[bavarianboar]

How does this work? Have a friend who does not own a car at the moment and therefore has NO insurance whatsoever other than personal medical insurance.

He wants to finance a new E92 or an A5, and obviously wants to take test drives. He is concerned what would happen in case he ends up in an accident during a test drive, which can be entirely someone else's fault.

Do dealers have their vehicles insured in such a way that any of their customers can come and just walk away in case they end up damaging something?

Even then, what about third party damage, liability?

TIA

[ramorendez]

Dunno how it works if there's an incident, but when I went on test drives prior to purchasing my car, I wasn't ever asked for proof of insurance, just a driver's license.

[jopa489]

Originally Posted by ramorendez

Dunno how it works if there's an incident, but when I went on test drives prior to purchasing my car, I wasn't ever asked for proof of insurance, just a driver's license.

Pretty much this. The dealer presumably has insurance if something happens. I assume your friend has his license? He might want to ask the dealer anyway. It would suck to be on the hook for damage, regardless of fault. Those grannies like to mistake the gas for the brake pretty often.

[Kolyan2k]

What the......

Of course dealers have insurance. its not people, its cars that get insured.....even in personal policies.....

[bavarianboar]

Originally Posted by jopa489

Pretty much this. The dealer presumably has insurance if something happens. I assume your friend has his license? He might want to ask the dealer anyway. It would suck to be on the hook for damage, regardless of fault. Those grannies like to mistake the gas for the brake pretty often.

He has a valid license and he has been driving rental cars around for about a month now.

True, if you rear end someone because they braked too much before they take an exit, it is your fault, because you were BEHIND. Happened to another friend of mine when he hit a brand new (3 months old) Nissan Maxima with his 10 year old Nissan Sentra. The girl braked in the middle of the freeway to make it to the exit. And this poor friend of mine had to claim his insurance to pay for the damage.

Originally Posted by Kolyan2k

What the......

Of course dealers have insurance. its not people, its cars that get insured.....even in personal policies.....

Cars are fine. Who is liable, isn't the driver liable in case of personal/bodily injuries? Cars don't drive themselves.

[Kolyan2k]

Originally Posted by bavarianboar

He has a valid license and he has been driving rental cars around for about a month now.

True, if you rear end someone because they braked too much before they take an exit, it is your fault, because you were BEHIND. Happened to another friend of mine when he hit a brand new (3 months old) Nissan Maxima with his 10 year old Nissan Sentra. The girl braked in the middle of the freeway to make it to the exit. And this poor friend of mine had to claim his insurance to pay for the damage.




Cars are fine. Who is liable, isn't the driver liable in case of personal/bodily injuries? Cars don't drive themselves.

a car insurace covers that as well......thats what car insurance is.

And why even worry about something like that.....is he a first time driver

[bavarianboar]

Originally Posted by Kolyan2k

a car insurace covers that as well......thats what car insurance is.

And why even worry about something like that.....is he a first time driver

He isn't a first timer, but you don't know what your nearest neighbor on the road is up to.

[nukezero]

not true. i knew some guy who test drove a WRX at a dealer. He was behind the wheel with the salesman at the time and he took a hard right corner too fast and curbed one of the rims real bad.

The dealer made him pay for it! $350.00 for that rim. The plus side was that he got to take the damaged rim home and he took a picture of it. You would think since the dealer has insurance, they would file a claim with insurance to cover it.

[Orient330iNYC]

most dealerships carry general insurance coverage, with deductibles at 10,000 or more. you would likely be on the hook for whatever their deductible is. they would normally expect a test driver to carry their own ins, which would cover the driver.

i would check with the dealer before going on the test drive. dont try to hide that he has no insurance, or else you may be in for a nasty surprise if the unlikely occurs.

[dlrrake]

from what i've heard it's not worth it

[E90 87ss]

I'm in NJ if it matters, but my friend took a DUB edition charger out and was involved in an accident. Dealer paid for damages.

[Brey335i]

They always just asked me for my license... what they don't know won't hurt them (or you)... unless you have an accident that is

[chromisdesigns]

I would ask what the coverage and limits are, because they could be low. Especially make sure personal liability is included, otherwise your friend could wind up penniless if he was at fault in a bad injury accident.

If you don't ask, you don't know. It's that simple.

[hubble bubble]

One of the benefits of dealer plates is that ANY car they are on are coverd by the dealer's insurance policy. deductible may be high, but they are insured.

[chromisdesigns]

Originally Posted by hubble bubble

One of the benefits of dealer plates is that ANY car they are on are coverd by the dealer's insurance policy. deductible may be high, but they are insured.

yes, the DEALER is insured, no question. But what of the driver, with regards to personal liability?

[dreamingat30fps]

I've been on a few test drives recently and wasn't even asked for my license.

[HPIA4v2]

Originally Posted by dreamingat30fps

I've been on a few test drives recently and wasn't even asked for my license.

If the CA knows you no doubt.
My CA just tosses the key and let me test drive new vert on my own.

But last month I went to different dealer, the CA there didn't know me from prior so the whole enchilada (DL + insurance card info req'd).

OP:
Just tell the CA that your friend has no insurance, I always want to be clear what my risks are. Would you let a stanger w/o insurance drive your brand new car?.

[wesborl898]

I never sign anything when I test drive cars, therefore I am not responsible LEGALLY.

There is no binding contract of any kind. They simply ALLOW me to use their vehicle with their consent, it is their responsibility.

Turning in your drivers license for a photo copy doesn't constitute anything. They might try to sue you in court but courts will only look at legally binding contracts or else, they will blame the dealer for lending the car to you.

[chromisdesigns]

Originally Posted by wesborl898

I never sign anything when I test drive cars, therefore I am not responsible LEGALLY.

There is no binding contract of any kind. They simply ALLOW me to use their vehicle with their consent, it is their responsibility.

Turning in your drivers license for a photo copy doesn't constitute anything. They might try to sue you in court but courts will only look at legally binding contracts or else, they will blame the dealer for lending the car to you.

Wrong -- you could stil be held personally liable by a third party in an accident. Whether the BMW dealer could recover damages might be in question, but it might not. Suppose you lend your car to a friend (no insurance, but you don't know that) and he wrecks it. Aren't you going to go after him for damages? Of course you are.

[phil.]

Originally Posted by wesborl898

I never sign anything when I test drive cars, therefore I am not responsible LEGALLY.

There is no binding contract of any kind. They simply ALLOW me to use their vehicle with their consent, it is their responsibility.

Turning in your drivers license for a photo copy doesn't constitute anything. They might try to sue you in court but courts will only look at legally binding contracts or else, they will blame the dealer for lending the car to you.

smokin' crack. if you decide to drive it off a bridge, you're saying it's their responsibility? by not signing anything, it's true you're under no pre-agreed to terms of liability, but you can be sure that either the dealer and/or their insurer can come after you and make you legally responsible for any damages. driver's license is to prove you're licensed to drive a car in your state, but also to identify you in case of an accident.

[E92-Lighting]

usually they just ask for a drivers license

[Chriztofor]

Originally Posted by phil.

smokin' crack. if you decide to drive it off a bridge, you're saying it's their responsibility? by not signing anything, it's true you're under no pre-agreed to terms of liability, but you can be sure that either the dealer and/or their insurer can come after you and make you legally responsible for any damages. driver's license is to prove you're licensed to drive a car in your state, but also to identify you in case of an accident.

+1