BMW dealership won't let me test drive used M3?

[shay2nak]

+1 no drive, no purchase. I 'm not gonna sit and waste my time talking numbers either.

I didn't even ask, the guy just said "wanna take it out for a spin?" i was like ....uhhhh...sure? LOL

[Singletrack]

Originally Posted by kdphan

I bought my Z4 coupe from this dealership in July.

Things are starting to change and i'll need 4 seats. So it's about time to give up the Z4.

So as I was looking at the car with the salesman, i asked him to take the car out for a spin.

His answer, "we don't allow test drives on M3's unless we agree on #'s."

And that "We don't let ANYONE test drive them since they're the best cars"

At that point, I felt insulted and told him I didn't have any sort of problems test driving cars when I bought my car from them 5 months ago. And it's a 2008 used m3 for all that matters.


Has anyone been in a similar situation?

Find a new dealer or at least sales person. It isn't even like a used M3 is one of their most expensive assets. A few more miles on a used one will also not impact the value like a new car. Makes zero sense.

[gblansten]

It's amazing how different the experiences at dealers can be. My dealer was nothing but fantastic.

[Denk]

When I was shopping for an e92 M3 at a local dealer, within 10 minutes of me browsing the inventory I was test driving an e92 ZCP...maybe they saw me pull up in my e46 M3?

Come up to Oregon, my dealer has an orange e90 ZCP and a white e92 ZCP on the lot. I'll get you a test drive.

[Ali@BMWMt.laurel]

ORANGE??? I WOULD TRADE MINE IN! ugh it's a sedan though.

[kdphan]

my experience could just be random.

Maybe the SA had a bad day.

[GoddrivesanM3]

I think what everyone forgets is that BMW is only as strong as the dollar votes we cast. This is why it pays to be slightly more arrogant and aloof than the d ck you're sitting across from anytime you walk into any BMW dealership. BMW buyers are so passionate that we lose sight of this.

P.S. I would never buy a BMW from the dealer geographically closest to me because they are at least 13% higher in price and show no love to prospective buyers. IMHO, of course.

[socalbreeze]

I wore flip flops and shorts to test drive the M3 at Sterling BMW in Newport Beach. The first thing he asked me was if I wanted to test drive the M3. The salesman was decent (meaning he didnt over-sell, or being obnoxious). I'm in my early 30's and look like in my 20's.

[dagolfpro]

OP, who was your SA? A lot has to do with who you are working with at any dealership. Some SA are a pain in the ass and some will bend over backwards for you.

[kdphan]

Originally Posted by dagolfpro

OP, who was your SA? A lot has to do with who you are working with at any dealership. Some SA are a pain in the ass and some will bend over backwards for you.

Don't remember his name exactly.

But I dealt with Bruce when i bought the Z4 and he was a great guy.

Not so much for the taller, armenian guy? Sorry if that sounds racist in any way. That's the only thing I remember about the guy.

[JC919]

Originally Posted by kdphan

I bought my Z4 coupe from this dealership in July.

Things are starting to change and i'll need 4 seats. So it's about time to give up the Z4.

So as I was looking at the car with the salesman, i asked him to take the car out for a spin.

His answer, "we don't allow test drives on M3's unless we agree on #'s."

And that "We don't let ANYONE test drive them since they're the best cars"

At that point, I felt insulted and told him I didn't have any sort of problems test driving cars when I bought my car from them 5 months ago. And it's a 2008 used m3 for all that matters.


Has anyone been in a similar situation?

This may not apply and if so my apologies, but do you by any chance fancy flat billed hats?

[///WeissBlitz76]

Originally Posted by kdphan

I bought my Z4 coupe from this dealership in July.

Things are starting to change and i'll need 4 seats. So it's about time to give up the Z4.

So as I was looking at the car with the salesman, i asked him to take the car out for a spin.

His answer, "we don't allow test drives on M3's unless we agree on #'s."

