Is this common practice, he said he would only let me go around the parking lot changing gears...

How in the hell are you suppose to buy a 30k car without test driving it??

 

I test drove it.. that's why I bought it haha

 

thats what im saying, he was going on and on about how this car is great blah blah, and im like i need to test drive the car!!!!

 

they like to run your credit first. A lot of dealerships like to pretty much pre-qualify you.

 

was a pretty common practice when I first started looking... ended up getting a test drive from a dealer in KS and buying mine almost a year later from a delar in TX.

 

It was pretty common back in 2003, but I'd think now they'd let you...

 

Dealership I bought from doesn't allow test drives either, nice thing is the car had 3 miles on it when I picked it up.

 

Ok, but im saying thats a strong selling point for me lol

 

Then just tell them you will take your business elsewhere.

 

I told the guy to check my credit first than ask for a test drive, i knew he was going not going to say no, so when he came back he told me, wanna go for a test drive?.

 

That's what happened to me when I was looking for my Evo. Just go to another dealership. I bought my car from the dealership that let me test drive the car.

 

my experience at a poorly run dealership http://www.socalevo.net/index.php?op...&topic=19246.0

we should have a poll asking people whether or not they would buy a car if they were refused a test drive. im sure that would be interesting

 

when i bought my IX i was at the dealer like a week before the IXs came in trying to test drive an VIII, and they treated me like an *** because I didnt want them running my credit. i went back when the IXs came in and the guy let me drive it pretty much no questions asked..... long story short I bought it from that guy that day.

 

Ask him to ride with you perhaps?

 

My dealer was totally cool about it; let me wring out a demo car and have some fun.