Test Drive Before You Buy
It takes me about 6 months and a few hundred dollars to buy a new car. I only get one every five years, so I want the car I buy to be exactly what I am looking for. Long ago I gave up the “test drive” at the dealership. Taking a car out for a spin around the block, or less than 10-12 minutes on the road, doesn’t tell me much. I want to drive a car at least a hundred miles, and take it over some of the real roads around my town.
So I start about 3-6 months before I am ready to buy. I go to my local Image Rent A Car folks and execute a day rental for a model in which I am interested. I only have to go to Image Rent A Car to find everything I am looking for. In 24 hours, more or less, I can put that car on the freeway, in heavy traffic, on curvy roads in the country, and do any number of fast starts and stops or whatever comes to mind. I do that for a couple of week-ends each month and I am ready for the dealer visit.
It had been a long time since I had driven a Chevy. My last two cars, both of which I kept five years, were a Honda Accord and a Lexus. They were great cars. But, when I drove the 2008 Chevy Malibu, I found a car that one can truly llove. It was roomy, quiet, quick, efficient, and frugal. If I needed to zip, fine. If I wanted to make quick lane changes, fine. If I want to lay back and let her run, fine. I even though the body style was attractive, and I felt good buying “American.”
I know some folks are not going to go to that extent. Maybe they have a particular model they like and buy, period. I have a friend who is into Cadillac like that. Some folks just take the short test drive, buy, and wish later they had at least driven another model or brand. It a big decision, this car buying thing. Find one you can love.
At your car rental company you are going to find “new” (less than a few hundred miles many times) cars. You can drive them for a day, or two if you like. No salesman will be whispering in your ear (he likes it rather you will later or not). Drive it fast, drive it slow, put in six CD’s and see if it sounds right, check the brightness of the lights at night, you know, like it was your own car. Sound like a lot of work? Ok! Keep doing what you’ve been doing. Meanwhile, I’ll be lloving my new car for another three years before I visit the rental guy again.
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Tags: rent a car, rental car, test drive a car
