Selling Tips Needed - Test Drive or Not?

[Dennis H]

Case by case. I drove the Coronet before purchase back in 1988 for $3450. Nobody drives my car is baloney. People I know or have ridden with are welcome to some wheel time.

 

[rirealtor]

First Car Purchase Experience- 67 Fairlane on CL and ad stated no pilots, no young drivers. He took me for a rip down some back roads and then on to 95 in CT, saw the big smile on my face and knew I was not going to negotiate. Drove right on the trailer. Sold that about 2 years later without a test drive.
Second Car Purchase Experience- Wagoneer from Ebay in CA. Spoke to the seller who was a mechanic and all around good person with 20 years of receipts of work. Satisfied with the representation and the price. Still own this. (Dodged a bullet with one in NH that I had a shop look at prior to buying that found extensive frame rot)
Third Car Purchase- 67 Charger. Probably should have driven it more but daylight was running out and I had 5 hours to get the trailer back. And I knew the vehicle was going to be pulled apart anyway. Seller was a little surprised by the fact that I didnt drive it. I just pulled up, said, yup, thats the one- lets load it up.
Scary Selling Experience- Selling an Audi, and Buyer is test driving with me in pass seat and not really speeding per se, (maybe a little - just spirited driving) but coming off highway he ignores the yield sign thinking he has the right of way- almost sideswiped another vehicle. He wanted to take it home that day w his plates. umm..no.

 

[#41]

I let a prospective buyer drive junk just based only on a conversation to judge their character. But for nice cars:

1. Talk and inspect the car and make a judgement on how serious they are and if they seem like a normal person.
2. Step 1 should be enough to discuss money to see if your'e in the same ball park.
3. If they pass step 1 and 2, and they seem to be serious buyers, then taking them for a RIDE is next.
4. All good and an amount agreed to, then letting them drive it is what seals the deal.

If at any point they seem weird, lowball you, or you just don't want to sell to them, then you hold firm on your price and don't allow the car to be driven. That will usually send them packing.

 

[GetX'd]

Different time, different era. In ‘71 When I went to check out the 68 X that would become mine - This was in Mpls and the car had PA plates on it - The owner just gave the car to me and my two buddies and said go ahead check it out. I’ll sheepishly admit at the time I was a bit of a chickenshit about taking a beast like that and finding out what kind of guts it had. Well my crazy buddy had no qualms at all w/testing it to its limits - scared the crap out of me. But the test was sufficient for me to go back and peel off 11 C notes and even tho at night for some reason this guy had a notary handy w/I spitting distance of her home. So there we went and had everything notarized - he got the cash and I drove home in the car. Not likely something like that is going to happen these days from his perspective or mine. 48 years later I passed the car on to one of those buddies. Even tho best friends our transaction was more tightly wound than my original. He never drove it - actually I don’t think ever, and hadn’t even seen it in at least 4/5 yrs. And he insisted on wiring all $$ upfront (he had to borrow $$ to buy) even tho I told him he could pay me in installments over a one year period. Sure I gave him an ultra sweetheart deal because he was not that financially secure and our friendship since kids - Plus he was the only one I wanted to sell to. And I felt it was just time to move on.