The only dealer I have been to that just gave us the car to drive was at a Sears Imports, a Mercedes / BMW dealership in Minnetonka MN. The salesman was awesome, he ran the car through the wash before we took it out and everything. We took a couple out and then bought one that day. I think it is a good practice to let people go out on their own. I am going to wind a car out with or without a salesperson in the car anyways. I don't care. A test drive in a sports car should include a twisty fast ride. You shouldn't have to wait till you own the car to see if you like it.

At Passport Infiniti, you usually have to schedule a week in advance to get a loaner. If you walked in for service without an appointment, you'd be SOL.

I hear what you're saying. You were probably belittled a little bit. I'm 28 and get it sometimes until they see my credit score and gross income. It's certainly considered Age Discrimination but unfortunately it exists everywhere among other forms.

As for test drives I test drove a ton of Audis, Acura's, BMW's, Nissans, Dodge's, VW's, and of course Infiniti's before I bought my car. I think I had maybe one ride along. Unfortunately for some cars I was test driving them for performance so I was most certainly putting them through the numbers. That's why when I bought my G it still had all of the packaging tape on it from the delivery truck.

I was only 20 at the time, but the sales guy was busy, so he threw me the keys and said just don't be gone for too long. I tore up the 6 speed coupe I was driving, the car chirps into 3rd gear

It mostly depends on the dealer's insurance policy if they let you drive with or without the salesman. Some dealers have insurance that require the salesman to be in the car. It also could depend on if the salesman wanted to ride with you for whatever reason.

I get really pissed if they pull the credit check stuff on me. It depends on the dealer really, and how busy they are at the moment you walk in.

I watched that happen in front of me. A couple who looked to be around 60 got that privledge. I was out waiting for delivery of my car (they were bringing it around). anyways the woman had a BS coupe (dont ask) and the guy was interested in buying a Q for himself. So the salesman said "Ill tell you what, leave the G here for the weekend and well do the oil change, and you can have the Q for the weekend to see if you like it". I asked the salesman after they left (it was the same guy who sold me my car) and he said they will only do that for people who buy atleast one car a year from them, which I thought was understandable.

And for this very reason I would hope that all dealerships would require a saleman to ride along. I hope that your car was never test driven the way you drove someone else's car-to-be.

#1) Discrimination from the dealer - Answer - (no). It's normal to schedule an appoitment for a loaner car with the service writer. What time were you at the dealership? If you were there at the end of the day, I'm sure they were all scheduled for tomorrow's service appoitments and same for early am. Sometimes, if a loaner happens to come back while you're there, then they'll give it to you or even better rent one from Enterprise if you have warranty work or a big service.

2) Test Drives - From personal experience selling acuras and hondas from 93-98. All DEALERS must accompany the customer on all test drives unless a "BORROWED CAR AGREEMENT" form has been filled out with the customer's driver's license information and insurance information. It is common practice for a luxury car dealership to present the car they are selling to the customer all the benefits and options the car has to offer and to make sure they don't "ABUSE" the new car, get into an accident, or steal it for that matter.

i am 26 and was able to take the G out on my own to see if i could get it up my driveway without scraping the bottom up.

with my dealer, as long as you make an appt, they will have a loaner for you if need be.

in my experience, it depends on the dealer and, unfortunately, how you look, dress, act, and what you're driving at the time you pull into the lot. here in HNL, it's not so much of a race issue, but i've walked into the BMW and Servco Lexus dealer on separate occassions and had 2 very different experiences. When I went w/ my fmr boss to the BMW dealer, they were all kissing my a.ss, and when i went to the Servco Lexus dealer w/ my punk friend, the sales mgr was all over us, having him test drive this and that (GS430, LS430, etc.) w/ me in the back seat - and he didn't even ask for ID! But when I went to the BMW dealer and pulled up in my nissan, the guy was like eyeing me like a h.s. punk wanting to go for a test drive. ("We can open the door and have you sit in this nice M3 here once we get a pre-approval from the Bank.")

Then, I went to go check out the new '06 Lexus GS430, and, unfortunately, I look like a punk when I go there in sweats (I was on my way to the gym), and the salesguy, while cordial, was like "Oh, a test drive? Naw, the manager doesn't really like to go on testdrives w/ this car." and I was like WTF?! Do I have to BUY this car before I testdrive it?!

And then, there's our rip-off HNL Infiniti dealer. Yeah, they may be greedy as hell, but their testdrives are actually one of the best and the sales people there are pretty cool. My first testdrive there they had me take the car out on my own and return "in about an hour." So I drove around the island and came back! About a year ago, they started this VIP 48-hour test drive thing, where you can bring in your current car, whatevers, take out a current '04 (at the time) model (a G35 sedan, FX35, or a QX56) for a spin, and then come back 2 days later. They detailed my car when I picked it up and all I had to do (in addition to signing a waiver) was fill it up w/ premium grade gas.

My friend and his wife from Dallas, TX, were eyeing out this FX35 and their dealer, Sewell Infiniti, actually gave them the keys to it and said "bring it back whenevers." They ended up buying, but then again my friend graduated from Harvard Biz School and he wears a suit all day long.

So, the long and short of it is, yes, it depends on the dealer you go to (whether they ride along w/ you or let you take it out on your own). Regardless of their insurance policy, usually it's up to the salesperson to use his/her own discretion. Your appearance and mode of dress and what you drive, unfortunately, have a lot to do w/ their own preconceptions when they judge you as a genuine customer or someone looking for cheap thrills.

Discrimination? Yes, in the socio-economic sense. After all, would you, as a commissions-based salesperson, waste your time and risk damage to an expensive piece of property on someone who looks like they can't afford to buy it? Unfair, yes, but it's all in the presentation.

Also, keep in mind that I hear some dealers run a credit check from running your Driver's License # through their FICO system, not necessarily w/ your consent. They use it to gauge your current/last car payment to see what your spending threshold is, and then they try to sell you your G (or whatever car) based on the monthlies - so watch out!

I was 19 and the MB dealer tossed me the keys to a CLK430 cabriolet and told me to be back in an hour. Great car btw...

as for loaners, Acura did the same thing. they usually require appointments for loaners. they're limited so they generally go fast, especially on mon. and fri.

If BMW gives out loaners on a whim thats fine, thats the way they do business. If you like that then you are more than welcome to buy all the BMW's you want.

Infiniti reimburses the dealerships for the cost of operating the loaner cars. Infiniti makes the rules for which a loaner car can be "checked out". The dealerships just follow the rules. The biggest rule is that the car is 4 years old or under 60K miles. Then the others is that the work preformed must take at least 2 hours, persons lent a loaner car must be at least 21 with valid full coverage insurence. However with the exception of age and insurence coverage, as long as you have an appointment and tell them you would like a loaner car you can get one.

I usually set up an appointment so I can get a loaner for the time I'm out. But in the few instances that they had over booked for loaners. The dealership brought in an enterprise rental so I could continue on with my business. I've had great service, but I bought my car when I turned 29 so I haven't seen any type of discrimination in my experiences.

Later,

Ray

I too believe if you call in advance, they will give you a loaner. I called in for some body work to be done next week and had no problem in getting a loaner car. They did ask if I was over 21 though, over the phone, so there might be some type of policy depending on the dealer.

Nah, I abused the sedan just as bad with the salesman in it.

I bought my car before it rolled off the truck, I wouldn't buy a car that was test driven. Hah, why else