larkave

The two MBZ dealers in my area (San Jose, CA) seem reluctant to allow a test drive of the new E55. I've been told that they want to complete the paperwork for the sale before I can take a test drive, which seemed ludicrous. Any suggestions on how I can drive the new E55 without buying it first? I have a 2002 E55 and will upgrade if the new E55 feels (to me, after driving it) appreciably better. I wish I knew someone in the Bay Area who had a new E55, but I don't.

ZHH

dealers usually will allow you to take a used car out before a new one, I would suggest looking to see if any dealers have a used E55, but with the car being so new, I would doubt there would be any used ones out there yet

Brunelleschi

I have seen alot of dealers turn down the test drive of an expensive car to someone who the really didn't think could afford the car. In your case, since you already own the 2002 E55, I think the dealer is just being ridiculous. I would go to another dealership. In my opinion, not allowing me a test drive is a real quick deal-breaker.

JamE55

Here's my suggestion. If your dealer doesn't want you to test drive unless you do the paper work then do the paper work. After that test drive the car and if you don't like the car tell them to cancel the paperwork. Or like what Brunelleschi said try another dealer.

rgbyhkr

Honestly, it's this kind of snobby attitude that turns people away. Call in advance of a visit and ask to speak to a saleperson (hopefully someone other than the guy who denied you before). Indicate your serious interest in the vehicle and your insistence on test driving first. If they decline, ask to speak to the manager or mention that loacal competing dealer X is happy to assit you with a test drive but you'd rather deal with the first dealership because they are closer.

Jeff

norb

I wouldn't want to buy an E55 AMG that's been test driven either, so there are two sides to everything.

rgbyhkr

Well, there's a difference between a vehicle that's been sitting on the lot and one you custom order. If you're buying one off the lot, it's possible that it may have been test driven. This is especially true in a case like the E55 where supplies are short. If you didn;t want to take one that had, you can custom build but also have to be willing to wait. If there's one on the lot, I see no reason why it couldn't be test driven.

Jeff

KrispyK

From what I've heard, it may be more difficult to test-drive a used AMG than a new one.

When demand is hot on an E55 or a CL55, MB dealerships generally are pretty good about charging only MSRP. Having said that, they don't seem to toe-the-line when it comes to a month-old E55/CL55/SL55 whatever, and seem to add a hefty premium to the vehicle's original price. At least that's been my experience in the NE.

In such a case, apparently their insurance will only pay for the MSRP value of the car (or perhaps slightly less). So if you total that thing on a test drive, they're going to lose a significant chunk of money.

As for a new AMG, would *you* want to buy one that's been test driven? I suppose if/when the market gets soft they'll let people test drive (in '02 I got to test drive an S55, dealer called, asked if I wanted to drive it) but as long as demand is strong and many are willing to buy without a test drive, I don't see the situation changing much.

eyc

larkave,

I am also in the Bay Area and found the same thing. Every dealer I have talked to has said no test-drives on the E55.

I think there are at least a few members of this forum who are in the Bay Area, maybe they could give you [or us ] a ride?

Let me know if you ever find a dealer that will let you go for a ride. I'll let you know if I ever find one too.

WishforE55

Don't they have drive days over there...?? Here BMW M ie M3.M5 etc and AMG have drive days at selected race tracks so prospective buyers can see how the cars perform... Have been on the BMW one awesome fun got some hot laps in an M5 with an ex Le Mans sports car driver. Also got couple of laps to drive myself but couldn't switch ESP off. Best fun was the M roadster... our version here had 325hp. The prices we pay for the cars here I wouldn;t buy one without test driving etc. The cars they use are usually press vehicles... Had to say we hammered the cars around the track for 3 hours or so and not one single problem except for some worn tyres. Hoping to go on an AMG one soon.

amg55

Test drive an E55 (w211)?
How many dealers have unsold E55's on the lot at this point? (Can't be more than a few).
No reputable dealer is going to allow a test drive of a custom ordered car which isn't yours.
Until there are some unsold units sitting around, the likelihood of a test drive will be small.

99E55

I called in and got an appointment at one of the dealers here in Southern California and got to test drive a manager's Demo E55 with 1900 miles which was being sold as new, since it had never been registered.
The salesman was very cool. He even turned off the traction control and let me do a burnout. It was awesome. The power is ridiculous. After the drive my 99 E55 felt kind of slow.

