It really doesn’t matter how budget-conscious you are; if you’re test-driving a car, chances are you either hype yourself up, or the dealer that’s in the passenger seat might be the one instead that’s hyping you up. And that alone gets you to want a car, right? And sure, maybe test driving a car sounds like it should be straightforward, right? Like, you just show up, drive it, and then you just decide. But in real life, it’s weirdly easy to get swept up.
Again, there’s that hype. It could be the salesperson just talking about features, maybe that new car smell, so of course you’re going to want this! You can see yourself in this on a daily basis now, right? But you do need to stay grounded in all of this. So, what’s the best way?
Try and Treat it Like a Real-Life Simulation
So, why this? Well, an empty road isn’t going to tell you anything; just about any car will basically be smooth enough for that drive. So, instead, it’s going to be a good idea to do some tight turns, try a bumpy road, try a roundabout, try a stretch where merging feels a little fast, and you better believe parking should be part of it too.
If parallel parking is part of daily life, test it, well, if the dealer will let you. If you can, maybe even try to do all of this during rush hour. Basically, a car can be great for three minutes, but a three-minute drive doesn’t really tell you anything else, because who knows, three months from now you could hate it, find it annoying, or whatever else.
You Need to Compare the Car to Real Life
Well, it’s not just about the actual act of driving itself, but you need to think about day-to-day life. So yeah, a car can be good and still not be the right fit. That’s the part that gets missed. It’s not “is this car impressive,” it’s “does this car fit the life it’s being bought for?” Now, sure, there’s a lot of marketing out there for cars, like maybe you’re head over heels in love with some of the Hyundia Kona Hybrid features, but you can’t buy based solely on features.
How will those features translate into real life? Like how smooth it is at low speeds? How responsive does it feel when pulling out? How calm are you while even driving it during the test drive?
Get Weirdly Specific About Comfort
Basically, get as specific as you can with this! Getting specific here, comfort is visibility, the height of the seat, the angle of the mirrors, how easy it is to see out of the rear window, and how calm it feels to change lanes. But comfort is also in the little things. Do elbows have space? Is the steering wheel adjustable in a way that actually fits? Do the pedals feel natural, or do your feet feel awkward? What can the cup holder hold besides just cups? Can it hold bottles? If you have to eat while driving, is there any comfortable space for that? Seriously, ask all these questions here!