Selling test drives

[Bonneville 0]

Hello all. I'm a former trader (long time ago) and been lurking here a while. I got out of it when auctions got too expensive and I bottled it and went into IT.

Anyway, I wonder if it's viable for you guys to charge for test drives? In other words, take the obligation issue out of it by asking for a fee from prospective buyer. It's likely to attract hopefuls looking to try out the more exotic stuff but if the fee is appropriate for the fun, why not?

[EPV 631]

Hello, welcome to the forum. 

I don’t know what that idea would achieve. If you can’t ask a few subtle questions and get a feel for whether your “punter” is actually a “dreamer” then you need to work on those skills I think rather than consider off putting ways of filtering the wheat from the chaff. 

Such a scheme may well drive away the test pilots but it will also drive away a lot of genuine buyers who will fee uncomfortable with such a draconian way of doing business. 

[trade vet 702]

57 minutes ago, Bonneville said:

Hello all. I'm a former trader (long time ago) and been lurking here a while. I got out of it when auctions got too expensive and I bottled it and went into IT.

Anyway, I wonder if it's viable for you guys to charge for test drives? In other words, take the obligation issue out of it by asking for a fee from prospective buyer. It's likely to attract hopefuls looking to try out the more exotic stuff but if the fee is appropriate for the fun, why not?

Proper punters will not pay for dems.You might get Top Gear type wallys to pay £50 for half an hour then afterwards it can take a hour to clean it.We don’t yet have the technology to clean a car by using a keyboard ! You must have been out of the trade for a while,I would say,stick to what you are doing.

[Mark101 536]

1 hour ago, Bonneville said:

Hello all. I'm a former trader (long time ago) and been lurking here a while. I got out of it when auctions got too expensive and I bottled it and went into IT.

Anyway, I wonder if it's viable for you guys to charge for test drives? In other words, take the obligation issue out of it by asking for a fee from prospective buyer. It's likely to attract hopefuls looking to try out the more exotic stuff but if the fee is appropriate for the fun, why not?

I suggest you start an Everyman type business.  I.e. rent out unaffordable cars for a couple of hundred quid, return and repeat.

[Bonneville 0]

Agree with all of that so I'll phrase it another way. Someone wants to buy a car. No idea what it drives like so needs to test it first. Test drives, doesn't like it. Feels like they've wasted your time, and they have. You don't have a suitable alternative so they walk away and everyone loses or they feel obligated and buy it and you get a 'buyers remorse' return.

 

[MrV 66]

30 minutes ago, Bonneville said:

Agree with all of that so I'll phrase it another way. Someone wants to buy a car. No idea what it drives like so needs to test it first. Test drives, doesn't like it. Feels like they've wasted your time, and they have. You don't have a suitable alternative so they walk away and everyone loses or they feel obligated and buy it and you get a 'buyers remorse' return.

 

It's simply part of the job unfortunately!

[EPV 631]

Give it up mate. It’s a crap idea. 

[Ocsltd 133]

I think Arfur Dealy has the best method of weeding out tyre kickers / test pilots.....

[It's me 615]

if one had a spitfire for sale then charging for test drives might work

hang on triumph made a spitfire

scratch that one

[Linctrader 16]

2 hours ago, Ocsltd said:

I think Arfur Dealy has the best method of weeding out tyre kickers / test pilots.....

Yep, Simon could enlighten you to his methods which are a more realistic version of what you are proposing. 

[Bonneville 0]

27 minutes ago, Linctrader said:

Yep, Simon could enlighten you to his methods which are a more realistic version of what you are proposing. 

As I understand it, that involves no test drive until the purchase is agreed but no obligation to buy if the vehicle is not as described? Given the extensive description, the buyer invariably goes through with the purchase and all are happy.

I get that but what I'm after is, as Mark101 put it, an Everyman type deal for older cars. If you want to try but not necessarily buy, there appears to be nothing in that space.

As to the potential costs, the same criticisms were levelled at AirBnB: what if the renter trashes my home? What if it costs more to clean than the rent? etc. The basic model was based on the idea that an asset is wasted when not in use. Why not put the stock to use?

Yep, probably still a crap idea but folk are hiring private cars through Turo and you folk have more diverse stock than that plus business facilities.

[stockedup! 63]

I honestly don't mind test driving customers but do so after pre qualifying them.If I have an 18 year old looking at something tasty probably won't get behind the wheel. I always try and look at what I can gain, give them a positive experience

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Bonneville 0]

3 minutes ago, stockedup! said:

I honestly don't mind test driving customers but do so after pre qualifying them.If I have an 18 year old looking at something tasty probably won't get behind the wheel. I always try and look at what I can gain, give them a positive experience

 

 

 

And that's brilliant and the kind of trader I would buy from but what if you could earn something from that experience?

