Re: R&T makes no sense...(m) (archive)

In NY I was encouraged to take a test drive on familiar roads and I was encouraged to go further when I was willing to return to the dealer. I find that typical of dealers in NY area, no matter what the make of car. Perhaps because there are huge differences in road quality here due to cold winters versus LA.
All those car mags (I subscribe to C&D) leave a lot to be desired in the way of consistency and objectivity. When BMW=10, then pretty soon 10=BMW, if you see what I mean. The scoring becomes relative (to BMW) instead of absolute. When BMW is a 10 by definition, then all other rides will be too soft, regardless of whether BMW's ride is too firm. This is most obvious when you compare pickup and minivan ratings to sports car ratings. Some pickups score higher in ride and handling than some sports cars.
These flaws would not be fatal if dealers would allow consumers to take real test drives so they could do their own comparisons. I don't know if it's my location or my age/gender, but here in L.A. my test drives consist of driving the car around the block with the salesman in the passenger seat. This is independent of dealership and car make. I have refused to buy cars and even visit dealerships because of it.

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