5 things to know before you test drive a car

Being an educated car buyer that you are, it won't be wrong to presume that you've gone through every bit and detail of the road tests and comparisons related to the car that you are planning to purchase, right?

Well, it's time to stop staring at the computer screen and head out to take a test drive of the car instead, but just to make it a bit easier for you, here are a couple of things that you should keep on mind while going for a test drive.

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Making yourself comfortable

Once you are done talking to the dealer about the car, it's time to get inside what soon could be your next car.

First thing first, check how wide the doors open and how easy it is to get in the vehicle.

Feel free to adjust everything, just to have a firsthand experience of how easy would it be to live with the car

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Features and Space to glance over

What brochures and videos fail to tell is the actual amount of usable space in the car. Now that you have the vehicle in front of you, why not check that out.

Features, on the other hand, are easily visible, but don't miss checking them out.

The first hand experience will certainly provoke some questions and with the salesperson standing next to you, answers won't be far either.

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Get to the business

It's time to take the test car out for a spin, which is the main reason why you travelled to the dealership, isn't it?

If you are accompanied by a friend or family, make sure to invite them along for the drive too.

That way, you'll get to know how comfortable things are for them. Also, make sure that you too take a passenger ride as well.

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Try to drive in varied conditions. Start by understanding the way the car handles on an empty stretch of road, if possible.

After that, try mixing things up; drive in stop-go traffic, make U-turns, explore the ride quality by driving over broken tarmac etc.

It would also be great if you could decipher how friendly the vehicle is to drive in these conditions.

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Apart from the drive, the whole experience will also tell you about the usable creature comforts present in the car, namely the AC and entertainment unit, if any.

Don't break traffic rules and while you might be an experienced driver, …

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Time to assess

How noisy, how powerful, how comfortable, and how easy to drive, and how special does the car feel? Make a list and compare the results with the other test drives you may take.

We would suggest that you don't finalise the car on the same day. Give it some time, give it some thought.

Test drive multiple cars and pick the one that suits you the best, obviously keeping in mind your requirements, budget, and of course, your liking.

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Negotiating with the sales guy

Liking a car is easy, but jumping to a decision is even easier. Don't make the mistake.

Chalk out the options you have, evaluate them, and then decide.

After you discuss and decide, then comes the time to bargain (so that you get true value for your hard earned money).

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Dealerships always have a considerable margin, a little of which they can give up for the customer. Don't let that go waste.

There's also a number of promotional offers that carmaker have on their new cars, so there are a lot of ways where you can save, but that deserves to be covered in a different article.

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For now, focus on the test drive. Grasp as much as you can.

Make notes in your phone, if the need arises, but don't let any information go unnoticed.

On top of all this, relish the moment. You're going to buy a new car, and that is something very special.

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