TEST DRIVE THAT NEARLY TURNED INTO A DISASTER
12 January 2004, 09:50 PM
#1
Scooby Senior
Thread Starter
Well I already own a Jap Type R ver 4 98 and while I was at a local Subaru Dealership. I was Buying some small plastic bits with a plastic card coloured Gold. Because Subaru Plastic is dearer than Titanium. Well looking at the forecourt I noticed a brand spanking new STI ver 8 well think its ver 8 was a 53 reg. After talking to the salesman who was really proud and arrogant he had just registered his second STi demonstrator after selling the car he had just repaired after a mechanic or somebody had bumpered it. I thought why not lets see what the new STi can do. So asked for a test drive. After the obvious remarks about me being a silly chap for buying a jap import he mentioned that he was free and decided to take me out for a spin in the demonstrator.
Well the trouble started when the salesman opened it and found the battery flat. He then declared that all new cars come with flat batteries and they have to jump start them to get them going. So out come the FAst start Jumper set and once he had dumped a can full of petrol into the tank and fastened this car starting battery pack to the car. The car burst into life with a quiet whisper. So we all got in and the salesman threw the jumper set into the back footwell of the car beside my fiancee.
Off we set and he imediately mentioned he would need to go and get somemore fuel. As we approached the Esso station I noticed a loud sparking noise and bright flashes coming from under the drivers seat. My Fiancee who had decided this arrogant sales person was really getting on her nervous quiet calmy suggested the carpet was on fire and the two crocodile clips of the battery pack had touched and connected creating a small fire in the carpet and under the seat.
The sales person who was approxiamately 50 years old asked my partner to disconect the crocodile clips. She then took hold of one clip and held them apart. Whilst this was happeneing the car was slowly filling with smoke from the smouldering burns under the seat and off the carpet. So he decided to stop and check everything was ok. The place he decided to stop was at the unleaded Fuel pump of the garage he was driving to. He got out and checked the damage. As it was dark we couldn`t really see what the extent of the damage was so decided to carry on.
We then continued the test drive with me driving the vehicle and the sales person only mentioning directions and every now and again trying to see if the carpet was still smouldering.
I really like the Sti8 Although my fiancee has mentioned that she felt travel sick when riding in the back and the car feels very bobbly when driving along at approxiamately 50mph. I love the six speed gearbox but the interior seat vloth feels very thin.
I dont think I would upgrade to an STi8 as I reckon it would cost me a lot of money to make it the way I like my cars.
In total it was a very funny experience and I have to thank my partner for being cool and collected in removing the sparking crocodile clips and how she diverted a car fire by doing so. I think the salesperson may have learned a lesson. To use electrical appliances with more care and maybe it would have been bette to have stopped the vehicle himself and removed the danger than asking a potential customer to do it.
Oh and one other point I hope he has learned is dont park on a Petrol Station Forecourt next to a petrol pump when the cars on fire.
Anybody else had test drive near disasters. Let us know
Well the trouble started when the salesman opened it and found the battery flat. He then declared that all new cars come with flat batteries and they have to jump start them to get them going. So out come the FAst start Jumper set and once he had dumped a can full of petrol into the tank and fastened this car starting battery pack to the car. The car burst into life with a quiet whisper. So we all got in and the salesman threw the jumper set into the back footwell of the car beside my fiancee.
Off we set and he imediately mentioned he would need to go and get somemore fuel. As we approached the Esso station I noticed a loud sparking noise and bright flashes coming from under the drivers seat. My Fiancee who had decided this arrogant sales person was really getting on her nervous quiet calmy suggested the carpet was on fire and the two crocodile clips of the battery pack had touched and connected creating a small fire in the carpet and under the seat.
The sales person who was approxiamately 50 years old asked my partner to disconect the crocodile clips. She then took hold of one clip and held them apart. Whilst this was happeneing the car was slowly filling with smoke from the smouldering burns under the seat and off the carpet. So he decided to stop and check everything was ok. The place he decided to stop was at the unleaded Fuel pump of the garage he was driving to. He got out and checked the damage. As it was dark we couldn`t really see what the extent of the damage was so decided to carry on.
We then continued the test drive with me driving the vehicle and the sales person only mentioning directions and every now and again trying to see if the carpet was still smouldering.
I really like the Sti8 Although my fiancee has mentioned that she felt travel sick when riding in the back and the car feels very bobbly when driving along at approxiamately 50mph. I love the six speed gearbox but the interior seat vloth feels very thin.
I dont think I would upgrade to an STi8 as I reckon it would cost me a lot of money to make it the way I like my cars.
