{"id":1602,"date":"2019-10-08T12:13:32","date_gmt":"2019-10-08T16:13:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/articles.carcostcanada.com\/?p=1602"},"modified":"2025-03-06T16:25:59","modified_gmt":"2025-03-06T21:25:59","slug":"buying-a-car-breeze-through-that-test-drive-the-right-way","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/articles.carcostcanada.com\/buying-a-car-breeze-through-that-test-drive-the-right-way\/","title":{"rendered":"Buying a Car? Breeze Through That Test Drive the RIGHT Way!"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">You&#8217;re in the market for a new car!<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">There\u2019s nothing quite as exciting as checking out all the makes and models, narrowing down your list and test driving those final few. As fun as this is, there are certain hitches throughout the process that can trip you up, especially when it comes to that tricky test drive.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In this article, we navigate you through this elusive art, and also explain why it\u2019s so so SO important to familiarize yourself with the car\u2019s <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/carcostcanada.com\/Home\/Steps3\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">dealer invoice price in Canada<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> before putting down your money.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A dealer invoice report breaks down the MSRP (how much the dealer paid to own the vehicle), factory incentives, financing options, and more! So for example, if you\u2019re curious about the <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/carcostcanada.com\/Canada\/Prices\/2020-BMW-8_Series\/32822?act=RegisterPro\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">BMW series 8 dealer price in Canada<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, a dealer invoice report is your secret weapon to making the negotiations process simpler.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Without further ado, let\u2019s delve into the different techniques to adopt when test driving your dream car.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Research, Research, Research<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">We urge you to read reviews from people who\u2019ve test-driven the same model before, get a dealer invoice report and effectively narrow down your top picks. The last thing you want to do is test drive more cars than you need to.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Create a checklist that meets your main criteria. When you do your homework, it\u2019s much easier to identify the things you want and don\u2019t want in the car and by default, it becomes easier to identify the things you like or dislike during the drive!<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Bring a Buddy<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Granted, you may not be a car savant, and that\u2019s okay. Bring along a family member or friend. Even if they\u2019re not as savvy themselves, that extra pair of eyes elevates the chances of noticing something that you may not.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Plus, they can provide valuable feedback as to what it\u2019s like to ride as a passenger in the vehicle. Inexperienced buyers greatly benefit from bringing someone along as there are many potential concerns that crop up during your negotiations with the dealer that call for added support.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Inspect the Vehicle<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Yes, looks matter! Conducting a visual inspection is as important as getting behind the wheel and giving the car a whirl. What to look for?<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Make sure the size is optimal, and that the car will easily fit into your garage; break out the measuring tape if you must!<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Inspect the cargo space and glove compartment; too much or too little will be a problem later on.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">How about that legroom? The interior space should be sufficient for the driver and front and back seat passengers.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Adjust the seats to see if this can be done quickly and comfortably.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Try out the Bluetooth, GPS and radio to make sure there are no glitches.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Experiment with the buttons and knobs to ensure that everything is accessible and intuitive to use.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><b>Get a Dealer Invoice Report<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Now you may be wondering; how is a dealer invoice report vital to my test drive? As it turns out, this handy report is vital to not just your test drive but the entire buying process. Allow us to explain.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">When you select a make and model and request your free report, you will immediately gain access to the following information;<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">MSRP (Manufacturer\u2019s Suggested Retail Price \u2013 what the dealer paid to own the car)<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Factory incentives<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Lease and finance rates<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Recommended dealerships<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Vehicle pricing options<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Comparable vehicles<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">With this information, you can access certified recommended dealerships and the negotiation process then becomes a breeze.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A majority of dealerships make a profit of 8.7% on selling a new vehicle. When you know the MSRP, follow the 3-5% rule \u2013 add 3-5% on the invoice figure in your report to calculate the most lucrative negotiation price!<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Test driving is nothing by itself if you don\u2019t get a good price without breaking your budget, right? Right! That\u2019s why we encourage you to get a free report today &#8211; no matter the make and model you have in mind, we got you covered.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><strong>We\u2019re here to help. Request your <a href=\"https:\/\/carcostcanada.com\/Canada\/Makes?act=RegisterPro\">free dealer report right now<\/a>. <\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>You&#8217;re in the market for a new car! There\u2019s nothing quite as exciting as checking out all the makes and models, narrowing down your list and test driving those final few. As fun as this is, there are certain hitches throughout the process that can trip you up, especially when it comes to that tricky [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1603,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-container-style":"default","site-container-layout":"default","site-sidebar-layout":"default","disable-article-header":"default","disable-site-header":"default","disable-site-footer":"default","disable-content-area-spacing":"default","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[26,5,4],"class_list":["post-1602","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-carcostcanada","tag-best-new-car-deals-canada","tag-car-comparison-canada","tag-new-car-deals-canada"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/articles.carcostcanada.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1602","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/articles.carcostcanada.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/articles.carcostcanada.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/articles.carcostcanada.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/articles.carcostcanada.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1602"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/articles.carcostcanada.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1602\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1604,"href":"https:\/\/articles.carcostcanada.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1602\/revisions\/1604"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/articles.carcostcanada.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1603"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/articles.carcostcanada.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1602"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/articles.carcostcanada.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1602"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/articles.carcostcanada.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1602"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}