4 Questions to Ask When on a Test Drive

April 25, 2019 · 3 min read

With so many vehicle types on the market today and multiple car brands competing for your attention, it's hard to make a decision when buying a new car. Even after you've done your research and have all the info you need on a car you're interested in buying, the only way to really get to know it is by taking it out for a spin. Here's what you need to be on the lookout for when on a test drive.

Is This the Exact Trim and Model I'm Interested in?

Most vehicles today come in a variety of trims and can include a multitude of optional packages. This leads to dozens of possible combinations of features, so it's important that the car you test drive has all the options and characteristics you want. The most important information you get from testing a new vehicle is how it feels when you're driving it, so the test car needs to have the same engine, transmission, suspensions, and generally everything related to how the car behaves on the road. It's also important to test the car's interior features. On paper, virtually all models nowadays come with features such as air conditioning, touch-screen display, or smartphone integration, but some work better than others.

How Does Everything Work?

Most functions are intuitive and common to all cars, but you need to remember that the sales representative knows that particular vehicle inside and out. Before assuming that you can figure everything out on your own, you should ask him or her to demonstrate features related to the car's technology, active safety, or transmission. This way you can discover the proper ways to operate everything. Things that you may find difficult to use may be simpler than you thought.

Is This Model Selling Well?

A car's popularity is usually a good indicator of its quality, so ideally you'll want your dealer to tell you it's one of their best sellers. Of course, a relative lack of sales is not always an indicator of a possible fault, but it's definitely an incentive to research the exact reasons it hasn't sold well. Maybe it wasn't marketed as much as it should be, or certain characteristics put off many drivers but don't really affect your opinion. Whatever the reason, you need to know it and determine if it's important to you.

Ask Yourself: Do I Like It?

The final question isn't for the sales representative, but one you should ask yourself. After getting all the relevant info on the car's characteristics, inner workings, and popularity, the last box it needs to check is how you feel while driving it. Do you feel good behind the wheel or does driving it feel difficult? Only you can answer that. Buying a car is a very important decision because not only will you depend on it to get you from point A to point B, but it will also be the place where you will be spending thousands of hours. Before signing on the dotted line, make sure you have all the tools for taking an informed decision.

2019 F350 Super Duty Custom Diestamp via Flickr by truckhardware under the use of CC BY 2.0 / Cropped from original

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Although every reasonable effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of the information contained on this site, absolute accuracy cannot be guaranteed. This site, and all information and materials appearing on it, are presented to the user "as is" without warranty of any kind, either express or implied. All vehicles are subject to prior sale. Price does not include applicable tax, title, and license charges. ‡Vehicles shown at different locations are not currently in our inventory (Not in Stock) but can be made available to you at our location within a reasonable date from the time of your request, not to exceed one week.

Although every reasonable effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of the information contained on this site, absolute accuracy cannot be guaranteed. This site, and all information and materials appearing on it, are presented to the user "as is" without warranty of any kind, either express or implied. All vehicles are subject to prior sale. Price does not include applicable taxes. ‡Vehicles shown at different locations are not currently in our inventory (Not in Stock) but can be made available to you at our location within a reasonable date from the time of your request, not to exceed one week.