In total it was a very funny experience and I have to thank my partner for being cool and collected in removing the sparking crocodile clips and how she diverted a car fire by doing so. I think the salesperson may have learned a lesson. To use electrical appliances with more care and maybe it would have been bette to have stopped the vehicle himself and removed the danger than asking a potential customer to do it.
Oh and one other point I hope he has learned is dont park on a Petrol Station Forecourt next to a petrol pump when the cars on fire.
Anybody else had test drive near disasters. Let us know
12 January 2004, 11:19 PM
#6
Scooby Regular
One of the 1st WRXs I looked at, was out at a garage in Kinver (say no more 
)
I test drove it first, took it steady (as you tend to - after all, it IS somebody else's motor).
My pregnant wife was in the car, as was my Father-in-Law (with a broken leg).
We changed over, and wifey took the driver's seat, with the salesman in the passenger side. He spent most of the time goading my wife into going faster and faster - scaring her [img]images/smilies/mad.gif[/img] (after she was only used to a 1.3 escort!!
)
We pulled over and he took over, whilst saying, "I'll show you what an Impreza can do".....
We took off at a fair old rate and came to a bend that I know you can only take at a maximum of 30mph - in any car.
He took it at about 75mph
Panic'd.
Took his foot off the pedal.
Lift-off oversteer.
We bounced off both embankments, whilst doing a 360.
Ended up in the hedge.
About 15 seconds later, there was oncoming traffic - perfect timing!! Buggers didn't even stop!! [img]images/smilies/mad.gif[/img]
Please remember that my wife was pregnant and the FIL had a leg in cast
I wasn't very happy.
*In all fairness, whilst all hell was breaking loose (in slow motion - why is it always like that?), I felt perfectly safe - the reason why I eventually bought one actually*
Car had about £3K worth of damage to the front - the salesman had the cheek to say, "If I get it fixed, would you still be interested?"
The car was OK to drive back as well
Got back to the garage - Mother-in-Law was white with fear when she saw the car.
We left and called the Police, and they went and had a word....
Does that count!!!
Dan
PS: for all the self-righteous do-gooders out there who feel like having a moan about taking more care of my family, we had only gone out for a simple test drive, to introduce wifey to Scoob - not a performance/crash test.....
)I test drove it first, took it steady (as you tend to - after all, it IS somebody else's motor).
My pregnant wife was in the car, as was my Father-in-Law (with a broken leg).
We changed over, and wifey took the driver's seat, with the salesman in the passenger side. He spent most of the time goading my wife into going faster and faster - scaring her [img]images/smilies/mad.gif[/img] (after she was only used to a 1.3 escort!!
)We pulled over and he took over, whilst saying, "I'll show you what an Impreza can do".....
We took off at a fair old rate and came to a bend that I know you can only take at a maximum of 30mph - in any car.
He took it at about 75mph
Panic'd.
Took his foot off the pedal.
Lift-off oversteer.
We bounced off both embankments, whilst doing a 360.
Ended up in the hedge.
About 15 seconds later, there was oncoming traffic - perfect timing!! Buggers didn't even stop!! [img]images/smilies/mad.gif[/img]
Please remember that my wife was pregnant and the FIL had a leg in cast
I wasn't very happy.
*In all fairness, whilst all hell was breaking loose (in slow motion - why is it always like that?), I felt perfectly safe - the reason why I eventually bought one actually*
Car had about £3K worth of damage to the front - the salesman had the cheek to say, "If I get it fixed, would you still be interested?"
The car was OK to drive back as well
Got back to the garage - Mother-in-Law was white with fear when she saw the car.
We left and called the Police, and they went and had a word....
Does that count!!!
Dan
PS: for all the self-righteous do-gooders out there who feel like having a moan about taking more care of my family, we had only gone out for a simple test drive, to introduce wifey to Scoob - not a performance/crash test.....
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13 January 2004, 12:10 AM
#8
Scooby Senior
Thread Starter
SteveC Nope this dealer was West of Corbridge. Jesus thats a horrendous story. I dunno what I would of done with your situation Scooby. Although I can now say the two official test drives I have had in Subaru Demonstrators turned out to be near on demolitions rather than demonstrations. The first Impreza I test Drove was the first ever Demonstrator by SG Petch. Was a silver 5 door Turbo which Steve`s Sales team had loaned me for a 24 hour test drive. To My amazement. I had a whale of a time and decided there and then that I would be buying a car similar to that one. Well after the 24 hours was nearly up. I was taking it back to the dealership heading down a dual carriageway at approx 70mph in top when I heard a very loud bang from the rear end and the whole car decided that the only way it was going forward was leading with the rear bumper. I managed to catch the wayward rear end and straighten it up unfortunately to straighten it up I had slightly accelerated. And the other unfortunate factor was the Mini roundabout at the end of dual carriage way which was now way past the point of braking and swearing being any use.
