that's because you've pulled up in a shiny relatively new Lexus

also, sometimes they run credit while you're out driving it.

 

I agree 👍� It has 30Kmi on her already. Must sign for a test drive? Crazy. The dealer clearly didn't want or care about your business and yeah, I would be mad as hell like you. I have talked to some dealers and they won't allow test drive on the new ones unless everything is negotiated for. I don't agree but I had experienced that in my LC shopping and previous car purchases too, so I get it.

But again, on a used one?! Hope you find your car someday and drive into the lot and say, there, I bought one, just not from you.

 

A few years ago I went to my Lexus dealer where I service my car (out of state dealer) because I personally know the Master Tech. The service department knows me but I don't know the sales staff. I was there to introduce a friend to my mechanic so he can do his 90K service done.

I saw a used ISF with about 40K miles. It was the color i wanted and wanted to test drive the car, I got the same B.S. response. I even heard the used car manager from a distance said to my salesman, "I want a negotiated offer before I allow him to drive the car". I thought it was riduclous.

I even told them, i have serviced my car there for last 5 years and although i haven't bought a car from them before, they finally had something i wanted to buy but need to test drive it 1st. Nope, They absolutely refused. We were from out of town to that dealer and this is not my home state dealer. I usually goto this particular dealer because I want this specific Master tech to do major services to my car. We left in their loaner car and got in it right in front of them. I was very pissed off being treated this way. As my friend was crusing down the road, I was on the phone talking to their GSM (General sales manager). I told him what happened and it wasn't happy yet he was seem to be sympathetic to the used car manager, maybe its their standard practice. The GSM took my info and "They had to confim their records" that I was in fact their customer in the service department LOL. After they did and called me back, by that time, my friend already got his car back and we were half back going home. They finally apologized and said I was welcome to drive the car anytime with no obligation to buy.

A few days later, I came back to drive the ISF but I didn't buy it because I told them in their face that this experience really rubbed me the wrong way, and i'm not going to support a dealer who acts like this (where it takes 3 managers decisions before i can drive a used ISF), so see you during my service intervals but i'm going to buy from another dealer who treats me right from the time i walked thru the door.

 

That's very strange. you are looking at a USED car. you need to test drive to make sure it is "up to snuff." Moreover you are not looking at a used 100k$ vehicle or an exotic one. Maybe you look too young or that they think you're one of those "shenanigan youtubers" and they had bad past experiences with those kinds. I would walk away and wait for a better one from a better dealer.

 

Cant run credit without a loan app...my bureaus are locked anyways lol

 

I have test driven many Mercedes,BMW,Porsche and Jaguar cars. Many times they let me take the car alone. Before buying the LC I test drove it 4 different

times at various dealorships. I'm in CT and that's how they do business in my experience. If I went to a dealorship and couldn't test drive the car it would

be adios!!

 

I agree with part of this. Find another dealer. The part I respectfully disagree with is I owned and "19 performance package and now own a 21" same configuration. IMO there are noticeable differences in the two years. Steering, transmission, weight, shift points, brakes, Infotainment (all be it just a screen)

I can't say that an 18 is different then a 19 since I've never driven an 18 but the new model (21) has noticeable differences
Bottom line, move on to another dealer.

\\

 

I wouldn't buy from them. A dealer did this to me once and I bought the car from another dealer and took the car to them to service since they were close to my house.

 

To clarify they have not even seen me yet. The car is listed at $67K and with 30K miles. A lot of new trucks cost more that that new, so I am not sure how they got the idea that I cannot afford it. All I made was a request for a test drive thru Autotrader.

 

I hear about this a lot. At the Lexus dealership I worked at, this would never fly. You never know who has the money to buy. A lot of times the young kid or guy with the really old car will buy expensive cars.

I’m not a fan of this practice. I went through this once test driving a used C7 Corvette, but in my case the manager changed his mind. It wasn’t super expensive but it had 4,000 miles and they didn’t want to put extra miles on it.

In your case I wouldn’t waste time with them. Some dealers are weird about this with certain cars. Around here they ask for valid insurance and a driver’s license. The shadier dealerships will run your credit during test drives or make you jump through hoops before you can drive anything nice and it’s stupid.

 

That dealer sounds like they are being selective... that's just bad business practice...

I went to a MB dealer with a 2018 LC500 with 10k miles and asked to test drive it, instantly got the keys with a salesman and off we went to drive it, he didn't even ask any purchasing questions and I told him I was considering but might be a while out, no pressure and thanked him after driving it for about 10-20 min (wanted to warm up to tranny to use M + paddles). I wasn't dressed up or anything.
Meanwhile, down the street, the Used BMW lot wouldn't let me drive a used 2017 RC-F with 30k miles and wanted to check if 'I could afford it'

So it's really the store, was it the manager that did not allow you to drive it? Sometimes the Sales People try to profile customers (which backfires on them with real buyers) but the the managers / GMs may not care and would happily let you test it. I 've had the same MB store sales manager not let me drive an AMG SLS but the GM was nearby and was like "let this man drive the car" so it really depends on who you interact with.

 

After years of buying cars, I wouldn't waste time with stupid dealers as this.
Some years ago, I went with a friend to look at a Corvette he found in a nearby town. We rode in one of my older Trans-ams, and one sales guys asked if my friend could "afford it", my friends response was Hilarious, he said this in front of the Sales manager: "Where is the next Cheverolet dealer?" LOL

 

insulting the customer is not the best approach.

 

I don't want to say I look homeless....but I pulled up to the Lexus dealer here in Scottsdale (zero previous relationship) in my 2017 ES350 and in sweats and told them I wanted to drive their 2021 LC 500 Coupe they had just received, and after giving them my license the lady told me at first she didn't think I was old enough to be thinking about this car.....lmao (I am 43 but look 10 years younger)

Went for a nice 30-minute test-drive and decided then and there I would be buying a convertible, but from a different dealer.

 

In cases like this, I learned many years ago not to judge a book by it's cover, especially when it comes to judging their financial standing. My ex worked in a bank in a small town that had a large farming community that was transitioning to the burbs, as the farmers sold their land. She had customers coming in with dirty bib overalls and mud on their boots to make deposits in HEALTHY accounts. One time a gentleman came in (dressed as previously mentioned) with a shopping bag. He wanted to open a new account. He must have emptied what was buried under his mattress for years, as he had over $100k in small bills in the shopping bag. (Now of course the IRS, FBI and CIA would be notified.) In any case, he was a great, legit customer for many years.
BTW, there are MANY in Scottsdale who have more $$$ than any car salesman could dream about that dress like THEY want to dress. And it ain't always pretty!