Car Salesman Says You Don’t Need To Go To A Dealership For A Test Drive. Are Takeout Test Drives The Next Big Thing?: 'Way Easier'

“You don’t have to drive all the way to a dealership for a test drive,” a Van Nuys, California, car seller is telling potential customers.

One of the most infuriating parts of buying from a dealership is the war of attrition management puts you through. You spend more time arguing over price points and manager checks than assessing the car. By this dealership’s own admission, it can take anywhere from three to five hours to complete the entire process.

But for folks who don’t want to spend half a workday just to give someone their money, dealership worker Peter Rylee (@peter_rylee) says there’s an alternative. And it’s that workers can drive cars directly to you. He says that his business isn’t the only one that offers folks “takeout test drives,” before breaking down what these entail.

“What we do is show up at [a] customer’s door, take the vehicle for a test drive, and then go back to the dealership. This way you can save a ton of time, and it will be way easier to make a decision on the purchase,” he states.

At-Home Test Drives

Also known as “mobile” or “home delivery” test drives, there are indeed some auto sellers who engage in this practice.

This Golden State dealer, Roseville Toyota, writes on its website that it provides prospective buyers an “at home test drive” option. Like Rylee, the company writes that the practice is designed to help patrons save time.

“We all lead busy lives … sometimes it is hard to carve out time to drive to the dealership to shop … that is why Roseville Toyota offers the ‘At Home Test Drive’ to your home or office,” it states.

Understandably, the business says that this option isn't a new practice, either. Car and Driver wrote in May of 2020 that Infiniti dealerships began giving car buyers the option to pay for their rides digitally. This initiative came hand-in-hand with home test drives. While this practice doesn’t seem to have helped Infiniti’s sales, there are other automakers who may look at the practice more favorably. Another luxury brand, Genesis, also gives clients the option to test drive its vehicles at home. KIA, Ford, and this Honda dealership tout the perk as well.

Gallery: 2018 BMW X3 virtual test drive on Mars

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Drivers Think Dealerships Stink

Auto Alert assessed data pertaining to the car buying process and identified why so many buyers seem to hate it—and it doesn’t look like the process is getting much better.

“The primary reason buyers leave dealerships is frustration caused by unnecessary friction,” the website wrote. Some 58% of car shoppers said that they “encountered a problem at the dealership in 2025,” which is an 8% increase from the year prior.

The company writes that there were nine specific points of contention that led to customers giving up on an auto purchase. Slow response times from sellers and incongruent pricing between online and showroom stickers all caused many patrons to search for a car elsewhere.

Another major factor that killed sales: time in the showroom. This 2026 study of buying friction points highlights a sharp decline in completing a deal the longer it takes.

Sixty-four percent of customers end up signing on the dotted line for a vehicle if the whole process takes less than two hours. Anything more than that, and that figure drops drastically to only 35%.

So, it’s safe to assume that car sellers, like the business Rylee works for, know what they’re doing by offering takeout test drives.

Smart Test Drive Practices

One car enthusiast who goes by Kevin Hunter The Homework Guy claims that many drivers don’t know what they should be looking for on a test drive. Consequently, he shared a list of boxes folks should tick whenever they take a car out for a spin.

First off, Kevin says that negotiation for car sales should always be done from home and not at a dealership. Test drives are primarily used by dealerships to try and get people inside to negotiate a deal. Instead, Kevin and his co-host say the drives are a “fact-finding mission.” First, perform a walk-around of the vehicle.

During this assessment, you should look for curb rash, mismatched paint, uneven gaps, or worn out/uneven tires. He also advises doing a sniff test: does the car smell musty or smokey? Is there an air freshener possibly masking any gnarly smells?

Under the hood, drivers should attempt to look for any rust or corrosion, leaks, and any evidence of recent steam cleaning.

While driving the car on the road, do so with as much silence as possible. Don’t play music, and try to listen for any squeaks or noises that could be problematic.

Additionally, the YouTubers advise that folks bring the potential new ride on the highway and see how it performs at higher speeds. Furthermore, they recommend driving on side roads to see how the car handles uneven pavement and bumps. Inside of a parking lot, see how the ride handles u-turns and other tight maneuvers. It’s also always a good idea to perform a break check.

Motor1 has reached out to Rylee via text for further comment. We will update this story if he responds.