Have you ever bought a brand new car without test driving it?

**gabster_26** · October 3rd, 2012 11:54 PM

...and if so, why not?

I just want to know what the community thinks...I am finding it very hard to get test drives on the cars I am considering. So far I've managed to get test drives on the Tucson (Greenhills), Orlando (Shaw), and SX4 (Shaw). Sobrang hirap makakuha ng test drive sa CX-5 (Greenhills), Innova(Shaw), and Sportage (Greenhills/Makati).

- Some dealerships won't allow them without putting down a reservation on the car first
- A lot of them don't have vehicles available for test drives (oorderin pa raw, aabutin pa ng ilang linggo)
- Some of them don't allow test drives when it rains, or during the evening (want to test nighttime driving conditions)
- And they don't allow you to really test the car...ikot lang around the block.

I want to test drive every car I am considering. Kayo, if you really like the car and you've fully researched it (as in 100%, no stone unturned), would you buy it without test driving it? Sa lagay kasi ng mga test drive sa pilipinas, you can't really test drive it - as in test its brakes, speed, towing power, etc. - you can only test the feel of the ride, so I am wondering if it is really worth it (of course it is, but I just want to know your experiences).

Thanks guys

**April_Ryan** · October 4th, 2012 12:43 AM

I did!

8 years ago when I purchased my first car - a gen 2 RAV4. Why? I didn't know any better. Also, I was a new driver and I was too scared of driving then. He he. Di pa rin yata uso test drives dati.

Subaru is pretty good at allowing test drives of their cars for sale. Not sure if its among the brands you are considering.

**ghosthunter** · October 4th, 2012 01:07 AM

My brother and I did.... we bought a Merc E-class last year for our dad. Although we were able to see the display unit in the showroom, we never were able to get a test drive before buying.

**ghosthunter** · October 4th, 2012 01:11 AM

Originally Posted by gabster_26

...and if so, why not?

I just want to know what the community thinks...I am finding it very hard to get test drives on the cars I am considering. So far I've managed to get test drives on the Tucson (Greenhills), Orlando (Shaw), and SX4 (Shaw). Sobrang hirap makakuha ng test drive sa CX-5 (Greenhills), Innova(Shaw), and Sportage (Greenhills/Makati).

- Some dealerships won't allow them without putting down a reservation on the car first
- A lot of them don't have vehicles available for test drives (oorderin pa raw, aabutin pa ng ilang linggo)
- Some of them don't allow test drives when it rains, or during the evening (want to test nighttime driving conditions)
- And they don't allow you to really test the car...ikot lang around the block.

I want to test drive every car I am considering. Kayo, if you really like the car and you've fully researched it (as in 100%, no stone unturned), would you buy it without test driving it? Sa lagay kasi ng mga test drive sa pilipinas, you can't really test drive it - as in test its brakes, speed, towing power, etc. - you can only test the feel of the ride, so I am wondering if it is really worth it (of course it is, but I just want to know your experiences).

Thanks guys

You can try reading up on test drive reviews done by local motoring journalists...

example: Test Drives

**Helios** · October 4th, 2012 01:23 AM

welcome *gabster_26 to tsikot. i could've test driven first like i would normally pero i was one of the first who placed an order for the '06 honda civic and since the supply<demand, it wasn't practical to see one in makati showroom, more so test drive one. nevertheless, i was happy with the purchase despite some known issues with the other units. go and (you should) do the test drive if it's possible

**BratPAQ** · October 4th, 2012 02:55 AM

depende rin kung gano mo ka-gusto ang kotse eh, in our case kasi reviews pa lang sa internet sold na kami, cheap sub-compact car, any cheaper we would end up with mini, nice fc, cheap maintenance, great discount. small percentage na lang ang chance magbago isip namin kung mag test drive man. besides our main concern is inherent problems on particular models of cars, which wont really show up sa test drive.

**blacksun25** · October 4th, 2012 03:09 AM

ganun naman talaga ang test drive dito sa atin, you don't get to drive the car to it's limits. you drive it just to get a general feel of the vehicle. most of the time, you just rely on other owner's feedback/ reviews to make an informed decision.

as for buying without test driving - yes i did. Got my Innova D4D Feb of last year and I have no regrets whatsoever. Inisip ko na lang sa dami ba naman ng tumatakbong Innova sa lansangan, di naman siguro sablay..

Good luck. Happy car hunting..

**gabster_26** · October 4th, 2012 07:42 AM

Thanks guys! My preferences are really the CX-5 and Sportage, but they're so hard to get test drives for. At least I know some of you didn't test drive before you purchased. The only thing you'll get nga out of a test drive here in the Philippines is a feel for the "hatak" and ride of the car, but not much else.

I also feel that since I was able to test the Tucson, I've pretty much test driven the Sportage as well...

**gabster_26** · October 4th, 2012 07:42 AM

Originally Posted by April_Ryan

I did!

8 years ago when I purchased my first car - a gen 2 RAV4. Why? I didn't know any better. Also, I was a new driver and I was too scared of driving then. He he. Di pa rin yata uso test drives dati.

Subaru is pretty good at allowing test drives of their cars for sale. Not sure if its among the brands you are considering.

Thanks for the heads up! I actually want to take a look at the XV so I'll do that sige

**m05tw4nt3d** · October 4th, 2012 07:45 AM

Since lumabas navara crush na crush ko talaga yun, so when the moment came na bibili na, walang test drive test drive bili agad. Hehe. So far no regrets naman sa performance