New-Car Test Drives: Are They Still Necessary?
Anyone who’s ever considered buying a car online has inevitably wondered, “But how will I take a test drive?” The answer, increasingly: You don’t.
Thanks to the wealth of car information now online, a small but growing number of car buyers are choosing to skip the traditional test spin. Instead, they are buying and leasing cars without ever first getting behind the wheel.
This year, about 6.5% of new leases were so-called blind transactions, more than double the rate in 2007, according to LeaseTrader.com, an online car marketplace. Car dealerships and web sites say they’re seeing a similar trend. “There’s a lot less chatter about test drives these days,” says Myril Shaw, vice president of sales for CarWoo.com, an online marketplace that connects buyers with local dealerships.
Not that long ago, this would have been unthinkable. But consumers can now learn nearly everything about both used and new cars online — including comprehensive vehicle reports, customer and expert reviews, even the average prices paid for certain models by zip code — without ever setting foot on a dealership or used-car lot, says Phil Reed, consumer advice editor for Edmunds.com
Read more in SmartMoney.
This story posted by LeaseTrader.com, the automotive service company that lets people transfer out of their Car Leases early. If you're looking to swap a lease or transfer out of your car lease, please visit www.leasetrader.com