And that "We don't let ANYONE test drive them since they're the best cars"

At that point, I felt insulted and told him I didn't have any sort of problems test driving cars when I bought my car from them 5 months ago. And it's a 2008 used m3 for all that matters.


Has anyone been in a similar situation?

I have definitely been in your shoes, and also will NOT purchase a car without at least a cursory test drive. I just feel like this should be common courtesy from a dealership where you are about to drop up to $80k!

The first time I ever asked to test drive an M3 was at my local dealership. It was a brand new vert, sitting in the showroom. I kind of understood, and wasn't really interested in a vert, just wanted to drive an M3. But what if I HAD been interested in buying? I'm still not going to sign on that dotted line without at the very least a spin 'round the block!

I tried Carmax, but there wasn't one with a free transfer available to my immediate area. I finally found a dealership with a used '12 ZCP down in Atlanta (about a 90 minute drive), and would not commit to coming down until the sales guy put it in writing that I would be able to drive the car. He did, and I did, and that was pretty nearly the only test drive I have ever had in an M. Now, when I pick mine up at the performace center next month, I will test drive it all I damn well please!

[bga23]

I received similar treatment from a higher-end used car dealer. He saw me drive up in my wife's Jeep Wrangler and assumed I couldn't afford the M3. I asked him if I could take it for a test drive and he said something to the effect of, it's raining out so I'd need to wash and dry it and I'd rather not do that. I said OK and walked out. His loss, I ended up buying a 911 with cash.

Needless to say I'll never go back there, or to any other dealer who treated me like that. There are just too many others who want my business.

[thegeneral101]

that's just dumb. try the sales manager, otherwise go somewhere else. Never understood that, unless its actually a special car that is always sold before it gets to the dealer. I went to my local dealership and told the SA I wasn't buying one but wanted to test drive the new M5. He said...sure, not a problem. lol

[pukicabuki]

The dealer I bought my '10 E92 from last year let me test drive a '11 E90 M3, '11 E92 M3 with the comp package, and an '09 E92 M3. This was all in one day. I ended up walking away on all of them because I wasn't in love with the color combos and options on any of them. I was 29 at the time and walked in wearing flip flops and shorts in the middle of November. They were totally fine with letting me drive anything I wanted. Even asked if I wanted to take the E60 M5 for a spin to see if I liked it.

I ended up going back a few weeks later when they got in the '10 E92 that I ended up buying.

[dreamspeed]

It all comes down to how the sales person communicated this "no test drive rule."

If you are young(er) and dressed in shorts and a t shirt i hardly think you should be indignant about the salesperson not letting you test drive the car. Let's be real here, even though you may be a billionaire....if you don't LOOK like you can afford or wish to afford the car they are within their rights to deny you a test drive.

Whenever I plan on going to a higher end establishment, whether it be a retail store or restaurant I make it a point to dress up a little. I'm not talking about a 3 piece suit but if you throw on a button shirt, dark jeans, and loafers you will get better service than if you were wearing a t shirt, ripped jeans, and sneakers.

There's nothing to get offended about, it's just business.

[///WeissBlitz76]

Originally Posted by dreamspeed

It all comes down to how the sales person communicated this "no test drive rule."

If you are young(er) and dressed in shorts and a t shirt i hardly think you should be indignant about the salesperson not letting you test drive the car. Let's be real here, even though you may be a billionaire....if you don't LOOK like you can afford or wish to afford the car they are within their rights to deny you a test drive.

Whenever I plan on going to a higher end establishment, whether it be a retail store or restaurant I make it a point to dress up a little. I'm not talking about a 3 piece suit but if you throw on a button shirt, dark jeans, and loafers you will get better service than if you were wearing a t shirt, ripped jeans, and sneakers.

There's nothing to get offended about, it's just business.

