Have You Ever Bought A Car Without Driving It First? 16% Of All Buyers Are Now Skipping This Step

Explains SUVs/CUVs. A generation of wheel-holders instead of drivers.

It is a tough question
When you order a new car for specific equipment - you actually do not have the chance to drive that specific car before - but you may have actually driven a similar car - maybe of a different color - or different interior surfaces. Based on that - while I may not have EVER driven any new car I bought before I drove it first - I certainly did test drive a vehicle first

16% of buyers are bloody morons
If you order a car you have the legal right to refuse it. The dealer can keep all or part of your deposit legally, but you can refuse it for another.

"16% of buyers are bloody morons" - this seems terribly low - I'd say the inverse and argue that 84% of buyers are bloody morons. There is a lot of evidence to support this (warning - US centric):

1. Majority of cars sold in the US are automatics.

2. Buyers gravitate towards sedans over hatches.

3. People choosing leather interiors over cloth.

4. The lack of interest in turbo-diesels.

The list goes on and on - US buyers are automotive morons.

@Patronous

1. Modern automatics are no slower than sticks and sometimes deliver better MPG. An automatic is always better for city driving

2. Sedans have more cargo space than hatchbacks and often nearly as much utility.

3. Leather interiors are infinitely easier to clean and actually last longer than cloth.

4. The only reason Europe is so turbodiesel crazy is that historically the price of diesel has been made artificially low by governments buying down the price. Hybrids and plug in hybrids are far better solutions.

You can keep you cultural bigotry to yourself.

IMO, it depends on the car you're buying. Heck, some cars cannot be test driven, period. I have two of those on order presently. It's a gamble, but usually not a big one because there are so many reviews to refer to.

Incidentally, I've never been disappointed by the cars I did NOT test drive. However, I have had some minor dissatisfaction by some of the ones I've tested for other factors such as long-term reliability.

Again, it depends what you are looking for, how much research you conduct prior to purchasing the car and how new the model is.

I would always test drive the MODEL I was considering. I can't tell how many time I test drove 1 of 3 models I was considering and the exterior ride noise, very rough ride, for whatever reason, or a terrible blind spot over a shoulder, changed my mind on a car.

I test drove a NEW car one time and it pulled so bad to the left. The dealership said, "Oh - we can do a wheel alignment on it". If it came from the factory with some problem, then I'm sure there will be something else the autoworkers forgot to do too. NO THANKS; ALWAYS Take a Test Drive!!

in the end, I got my current car without test driving. Same brand, different model. Upon owning, I found out the seats were not great after 90 minutes, the utility was just a few inches short of loading up with all my work gear ideally (still fits, but I could have used a couple more inches). The ride, handling and performance met my expectations. These are things that are hard to test in a 10-30 minute drive.

The test drive is essential. A friend who wound up leasing a Fusion was at the VW store. Test drove a Passat S, liked it but did not like the color, so the sales person noted that they had a white and a red one. The salesman seemed annoyed when my buddy wanted to test drive the white one which was mechanically identical to the strangely colored one. The car shimmied down the road (it had 3 tires out of balance), the transmission shifted strangely (loose electrical connection), and the keyless entry did not work (dead battery in the fob). How this brand new car got prepped and onto the lot begs the question. They offered to fix the car...a new car should not need fixing. ALWAYS TEST DRIVE!

True. And don't agree to the 10 minute loop around the neighborhood where the dealer takes all their fish...er customers. Try to get enough time and miles in a variety of situations. One hour minimum

Strongly in favor of test driving, but occasionally not an option. I do put considerable faith in opinions of car magazines when it comes to how well or poorly a car drives. In 2001, the E46 M3 was released and had limited production as a 2001 build before the 2002 year production started. Each dealership was given 1 demo vehicle for test drives, but many sold their demos for thousands over sticker. I was on a waiting list and ordered my '02 without a test drive because there was no car to drive. I had the option to choose anything I wanted since it was built to order. No regrets, had the car for 5 years.

I think anyone buying a Camry, Corolla, Prius, Scion, etc... has a pretty good expectation of what they're getting and the driving experience is of little consequence to them. If you really care about the drive you wouldn't be at a Toyota dealer, right?

I haven't test driven a car in years but research every detail to the nth degree. I generally know what I want, what options are important, so next is gathering internet information. Besides reading the normal "car review" from major publications, If it's not something "hot off the line", people talk about their rants and raves on forums, discuss their findings after the warm and fuzzy newness is over, and generally debate the pros and cons on various enthusiast sites. Once you know exactly what you want, then its the internet again for previous customer deals, pricing, experiences, tips, and monthly incentive info. While we all value our time, a car is usually the 2nd biggest purchase one makes through life. I'll spend weeks researching all of the above for the right model at the right price. To each their own as they say but I've never been disappointed yet not driving the model first.

Always test drive an Audi extensively at all speeds on the proper roads. I did the short route test drive and had many headaches after purchase.