The way I look at this is that people currently have only dishonest options here. You want to see if a car feels like you? Here's your options:

1) Pretend to be a buyer. Make all the right noises, drive it around, then give a lame excuse like 'I've got a few others to see, mate'. Judging from this forum, most of you suffer from this.

2) Taking without consent.

There appears to be no honest alternative that I know of.

[EPV 631]

1 hour ago, Bonneville said:

As I understand it, that involves no test drive until the purchase is agreed but no obligation to buy if the vehicle is not as described? Given the extensive description, the buyer invariably goes through with the purchase and all are happy.

I get that but what I'm after is, as Mark101 put it, an Everyman type deal for older cars. If you want to try but not necessarily buy, there appears to be nothing in that space.

As to the potential costs, the same criticisms were levelled at AirBnB: what if the renter trashes my home? What if it costs more to clean than the rent? etc. The basic model was based on the idea that an asset is wasted when not in use. Why not put the stock to use?

Yep, probably still a crap idea but folk are hiring private cars through Turo and you folk have more diverse stock than that plus business facilities.

Mate no one is going to pay £50 to take a 2009 Jaguar XF for a 30 minute spin, or a 2011 Audi A4. If you’re talking something like a 2014 Audi RS4 then no dealer will want people aimlessly burning around in their stock. It will cost you £50 to get a mini valet done on a car like that again once billy has had his thrill. People hire cars yes but for a day, Ferrari’s or Aston’s. 

[MattR 177]

Not for me. I'm happy to test drive when I've established theres a fair chance of a purchase. I'm not always right. Did go out for a drive a few weeks back with a youngster who really wasnt good. Was on the last junction when she pulled out in front of a truck. Its the closest Ive been to a bump in the 20+ years ive been sat in the passenger seat for test drives.

It does make you think as a one man band what happens if I break a leg ( or worse) in a bump and cant get to work, the bills keep coming, your insurance goes through the roof and youve got a wrecked car. 

I'll happily qualify them, but wont be letting someone out in one of my cars just to get a few extra quid

[Nick M.K. 574]

20 minutes ago, Bonneville said:

people currently have only dishonest options here

Here is a very honest option: 

BUY IT. 

I don't understand the need of people to "see how" a 7 year old car drives. Mine could drive great, another could drive s***, a third could be remapped and have much better performance, a fourth could have a blocked EGR valve and feel sluggish. They don't need to test drive them all. 

Test drive one that you like the look of, buy it if you are happy. If you don't like how it drives TELL ME. Don't say stupid things like I have to talk to my wife and I know where you are now...

 

[Dave2302 387]

/\ /\ /\ +1 Amen

[Arfur Dealy 823]

No one is going to pay for a test drive when they can get one for free elsewhere. Daft idea. 

[whitestone679231 113]

20 hours ago, Bonneville said:

And that's brilliant and the kind of trader I would buy from but what if you could earn something from that experience?

The way I look at this is that people currently have only dishonest options here. You want to see if a car feels like you? Here's your options:

1) Pretend to be a buyer. Make all the right noises, drive it around, then give a lame excuse like 'I've got a few others to see, mate'. Judging from this forum, most of you suffer from this.

2) Taking without consent.

There appears to be no honest alternative that I know of.

think what you are looking for is enterprise rent a car....

[have a word with the wife 299]

On 02/11/2018 at 8:09 AM, Bonneville said:

Hello all. I'm a former trader (long time ago)

[Dave2302 387]

13 hours ago, have a word with the wife said:

long time ago

 (can't resist) ................

Sings .................... "in Bethlehem so the Holy Bible says"

No offence to those of us who attend on a Sunday, but That Holy Bible was a load of crap too, perhaps a "long time ago" all his Bunters dried up 'cos they didn't like paying for test drives 

[whitestone679231 113]

2 minutes ago, Dave2302 said:

 (can't resist) ................

Sings .................... "in Bethlehem so the Holy Bible says"

No offence to those of us who attend on a Sunday, but That Holy Bible was a load of crap too, perhaps a "long time ago" all his Bunters dried up 'cos they didn't like paying for test drives 

How can you say the Holy Bible was crap, I wish I had thought of it, it must be the best selling book of fiction ever, bet it’s earned that Jesus guy a fortune....

[Dave2302 387]

LOL you're right there, but it's still crap

It's a bit like VW Diesels, they've sold milligones, but they're still shite

[whitestone679231 113]

20 minutes ago, Dave2302 said:

LOL you're right there, but it's still crap

It's a bit like VW Diesels, they've sold milligones, but they're still shite

And like the good book they have both been economical with the truth... more chance of feeding hundreds of people with loaf and 3 fishes than achieving VW fuel figures...

[Dave2302 387]

2 hours ago, whitestone679231 said:

And like the good book they have both been economical with the truth... more chance of feeding hundreds of people with loaf and 3 fishes than achieving VW fuel figures...

Coffee - Screen absolutely brilliant, made my day