I’m going to be test driving new cars soon in anticipation of purchase (yay!).
I’ve never test driven a car before. (my cars were both bought from my parents)
What do I look for besides “hey, this is nice”.
Also, I’m new to a stick shift and I’m nervous as hell about making a fool of myself during the test drive.
Advice and encouragement are welcome. As well as tips on buying a car if you’re so inclined.
Try to ignore the CD player and the gee-whiz stuff, at least temporarily. Focus on handling and acceleration/braking. Does the thing wallow like a pig when cornering? Does it have anti-lock brakes? Any noises you don’t recognize? Any blind spots you can’t see out of? Are the seats comfy? Can you see the instrument panel clearly?
Best advice: Take a look at consumer reports or Edmunds to see the ratings.
I was in the same position when I bought my Tracker (I sure have been mentioning that vehicle a lot lately - I really miss it when the weather turns cold and nasty). I had driven a stick a few times before, but I wasn’t confident doing it, so my boyfriend at the time test drove it for me. Once I had it, I learned fast how to manage a stick.
Sometimes I don’t get the point of test driving, but I guess I look for a car that is easy to drive. I tend to prefer smaller vehicles, so I look for something comfortable to parallel park and that I can adjust the mirrors to my liking and stuff. Are the controls in a convenient place? Does the vehicle have enough power, or does it dog along? When I test drove my Jetta there wasn’t much snow on the ground; I really wish there had been so I would have found out how truly bad the tires are on anything wetter than a spring shower.
I had liked the look of the Dodge Durangos, but when I test drove one it really turned me off. I can’t pinpoint exactly why I didn’t like it, but based on that drive I decided against buying one.
I would recommend driving a bunch of vehicles, and then get the one you liked driving the best
First off, if you’re not comfortable with a stickshift yet, but want to that type of a car, I recommend strongly that you get somebody to teach you and let you practice first. Most people can’t pick this up in five minutes, it takes an hour or two’s practice in an empty parking lot or other safe locale.
Other than that, and assuming that the car is something you think you would like, these are some things to look for:
[ul]
[li]How well the car accelerates[/li][li]How quiet the motor is, and the car generally–i.e., are there rattles and other road noises, even with the windows shut?[/li][li]Evaluate the interior. Does it look cheap and plasticy? Sometimes, little odds and ends are starting to break off even when it’s still in the showroom.[/li][li]Seats and steering wheel–if they don’t feel “right” to you, are they adjustable?[/li][li]check radio/stereo, etc. My parents had Beemers with Blaupunkt radios that were supposed to be the bomb, but they never seemed to work right.[/li][/ul]
I can drive a stick, I’m just not confident and I don’t want to make a fool of myself with a salesman in the car.
Do they still go with you?
They’re not Oprah you know 
Pay attention to the small annoyances. You will be thinking, eh, I’ll get used to it, and maybe you will, or maybe it’ll be driving you insane after three months.
Turn all applicances on, such as the windshied wipers, the heater, the AC and the defroster, and make sure they run by letting them run for a while. Take it out on the interstate and make sure it’s got enough power to merge into a lane. Take it somewhere relatively deserted, like a sidestreet or an empty parking lot, and put it in motion without your hands on the steering wheel to see if it pulls to the left or to the right. Check the tailpipe to make sure no “blue smoke” comes out of it. Make sure the heating/ac/defrost controls are easy to operate while the car’s in motion. Make sure the rearview mirror isn’t placed so low that it obscures your vision of what’s coming towards you from the right.
Also, there are a buttload of threads on this board concerning how to buy a car.
Yeah, the “how to buy” stuff was an afterthought. I’ve got an okay handle on that part, and lots of large protective men to keep me from getting screwed too badly.