I understand what you're saying, and mostly agree. I do tend to put just a little more effort towards my appearance whenever I go to a dealership and want to be taken seriously. These days, though, I think there isn't really a "millionaire look", anymore. Now I know that this is all just a matter of personal preference, but I would suspect (and in fact have seen) just as many wealthy people looking slouchy as not. Point is, if that salesman is dumb enough to judge you based on your appearance, then he deserves to miss out on that sale. Not only that, but maybe you were even going to buy your wife a car from him, as well. And your friends? Well, maybe you'll just tell them to head on down to the dealership down the road, too. Helluva price to pay for him, for a simple little social miscalculation. If only he'd treated you with some respect...

[gatorfast]

Never heard of a dealership not allowing test drives lol. Who buys a car without driving it first?

And what would be the point of negotiating a deal first? Many times, any irregularities found during a test drive will either turn the buyer off or give him more negotiating power. Why go through the hassle of negotiation when the buyer could simply decide this isnt the car for him based on the test drive? Some dealerships are so strange.

[mdosu]

At the end of the day, they just want confidence that you're a serious buyer. To be honest, the easiest way to show that you're serious is allow them to do a soft credit check pull. That way, you don't waste time "talking numbers" and you get to the test drive ASAP.

[mdosu]

Originally Posted by bga23

I received similar treatment from a higher-end used car dealer. He saw me drive up in my wife's Jeep Wrangler and assumed I couldn't afford the M3. I asked him if I could take it for a test drive and he said something to the effect of, it's raining out so I'd need to wash and dry it and I'd rather not do that. I said OK and walked out. His loss, I ended up buying a 911 with cash.

Needless to say I'll never go back there, or to any other dealer who treated me like that. There are just too many others who want my business.

2 stories:

I also had a similar experience at another high-end used car dealer. In fact, I don't mind naming them. It's Toy Barn in Dublin, Ohio.

Anyways, I was 25-26 at the time, and I was browsing their show room. They had a preowned Porsche Cayman in their room. The car was already unlocked. I asked if I could sit in it to get a gauge of interior dimensions, and the salesman said "no, I'd rather you not, b/c I would have to clean it".

I was like "wtf". Well anyways, they could go f themselves b/c I NEVER would even consider browsing or buying a car from them EVER. I bought a pre-owned M3, and likely other pre-owned luxury performance cars, and I will never even bother to look there once.


When I was 20 years old, I went to an autoshow in Columbus, Ohio. At that time, the Noble had a sole importer based out of Cincinnati, Ohio, only selling N400s and they had a few cars there and a sales rep at the auto show. I went up to the sales rep and started asking him questions and details about the car. The guy wouldn't even give me the time of day and kept brushing me off. Keep in mind, there was NOBODY at the display or floor area.

To this date, I will NEVER consider buying a Noble or its successor Rossion. You start your customers young and you build a reputation and a brand. When you start discounting your future customers, you get into financial difficulties in selling your products.

IMO, Lotus, BMW, MB AMG, Audi-Quattro, etc can make much better cars at cheaper prices than your overpriced lego patch-job cars with Hyundai tail lights, Mini cooper mirrors, and Ford engines.

[shivaswrath]

Originally Posted by gthal

I think part of the reason they don't allow it is that M buyers are picky and the minute they allow someone to test drive an M the car is instantly worth less money because many of us picky sons o' bitches won't then buy the car or will demand a big discount.

If I went to a dealership to buy an M3, if they had one that had been test driven I would personally either order one new or expect a significant discount because you know people beat the sh&t out of the car.

A large dealership may have an M available to test drive and not care whether it devalues the car but a small to mid sized dealership may have a real problem with this. I don't like it but I do understand it. However, on a used M3, there is zero excuse to not allow a test drive to a legitimate customer.

My thoughts exactly...

[Ezio]

IDk My father and I told my sales guy we were set on a M3, but never agreed to a price.

My sales guy let me drive the M3 with him also in it of course. He knew i was young, but seem to not even care. i am 21 btw walked in with sweatpants, Sweat shirt, and boots. he took me very serious, and he also made his first M3 sale that week.

Dealership needs to take people serious is the problem.