Before you go for the ever-important test drive, get inside the vehicle and poke around. Adjust the seat and make sure you sit in all the seats: front and back. Open up the trunk, fold down the seats and think about what it would be like to load groceries or have your family inside.
Touch the steering wheel and the controls and make sure that you like the look and feel of the interior. There have been many cars that I've loved from the outside, but as soon as I sat in the driver's seat and put my hands on the wheel, my perception was changed.
Make sure that you test drive the model that most closely resembles what you want to buy. Don't feel bad asking for what you want. If you're looking at a 4-cylinder with some bells and whistles and the salesperson wants you to test drive a V6, politely decline. If you only want a base model and the salesperson ”only has” a fully loaded model available, do not be intimidated to say no and try another dealer.
A big mistake here is that the salesperson will get you into a ”better” model in the hopes that you will fall in love during your test drive.
Fair enough. You might have no idea how different a 4- vs. a 6-cylinder feels, or maybe you've never driven a car with heated seats so you don’t know if you want them or not. Just remember; this really is no different from trying on dresses at the mall. If you're looking for a cocktail dress, there really is no point in wasting precious shopping time trying on an evening gown!
With every vehicle you test drive, make a list of three or four things that you like, and at least one thing that you don’t like. I would suggest writing it down (or jotting down a memo on your smartphone) so it's easier to remember. If you drive three or four cars in one day it can it get difficult to remember which one had the most comfortable seats, the best designed radio controls, or the one that was the hardest to manoeuvre.
Touch the steering wheel and the controls and make sure that you like the look and feel of the interior. There have been many cars that I've loved from the outside, but as soon as I sat in the driver's seat and put my hands on the wheel, my perception was changed.
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Make sure that you test drive the model that most closely resembles what you want to buy. Don't feel bad asking for what you want. If you're looking at a 4-cylinder with some bells and whistles and the salesperson wants you to test drive a V6, politely decline. If you only want a base model and the salesperson ”only has” a fully loaded model available, do not be intimidated to say no and try another dealer.
A big mistake here is that the salesperson will get you into a ”better” model in the hopes that you will fall in love during your test drive.
Fair enough. You might have no idea how different a 4- vs. a 6-cylinder feels, or maybe you've never driven a car with heated seats so you don’t know if you want them or not. Just remember; this really is no different from trying on dresses at the mall. If you're looking for a cocktail dress, there really is no point in wasting precious shopping time trying on an evening gown!
With every vehicle you test drive, make a list of three or four things that you like, and at least one thing that you don’t like. I would suggest writing it down (or jotting down a memo on your smartphone) so it's easier to remember. If you drive three or four cars in one day it can it get difficult to remember which one had the most comfortable seats, the best designed radio controls, or the one that was the hardest to manoeuvre.