How to test drive a car
Chances are, the sales person will be in the car with you. This need not be a problem. He or she should be intelligent enough to wear a seatbelt, sit in the back, and stay fairly quiet.
Things to test during the drive:
- Can you reach the pedals? (no joke, Rover 400's in the 90s weren't designed for people under 5 ft 9)
- Brakes (emergency stop, no warning)
- Horn (beep or honk?)
- Acceleration (from a standing start)
- Radio (can you reach it?)
- Visibility
You have a good sales person if, when you try the emergency stop and they weren't wearing a seatbelt like they should have been, and thud into the back of the front seats, they don't say anything. Likewise a good sales person stays quiet when you floor it heading on to the motorway. You may get some comment from the back about the virtues of the engine at this point. See for yourself how nippy it is.
Always check for beverage holders, that vital and essential piece of equipment car makers seem obsessed with. How many drinks can a person have? Apparently, an infinite number, because that's how many cup holders you'll get. Unless you're an octopus, which may require a completely different kind of vehicle, four is fine. Really, one per seat is fine.
Once you're back at the garage and parked, pop the bonnet/hood and try to locate the spark plugs. They are almost the only thing that will not be easily marked and are often hidden away under something else. If you feel the need to test your sales person, ask him or her to locate the spark plugs for you. Mine couldn't, and I think he was a bit miffed at that. He was already irritated when I programmed two stations into the radio before he told me how to. It's not like it was rocket science. Try and find the oil dipstick, brake fluid reservoir, screen wash fluid reservoir, and power steering fluid. You'll need to be able to find these later when the engine is not so pristine, so they'd better be obvious.
If you're going to the BMW, Audi, Lexus or Porche showrooms, make sure you look the part. Guys, a shirt with a collar, ladies, try a smart skirt and shirt. If at all possible, walk into the BMW showroom holding a Lexus sales brochure and vice versa. You get much better service that way, though you may have trouble stopping the sales persons from drooling on you.
It's (potentially) your car, your money. And the number of beverage cup holders really doesn't matter one bit.