JamE55

Which dealer was it?

kaneman

AMG buyers are much pickier than those who buy the standard E320/E500/S420/S500 etc. Had my car had more than the 12 miles on the clock that it did when I picked it up I would've refused it. If I were looking at one on the lot and it had over ~20 miles I wouldn't buy it. Would you expect to be able to test drive a Ferrari? A Lamborghini? A Rolls Royce? Walk into one of those stores and tell 'em you want a test drive. I have the feeling they'll laugh you straight back out the door. Cars like this are fairly rare. Most of the people that buy them know exactly what they want and the balance order the car and buy it when it comes in, no test drive allowed. I used to feel as you do and would laugh at the thought of buying a car without a testdrive. But, now that I've been driving cars that are a bit harder to get my opinion has changed 180 degrees. A test driven car will be less desirable to me, and I suspect the majority of buyers looking at a specialty car.

NewBlack55

I agree with Kaneman on this one for sure. I did not even want the service Tech to drive the car without me after it went through clean up. Do you really want a car that people have been doing burn outs in?

You either know you want the car or you don't. If you are a current E55 owner then you would know just how much more power the car will have.

My suggestion would be to drive an E500 then imagine what another 170 HP would feel like.....

norb

HP, forget HP, its all about the torque.

amg55

When I bought my current AMG I purchased it sight unseen from another dealer in another state and had it shipped. I was not pleased about the lack of opportunity to take a test drive since I'd never owned an MB of any type, but I bit the bullet. Have been nothing but pleased.
But I still remember the mindset I had.
Like Kaneman said, there is a whole echelon of cars you just aren't likely to be able to drive before you buy.
It's a big leap of faith.

HarvE55

I had a chance to drive one in Houston. They had a slightly used one (You know the trick buy it from another dealer so you can charge over MSRP). I would have bought one without the drive, but it was GREAT to drive one. With that said, I was told by the dealer to floor this car that had 100 miles on it. I resisted somewhat, but I am sure others didn't.

EX-BEEMER

Test drove an E55 in Columbus Ohio yesterday. AWESOME! I'm still not used to the idea of buying a car undriven, and after driving a stock E500 I was very concerned. I didn't like the heavy slugish feel of the E500. The E55 was just turned back in from a multi-millionare who buys six to ten MB's a year, changing them constantly (at least that's the story my salesman fed me) The car only had 980 miles on it and was perfect. I can now say without a doubt it feels nothing like an E500. I was so tempted to take it home but I want an '04 and it was lacking some items I want. I can't stand the thought of waiting till FEB!

My salesman was very careful to tell me though that I could put no more than four miles on the car. They needed to keep it under 1000 for leasing purposes. (they were selling it for $600 under MSRP $81000 what a bargain!)

amg55

And just imagine how abusive those 980 miles have been.
You know the old conventional wisdom about rental cars and police cars put up for sale after the agencies take them out of service...they've taken so much abuse you might as well triple the mileage total....for a 'new' E55 with 980 miles (mostly test drives)I'd bet you'd have to do more than triple that mileage total to get an idea of the "abuse coefficient"!

99E55

It was Caliber Motors.

kaneman

Not always true. I know an investment banker in Houston who does this. He babies his cars, but he just doesn't drive much and LOVES driving the newest, best, rarest car he can. His office is ~3 mi from his home and some days HE WALKS (obviously not in the summer). Thus, he trades at absurdly low mileage and his cars are never abused.

amg55

I was referring to those cars which dealers have used almost exclusively as 'mules' for repeated test drives.
I'm sure there are many AMG's which are turned in for trades after 500-1000 miles, and that those miles have been relatively low stress (as per your example).
But AMG cars are built to be driven aggressively, and I suspect most people (definitely not all) will drive them pretty hard at times, especially if they don't plan to keep them long.

norb

I took a test drive on an 03 my dealer was offering me and the salesman guns the engine pulling out of the dealer, engine was cold with less than 20 miles. He keeps doing this until we get to the gas station to fill up and then lets me drive. Needless to say, I didn't mash it thinking of the poor bloke whose car it will be.

Noah Miller

I have had some wierd test driving expieriences. I wanted to test drive a mazda rx-8, a nissan 350z, and an infiniti g5 coupe. i got turned down at every dealership ( i am only 17...). So then my sister and i went to mb, where we have purchased a few cars, within seconds of entering the dealership our salesman asked US if we wanted to test drive their new clk 55 ( becuase we own a 208) that they had just got in, and a brand new e55 ( my sister has an e500), 25 miles on it. He also let us take the cars out with just me and my sister in the cars. I guess this proves that it all depends on your salesman, and if you purchased from them before, you should also try and make it seem like your decision can only be made after a test drive, which should be true. It also weighs heavily on what you show up in, or if they see it, as crazy as that is i think its true. If you showed up in a 210 e55 then your mb dealership is nuts, your the perfect customer to buy a new e55. Did you buy your e55 from them though? Btw, just buy it, it drives unbelievably great, even compared to the e500. You can't go wrong b/c if you want to sell it then it will go for probably the same price or more then what you bought it for.