NINEZeRO

Do dealerships usually test drive a ordered car before giving it to the customer to check if the car is in good shape? I'm talking about a car that just came in from another country.

mmarshall

There may be some exceptions, but in general, it is difficult to special-order cars from overseas plants or another country. Even with foreign-based manufacturers buidling cars in American plants, it is not always easy to order the exact vehicle you want......usually the dealership does a computer search, locate the car you want if it exists there or somewhere else, and make arrangements to have it driven or shipped there.

That's why the "build your own" features that automakers offer on their web sites sometimes only have limited usefulness.....you can't always actually GET a car just like that.

There is a program, however, that some European manufacturers have where you order the car at an American dealership, wait until the plant in Europe schedules its assembly, then fly to Europe to pick the car itself up at the plant (it is built to American specs, of course). You stay in a hotel, drive around the country and see the local sights, then you and the car are put on a ship and sail back to America.

As far as the local dealership here in America test-driving the car before final delivery, some do and some don't. Ultimately, of course, it is up to the new owner to verify its condition and accept delivery. When I go shopping with people (something I do quite a bit of), after they have looked at the car and tested it, I, of course, will inspect the car thoroughly inside and out, test-drive it, and verify its condition myself as a help and courtesy for them. Sometimes I find things that need attention that the dealership missed.....the most common screw-ups are tire pressures, small paint imperfectons, and runout/balance problems in the brake rotors or wheels.