Dealer Why won't the dealer let us "test" drive the fel??

[Coyote machine]

Newbury- I think I bought the car you test drove and 'smoked' the brakes on!
I went to test drive a Volvo and my wife picked one she liked because it was this cool Ocean Blue, limited edition paint color
Went to start it and the battery was dead!
Should have taken the hint and walked away- but no- trying to be a good guy and please my wife I waited until they charged it up and took the test drive. That was something like August. Noticed in the glove box a chart that the dealer was supposed to fill out to verify when the battery had been charged up before delivery. Car had been on the lot for a while and was only checked once in like six months.
Still bought it. First cold week in Oct or possibly Nov. the battery went dead and dealer had to replace it. Should have insisted they do it when it was delivered.
Car was side swiped by some idiots in a parking lot and it was a hit and run. Then some kid ran into it while rushing to work in the rain and wanted it to be paid for cash by his dad so insurance wouldn't go up. Then a guy we know who's an alkie let his busted door swing all the way open and screwed up the front door and front fender. I traded it when the front coil spring broke when my wife was in CT, and it cost $1500 to repair! Worse car I ever owned!
So if you get a bad feeling about a dealer or a piece of equipment listen to the inner voice calling out: 'don't buy it.

 

[ccsial]

We went to test drive a new car, I drove for a while, parked, put on the parking brake. Got out of the car and let my wife drive. We got about 5 miles down the road, stopped, smelled burning brakes, cloud of smoke rolls by. She had not fully released the brake. Salesperson sitting in the car said nothing.

Did you buy it or tell him you liked it but wanted a different color?

 

[newbury]

Did you buy it or tell him you liked it but wanted a different color?

Didn't like it to begin with.

 

[FTCKUBOTA]

As far as test driving the tractor/loader goes. You need to choose the right size for the job. For examble a BX or B series is not going to do much dirt work. I guess what I am saying is pick the right size for any job you will do since a test drive is not an option

 

[PUSHINDIRT]

I thought it was standard practice to "test drive" the machine before purchase. Once I narrowed my list down to 2 machines he sent me out back to play in the sand pile. I can see both sides of the argument. Dealers get a ton of people kickin the tires and potentially this could get very expensive if you have someone putting time on the machine.
I agree with a previous poster, ask him if you can return the tractor for full purchase price if it ends up not being the machine you really want. Go with the B!

 

[Doppleganger]

First and only dealer I walked into let me drive it, play with it and even offered to send it home with me to try. They had the best price and were great to deal with. My new orange helper was delivered a week later. I was a serious buyer and it showed.

The dealer and salesperson want to make a sale but they have to evaluate each person walking through the door as to their likelyhood of buying. There are a lot of "tire kickers" out there right now, not only for tractors, but all large purchases. The dealers don't want to risk their very expensive equipment with someone who is just wasting time. Dont get me wrong, I am not insinuating that you are a tire kicker, but the dealer must have felt that way. Generally, a good salesperson will find a way for you to get what you want and close the deal if you appear serious. Maybe follow up with the dealer and insist that they accomodate you before you will sign the papers.
Dop

 

[Reg]

Yep, a lot of folk have recently found the time to become "tire kickers".
Mid week,,,, here comes another one that looks like he just left the unemployment office and has a few hours to waste day dreaming about what might be if/when a job turns up...

Week-end shopper with errands to run, barely gets saturday morning off,,,, likely has some bux or a credit rating that is good enough.

HARD for a sales guy to pick and choose who to pursue ?

 

[Bird]

Yep, a lot of folk have recently found the time to become "tire kickers".
Mid week,,,, here comes another one that looks like he just left the unemployment office and has a few hours to waste day dreaming about what might be if/when a job turns up...

Week-end shopper with errands to run, barely gets saturday morning off,,,, likely has some bux or a credit rating that is good enough.

HARD for a sales guy to pick and choose who to pursue ?

I think it used to be pretty common for salesmen, at least for certain products, to visually size up people to decide whether to pursue them or not. I'll never forget going into a Cadillac dealership once to ask about a 10 year old Cadillac on the lot. I was wearing khaki work slacks and sport shirt and no one would even speak to me until I cornered a saleman, told him I would like some information about that car, and he replied, "It belongs to an employee" and walked away. There was not another customer in the showroom at the time. I happened to have owned a 5 year old Cadillac at the time and when it was involved in a very minor accident (investigating officer couldn't find any damage to it), out of curiosity, I stopped by that same Cadillac dealership, wearing a suit and tie, and a guy promptly rushed out to meet me, asked what he could do for me, asked if I'd like a cup of coffee while they did an estimate to repair the damage, etc. At the time, I knew I could fix it myself with a used part for $8, or a new part for $15. The dealership gave me an estimate of $360.

But today, I think any salesman who thinks he can visually size up a potential customer is making a bad mistake. My youngest brother was the best salesman I've ever known and he went after everyone who entered the business as if that was the most important guy he ever met. And I don't think he ever tried to talk anyone into buying anything; just visited with them and answered their questions. It works. Of course it also helped that he had studied his products well and knew them, but also wasn't afraid to say "I don't know" instead of bluffing.

 

[MessickFarmEqu]

As a salesperson, you can't help but to this to a degree. That does not mean that everyone does not get the best service you can give, but you deferentially can tell alot about a customer from a few observations. For example, if they wife is along.. they are serious. If they are carrying a clipboard.. they will drive you crazy with detailed questions, if they ride a motorcycle.. the tractor can also be a toy. Foreign car owners don't question foreign tractors... big truck owners like so called domestics. Retiring men and young guys are the easiest sales. etc. etc.

 

[RayCo]

When I was considering tractors, a member on this forum invited me to his house to test out his BX23, as well as cruise around in his Kubota RTV, check out his elaborate workshop, meet his family, and tote away rotten pieces of roof from his neighbor's shed.