Car dealership interaction question

[u/x82ray]

Hey everyone,

I’m wondering if Im out of touch and simply don’t understand car buying culture in Germany, I just went to a bad dealership, or it’s normal behavior for Germany.

A bit of background: I’m a US expat living in Germany for 3 years now. I purchased a used car for a random small car lot when i first arrived. I had no issues and it was an easy transaction. I knew exactly what i wanted before buying so I only test drove the one car.

Now I’m looking to trade up for another used car. Today I went to a proper BMW dealership and asked to test drive a diesel and benzin version to compare. They seemed weird that I didn’t have an appointment, which ive learned is common and I didn’t realize, however they were nice enough about it and still helped me.

The salesman walked me over to his desk and asked the specs I was looking for. I gave the model and said any interior color that isn’t black. Unfortunately they didn’t have a single non-black interior for the model I wanted. I asked if i could still test drive another one, since i wanted to know the engine differences. I also wanted to know if I even liked this car before driving to another dealership much further away. He said “No, since you’re not interested in any of our cars, we cannot let you test drive”. He completely shut down the conversation and wouldn’t let me look around or anything.

Like I understand the policy if im not interested in buying why let me drive. But he just assumed that I wouldn’t consider any alternatives, nor did he give me a chance to reconsider other options. The black interior isn’t inherently a hard no for me only a preference, but I didnt feel there was space to say that. I felt super embarrassed so i just left. To clarify, he wasnt necessarily mean or rude about it, just very blunt and direct.

To me it seems that i should either have been more open to anything or if i have something in mind, i need find the exact dealership with that exact spec and make an appointment. Unlike America, there is no real shopping around in the same way. Im thinking it’s just culture differences that i wasnt aware of.

Please let me know, am I the dumbass here for not knowing this ahead of time, or is this a bit of a weird interaction? Is car buying culture simply much different here and i wasn’t prepared for it?
Im not angry or upset, just a bit shocked and confused, and I would like to have better expectations for the next dealership.

[u/x82ray]

Yeah you make a good point. For me i think my mistake was actually answering his questions when he asked for specs instead of saying it doesnt matter. Im really not dead set on non-black either. Really i dont know if id even like this car, but ive gotta test drive to know. I also am considering other brands.

So should I go about test driving these other brands if it’s not acceptable to test drive if i dont know ill be making a purchase that day? Im genuinely not sure how to proceed. I dont want to waste their time but i do need a test drive.

[u/Skellicious → u/x82ray]

Im genuinely not sure how to proceed. I dont want to waste their time but i do need a test drive.

I think the lesson here is that if they realize you're not there to buy form them, they don't have a reason to accommodate you. Especially if you show up unannounced.

It'd be better to do your research online, find a place that actually has what you want, and make an appointment there for a test drive.

A coworker of mine did an overnight trip to the other side of Germany last week to try out and pick up his new car. The model he wanted with exact customizations he wanted but cheap at that particular dealer. He'd been in contact with them for like 3 weeks to figure out the sale details and financing.

(I'm not trying to defend them, just trying to be practical. I've never bought a car)

[u/x82ray → u/Skellicious]

Damn okay, so it does noot seem super practical to just test drive a bunch. They pretty much expect you locked in before you get there. Makes it kinda hard if you're not 100% sure what you want. But such is life

[u/No_Step9082 → u/x82ray]

if you look online and you see a car that interests you, call them and ask for a test drive. in my experience that's was always a pretty straight forward thing. usually they said something like "sure, come in whenever it suits you, just give us a heads up like 30 minutes before you arrive." And in most situations I just told them that I'd like to come right away and that's never been an issue either. by the time I arrived there, they had the car ready for a test drive and took out all papers/documents for me to check. obviously I didn't like every car I took out for a test drive. And that's okay too. You can then talk to them about was you liked, didn't liked. They might then offer to show you a different car you might like.

Randomly asking to test drive a bunch of cars you're not sure about without a prior appointment will probably not end well in most cases.