It’s hard to fathom, but apparently not everyone feels the need to actually drive a car before they shell out large sums of cash for it. According to a new study, slightly more than one in ten buyers—11.4 percent to be exact—skip the test drive, already armed with loads of information, comparisons, reviews, pictures and video found on the internet. The study conducted by Maritz Research, also found about 80 percent of buyers sought out information about a car online before going to a dealership.
While our team of editors at Automotive.com attempts to provide you, the consumer, with everything you could possibly need to make an informed decision, we’d still strongly recommend getting behind the wheel, if even for just a few minutes or a couple laps around the block. You might find—as we often do—that you can’t get a seating position that is just right for a longer commute, or the navigation system is not user friendly, or while on paper there is ample horsepower, the power comes on after you hit 50 miles per hour, when most of your time behind the wheel will be in city driving, or on and on.
The insight you get after a drive is priceless. But we can understand that for some, a test drive might not be necessary. If you’ve owned a car for a couple of years, and are in the market for a new one that is essentially a carry-over model with few if any changes, it may not be necessary. Some people get advice from trusted friends or family, and that may be all they need. In fairness, with advancements in technology, safety, and production, most new cars are pretty good these days. And really, every car we’ve driven will get you from A to B, so if you’re not fussy about comfort or you don’t really care much about the nuances of how a car drives, but rather only care about fuel economy and crash-test ratings, again, it’s understandable. Yet even if you fall in to one of these categories, we’d still implore you to actually drive a car before you seal the deal.
Source: Detroit Free Press
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