JLonsinger2011

I want to test drive a Raptor bad!

zitterich246

Reminds me when i bought my 11 ecoboost. I had just gotten off work, clothes dirty, looked homeless lol. Got a few strange looks when i walked in the dealership to buy a lariat

DavidKR

the policy at my old dealership was pretty much if it said SVT, Roush, or Saleen, you didn't get to test drive it. I know the Dodge/RAM/Jeep/Chrysler down the road from me is the same way with the SRT line. it is irritating when you actually want to buy one, but its understandable from the perspective of the sales manager.

TwinTurboFx4

There's your problem. You live in the worst state in America.

Sparkie04FX4

iTrader: (1)

Op if your looking still for a new dealership to try out, go to rod baker ford in Plainfield/Joliet. Real good guys there. Specially Ricky, the son of rod baker. But he was gonna hook me up real good on a truck, but unfortunately they didn't have what I wanted in price range at the time. But I honestly wouldn't see why he would say no to a test drive, hes always driving himself in the nice toys on the lot haha.

DavidKR

haha I'm glad someone else said it so that I didn't have to.

yokev

I can only speak of the dealers out here in Kalifornistan, but with the Boss's(Bosses?) a lot of dealers saw very few, and ALL of 'em marked them up $5-$10k.
Last I heard they're STILL marking up Raptors AT LEAST that much, and they gotta create the illusion of 'Exclusivity' to get over MSRP for 'em(or any American made vehicle for that matter). Not allowing test-drives is one part of creating that 'Exclusivity'.
I would HOPE people aren't still paying $10k over on Raptors, but mid-Spring last year I was at Ken Grody Ford, and they had '11s out on the line with +$10k stickers on 'em.
The obvious question was 'why are you marking them up when you still have '11s on the line', and they said they're selling so many of 'em, that they grabbed every '11 they could find from other dealers that wanted to get rid of 'em.
When I picked up my FX4 from Villa Ford in November, all the Raptors I noticed were still marked up $10k. IIRC they were all '13s too.
Hell, they also had one or two of the new Focus ST or whatever it's called(the 260hp version) on the showroom, and they were locked with signs on 'em saying 'Please don't touch. For assistance please ask a salesperson'. And of course they too were marked up $5k.

SVTRaptor

i had a similar experience. i was getting ready to order one but had never drove one. a dealer i wasnt going to deal with had one on the lot. went to take a test drive. "we dont let people test drive raptors" <<from the salesman. 10 minutes later i was behind the wheel. i guess when i told him, "if im not driving one im not buying one", he had a change of heart.

11screw50

Different situation, people who can only afford a Sentra are not going to the MB dealer even to look at the cars sitting on the lot...but they are in the Nissan dealership all the time. Plus, the GT-r has quite a reputation and following. Could be worse, the Nissan dealership I bought my last truck at had the first GT-r in the state...it wasnt even on the showroom floor, it was kept in a different building and you had to schedule an appointment to even go look at it.

As for the OP, the difference in sticker probably wasnt much more than $10,000 if sticker on the Raptor was $51k so them not letting you take it for a spin makes no sense.

I know a couple guys around here who have Raptors...they will never see more than a dirt road. Offroad trails around here are too narrow and there's no desert. I bet they soak up the potholes like nothing else though...

shazam

I think its perfectly legit for the dealer --on a case by case basis-- to deny test drives. For Ford truck, it must be a real challenge, since Ford trucks appeal to poorly dressed millionaires. But I would say little old lady wants to drive BMW M, go ahead--she probably won't buy but at least she's not a head-banger.

For the trucks, you would have to focus on pretty subtle cues: If the guy pulls up in a two year old truck, that's a good sign. Does he take a couple of calls on his cell phone from his construction crew or co-workers? Is he well-spoken in relation to his dress?

I think you would have a hard time getting a serious businessman to allow you to pull a credit report in exchange for a test drive. I suppose there are people who will mindlessly buy hip cars at a premium sight unseen, They are called "suckers" and its hard to build a business plan around them.