Finance For a Test Drive!?

[SoCal Redline]

I jsut got back from the local Dodge dealership for some warranty items on my hemi. So, I am poking around the lot and of course the sales guy wants to help me. So I tell him to grab the keys to an srt4. He tells me..."well, we do it a little different here. See, everyone in America wants to drive this car. What we do is go inside and run the numbers to see if you could even buy this car. Then we go test drive it." WTF!!!??? I asked, " so I take the credit ding and what if I hate the car?" He tells me " once you drive it, you will want it."
If this is what you have to go through to buy an srt4, or any srt for that matter (srt10 in quad cab now!), then thanks but no thanks.
Anybody else experience this type of a-hole-ism?

[Blue04RedLine]

Actually, I had that when I went in to look at my RL. Me and my best frien went in to look at them (both 18) at the time, and the guy told me he would have to run my credit first. I told the guy that if I were going to buy the car, that I wouldn't finance through them, if I were going to finance at all. He was like, "O, well in that case, would you like to drive it now?" Real big prick till I said that, o well.

[speedingredline]

they probably get a lot of young adults that want the car, drive it, then can't afford. thus extra miles on the car. just a theory

[Sp00ner]

They do the same thing at alot of dealers... I don't know what you look like, but if you're in there with your Hemi... seems like they should let you take it for a ride...

That's funny... everyone in America... it's what they do at Chevy when you walk in dirty, and ask to test drive a Vette. Not an SRT4...

[pclear9061]

when i went to the dodge dealer here in cali they didnt even ask me for my DL he just grabed the key for the brandnew charger R/T and i hopped in and drove it i asked to test drive an srt 4 just for the hell of it and he said they sold all of them and there wont be anymore so i ran outta luck there

[pclear9061]

Originally Posted by speedingredline

they probably get a lot of young adults that want the car, drive it, then can't afford. thus extra miles on the car. just a theory

good point

[Sp00ner]

Originally Posted by speedingredline

they probably get a lot of young adults that want the car, drive it, then can't afford. thus extra miles on the car. just a theory

Yea, but he's in there getting his 'not so cheap' Dodge truck worked on, why would they not assume he's thinking of buying a 4cyl to save on gas in these troubled times?

[max_boost]

I don't see much wrong with it, if I'm buying a new car I'd rather the dealership not let everybody come in and beat on the car because they want to.

But I hardly think everybody in America is that interested in the car.

[speedingredline]

Originally Posted by Sp00ner

Yea, but he's in there getting his 'not so cheap' Dodge truck worked on, why would they not assume he's thinking of buying a 4cyl to save on gas in these troubled times?

to quote another famous redlineforum member

good point

[Sp00ner]

Originally Posted by max_boost

I don't see much wrong with it, if I'm buying a new car I'd rather the dealership not let everybody come in and beat on the car because they want to.

But I hardly think everybody in America is that interested in the car.

Would you have bought the Saturn if the first thing the did is tell you that you can't test drive it without applying for financing? You realize that if they did that at 10 dealers, for 10 different cars, which is not that uncommon while shopping around, you're credit would actually suffer for it?

Imagine if after 10 cars, you decide to buy the last one, and your credit has so many 'dings' on it, that you can't get financed! Any dealer tells me that the need a credit check to test drive something will NOT get my business. That's why they have 'test-drive' cars.