After hitting the very high curb of the roundabout and totally clearing the entire width of the roundabout and lane airbourne, and with only one bounce straight over the 6ft hedge into a sunken field and not even touching the hedge. I managed to land it on its nose with two deflated tyres. The one that had gone off like a shotgun on the rear and shredded itself all over the rear arch and the front tyre which seemed to object to the point it didn`t like driving over roundabouts.
Well after sitting there five minutes checking all was ok with myself, (I know sounds selfish) I decided to call the AA and the garage. Explained I had been involved in a accident and that i would get the bits back as soon as possible. After the receptionist had revived the salesman to carry on with the call he said he would see me soon. (Did ask if I liked the car and wanted to order one). I said yes and would talk about it when I got there.
Well in the meqn time the AA guy ahd turned up and was starting to find away of getting the car out of the field unfortunately as i had not destroyed the hedge he had to call the farmer to open the gate to get the car out. He then advised that LDv vans are not designed to drive across muddy fields and pull SUbarus out so asked if it would still drive. We tried and it started and even with two flat tyres. broken front wishbones, a fair bit of body damage and suspension damage it dragged all its silver lower skirts across that field and limped onto the transporter.
Once back at the dealership the salesman had asked if I fancied to buy that car which I then asked what price it was. To be told not very politely that it would cost the same amount as what they usually cost. The Sales manager then advised he wouldnt sell me that type of car as obviously I couldnt handle it. Since then it was proved that the rear tyre had been damaged in a relatively low speed accident and nobody new about it. The police and the dealership put the accident down to the rear tyre. which let me off with it. And everybody was happy again. the car was repaired as good as new and sold and from what i have been told the new owner was over the moon at the car.
So after what happened today i gonna stick with test driving Jap imports never had any problems.
After hitting the very high curb of the roundabout and totally clearing the entire width of the roundabout and lane airbourne, and with only one bounce straight over the 6ft hedge into a sunken field and not even touching the hedge. I managed to land it on its nose with two deflated tyres. The one that had gone off like a shotgun on the rear and shredded itself all over the rear arch and the front tyre which seemed to object to the point it didn`t like driving over roundabouts.
Well after sitting there five minutes checking all was ok with myself, (I know sounds selfish) I decided to call the AA and the garage. Explained I had been involved in a accident and that i would get the bits back as soon as possible. After the receptionist had revived the salesman to carry on with the call he said he would see me soon. (Did ask if I liked the car and wanted to order one). I said yes and would talk about it when I got there.
Well in the meqn time the AA guy ahd turned up and was starting to find away of getting the car out of the field unfortunately as i had not destroyed the hedge he had to call the farmer to open the gate to get the car out. He then advised that LDv vans are not designed to drive across muddy fields and pull SUbarus out so asked if it would still drive. We tried and it started and even with two flat tyres. broken front wishbones, a fair bit of body damage and suspension damage it dragged all its silver lower skirts across that field and limped onto the transporter.
Once back at the dealership the salesman had asked if I fancied to buy that car which I then asked what price it was. To be told not very politely that it would cost the same amount as what they usually cost. The Sales manager then advised he wouldnt sell me that type of car as obviously I couldnt handle it. Since then it was proved that the rear tyre had been damaged in a relatively low speed accident and nobody new about it. The police and the dealership put the accident down to the rear tyre. which let me off with it. And everybody was happy again. the car was repaired as good as new and sold and from what i have been told the new owner was over the moon at the car.
So after what happened today i gonna stick with test driving Jap imports never had any problems.
13 January 2004, 03:18 AM
#9
Scooby Regular
OMG I'm off to look at a demonstrator tomorrow. On the one hand, like Scoobydoo555 said, most people would exercise a little respectful restraint whilst driving someone elses motor. But the sales staff (usually the most arrogant tw@ts in the world) will just see it as a tool. Extreme caution required methinks.
Some friends of mine with an STi7 had the same problem which was sorted by adding the Prodrive spring set. £225
I'm off to look at a demonstrator tomorrow. On the one hand, like Scoobydoo555 said, most people would exercise a little respectful restraint whilst driving someone elses motor. But the sales staff (usually the most arrogant tw@ts in the world) will just see it as a tool. Extreme caution required methinks.
she felt travel sick when riding in the back and the car feels very bobbly
13 January 2004, 09:20 PM
#12
Scooby Senior
Thread Starter
Well the snotty nose treatment. from what i have heard from other stories about dealers is a common thing. The salesperson in the first story is certainly a fine example of what happened when life gets its revenge on arrogant sales persons. Or maybe God drives a Jap import
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