“That’s not normal at all.”
A South Carolina car buyer detailed her wildly different dealership experiences when shopping for a Kia Telluride.
Her story highlights how a basic request—a test drive—largely tipped the scales in another business’s favor, so much so that she was willing to drive out of her home state to buy a car.
Smith shared her experience in a TikTok, prefacing it by saying that car shopping is the bane of her existence, to the point that she would never pick out her own vehicles to drive. But now, at the age of 42, she was finally getting into selecting her own ride. The first vehicle on her list to check out was the Kia Telluride. According to her, the features that it offered, along with a price that didn’t “make [her] throw up,” made it an appealing prospect.
So she says she went with her husband to a dealership about an hour away from their home. Their car-buying excursion had two rules: they needed to test drive a car, and there was no way they would be coming home with a vehicle that day. This logic has been echoed by auto-buying experts, which makes sense, given that it’s a massive financial decision that should be weighed accordingly.
Upon arriving at the dealership, Smith says she and her husband were immediately greeted by a sales associate.
After commenting on Smith’s appearance, saying she looks like a softball player, the sales rep and Smith got down to brass tacks, Smith says. According to her, she told the rep that she’s seen Tellurides around and was intrigued by them but wanted to get inside one and determine how it feels.
However, she says the dealership employee thought this was a big demand due to the Telluride’s $60,000 price tag. Smith says that rep told her, “Well, you know that’s … a $60,000 car. We’re not gonna just … let you drive it.”
Upon having her test drive request shot down, Smith was confused. She couldn’t understand how she would know whether or not she would even like the car. When Smith again asked to look at the Tellurides in person, she says the employee told her she needed approval from a manager to do so.
After the car seller came back, she reportedly told Smith that there were only two different Tellurides she could see in person. But if she wanted to see any other models, she would need to schedule an appointment and return.
This baffled Smith because the dealership didn’t appear all that busy. Frustrated by the experience, Smith decided to up and leave the dealership rather than entertain the thought of giving them her business.
Following her unsavory time at this unnamed dealership, Smith went and did some research and found another seller, Planet Kia in Charlotte, North Carolina, that she went to visit afterward.
Her time there couldn’t have been more different. Smith said she was able to peruse the inventory lot with her husband and look inside of the vehicles to see a car she was interested in. After spotting a Green Telluride she liked, she says she headed inside and was greeted with a “New York Stock Exchange” type atmosphere. There were boatloads of customers, and all available tables and chairs were packed with prospective buyers.
Despite the hectic environment, she says a sales rep approached them and asked what they were looking for. Smith told them that they wanted a Telluride, and the seller immediately asked if there was one on their lot that they liked.
Smith says she mentioned the green one that caught her eye, and he instantly went to work on pulling the keys for her. Because the sales rep was assisting another customer, his manager then intervened and said he’d handle prepping the car. Smith says he informed she and her husband that, because it was hot outside, he was going to start it up to get the A/C going. All they had to do was wait outside under an awning and he’d bring the car around.
In no time, the car was ready for Smith and her husband for a test drive. She says she informed the seller she wasn’t planning on making a purchase that day before getting in the car, but that she wanted to get a feel for the vehicle. Unlike the other showroom, the dealer said that this wasn’t an issue whatsoever and that they could drive the car around to their heart’s content, she reports.
She ended up loving the car and was tempted to “pull the trigger” right then and there. While she didn’t, she commended the sales rep for not being “pushy” about a sale. Following the test drive, Smith says the dealership worker handed her and her husband his information and told them that whenever they were ready to buy the car, he’d be ready to help them do so.
“They were so nice; they were so accommodating,” she said toward the end of her video. Furthermore, she urged folks in the area to consider that dealership when buying a car, as she had such a pleasant time doing so. Because of this, she resolved to “definitely” purchase her next vehicle from the business.
Research compiled by CDK Global indicates that solo test drives are a big factor in car sales. In fact, 78% of drivers in the 2024 study attributed new car buys to test driving a car without an employee of the dealership present.
Fifty-four percent of other drivers in the survey said that the ability to test drive alone sold them on getting a new car. Specifically, the prospect of being able to feel the car on the road influenced them to visit a dealership instead of just buying a car online.
One might figure that these analytics would prompt all car sales reps to allow as many potential buyers as possible to test drive vehicles. However, this doesn’t look like it’s the case.
Motor Trade News published an article on findings from JudgeService research. The firm’s findings indicate that only 36% of car sellers proactively offer test drives to folks who walk on their showroom floors. This could lead to sellers ultimately shooting themselves in the foot. CDK echoed in this other piece that test drives are high on the list of priorities for car shoppers. And that many buyers, like Smith, are willing to travel long distances in order to get the specific car they want.
Motor1 has reached out to Planet Kia and Smith via email for further comment. We will update this story if they respond.
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