Test Drive Fun

[Vortex]

I was thinking about back in San Antonio in "the olden days", maybe 1973, when me and my school buddies would ocasionally troll the used car lots for cool cars and try to take them on test drives as prospective buyers (I was worth about $14 and some change, maybe). My best memory was at some car lot on Bandera Road when the salesman let me and my pal (we were 16 at the time) drive off the lot alone, unescorted in a 1971 Cyclone Spoiler 429 4 speed. In my maybe 5 minute drivin stint we may have hit 100 on the access road and I still think to this day that was the damn scariest fastest car Ive ever driven. Anybody else do any test drivin back then?

[younga1]

Not as far back on the calendar, but I do recall back in 89, my buddy and I were in a new 5.0 LX 5 speed Mustang with the salesman in the back seat.

Car had only 8 mi. on the odometer and the saleman made the mistake of saying "drive it as if it were your own".

By buddy laughed, looked at me and I think it was somewhere around 5000 RPM when I dumped the clutch. He laughed all the way back to the dealership.
I think the salesman had to go change pants:lol: .

Then there was the WS6 Trans AM, but that's another story!!

[jgc61sr2002]

The last car I test drove was a 2003 300a Marauder and I drove it like I stole it.:D :laugh:

[mrjones]

I've got a similar semi-cool story, although the car is not as good. Back around 1980, me and my college roommate drove down to Lufkin to check out the Ford store there. I remember driving a new Ford Fiesta. We beat the crap out of that car, and it was fun.

The cool part is now I work for Lufkin ISD, and we bought that facility from the owner about 4 years ago. Now the front part of what used to be the showroom is my office! Although we've extensively remodeled it, I can still look out my BIG windows and see exactly where that Fiesta was setting 26 years ago.

[ckadiddle]

When we test drove Blue Thunder, our salesguy was a very young hotrodder. He encouraged us to floor it. :)

[Eric91Z]

Ahh, yes. Plenty of time doing this. And not only in high school. It was one of my favorite things to do when I was home from college in the summers.

- 5.0 Mustangs (almost actually bought a 1991 GT at the age of 20, but then reality set in)
- 1980 Corvette
- IROCS/Trans Ams
- And of course the 1993 Camaro Z28 that I ended up driving off the lot after the test drive. That car was awesome!!!

I loved the salesmen that said go ahead and get on it. I have always fancied myslef as a pretty good shoe behind the wheel of a car. And I could always get a salesman grabbing for a door handle or "oh-s@!t" handle in a car.

[RedMerc04]

Last Spring I got the chance to take out a 2000 Lightning. When the salesmen was getting the plate and making a copy of my dads licence (when he came out my father suggested that I drive and the sailsmen complied even though i was only 17... I didnt shave so i guess i didnt look it :D ) I popped the hood and noticed that the pulley was smaller than the one on my buddies stocker, I knew this was gonna be fun... I drove off the lot nice and easy and proceeded around the block nice and slow. On the way back we were stopped first at a stop light a good 2000 feet away from the dealer; I eased off the line and at about 15 or so I pinned it! It hit second gear really hard chirping the hell out of the tires and I let off at about 70, the salesman who had no idea what a lightning now did! When it hit second i got an "oh *****" out of him! It was a really nice truck I really wish i had the money... :burnout:

[gpfarrell]

Summer of 1993... it was a teal Mustang Cobra... the baddest 5.0 made at the time.

I was wearing a suit & tie when I showed up at the dealer driving my trusty by tired '85 GT hatchback.

Within 5 minutes we were on the road and I got about a 15 minute test drive.

At first, I actually enjoyed driving easy and savouring the newness of the car, compared to my 100,000 mile been-wrecked-three-times (but never by me) GT.

After several get-acquinted miles I was nearly stopped as the car in front of me made a left... I was maybe rolling at 5 mph. 60 feet ahead the Green Light turned Yellow... I slammed the shifter into First while simultaneously winding 'er up. We made the light!

In fact, we lunged through the intersection in a fury of small block torque and scrambling tires... I speedshifted into 2nd and the car was really tearing when the salesman looked back and said, "I think we might have lost my license plate"!

Didn't buy it... really liked it, but with the Cobra parked next to my GT I just couldn't see the $23,000 of difference they wanted. Couldn't get my own keys back until I grabbed the Cobra keys and told them, "Fine, I'll take this one to dinner!"

[Mad4Macs]

The cool part is now I work for Lufkin ISD

Hey! Do you have any Macintosh's in the the ISD? And if you do, who's servicing them?
We currently cover Pleasanton ISD, San Antonio ISD, Houston ISD and Bryan ISD (with some coverage in Northside and Judson), and we're always looking to expand our business!
My boss said I'd get a big, fat bonus if I were to bring another contract in, and I'm eyeing that 2007 Shelby GT like it was a tall, cool Bass Ale during a hot Texan summer :D

[MdnightMarauder]

Yeah at my dealer I took out a 2004 SRT 10 Ram. Lots of fun through all six gears. Great truck! When I brought it back I think it needed 2 new rear tires. So easy to burn. Smoked them all the way through 2nd gear. Would not mind buying one of those. VIPER!