Test drive for a few days??

How does that work? With three kids in car seats, I'm trying to find our next vehicle and I *think* I'm convinced it's a Pilot.

I was 100% SURE the Freestyle (our current) was perfect for us and planned on driving it into the ground. But it's not. It's too small and I'm done with it. I don't want to make another mistake so, how does asking for a test drive for a couple of days work? Requirements?

TIA!

Why a pilot? It appears to be nearly identical in size to the freestyle.. It's 10 inches shorter even.

P1ally said:

Why a pilot? It appears to be nearly identical in size to the freestyle.. It's 10 inches shorter even.

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Maybe on paper? I want to be able to do three across the second row and have more sets of LATCH.
I test drove a Pilot already and there seemed to be a substantial amount of room compared to my Freestyle. Especially for my DH. In the Ford, his knees rest against the glovebox.

ETA: For example: a RF Britax and 2 GN's fit second row pilot but I (at 5'5" and 125 pounds) can't squish my rear end between two GN's in the Freestyle and there's no chance that they could be installed next to each other.

I think you need to have a pretty good relationship with the dealership for them to let you take a car that long. DH's uncle has allowed us to take cars for up to a week at a time, but he doesn't do that with just anyone who walks on the lot...


We just purchased a 2008 Pilot to replace our 1999 Explorer yesterday. We also looked at Tahoes/Yukons, Suburbans, Highlanders, Explorers, Expeditions, Sorentos, etc. I really wanted a V6 front wheel drive with an AWD option but looked at some bigger SUVs too. I ended up deciding that the Tahoe/Yukon/Suburban/Expedition was just too big & too much $$ (i.e. $25,000 for an '07 with 75k on it). I really hated the interior of the Explorers (not the new one), the Sorentos were too small & didn't have an option to move the 2nd row back & forth. Everyone and their cousin's uncle's dog has an Acadia/Traverse/Enclave around here, so that was out. The Highlanders were ok, but I thought that their middle row looked weird and uncomfortable.

What really sold me on the Pilot was the 8 passenger capacity, V6 with FWD/AWD, ability to move middle row forward & backward, 6 top tether anchors, headrests in all seating positions, standard side curtain airbags, maneuverability, and decent towing ability for our boat. I also like that it is a bigger vehicle, but totally doesn't feel like it when you are driving.

When we were car shopping there were two dealerships that let us take vehicles home for the weekend. The Cadillac dealer was super cool when I said "well were going to the beach tomorrow so this weekend won't work" (didn't want to take their car and get it all sandy) and he was all "oh no no, that's a perfect time to really see how it will fit your life" and we had it from a Thursday to Monday.
I am now sort of contemplating a new car that I truly *need* to have for a few days to decide if there is enough cargo room for us but I haven't found an Infiniti dealer that offers overnight test drives.
I really think it is hit or miss.

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Have you called a few dealerships and asked?

canadiangie said:

Have you called a few dealerships and asked?

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Rofl, no. I wasn't sure if they required a credit check or only did that for repeat customers or wanted me to sign an agreement to buy from them, yada, yada. I wanted to ask here first out of curiosity since Google didn't have any answers.

Many dealerships here will let you take a vehicle Saturday afternoon and return it Monday, as they are closed on Sundays in Illinois. It all depends on the manager, demand for the vehicle and how many they have, of course.

My DH has had TONS of vehicles for the weekend. All he had to do was leave a photocopy of his DL and his actual vehicle with the dealer and voila, new vehicle for the weekend. It was a GREAT way to try out car seats, etc.

We usually get to test drive over the weekend. (Metro Atlanta). They usually copy our licenses and insurance.