Not air vents, unfortunately. I want to vent. I had made an appointment for today to test-drive a CTS-V. When I made the appointment, I very clearly asked if there would be a manual transmission CTS-V (coupe, sedan, or wagon). They said they'd have a manual coupe, along with an auto CTS wagon I could look at to get a feeling of the size and layout. When I got there, they did not have any manual CTS-V models, nor did they have any CTS wagons. I was a little disappointed, but I asked to drive the auto CTS-V coupe. The handling and ride is truly wonderful, and it is clear the engine will be an absolute pleasure even in very heavy traffic. It's very, very smooth, even at very low speeds. During the test ride, I asked the salesperson about switching the magnetic ride control from touring to sport, and he said that there was no such option on the Coupe. I really, really would have liked to compare the two modes while driving the car. I'm certain that he was wrong, given how often I've read about the modes on this forum, but I didn't want to pull over and try and find how to do it by doing google searches on my phone.
When the test ride was done, I told them I liked the car quite a bit but given that I want a stick I wanted to be able to come back on another day and
a) test drive either a coupe, sedan, or wagon with a stick, and
b) see a CTS wagon
They said that they knew of a manual wagon at another dealer, and if I wanted to put down a deposit they would get the wagon for me. I told them I was not buying a manual CTS-V without test driving another manual CTS-V first. They then offered the option of ordering the wagon, with a large deposit. I again told them I was not buying a manual CTS-V without test driving another manual CTS-V first. We had this somewhat circular discussion for a while, and then they grudgingly told me where this manual wagon was. It's actually not too bad of a drive to get there, so I'll go to the other dealer and try it out.
I really left the dealer with a bad taste in my mouth, and unfortunately I don't want to work with them. It's too bad, as they are by far the most conveniently located dealer in terms of bringing in the car for service.
Seriously, is it too much to insist on test driving a manual CTS-V (especially if I'm willing to try a coupe, sedan, or wagon) before putting down any deposits? I think it's entirely reasonable, and even if I'm wrong I'm still not buying a manual CTS-V unless I can drive one first.
When the test ride was done, I told them I liked the car quite a bit but given that I want a stick I wanted to be able to come back on another day and
a) test drive either a coupe, sedan, or wagon with a stick, and
b) see a CTS wagon
They said that they knew of a manual wagon at another dealer, and if I wanted to put down a deposit they would get the wagon for me. I told them I was not buying a manual CTS-V without test driving another manual CTS-V first. They then offered the option of ordering the wagon, with a large deposit. I again told them I was not buying a manual CTS-V without test driving another manual CTS-V first. We had this somewhat circular discussion for a while, and then they grudgingly told me where this manual wagon was. It's actually not too bad of a drive to get there, so I'll go to the other dealer and try it out.
I really left the dealer with a bad taste in my mouth, and unfortunately I don't want to work with them. It's too bad, as they are by far the most conveniently located dealer in terms of bringing in the car for service.
Seriously, is it too much to insist on test driving a manual CTS-V (especially if I'm willing to try a coupe, sedan, or wagon) before putting down any deposits? I think it's entirely reasonable, and even if I'm wrong I'm still not buying a manual CTS-V unless I can drive one first.