Getting a new car is a significant financial step, and so the decision-making process for selecting the same also needs to be a careful one. With all the latest technologies and innovations coming up, test driving a vehicle before signing the buying documents has become more so important than ever.

There are individual steps in the process, right from looking for the right car to finalizing ‘the’ one. You don’t want to settle for a car that you later repent buying. We are here to sort this for you.

Every step in the process has things you should know so that eventually, you don’t fall trap to the selling techniques behind what is said and done. Keep the following heads in mind at each step of the buying process, and you’ll be just fine.

Checklist before the drive

Research on what you want

Considering you’ve decided to buy a new car, the initial step is to work on what exact car features or specifications you desire. You can start first with the price range. After selecting from an affordable range for your next vehicle’s purchase, you can further move towards your choice of the car manufacturer and/or a specific model that is already rolling in your mind. See if there is a particular upholstery type that you like or a precise car interior layout that you’ve always loved. After having filtered through the above selections, you can now note the specific car specialties that strike your interest chord. This will help you in shortlisting cars before the test drive.

Fix an appointment

The complete process of your car test drive is going to be a time-consuming one. There are high chances of you regretting your decision later if you don’t invest your time in selecting your new car. You won’t want that. Firstly, start with an appointment. Please take out a day from your busy schedule and dedicate it entirely to this process. Fix the meeting with the salesperson, and complete your research (from the previous point).

You need to be prepared for what to expect at the store before test driving your car. There will be a detailed conversation with the salesperson, with them explaining all the car features and how perfect the car is made, ‘only for you,’ and then you’ll enter the test drive.

Keep in mind to:

• Not have one particular car model pre-set in your mind before you leave for the test drive. This will not only limit all your current options but will restrict you from being open to better ones that might come your way while researching or when you’re at the store. The bias might clog your reasoning to overlook some key features that might not fit well for you in the later run.
• Make sure it is a ‘short’-list. You cannot have ten cars in your final shortlist. A ten-car shortlist is, in fact, a long list that further needs to be trimmed down to a maximum of three options left.

The final step is the car test drive. Having selected your options, go on to test them.

Don’t forget your documents

It will be required for you to carry your driver’s license to initiate the documentation for the test driving process. These two documents are a mandatory requirement when it comes to the rules concerning test rides on the road. Also, from the seller’s perspective, it is a record-keeping requirement that they are allowing a licensed driver to go behind the wheels, and hence the permission to test drive the car gets issued.

What to look for

Cars today are not limited to just one model, but the same model comes in various tiers or trims. With a few features added and subtracted, car manufacturers today offer a range from which the consumer can select. The best advice is to keep a note of what you have in mind, and then with the other options coming along, you can prefer the add-ons that will fit your budget. Because, when you’re there with the salesperson, he/she will do their job to explain to you not only the complete detailed specifications for the car you shortlisted but also for other similar hats that could fit your head. Let them go with the details, and you can work out the calculations in mind.

Checklist during the drive

Have the final driver’s checklist for a car test drive. You cannot always possibly remember all the points, for what to look for while test driving a car.

Right from the moment you open the door to step-in the car till the conclusive getting out of it at the sound of the closing door, you have to keep your eyes and ears open to everything (except the car’s selling features coming from the salesperson sitting next to you).

Look for the car’s suspension performance and how seamless the wheels feel, whether they’re light or heavy while you maneuver it down the side lane. Inspect for the dashboards, operate the gearbox- look for its ease of performance, if it’s hard or easy to operate.

Examine the techs, speaker’s sound quality, as well as your phone’s compatibility with its other features. Turn down the music and see if the engine rattles more when the car is accelerated. Look for if the vehicle has a function to detect a blind-spot or not, feel the comfort and adjust the seat heights and see if it affects your visibility.

Hop in the rear seat and check for convenience of the storage locations to everyone who’ll be occupying the space- a friend or family. Observe if the air-conditioner is fit for the weather outside, the time it takes to cool and whether the vents are present for the back seats as well.

Imagining yourself with the car in the time to come. After scrutinizing the overall smooth feeling of the ride, a similar, more-detailed test drive checklist will help you in the final resolution.

The Final Command

Before stepping in to test drive a car, you must absolutely make your mind to not finalize anything quickly or abruptly. However anxious the salesperson might be to hand over your new car keys to ‘the delightful owner,’ you have to give this happiness some time.

You need not settle everything in one day. Take some time to go over every detail you’ve been through, again. You can go for another test ride, take a different route from the one the salesman took you to, or bring along a friend/family member this time to help you with feedback on specific clicks that you might have missed. With another test ride, you will be able to finalize on key specifications, check your checklist and which didn’t.

As part of the sales strategy, companies offer options on test driving a new car. There are options where you can go for a test drive a couple of times before finalizing, or you have an opportunity to take it for an overnight ride and come back the next day with your decision. You need to evaluate all conditions before selecting your new car well. The car color that you loved so much in bright daylight might appear dull in the night, or it might lack the new features and technology on headlights or night mode parking, which in another car (that you rejected) was great.

See for yourself as to what works well and what doesn’t. Because you’ll be investing your hard-earned money into a product, and that decision process should not be a hasty one.

This was all you need to know before going for a car test drive. If you still have any further queries, feel free to contact us.

We can, with Carcility.