Dealer Test Drive?

[NewBoater]

My dealer wanted make sure I was serious. We had a deal worked out on paper but nothing was signed.

Was same for me. Got to test drive a couple other demo boats not my exact boat as it was new and winterized and they wanted to make sure I was serious first. Did the demo boats then decided on one. Had deal worked out then drove my boat and signed.

 

[F.M.]

They weren't that way all for my first purchase. The wife and I decided that a Chaparral fish & ski, would be a good choice for a first boat. We were told by another dealer that Chaparral wouldn't allow any dealer except our local dealer to sell us one. So 2 trips to the dealer later, and not a single person seemed interested in selling anything. I just happened to bump into the newly hired GM on my way off the lot, and he went out of his way to call multiple times to apologize for the dealer and try to earn my business. He actually did the paperwork himself when we did purchase. When we decided to trade for our 242, it took me a week to get him on the phone, because he was always out on water demos. So the sales dept has really come a long way in 2 years.

I'm still not comfortable with the service dept though, I haven't had much luck with things being fixed correctly the first time. And with them almost an hour away, having to make multiple trips is a pain.

 

[2kwik4u]

I had a "test drive" years ago. Like 10yrs or so. Wife and I were looking at an AR230 and had a Rinker 182 to trade. I was very concerned about handling and waters ports use with the jets disturbing the shape of the wake. Our dealer met us on the lake as a "joint test drive" for the trade. We had our boat on the water and he brought his personal SX230 out. There was another couple shopping at the same time. He let all 4 of us drive the boat, and then let me ride the board behind it for a few pulls. He also drove mine around for a few minutes to verify it's condition.

We ended up not buying one that time, but came back 9yrs later as a buyer again. He actually remembered our names, that particular test drive, and that spoke volumes to his character and willingness to be "in it for the long haul".

We showed up looking to buy an AR240 and came home with an AR190. He was happy to make the sale, despite the $25k or so reduction in sales price between the two boats. He was very concerned with getting us the right fit, not the right comission for him.

IMO if they won't do a test drive, I would go elsewhere to buy. If you're a serious buyer they should have no problem spending the time to earn your money. I'm somewhat amazed that anyone wouldn't encourage a test drive on a luxury item. Sure it's more work to get a boat to water, but wouldn't you want your customers to "fall in love" with your product instead of the competition? Seems like a pretty straightforward thing to me.

 

[Shuck Water]

X2 for Phil Dill! They even gave me a "loaner" boat because my boat was delayed from the factory.

 

[AZ Native]

I’m enjoying reading about these dealer experiences. I have trouble trusting car and boat dealers. I see boat dealers in our area going in and out of business all the time. Clearly most dealers are flat lazy, but it’s also refreashing to hear stories about the committed dealers. There has to be good margin in boat sales, but more importantly they make a ton of money (margin) on service. Smart dealers concentrate on a fantastic service experience and then they automatically sell a lot of boats or cars. Most owners don’t want to do the service or upgrades themselves unlike the members of this forum.