I tried to test drive a CTR... no dice

dealers not letting people test drive it is crazy to me. i definitely test drove mine and that's when i fell in love. i have also been using my stock wheels since i purchased.

BryanCO said:

It’s not about the cost of the car. It’s a special car. Lowish volume. Low inventory. Seems like every BMW store has a number of M3s/M4s. Doesn’t seem to be the case with Honda stores and CTRs.



Yep

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True, it is a lower production number but not insanely low. Just within 200 miles of my area, there's 117 of them which means if I really wanted to buy one it wouldn't exactly be difficult to find. Don't think it justifies dealers being stingy with test drives imo. Cars dealers selling cars worth 2-3 times more than the CTR usually aren't that stingy with test drives unless you're clearly there to screw around with them so it makes no sense for Honda dealers to be either, even with the lower production numbers.

JustAddBeer said:

Unfortunately, I was denied! I came in, took a walk around the vehicle, sat in it, etc. and asked about the possibility of a test drive. The vehicle was on the show floor but I was still hopeful. The sales guy said he'd ask and he came back saying they couldn't because their "insurance wouldn't cover it" . Sound like horse shit to me..

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Were there other customers there? Maybe they just didn't want the exhaust to stink up the whole place. They probably didn't get the "ready to buy today" vibe from you so they weren't going to bend over backwards to move the car out.

Test drive a used one from a private seller, then go back to Honda and buy the new one lol..

No test drive.... byeeeee lol. i dont care if i have drove a CTR before. Every car is different and i wanna feel and drive the car im going to buy lol

b534202 said:

Were there other customers there? Maybe they just didn't want the exhaust to stink up the whole place. They probably didn't get the "ready to buy today" vibe from you so they weren't going to bend over backwards to move the car out.

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ripcord291 said:

No test drive.... byeeeee lol. i dont care if i have drove a CTR before. Every car is different and i wanna feel and drive the car im going to buy lol

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OP is buying in 6-12 months. This sole reason alone could have them not take him seriously asa customer. This particular car will most likely be gone by then.

jred721 said:

I'm honestly curious on why dealers are treating CTR's like they're exotics? At the end of the day it's a $35k car which isn't cheap but it isnt astronomical considering you can option out their odyssey minivan and pilot suv to actually be much more expensive than that. Even production numbers wise, it certainly is less mass produced than a regular Civic but is by no means a "rare" car. Doesnt make much sense to me. I'd only understand it if a dealer could tell that person was just trying to hoon the car around instead of seriously looking at it.

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Tell me about it! I've been to the Porsche dealer (I'm older and look more trustworthy I guess) and driven a car 3x the price of the R......no problem.
Mine had 20 miles on it and I'm not going there but I know those sales guys test drove it for sure......Grrrrr.

Don't feel bad...I walked into the dealer with a blank bank check/ auto draft and they wouldn't let me test drive. My first drive was about 2 hours later on the way home. Don't let the 20's deter you. It's not as bad a people make it sound.

The dealer wouldn’t let me test drive back in December 2018... but I took the plunge anyways. No regrets. It’s the best car I’ve ever owned. (my other cars were clunkers though, heh) Have to pinch myself every day, it’s been such a fun ride!


Can slap some 18’s on it like this or keep the stock 20’s for awhile, they also look great. Was on stock wheels until just recently. If a long term keeper, suggest a ceramic coat and PFF for front to protect the paint.



Daily driver or a day at the track. So capable, It can do it all

I drove up in my lifted 2014 chevy z71 with american force wheels and told the dealer i came to test drive a civic type r. I had my daughter with me. Both cars they had were on the showroom floor. I said while they work on getting the car off the floor they could get my truck appraised. Im in my 40’s so that might have helped also. Didn't get any argument from the guys at Holmes Honda where i live. Without a test drive I would have left lol.

To me it all depends on the dealership. For instance going back to my early 20s I remember an Infiniti dealership letting me test drive a G35coupe 6MT. To put things in perspective - this car was about 40k at the time and I was dressed in jean shorts and old t-shirt. The saleswoman let me drive it and actually ‘push’ the car. She knew I couldn’t afford it but her opinion was that ‘WHEN I was ready to buy - I would be coming back to that dealer and looking for her specifically for the sale.’ Needless to say; bought a G 4yrs later; 15+ years later and that experience at a dealer still sticks with me.

Why I get the point of a dealer wanting you to be serious when they offer a test drive - what I don’t get is that dealers act like this car is an exotic. Why not have a small convo with the individual - even run a credit check to see how serious one is; then allow the test drive. I recently went in to actually sit in the CTR and was hoping maybe I would get a test drive - while I could have lied and told the guy I was ready to buy that day (truth is, like the OP I wanted to wait till either 6-12mo or my current vehicle was PIF). I just couldn’t be ‘that guy’ just to drive it. Won’t lie sitting behind the wheel of one makes me realize that this IS the daily that I want to own while maybe turbo’ing or supercharging the Z.

My experience was different from most. I contacted the dealer in advance, and they had the car pulled out front for me on the day of my visit. I only wanted to see the car, as I was traveling just before Christmas 2017. I had heard test drives weren’t being given. I actually didn’t have time on the day of my visit, but was happily surprised when they asked if I wanted to drive the car. I made my purchase less than two weeks later.

jred721 said:

True, it is a lower production number but not insanely low. Just within 200 miles of my area, there's 117 of them which means if I really wanted to buy one it wouldn't exactly be difficult to find. Don't think it justifies dealers being stingy with test drives imo. Cars dealers selling cars worth 2-3 times more than the CTR usually aren't that stingy with test drives unless you're clearly there to screw around with them so it makes no sense for Honda dealers to be either, even with the lower production numbers.

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Agree that dealers should absolutely allow/encourage test drives - it sells the car.

Seems like the more expensive dealers encourage drives (within reason).

I never had a issue with test driving. Even if he not serious about buying the car today i would think the dealership would want him to test drive it and talk him into buying it today. Cause if a person walks out that door that means more time for them to look around and go else where. I always tell my friends and family that the dealership NEEDS YOU not the other way around. Cause at any point you can find the same car else where who would love your money and will work with you. I wouldnt go back to that dealership. I know some dealership will let you drive like a used car of the car you want which is fine but right before i would sign paperwork to let them know i want that car i would test drive the car i am buying no matter what. lol as you can see it burns me when i hear stories like this. Like seriously do dealerships not know what cars.com/etc.