Test driving cars for more than 1 day?

GT1999

Diamond Member
Oct 10, 1999
5,261
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I've had a friend test drive a car for a couple of days before, and I'm looking to see if a dealership will let me test drive a car for a weekend, instead of just a normal test drive (looking at Honda Accords, but I want to test a BMW for fun). So I know it's possible, and I have perfect credit -- I just don't know how they'll determine if I can "afford" it or not...

Anyone work at a dealership and have any tips? :D I'm doing this mainly for kicks and for a nice car to take my girl out in this weekend for a change.
 

GT1999

Diamond Member
Oct 10, 1999
5,261
1
71
BTW, the friend I'm talking about was able to test a Jaguar and he kept it overnight at his house... :) He could afford it, though -- that's the thing. :p
 

eelw

Lifer
Dec 4, 1999
10,058
5,161
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The average Joe is not going to be able to test drive the car for a weekend. You need to know the owner of the dealership or be rich enough for it to happen.
 

ponyo

Lifer
Feb 14, 2002
19,688
2,810
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Pretty much all major dealerships will let you keep test drive cars over the weekend or for more than one day. I've kept Porsche, Benz, and BMW over the weekend for test drive. I ended up buying the Porsche.
 

SilentZero

Diamond Member
Apr 8, 2003
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Their decision to let you keep it overnight or for a weekend is usually dependant on what level of risk they see you as, and if you can afford the car or not. I kept a Audi dealers RS6 for 3 days when I lived/worked in germany, but I drove a E46 M3 in the lot and had to fax them a copy of my latest pay stub. They have their ways of finding out your worth.
 

Heisenberg

Lifer
Dec 21, 2001
10,621
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Yeah, it really depends on how well you know the dealership and how much $$$ you have. The local GM dealer has let my parents keep cars more than 1 day before, but they know people there.
 

vegetation

Diamond Member
Feb 21, 2001
4,270
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I'd imagine it depends on what type of car (value) you drive in to the lot and leave parked overnight for such a thing to happen. Probably need to show your paperwork to prove it's really yours.
 

Sundog

Lifer
Nov 20, 2000
12,342
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Originally posted by: Naustica
Originally posted by: blurredvision
Originally posted by: Naustica
I ended up buying the Porsche.
By Porsche, you mean Kia, right? It's ok, almost everyone lies on the internet :p.


Why would I need to lie? pic


Because it looks like a banana. A fast banana.....but a banana none the less.

Hey, that is Red Dawn's favorite song.

//Eat bananas...B-A-N-A-N-A-S
 

ponyo

Lifer
Feb 14, 2002
19,688
2,810
126
Originally posted by: Sundog
Originally posted by: Naustica
Originally posted by: blurredvision
Originally posted by: Naustica
I ended up buying the Porsche.
By Porsche, you mean Kia, right? It's ok, almost everyone lies on the internet :p.


Why would I need to lie? pic


Because it looks like a banana. A fast banana.....but a banana none the less.

Hey, that is Red Dawn's favorite song.

//Eat bananas...B-A-N-A-N-A-S


another banana

I like yellow.
 

Sundog

Lifer
Nov 20, 2000
12,342
1
0
Originally posted by: Naustica
Originally posted by: Sundog
Originally posted by: Naustica
Originally posted by: blurredvision
Originally posted by: Naustica
I ended up buying the Porsche.
By Porsche, you mean Kia, right? It's ok, almost everyone lies on the internet :p.


Why would I need to lie? pic


Because it looks like a banana. A fast banana.....but a banana none the less.

Hey, that is Red Dawn's favorite song.

//Eat bananas...B-A-N-A-N-A-S


another banana

I like yellow.


Awww cute....right color for the bike, wrong model. ;)

Try this one...Pic
 

sciencewhiz

Diamond Member
Jun 30, 2000
5,885
8
81
I'm sure the BMW dealer has seen people try this before. You'd have better luck trying to do it with cars within your price range.
 

freeway

Senior member
Sep 11, 2000
384
0
71
I just test drove a chevy tahoe from last Friday afternoon until noon on Monday so they still do it. I'm not rich but I have great credit and I'm a lawyer, so I guess that helps. It is a nice SUV, but I did not buy it.
 

KokomoGSTmp

Senior member
Aug 29, 2004
412
0
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Another question is... why would you want to?

If you've done your research and know your features, brands, etc that are important to you as a buyer, you should be able to make your final decision after a 20minute test drive.

A lot of people already have their heart set on a particular car and no amount of logic or persuasion will make them truly consider another car. I'm sure you've met people that LOVE their car for that very reason.

Friend: I bought a BMW with Xdrive!! It's easy to go fast now!
methinks: You bought a 325xi... you overpaid for an outgoing model that's dirt slow and fairly useless in the snow with those summer tires why??? You didn't even bother to test drive the Subaru Legacy GT and dismissed the G35xi both of which are actually fast in comparison to the dirt slow 325.
 

eelw

Lifer
Dec 4, 1999
10,058
5,161
136
Originally posted by: KokomoGSTmp
Another question is... why would you want to?


Originally posted by: Geekish Thoughtsbut I want to test a BMW for fun
I'm doing this mainly for kicks and for a nice car to take my girl out in this weekend for a change.

Well the OP just wants to go on a joyride for the weekend.
 

ponyo

Lifer
Feb 14, 2002
19,688
2,810
126
Originally posted by: pinkeywear
What would happen if you never returned with the test car?


I didn't abuse the test vehicles but I know people who have. Although it wasn't a test drive, my cousin took his Benz S420 in for major service that was going to take about 2 days so they gave him a brand new Benz as a loaner. He had to go down to Florida to meet couple of business clients and drove down there. Ended up putting about 1200 miles on the new loaner car. Suffice to say that dealership now bans him from getting any type of loaner.
 

cavemanmoron

Lifer
Mar 13, 2001
13,664
28
91
Originally posted by: SilentZero
Their decision to let you keep it overnight or for a weekend is usually dependant on what level of risk they see you as, and if you can afford the car or not. I kept a Audi dealers RS6 for 3 days when I lived/worked in germany, but I drove a E46 M3 in the lot and had to fax them a copy of my latest pay stub. They have their ways of finding out your worth.

Yeah if you are "preapproved" to get the loan for the car.

Your not allowed to use it like a rental.