kick some tires: meaning & examples

Meanings:

• 1.

  United Statesgeneralinformalcolloquial
  • To examine or test something briefly and superficially to assess its general condition or suitability, especially before purchase or use.
  • To perform a quick, informal trial or inspection intended to identify obvious defects or to form a preliminary opinion.

  Examples

  Beta

  • Before buying the used car, Sarah decided to kick some tires to check for any obvious issues.

    Antes de comprar el coche usado, Sarah decidió inspeccionarlo superficialmente para detectar problemas evidentes.

  • We spent a few minutes kicking some tires on the new equipment to make sure everything was working.

    Pasamos unos minutos probando superficialmente el nuevo equipo para asegurarnos de que todo funcionaba.

  • They kicked some tires at the store to see if the laptops were in good condition before purchasing.

    Inspeccionaron superficialmente las laptops en la tienda para ver si estaban en buen estado antes de comprar.

  • I always like to kick some tires before committing to a major purchase, just to be safe.

    Siempre me gusta inspeccionar superficialmente antes de comprometerme con una compra importante, solo para estar seguro.

• 2.

  United Statesgeneralinformalcolloquial
  • To evaluate a person, plan, or proposal in a casual or preliminary way in order to determine whether further consideration is warranted.

  Examples

  Beta

  • The investors kicked some tires on the startup's business model before deciding to fund it.

    Los inversionistas evaluaron de manera preliminar el modelo de negocio de la startup antes de decidir financiarla.

  • We’re just kicking some tires with this proposal; no final decisions have been made yet.

    Solo estamos evaluando preliminarmente esta propuesta; aún no se han tomado decisiones finales.

  • Before partnering with the new vendor, the company kicked some tires to assess their reliability.

    Antes de asociarse con el nuevo proveedor, la empresa evaluó de manera preliminar su confiabilidad.