Should you test drive a car before buying?

[chriswt]

That was may be a bit of a rhetorical question but would you really buy an 18 year old high performance car without being allowed to test drive it?

This has been for sale for a while and looks like a cracking motor but the last lines of the advert would surely put a genuine buyer off.

BMW E34 M5 3.8 6 speed service history lots of bills over 7k spent on overhaul | eBay

 

[markjay]

Tricky one.

I can see why the seller wants to avoid time wasters looking for a spin on an M5.

But yes it is difficult to buy a car without actually test driving it.

Buying cars at Car Giant in the past, I was able to test drive only after paying a non-refundable deposit, on the premise that I can cancel and get a refund if I find something wrong with the car rather then if I 'didn't like it'. That was some years ago, so not sure if they still have the same policy though.

 

[jaymanek]

I personally wouldnt buy a car like this without driving it myself...

When I went to buy the W123 280CE, the seller did not want me to drive it at all... he knew my background, I explained that I drive different Mercedes all day long... he grudgingly let me take it up the lane and all was good..

I guess he had been messed about by tyre kickers...

 

[brucemillar]

It has been for sale for a while because he won't let anybody drive it, even if they have the cash and insurance. That says to me. "if I let you drive it you might not like it"

Also it does seem to be consuming some parts A/C condensor "wrong one so I left it off"

I would love to be with this guy when he buys a car and the seller says "you can't drive it"

 

[markjay]

On another note.... non-keeper insurance will typically only cover third party - so if the buyer writes-off the car in an own-fault crash during a test drive, the seller might find himself in the unenviable position of having to chase the buyer through the courts for the value of the car. I think that dealer insurance would work though, if the buyer is a dealer and so covered.

 

[Deleted member 37751]

The seller probably doesn't want test drivers to know that the indicators don't work.

 

[markjay]

It has been for sale for a while because he won't let anybody drive it, even if they have the cash and insurance. That says to me. "if I let you drive it you might not like it"

Also it does seem to be consuming some parts A/C condensor "wrong one so I left it off"

I would love to be with this guy when he buys a car and the seller says "you can't drive it"

Ultimately, if he wants to sell it without letting the buyer test drive it, it will be reflected in the price.

After all, being driven as a passenger in the car is still more than you get in an auction when buying 'sold as seen'. Yet people do buy at auctions - if the price is right. So I imagine that if he is desperate to sell then he will be able to eventually shift it without a test drive - though not at the price he is asking for it.

 

[markjay]

The seller probably doesn't want test drivers to know that the indicators don't work.

If they are buying into a BMW, they won't really care.

 

[Will]

I've bought a fair few cars without test driving them. I tend to go on my instincts, usually you can tell a good car.

I guess he's written that into the advert to deter timewasters, but I'm sure if the 'right' buyer was on the brink of a deal (with cash) he may be more accommodating.

With specialist cars such as these you do end up with a fair few dreamers unfortunately.

 

[Pringles]

I have always done the same as the seller of the BMW but I can see it would put some buyers off. I did not drive my W124 when I bought it but if I had been doubtful or suspicious I would have walked away.

 

[chriswt]

I sort of understand why the seller doesn't want tyre kickers abusing the car during a test drive but how fragile is this car!?!

I actually bought a BMW E34 (540) from Ebay without test driving it and although the car was good I wished I'd driven it first as it drove very differently from the other E34 I'd owned.

I guess my point is that when cars get old then the difference between one car and another can be massive. A perfect example of this is the difference between Ford Mk 1 Focus RS's which meant Evo magazine's star rating of the car went up and down 3 times (I think!).

 

[MD5]

Usually people ask for proof of fully comp insurance. Fair enough, but my own f/c policy only covers me third party for other people's cars, which I think is general. When looking for my 129 about ten years ago, a seller asked if I really expected him to let me drive a £15k car without f/c insurance, even though I had my own MB outside and had brought my insurance certificate with me. I asked if he really expected me to buy a £15k car without driving it first, so he discussed it with his wife, and reluctantly let me drive. The gearbox was knackered, which I wouldn't have discovered without driving it myself. On the other hand, I was selling a hardtop two years ago, when someone from here came to view. The deal was agreed, and we then went out in his newly acquired 500, which he put into a tree, and wrote off!

To state that the purchase price as a deposit and proof of f/c insurance will not permit a test drive is ridiculous, and suggests he has something to hide. I'd follow his advice and buy someone else's on principle.

 

[bpsorrel]

I would never buy any car without driving it first, period. If the vendor says no, I walk away.

 

[ss201]

I sold a W201 2.5 16-valve last week. I gave the buyer an extended run with me at the wheel, but he wasn't prepared to buy it without driving it himself. I explained the insurance situation to him, so in my presence he phoned his insurance company to arrange insurance. It helped that he already had an Admiral multi-car policy, so he added this car to it. I spoke to their representative who assured me that he was 100% covered and e-mailed a copy of the insurance cover note within 10 minutes. I was satisfied that he was covered, he test drove the car and the deal was struck. Without the above precautions I'm afraid I wouldn't let someone I didn't know drive a car I had for sale.

 

[grumpyoldgit]

I encountered a similar attitude with a dealer when looking at Mercs. I drove about 90 miles to look at the car which sounded and looked good on their AutoTrader advert, but when I arrived I was more than a little disappointed with the equipment level and questioned him about the description in his ad....... "Oh we use the pre-prepared AutoTrader bumph to advertise our cars and it lists all those items for that model. We simply don't have the time to enter the relevant spec for each and every car".

However, as I had driven so far to view the car I thought a test drive may persuade me that I could live without all the gadgets and gizmos. "We don't do things that way, we ask for a deposit, we prepare the car and rectify any faults, let you know when it's ready and you then pay the balance upon collection".

Their standard ad also states that their cars include a free 3 year return to base servicing scheme. Well I obviously wasn't going to drive 90 miles every 12 months to let them service it, so asked if that would affect the screen price....... I think you can guess what the answer was!!

So if nothing else, I learned a valuable lesson. Ask questions before going to look and don't take all traders descriptions as being anything like the actual truth.

Having said that, I've never encountered the same problem with any of my other vehicle purchases.

 

[bedwards1966]

I would not buy any car without driving it, on a car like that I'd want to run it through all the gears and check the engine accelerates as it should while driving (not anything daft, but it's needs driving properly to check it's OK).
I would not part with anywhere near that much money if I couldn't test it first (unless the car was at least half normal price, to allow for anything that could be wrong with it). There are so many things you can discover to be wrong when you drive a car that not doing so is too high a risk.

 

[Deleted member 11979]

I've bought cars without even seeing them, a couple on Ebay that worked out well, and a couple from main dealers, one of which was an almost disaster.

Is his reluctance for a test drive to do with the fact that the engine is running in? If so, that seems entirely reasonable.

 

[chriswt]

There are so many things you can discover to be wrong when you drive a car that not doing so is too high a risk.

At least when buying cheap used Mercs you just have to worry about rust!!

BMW uses Nikasil, Swirl-Flaps and Vanos system issues to keep their used car buyer on their toes!!

 

[redbaron]

The seller is clearly an ignorant chump - or he doesnt actually want to sell the car..

and he also doesnt seem to know much about E34 M5's

 

[Fady]

I've bought quite a few cars without test driving them (including current car) and don't always see what is to be gained by sitting at the wheel for a couple of miles, though on some occasions I have been out in the car with the owner himself driving it. Conversely, I've also had a guy come and look at a car who was obviously interested but thought that the way to test it was to drive it like a rally car through a built up area...