I got an offer in the mail a few days ago from General Motors, asking me to come and take advantage of their overnight test drive promotion, which has just recently been implemented. Besides driving a car of my choice for a day or night, they also throw in a $25 Visa Gift Card...so my dilemma is, what GM product should I take out overnight?

My two choices right now are:
Corvette ZO6 or Hummer H2

And no, I dont want to test drive a Saab, so please don't mention that. Any thoughts on which one of the above I should drive?

 

I got that also...Vette is not a test drive car.

Erik

 

Erik-
Didnt even realize that...I guess its the H2 then.

 

Thats my idea or the Saab 9.5...just cause I have never really driven a Saab more then just a test drive. Before doing anything I will read read read the contract to make sure I am not responsible for damages...that appear before or after my 24hours...you know what I mean?

Erik

 

Totally understand where your coming from...does running over people with the H2 count as damages against me?

 

H2...not very impressive. My friend has one. Basically an oversized Tahoe and brakes are worse than those on a Tahoe.

 

ugh, i hate H2's.. never ever consider them hummers!

 

I never said I like the H2 either, in fact, I dislike most SUV's, however if I can drive the sh*t out of one for a day and see how it handles curbs and whatever else my "daily driving" encounters, I figure why not?

 

I'm not sure if the H2 is available for the test drive either. Usually, it and the 'Vette have been excluded from most of the GM-wide specials in the past.

I wouldn't mind trying out the new 2004 Pontiac GTO, but I don't think it's available until September.

340 horsepower and 360 pound-feet of torque !!

Cheers, BT

 

Thr H2 is included, the Hummer is not.

Erik

 

Take the CADDY -- and enjoy the ON-STAR.

In quality it is better rated than the S-Class!

 

Cadillac XLR??

 

Nothing they have to offer is really impressing me. But since it's free I would go for the Hummer, I honestly like it....but if you don't, it would be nice to be able to bash it on MBWorld after having actually experience driving it for a couple days lol But the Escalade would be very nice.....even maybe a Yukon. Sorry, I am an SUV lover, lol

 

Is it the extra bit of height and visibility of the SUV? I used to love riding in & driving our pickup truck while growing up (as an aside, we used it for getting firewood, etc). But now... ... well, it'd be up to you to change my current perception of SUV drivers being clueless fscks that either pull out right in front of me or tailgate me...

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Hey, I vote we give extra points if he can roll over the Hummer during a test drive.

 

I'm sure it's not only SUV drivers that cut you off and taillgate, everyone does that....maybe you just notice the SUV's more. But, if people are bad drivers in cars, they will be even worse in SUVS. I don't believe SUV's make people bad drivers. I like the utility, I need to tow alot transport large items. I do also like being able to see when I am making a left turn across traffic that there are no cars coming. Sometimes no matter how much you slowly inch up and check, when you pull out, there is still a car speeding towards you. Because whether or not you like it, a VERY good portion of the population has SUV's (which can make it hard to see around left hand turns), so you either have to jump on board, or just live with it. Granted SUV's do take a little more getting used to going around turns and such, but it just takes getting used to, after you've done it a few times....it's second nature. I do agree that a lot of SUV drivers are scary, but like I said, a Yukon cutting you off is much more noticeable and upsetting than a Camry. I am not saying I would buy one of he SUV's that takes up half the road, like the Excursion (you should need a CDL to operate that) but I had a Jeep Grand Cherokee and I am buying another.....they are one of the smaller higher end SUV's. The ride height is nice, visibilty is awesome, the ride itself is nice, I love the styling, good cargo area, pretty damn luxurious will all the options and can easliy tow about 6000lbs, and if I act soon, I can get a used one with the remaining factory warranty

 

I love this GM promotion about the overnight test drive. I about fell off the couch laughing. Mercedes has been doing this for years. Few other makes do this. It is a step in the right direction. Look at the stats: 48% of those who test drive will buy within 30 days. Not bad really. Good fro GM for offering the service.

Too bad Toyota can't figure this out. My dealer loaned me an ML320 last summer for about 3 days (keep in mind I was 19 at the time) without question. Asked toyota to loan a Sequoia. They were dumbfounded. They let me have one for 3 hours one afternoon. This is the same dealer/person we'd purchase 3 different cars from over the last 3 years. Not impressed! Any idea as to what I bought...

 

We have been buying Mercedes regularly for over 25 years and never had a 24 hour test drive.

Erik

 

After 25 years --

what would a 24 hour test drive add to the 219,000 hours of MB driving experience/ownership?

 

Probably disappiontment with each new test drive as MBZ quality gets worse with each new year. I really miss the build quality of MBZ's from 25 years ago, if they can only bring that back with some of the proven advances of today.

 

RJC -

unfortunately, it looks like that we are moving into the direction of disposable cars:

Drive all you can for 5 years and then re-cycle the coupe or cabriolet.

 

Honestly, car quality in general has gone down-hill. Our 2k1 $50,000+ Jaguar has had every part replaced in 25,000 miles, including the engine and tranny. Not one Mercedes, out of 11 owned, has ever had any severe problems. None of the newer ones will last 450,000+ miles like our '81 240D, but I still feel that some quality is there.

Erik

 

I think you're on the right track here. Some like to point the finger at acquiring Chrysler as the point at which Mercedes quality began slipping (although some say it began earlier). Personally, I think the blame lies in the relatively new law in Germany that makes the company that built a car liable for the expense of recycling it. This only encourages a German car maker to build cars out of cheaper materials that are easier to recycle.

Oh well,

- BT

 

That's pretty interesting. Those Germans are pretty clever...

 

Problem is that during the 5 years of driving I can still feel the lack of quality and substance compared to the MBZ's of yore which are fondly etched into my senses.

 

MB quality most likely began to suffer a bit when Lexus starting kicking the S#it out of them in the early ninties. Lexus was able to produce a high quality product at a much lower price. I read an article in Car & Driver (years ago)how Lexus was able to produce a vehicle in 1/16 of the time that it took MB. At the time MB was still using a lot of hand assembly while Lexus was more automated. in their opinon part of difference in production speeds was the german culture as compared to the japanese. Since ,MB has had to make their production lines move quicker and use their labor more efficiently.

I have always felt that if it were not for Lexus, MB products would not be nearly as good as they are. Lexus forced MB to be more innovative and daring with their products. basically MB had to get their thumb out of their *** and the american consumers eye. for too long they sat on their thumbs and took advantage of their position as the worlds elite automaker.

As for MB quality not being what it used to be....i disagree. the cars produced today by MB are dramatically more complex than they were just 10 years ago. with this kind of innovation and complexity comes some glitches. and it also seems to me that one loud complainer out of 100 people get a disproportionate amount of attention. how many people when their happy with a car go around telling other people? (expept MBWORLD!!

ask yourself this question.....besides BMW what other automakers trys so hard to make exciting, safe, powerful, and advanced autos like MB?

i always ask myself this question when i see another car by a different manufacture that i think is attractive....."which car would i rather be in in the event of a head on collision...ummmmm....I'll keep my MB!". in the past 10 years MB in my eyes has jumped so far ahead of every other automaker that it makes me feel fortunate to be able to afford one!