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Let
the selling Begin!
The Test Drive
If you're in the role of a used-car buyer, you'd like to have
the car long enough to put it through the test-drive checklist
that appears earlier in this segment. You'd also like the
opportunity to take it to your mechanic for an inspection.
In other words, ,you'd like to have the seller leave you alone
with the car for an hour.
As the seller, the shoe is on the other foot. You probably
don't know anything about the prospect. Certainly, you don't
want to give the person your keys and then discover that the
car has found its way to a chop shop, where it's been hacked
into resalable parts. Nor do you want to let someone drive
your car who thinks that every road is the Indianapolis Speedway
and run the risk of putting some nice dents into the side.
Understand that a knowledgeable prospect will want to put
your car through its paces. This means acceleration, braking,
and handling tests. Here's what we suggest:
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If
you feel uneasy about the prospect, insist on riding with
him or her.
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Check
your insurance to be sure that if anything does happen,
you are covered.
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If
you feel uneasy about the driver, tell him or her that
your insurance company wants you to write down the name,
address, and license number of anyone driving your car.
Blame it on your insurance company. If the prospect
balks, ask yourself, "Why?" and proceed with
caution.
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If
you decide to let the person take the car for a test
drive on their own, make sure they leave their car-it
should be a comparable or more expensive one-and the
car keys. If you have any doubts about the person, ask
for the license-for insurance purposes-and then check
the name against the registration of the prospect's
car.
This
sounds like a lot of effort, and in most cases you will
probably feel it's not necessary. The main thing is always
to look out for your own interests.
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