Ive recently been offered a large ammount of money for my RX8, more than any dealership would give me, or anyone for that matter. So Ill be turning over the RX8 shortly, and am looking for a new car.

My first thought was to go out and buy another RX8 with about 30kmiles, transfer some of my parts from my current car, and pocket the profit.

My curiosity is getting the better of me however, and Im begining to think I should cross shop some more cars before making my decision. So today while I was out running some errands I stopped in Honda South Motors (Miami, FL) to look at the s2000.

With no used S2Ks in the lot, I walked into the new car center and inquired about a new one. After some discussion I decided to take it for a test drive. This is where Honda looses my buisness.

First the salesman and I wait 15 minutes for the parts van to move so they can get the car out of the front drive, the salesman hopping down from a curb in the process (I would not be buying THAT S2K). He takes the car into the parking lot next door and does a few circles while talking about the car. After he's run out of usefull information he says
"Im sorry, but I cant let you drive the car."

I told him he's crazy if he thinks Im gunna buy a car without driving it. His response?

"Honda has a policy with all new S2000's, they have a 1000mile break in period which they arent supposed to go over 20mph. We cant trust the customer to not go above 20, so customers cant drive the car. If you do buy the car though, you have 1000 miles to decide if you want to keep it, if not you get your money back no questions asked, no fee's, nothing."

I call BS and mention that Id have to register and insure the car to drive it those 1000 miles, so that it would indeed cost me money, and that if Im not supposed to go over 20mph for those 1000miles, how will I know if I want the car or not. I told him to take me back to the dealership, and stop waisting my time, I had already been there an hour.

He kept appologizing and saying it wasnt his fault, it was "Honda Policy"
I told him to take a hike and that Im not ever buying an S2K from his dealership if theyre not gunna let me drive the Fing car first.
He gave me his buisness card, and told me to call him when Im ready to do buisness. I put the back card in his front shirt pocket and said that if I am gunna buy a Honda it wont be from them, and walked out annoyed, and with an hour of my life waisted.

So my question is, and this may be a stupid question as Im sure its BS, but was he telling the truth or did they just not trust a 21 y.o. test driving an S2K?

In any case, I guess I wont be test driving a new S2K, gotta find a used one to take out for a spin.

 

you answered your own question.

 

Its funny, I went through the same thing today. I was looking at a car at the Chyrsler dealership, ugh I know, but it was a 300M, slightly used for a great price.

Anyway, At first they avoided me like the plague since I am only 22 with longer hair, god forbid, then when I did finally get some help after being there on the lot for about 20 minutes, they gave me the 5th degree on why I would want to test drive it....Ummmm, why would I not want to drive it first? I have never drvien one, it might ride like crap, who knows.

Oh well, I will never buy any crap from them ever...There are plenty more place to go...

 

hahaatleast you put his card back in his shirt pocket! haha

 

smells like a steaming pile of to me. i mean if you can't go over 20mph for the first 1k miles, where are you supposed to go? also, if the ****** was willing to hop a curb in the car--why not let you drive it? now, i'm not familiar with the s2k but even IF the 1k/20mph thing is true, they should've let you drive it anyways since it was obviously abused...

i'd go elsewhere if i were you, somewhere out there is a honda dealer that'll let you test drive a s2k....

 

SoFL_RX8, I got the same treatment at a Subaru dealer (WRX) and a Mitsubishi dealer (Eclipse) when shopping for my car and I was 21 before you were born. Some dealers are jerks. Move on.

 

I was 20 when I bought my RX8...I test drove it.
I was 21 when I test drove an S2000...no questions asked.

 

Just makes you wonder if they actually want to sell cars or not... If Im pulling up in a modded RX8 obviously I can afford to buy and can handle driving an S2K.

W.E. though, I made it bloody clear to him and his GM that Ill never buy a car from them, nor will anyone I know.

Somewhere out there is an S2k I CAN test drive, I just know it!

 

Same thing happend to me last year. my wife and i was out one weekend driving with the top down (02 s2k) we decided to check out a 350z just for kicks. Same lot is combined with honda, after we taken the z for a test drive. i wanted to see how much s2k has differed from the 02.

Since they had a new one out 06 version i wanted to test drive it. Guess what they told me the same BS about honda policy with the s2k but he said we must make appointment. then i told him you see that s2k right there? that is me and wifes car. all we want to do is test drive the car to see if we like it, i might even trade in this car for the newer version (just bsing him) then he tellls me that Honda policy will not allow customers to test their drive car under a certain mileage. I told him im not some 20yr old who is going to hot rod your car. i am 30yrs old and my wife is 30yrs old, we own a 04 rx8 and that s2k right their in your parking lot. we will not do your car wrong, but he still wouldnt budge.

then i just gave up, i just told him its pretty sad when nissan lets me drive their z but honda wouldnt let any one drive a new s2k, how am i suppose to know if i like it. any how we ended up leaving.

