Memorable Test Drives

[FoMoJo]

Part of the fun of shopping for a car is the test drive.  We've likely all had a few over the years.  Just wondered if there was one that stood out above all the rest for any of you.

The one that sticks in my mind was in a 1970 Boss 302.  At the time I had a '66 Mustang, my first new car, with a mild 289 that I really liked, but I was getting itchy for something new, especially after reading about all the new muscle cars then available.  I was with my brother and we took our sons, my 5 year old and his 6 year old and stopped at the local Ford dealer.  The salesman was a young guy about our age and obviously a car guy.  I had spotted this bright yellow Boss 302 on the lot and he said "let's go for a ride."

We all piled in, my brother and the 2 boys in the back seat, me in the front passenger seat and the guy driving.  We turned off the main street onto a back street with commercial buildings on either side, then he nailed it.  This is the part that sticks in my mind, we just weren't expecting this kind of demonstration.  We ripped through a bunch of intersections with him driving like he was on a race course.  I kept glancing back to see how the boys were doing and they were just sitting with their eyes wide open looking a bit petrified.  My brother didn't look very comfortable either.  For my part, I've always been a nervous passenger, but I was feeling pretty exhilarated.  He finally pulled over and asked if I wanted to drive.

I may be only my memory of the moment, but everything felt perfect, the driver's seat fit like a glove.  The gas pedal, the clutch pedal, the brakes, the gear shift, the steering wheel just seemed to be placed perfectly for me with just the right tensions and feed back.  I felt totally in control, no hesitation, no lurches, no jolts from over braking, just perfectly in control with a ton of horse power under my foot.  It was made for me.

Unfortunately, my wife at the time insisted on an automatic, so it just wasn't going to happen.  We ended up getting a Mach I, automatic of course.  I never did connect with that car.  Great little engine, 351 Cleveland, lots of power, but it was all detached.  Sold it after a couple of years.  Wife didn't last much longer.

[veeman]

That's a great story!

[AutobahnSHO]

Scrappy, after I paid the money for it and had the title in hand and had a 10hr trip to get it home.

I've never really gone test driving for new or fun cars.