Ride and Drive

[capriceman]

Well today was the Bearing Burner Associations annual car show and it was at the GM Tech Center. $10 per Car to enter. massive swap meet used car section and car show. i forgot a camera, so I'm sorry guys. well what really caught my eye was GM had a Ride and Drive booth set up with a couple of warren cops that i knew. went to go talk to them.

Well they had a bunch of GM cars. Silverado LTZ, Equinox sport, Silverado HD Durmax, HHR LT, HHR SS, Malibu LTZ, Tahoe hybrid, Trailblazer SS, and Impala SS. Well i sign up why the hell not, right? I took the breathalzer from warren PD. And first take out the HHR LT. go around a roundabout and theres about a 1/2 mile straight and she says give it all she has. have the thing pinned then brake for a sharp left to go to a curvy little road then around this building (which is Powertrain) then over a bunch or rubber chunks to simulate potholes. Then back to the starting lot. It was a pretty nice car. then i go into the HHR SS and its a stick. Damn I had fun power shifting the thing to 70 then around the curves. I like it but i felt it could be a little better. then the Malibu LTZ was next i think thats my next car it had the red leather and trim. it was really quick i was surprised. the ride was superb and it handled excellent. next the Trailblazer SS. comfort was amazing. ride awesome. power for some reason it didn't feel that powerful. Impala SS was next, i love the car but it suffers from the 4 speed. it really kills it. very jerky and rough shifts, but quick. Last one i drove was the Silverado HD. it only had 135 miles. It was awesome though. nice ride and comfort was amazing compared to my sierra.

When waiting for a particular car you could hear people talking about going to a dealership this week and buying one. i never had a person from a dealership in the car im testing say come on is that all you got? go faster! brake harder!

Dear GM, This Ride and Drive program works! spend more money on it and let people beat up your cars at a mall parking lot or something. I want to go tomorrow and buy a Malibu LTZ. This is revolutionary marketing you guys can bank on. The people working with it were excellent too! they answered every question and weren't pushy at all. They even made fun of you when you let off the gas.

I want to go to a ride and drive again, Especially before I'm going to buy a car. It was an amazing experience!

[frogger]

Funny they had something similar at Square One Mall in Mississauga this weekend (they did twice last year as well). Drove the Malibu LTZ and Hybrid, CTS, Solstice GXP (automatic! ouch!).

There was no course setup, you just drove a predetermined route around the mall.

Edited May 5, 2008 by frogger

[GMTruckGuy74]

GM does do this at other car shows - Chevy was present at last year's All-GM Nationals show at Carlisle Fairgrounds in Carlisle, PA. I test drive the all-new 2007 Silverado Crew Cab Z71 4WD there, and had the opportunity to drive other Chevy vehicles but didn't. The GM/Chevy workers told me they travel from show-to-show doing this. Pontiac did this in the past at another All-GM Nationals show there too.

I agree with you 100% and think GM can benefit greatly from this type of promotion. They need to bring back the "Auto Show In Motion" show too, as that was a big hit with many people. My only suggestion - reconsider offering test-drives in the competition's models, as my wife was one to walk away wanting the non-GM cars!

[SuperSport623]

GM does do this at other car shows - Chevy was present at last year's All-GM Nationals show at Carlisle Fairgrounds in Carlisle, PA. I test drive the all-new 2007 Silverado Crew Cab Z71 4WD there, and had the opportunity to drive other Chevy vehicles but didn't. The GM/Chevy workers told me they travel from show-to-show doing this. Pontiac did this in the past at another All-GM Nationals show there too.

I agree with you 100% and think GM can benefit greatly from this type of promotion. They need to bring back the "Auto Show In Motion" show too, as that was a big hit with many people. My only suggestion - reconsider offering test-drives in the competition's models, as my wife was one to walk away wanting the non-GM cars!

i saw them at the Carlisle GM nats last year... tehy wouldnt let me drive anything.. it was my seventeeth birthday for petes sake! they couldnt give me a break?

[daves87rs]

OOOO...I wanna try one of these.....

[!!!TED!!!]

Funny they had something similar at Square One Mall in Mississauga this weekend (they did twice last year as well). Drove the Malibu LTZ and Hybrid, CTS, Solstice GXP (automatic! ouch!).

There was no course setup, you just drove a predetermined route around the mall.

Yeah, thanks for telling me...

[frogger]

Yeah, thanks for telling me...

Sorry! Next time I'll remember to PM you. Apparently each weekend they're at a different mall in the GTA area most of the spring/summer

[Camino LS6]

Did that at last year's Carlisle as well. Flogged an HD pickup and a TrailblazerSS.

I wish there were more such opportunities.

[!!!TED!!!]

Sorry! Next time I'll remember to PM you. Apparently each weekend they're at a different mall in the GTA area most of the spring/summer

lol

was kidding, but woulda gone had i known

[A Horse With No Name]

I'd like to try this...

Chris