I am around???

24th December 2005, 13:59

This is very wrong. Car dealers should realise that many people save a lot and make many sacrifices to buy a car... Especially, the younger buyers who are just starting to make thier lives/ careers. The solution to this is to refuse buying a car from such dealers as already suggested on this thread.

Quote:

Originally Posted by k36

Most maruti dealers seem to have Swift TD vehicles, usually orange coloured, with big stickers on them. I have taken two test drives, in Nagpur and in Pune, and both time the odo was working. In Nagpur, the security guard of the dealer, infact noted down the odo reading before and after the drive !!

Yes, even though we haven't taken a test drive for the Swift, I've seen orange Swifts with "Demo Car" marked on them here in Chennai too.

MrBoombastic · 24th December 2005, 14:39

Quote:

Originally Posted by MotorMom

This is very wrong. Car dealers should realise that many people save a lot and make many sacrifices to buy a car... Especially, the younger buyers who are just starting to make thier lives/ careers. The solution to this is to refuse buying a car from such dealers as already suggested on this thread.

I am sorry to quote your first post ever, but while Samurai and you are right that we should not buy a car from dealers who do this... Sometimes, one has no choice, but to buy the car even if the concerned dealer indulges in such shallow deeds. Let me explain this... Honda has only one dealer in Chennai, how does one who wishes to buy a Honda Accord, CRV or City refuse to buy the car even if TVS Motors, Chennai indulges in what's being discussed? (This is just an example... I am not saying TVS Motors, Chennai is guilty of doing this or not).

abhibh · 24th December 2005, 15:09

Hi,

I totally agree with MotorMom. We pay dealers and render their services. We are the consumers not dealers.

Also Mr.BoomBastic here in chandigarh we only have 1 GM dealer. We bought a Corsa from them in 1999 and then a Optra in 2004. Now the delaer ship has been taken over by some other Company whose employs are very rude to customers and they dont even check and service your car perfectly.

Last time when i gave my dads optra for servicing to them they took out the toolkit and refused that there was a toolkit in in there. I had a 1 long hour fight with them regarding it and at the end the service advisor took out the job card where he marked that there was a toolkit and spare alloy in the car.

After this we sold the Optra as there was no other choice because GM india cant to anything to the situation after several phone calls by us regading the Dealership. We had many problems with them and for whole 1 year we were being fooled of by that dealer.

Where as ford dealers and Hyundai delaers are very good in this. We never had a complaint like this and even if we had some issue in servicing etc the advisor always satisfies us.

I dont say cars are bad but dealers are. So if i had to buy a accord and the dealer is like GM (Chandigarh) then i will never buy it instead i will go for Embra or Skoda if thier dealer is good enough to provide me A.S.S.

Quote:

Originally Posted by MotorMom

This is very wrong. Car dealers should realise that many people save a lot and make many sacrifices to buy a car... Especially, the younger buyers who are just starting to make thier lives/ careers. The solution to this is to refuse buying a car from such dealers as already suggested on this thread.

Yes, even though we haven't taken a test drive for the Swift, I've seen orange Swifts with "Demo Car" marked on them here in Chennai too.

amit · 25th December 2005, 04:42

Quote:

I dont say cars are bad but dealers are.

I can tell you all about the unethical practices by dealers even here in Canada.

The GM dealership I was working at shocked me with their attitudes and practices. No wonder people here don't trust domestics anymore. Trust me never buy a pre-owned car from a authorised GM dealership in North America!. As for test drives, it's the same even here. There aren't any designated "test drive cars" even in this part of the world. And this across the range. From basic car makers to luxury ones. But yea, I must say VW dealers here are really straight forward. I have worked in 2 VW dealerships and apart from not having designated test drive cars everything else is really transparent and straightforward here. I refer to VW as the Fiat of Canada, but at least customers can relax with the knowledge that they wouldn't be cheated in the cheapest way imaginable!

Mpower · 25th December 2005, 05:12

Moral of the story............................... when you buy a new car don't pick the one that's readily availabe and sitting in the parking lot. Ask for a rare color or a uncommon option so that its special ordered by the dealer and take immediate delivery.

Revvmaster · 27th December 2005, 20:30

It's very hard to guess whether your car has been previously test driven or not. Manufacturers tend to have limited test car fleets which keep shuffling among dealers. Dealers, in order not to lose a customer end up giving you a car that is to be delivered to somebody else. 90% of the people won't smell anything fishy or even realise it. And mind you, it happens a lot in Mumbai and Pune especially since magazines also end up using such cars for tests and photo shoots. Anyone who knows how auto mags work will know what i'm saying.

This problem will persist. There is no solution. Why, back in the 80's Chrysler did that with their test mules and then sold them as brand new when they did 1,00,000 miles on the clock. Nothing is transparent.

