A Few Final (?) Pre-Purchase Questions......
Since I'm the type that tries to leave no stone unturned, and I don't like surprises, I have a few more questions about the purchasing process. At the two dealers that I've been to so far, it seems that they have new and (a few) leftover Spyders on the showroom floor and unseen "Demo's" to test-ride. (I hope to finally test-drive a few later today...) Now - my experience is only with cars, where you test drive the actual car that you're considering buying. Apparently, the process with Spyders is different, since you only get to try a "Demo".
So, how does it work when you're considering purchasing a leftover (ie:'15 or '16) and the demo is a '17 (or vice-versa)? Is there any significant difference between the model years? Even if you buy the same year as the demo, have any of you experienced any significant differences between what you test drove and what you actually bought?
Also, once you decide on which to purchase, what specifically do you expect the dealer to provide in terms of prep?
Sorry for all of the questions....
Thanks!
Back From My Test Rides......
Quote:
Originally Posted by
greybeard
you really need to take a factory team led test ride or at least follow a experienced rider so you can gauge the speeds and actions to take
Well, I'm back from my test rides, and the main thing I learned is that it doesn't always go as you expect. Beforehand, I was convinced that I'd like the F-3 over the RT - Now I'm not so sure.
I test rode an F-3 Limited first , and then an RT Limited (both out of my budget, but those were the two demos they had). Both were semi-automatics. Each ride was about 6 miles while following the salesman. (He rode one while I rode the other, then we switched off.) I got each up to highway speed (approx. 65mph). TBH, neither was 100% comfy for me (my damn hips again...), but the F3 wasn't "U-fitted" to me either. I was glad that each had the floorboards and driver backrest though. The RT is definitely more of a vertical sitting position as everyone here has said, and the brake pedal was easier to access for me. I felt that the RT's shifting was a bit smoother as well.
I started by just riding around the small-ish parking lot (on the F-3) and after 15 seconds or so I almost ran into a parked car at the end of the lot. :yikes:. The throttle was more sensitive, and the steering radius was larger, than I anticipated so I actually accelerated while making the U-turn in the parking lot instead of pressing the footbrake, and almost hit the car. It's good thing the salesman was retrieving his helmet and wasn't watching. After that, it went a lot more smoothly. ;)
All in all, I liked them both, especially the RT. I liked the salesman - not pushy at all and very patient. He suggested I come back in a few days to test-drive them again now that I have a little seat-time. I liked that idea!