‘He Won’t Know It’s Me:’ Woman Tests Drive Car at Dealership. Then She Says She Wants to Drive Past Her Ex’s House
"Ma’am, this is a test drive."
Sometimes the best car dealer ads aren’t flashy commercials with celebrity endorsements, but simple, relatable moments that capture the human side of car buying, complete with awkward requests and surprising accommodations.
Town and Country Ford, a dealership in Bessemer, Alabama, struck gold with a humorous Facebook video featuring salesman Jay Mathis and a young woman looking to take an unusual stop on her test drive.
The Set-Up
The video, presented in classic shot/reverse shot dialogue style with intertitle captions over Tavares’ disco classic “Heaven Must Be Missing an Angel,” captures a conversation that many salespeople have probably experienced but few would admit to accommodating.
The exchange begins innocently enough with the woman asking, “Should we just drive by his house?”
Mathis, maintaining professional composure, responds, “Ma’am, this is a test drive.”
But the customer isn’t easily deterred. “So?" she says. "He won’t know it’s me.”
In a moment that defines excellent customer service (or questionable judgment), Jay’s response seals the deal: “True… Let’s go!”
Above and Beyond Customer Service
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The video’s caption reads, “Get you a salesman who will go above and beyond because Jay Mathis will!”
What makes the ad particularly effective is its authentic feel—this feels like a conversation that could actually happen on any dealership lot.
The ad’s twist is Jay’s willingness to accommodate an unusual request while maintaining the professional boundaries of a test drive. His pragmatic “True… Let’s go!” shows us a salesman who understands that sometimes closing the deal means getting a little weird.
Community Response
The video resonated strongly with viewers who appreciated both the humor and Jay’s customer service. Commenter Danie Youmans captured the sentiment many felt. “He’s ready to make a sale and do a pop up?" Youman wrote. "Give this man a raise.”
The comment sparked a thread of potential customers, with Nicole Swift asking, “What’s this dealership. I will buy a car,” and multiple others expressing similar interest. Madeline Ruby Bermudez declared, “I’m buying my next car from him,” while Autumn Love one-upped with, “[You know] what? Just for that I’m getting 2 cars!”
Ashley-Champale Harris wanted more. “Man needs many raises. My type of carrying on. I need a part 2 to see what happens when they pull up.”
Real-World Test Drive Stories
The video struck a chord with some because it mirrored their real-life experiences.
Heather Cuperus shared her own story. “I was on a test drive and all the sudden we were heading to the rougher spots of town and she looks at me and says, ‘I hope it’s ok we are driving past my ex’s house.’”
Other commenters shared their own unconventional test drive requests. Tisgreat Ness recalled, “My neighbor convinced the salesperson to let him test drive to his house, because he was ready to pay cash that day, but his wife needed to see it and she was at home with the kids.”
Whitney Chastain shared an even more touching example. “My grandma and I had to pause a sale because she needed to get to chemo,” she said. “The sales person said to just take the car with us and come back after lol.”
The Marketing Win
Beyond the humor, viewers appreciated the genuine feel of the advertisement. Alinea Moses noted, “Not him buckling his seatbelt. So cuteeee, love this ad! will definitely remember this place when I’m car shopping again!”
Marie Pettit agreed, “Someone needs to promote the marketing manager.”
The ad’s effectiveness lies in its relatability—it doesn’t promise unrealistic scenarios or perfect customers. Instead, it shows a salesman dealing with real human situations with humor and flexibility.
The Dealership Experience
What Town and Country Ford captured is the reality that car buying is often intertwined with major life events—divorces, moves, family changes, and yes, sometimes the need to drive past an ex’s house. The video suggests that the best salespeople aren’t just product experts, but people who understand that buying a car is rarely just about the car.
The video’s viral success demonstrates that authenticity in advertising can still cut through in an era of polished corporate content and AI slop. A simple conversation between a customer and salesman about an unusual test drive request feels refreshingly honest.
Whether Jay actually let a client drive past their ex’s house in real life remains a mystery, but the willingness to consider it—and the humor of acknowledging the situation—created marketing gold that traditional advertising rarely achieves.
Motor1 emailed the dealership to ask where they got the idea. “We got inspiration from another car dealership's video!” replied social media manager Laurel Ling, showing that along with a sense of humor, the dealership is happy to give credit to others.
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