Revv

balashome · 27th December 2005, 20:56

Guys,

I wish i had known this earlier. I forgot to mention this in the first post about my Corsa. There was an inconsistency between the Odometer reading and the one on my Tripmeter, when i took delivery. While the Tripmeter said 50 kms, the Odometer read 30 kms.

Does this conclusively prove that the other 20 kms have been used for other purposes - including test drives, et al?

View Poll Results: Have you driven a non Demo vehicle.
Yes, I have and its not my fault and the dealer should take care.	42	27.27%
No, I have not come across such a vehicle	60	38.96%
I have driven but will ensure I dont do it in the future.	28	18.18%
No, I have refused to drive such a vehicle.	24	15.58%
Voters: 154. You may not vote on this poll

23rd December 2005, 18:54	#16
santosh.s Senior - BHPian Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Bangalore Posts: 1,077 Thanked: 70 Times View My Garage	my maruti dealer said they have only one baleno for TD, which is white colored VXI model... and I indeed got the same vehicle when I went for 2nd TD at a different branch of the same dealer... did not observe the odometer, but it didn't have plastics and all, so hope they are trustworthy (at least for this matter!) Petra TD vehicle was a quite old, visually apparent even in the very first glance itself.
	() Thanks

23rd December 2005, 19:21	#17
Dippy Senior - BHPian Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Mumbai, India Posts: 7,558 Thanked: 2,462 Times	This is not uncommon. I very well remember when I test drove the Lancer Invex 1.8 over a year ago. The same car was tested by GTO and Revvmaster as well. I asked the sales guy why the odo was disconnected and the guy had cheek to tell me " We will sell it Sir". I really pity the guy who ultimately bought that car because it was " Ripped by Team BHP"
	() Thanks

23rd December 2005, 19:51	#19
k36 BHPian Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Pune Posts: 133 Thanked: 21 Times	Most maruti dealers seem to have Swift TD vehicles, usually orange coloured, with big stickers on them. I have taken two test drives, in Nagpur and in Pune, and both time the odo was working. In Nagpur, the security guard of the dealer, infact noted down the odo reading before and after the drive !!
	() Thanks

23rd December 2005, 20:40	#20
islero Senior - BHPian Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Chennai Posts: 1,574 Thanked: 13 Times View My Garage	Yeah, what I cant beleive is that while the small car manufacturers are beig honest, these luxury car sellers are going thw wrong way!!! Horrifying!!!
	() Thanks

23rd December 2005, 20:46	#21
.anshuman Distinguished - BHPian Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Good-Gaon Posts: 7,763 Thanked: 11,064 Times View My Garage	i think that has nothing to do with a manufacturer,it is the dealers which are cheating us.
	() Thanks

24th December 2005, 03:23	#22
satyamenon BHPian Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Jacksonville, FL Posts: 110 Thanked: 5 Times	Well, I'm happy to report that all the Hyundai cars I've tested from Trident Hyundai (Bangalore) were official TD cars and not cars that were going to be delivered to unsuspecting buyers... I think most of the bigger car dealers today do have official TD cars... Its the smaller ones (I think) who do this kind of stuff... But to date, any bike I've test driven has been new bikes with the odo disconnected. In fact, one showroom even gave me a customer's bike (which he had given for routine service) for test drive. I told that guy that I didn't want to buy a bike from him if this is how he treats old customers and went and bought my bike from another dealer.
	() Thanks

25th December 2005, 05:12	#28
Mpower Senior - BHPian Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Bangalore Posts: 10,409 Thanked: 1,730 Times View My Garage	Moral of the story............................... when you buy a new car don't pick the one that's readily availabe and sitting in the parking lot. Ask for a rare color or a uncommon option so that its special ordered by the dealer and take immediate delivery.
	() Thanks

27th December 2005, 20:30	#29
Revvmaster Senior - BHPian Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Bombay Posts: 1,190 Thanked: 95 Times	It's very hard to guess whether your car has been previously test driven or not. Manufacturers tend to have limited test car fleets which keep shuffling among dealers. Dealers, in order not to lose a customer end up giving you a car that is to be delivered to somebody else. 90% of the people won't smell anything fishy or even realise it. And mind you, it happens a lot in Mumbai and Pune especially since magazines also end up using such cars for tests and photo shoots. Anyone who knows how auto mags work will know what i'm saying. This problem will persist. There is no solution. Why, back in the 80's Chrysler did that with their test mules and then sold them as brand new when they did 1,00,000 miles on the clock. Nothing is transparent. Revv
	() Thanks

27th December 2005, 20:56	#30
balashome BHPian Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Chennai Posts: 46 Thanked: 2 Times	Guys, I wish i had known this earlier. I forgot to mention this in the first post about my Corsa. There was an inconsistency between the Odometer reading and the one on my Tripmeter, when i took delivery. While the Tripmeter said 50 kms, the Odometer read 30 kms. Does this conclusively prove that the other 20 kms have been used for other purposes - including test drives, et al?
	() Thanks