 

I don't give a **** about rude sales people if I have the money because I just treat them even worse to teach em a lesson - money talks. You young guys should put a few more years of work under your belt and then you will realize why you get discriminated against. So far the majority of you young guys have lied, bs'd the salesman, and basically wasted time because in your youth you have nothing better to do. I think the sales people just spotted a dead beat the second you stepped into the dealership.

If you owned the dealership - YOU would not have let yourself test drive the car too...

 

Sounds to me like they're huge racists. Most places only let white male property owners test drive cars. There's something about it in the constitution I think.

Seriously though, I went to 3 places to drive an RX-8. Got a "no" on the first, would have had to take the salesman with me on the second, and an "absolutely" at the third. You just gotta look around.

Or you can just play the game. Wear a suit or something and drive up in a car that doesn't look like it's from Fast and the Furious (if you happen to have an aftermarket bodykit that's close enough). Or you can just get angry and waste your time.

 

I have never had any trouble getting a test drive in any car. Even Porsche was cool when I looked at the Caymen (sp?)
It is harder if you are young. Especially if you show up with your friends. But ALFY showing up in an s2k, with his wife . . you should have been givin the red carpet.
Keep looking. If you go to one dealer that mistreats you . . move on to the next dealer. Somebody out there wants your business

 

I've noticed that I get a lot more respect when I go somewhere with my grandfather....

I guess they figure if I'm taking up the precious and limited time of my elderly grandfather - I must be damn serious!

 

I was pretty insulted and annoyed, mostly because he said I could test drive the car twice before we got in it, and then suddenly when we were actually gunna go for a run he pulls this BS out of his ****.

Money may talk, but customer service sells cars.

Guess thats what I get for trying to cheat on my RX8 with a Honda.

And just for comparison, when I test drove my RX8 I pulled up in a ragged out 1994 5.25i, in my work clothes, and the folks at Mazda were more than happy to let me take a spin in the RX8 I now own. They sold a car because they treated me right.

 

Couldn't agree more...I knew more than the salesman selling me my 8, but he helped me in every way possible, including offering a test drive in the first 2 minutes of talking to him...He helped me even though I pulled up in my Eclipse with bodykit just attached, still unpaiinted white fiberglass...

 

same thing happened to me at a ferrari dealership I walked up to the salesman and said

"YO dog what up dog, yo that modena is looking fly yo, Can i get a test drive on that bad boy"

sales man: no

"Yo man whats up wid dat is it cause iam black yo?"

Iam not even black, but just thought I would try to get a reaction out of the dude lets just say he was not impressed and I had to get out of there quick cause I think he called security

 

Or maybe its just the crooked engine that they are worried about...

 

Please stick to usefull comments and info, the semi-racist hip-hop white boy jokes are not helping.

On a good note I just spoke to a friend who has a neighbor with an S2K who is willing to trade me a ride in my 8 for a ride in his S2000... guess I will get to test drive one afterall!

 

be sure to drive around with your seatbelt on, and when you get pulled over take it off

 

how did you like it? oh did you notice the engine sound vs the 8. one thing that annoyed about the s2k is the engine sound but i got use to it, sounds like it was going to blow up and im not even pushing the car. but yah fun ride though.

 

If you buy a car from whoever is nicest to you you're probably not getting the best deal. I test drive from whoever lets me, buy from whoever gives me the lowest price, and take it to get serviced to whoever has the best reputation. I don't get my feelings and/or principles involved.

 

Same here. I went to a dealer close to where I work two weeks after the 8 came out. The sales guy let me test drive the only 8 they had on the lot. I didn't buy it because it was yellow (I wanted black), it wasn't a GT, and they didn't know when they would be getting more. So I waited until the following spring figuring Mazda would work out some of the early model issues. I went to a dealer close to home and the sales guy gave me a ****-n-bull story about not having one and then they did, but it was going in the showroom and that if I wanted to drive it I had to buy it. Blah, blah, blah.

I told the guy that there was no way I was buying a car I never drove and that if he wanted my business he would give me the keys. This went on for ten minutes until he finally gave in. I got in and realized it was not only not a GT, it was a demo; but I drove it anyway (the sales guy did not come along).

When I got back the guy was like "So how much were you looking to put down?" "Nothing." I handed him the keys told him I wanted a GT and that that was not what I wanted and I left.

I went back to the first dealership, they had what I wanted and bought my 8 from them.

 

Same thing happpened to a friends dad when trying to test the s2k.

On a side note, at 18 years old subaru let me test drive a brand new wrx ::

 

Find a used one on a lot to test drive that is a similar year model (2.2L vs 2.0L) and drive it. Then if you like it go to a different dealer and buy one.

 

ummmmm, i have a really stupid question? how the hell are you supposed to get the car home if you cant go over 20mph? or for that matter, go to work, go shopping, etc, especially if you have to drive on the highway? they just didnt want to let you drive the car. its bullshit, pregidous behavior. i would speak to the owner of the business, and let him know that you will never buy a car there, and recommend to all your family, friends, associates, people you meet, internet forums, whatever not to shop for a car there.