Buying a Demo car??

bonybynatur2003

bonybynatur2003

O.G.
Nov 2, 2006
626
3
#1
Has any body else ever bought a demo car? Did they tell you that it was a demo before you bought it? And how much did you get off?

DH and I bought a car last week. I had school so he went and did the deal without me. They never mentioned that it was a demo and he didn't notice what the mileage was until after the fact because it was a new car so he didn't check it. I did notice that mileage was a little high-2500K and it kind of ticked me off, but I didn't piece it all together until today (1 week later) when I started to set up all my favorite channels and noticed that there were already favorites set in all the FM and XM channels. I wouldn't say we got a deal-but an ok price. I thought we should have gotten a little more off the price from the get-go but the dealer really didn't give a s**t about making a deal or not. We had already walked out once and gone to another dealer, but the other dealer didn't have what we wanted (I didn't tell them that though). So I was wondering how demo's are normally handled. I think it was shady not to be up front and tell us. Has anybody ever been through this before? And what can I do about it now-1 week later?
 
#3
I bought a demo. I didn't intend to, but I had picked out the exact one that I wanted with all the correct options/colors on the dealership's website, printed out the car's info sheet, brought it in, and it had been used as a demo. The car showed no wear other than the approximately 4000 miles on the odometer and they gave me a brand new set of floor mats. I don't remember exactly how much we saved, but I think it was about $5000, but savings would probably be proportional to the price of the car (mine was $35,000, give or take). We were prepared to pay more, but when we got there and the exact one that I wanted was a demo, we certainly didn't mind saving the extra money. Five years later, I continue to be incredibly impressed with the car's durability and performance.

My car was clearly marked as a demo, though, it said it on the windshield next to the price. I would think that it would be unethical to not disclose that a car had been used for more than test drives in the past (our sales guy said that demos were generally used by managers for business purposes and the like). Did you have to sign off on any kind of mileage when you purchased the car? I'm not sure that there's anything you can do about it now that you've signed the papers except maybe write/call the dealer's manager or owner and complain that you feel like you were lied to.
 
#4
i know warnty wise they start it at what ever the miles were when you bought it so you get a 36k warnty your will be until 38,500. i would just look to see if it was in an accedent, if it was i would try to take it back saying they didnt diclose this before
 
#5
The vehicle I just purchased was a company executive car, and even though it was loaded with very desirable options, the approximately 10,000km it had meant a nice discount. They were also very clear that this wasn't a demo, it was driven by one person, etc etc.

My mom's vehicle was a demo with about 4,000km and they told her and extended the warranty by that much as well.
 
#6
We bought a demo car about 5 years ago....I was informed that the car was a demo, and we got a good deal...I would guess about $4000 off, but I can't remember exactly. The car was nothing but bad news....I don't think it was related to the fact that it was a demo, I think it was just the make/model of that particular vehicle. Go back to the dealer and get it IN WRITING that the warranty will extend past the 30,000 to include the miles already on the car. I had a HUGE issue with the car we bought and then GM didn't want to honor our warranty because it was not in writing that it would include the mileage already on the car. Our warranty should have been something like 34,000 but GM tried to say the warranty begins when the dealer uses the car as a demo....and the dealer would not back me up. Since the problem occured at 30,040 miles I FINALLY got reimbursed for the repairs. It took me 8 months to get my $1200 back that should have been under warranty according to the dealer at the time of purchase. So be careful and protect yourself!
 
#7
i know here in colorado, if you've purchased a car, i believe, by law you have up to 3 days to return it for whatever reason—regardless of signing a contract, etc.

maybe you should research that, especially since they didn't disclose this information.
 
#8
I've purchased two demos. I have never had any problems with either of them, but they were both clearly marked as such.

Check the laws in your area, but I am pretty sure that they would have to tell you about something like that.
 
#9
The dealer has to tell you that the car they are selling you is a demo car and 2500-ish miles is a lot!!!! I was throwing a fit on the last car I bought, which had 77 miles on it. I wouldnt buy demo or executive cars..plp usually drive the sh*t out of that car, because its not theirs to keep. I was offered several demo/executive cars, when I last shopped for a car, and to be honest the discount wasnt great. The salesmen kept insisting its considered a new car and it had like 4500 miles on it. Seriously??? new?? I dont think so. I hate how dealerships try to pull off demo/executive cars as new, because obviously theyre not. I got the exact same discount on a new car (same model/equip/year/everything) as I was offered for the demo car. Unless they're willing to go 5-10k under invoice I wouldnt buy one.
 
#11
azhangie said:
The dealer has to tell you that the car they are selling you is a demo car and 2500-ish miles is a lot!!!! I was throwing a fit on the last car I bought, which had 77 miles on it. I wouldnt buy demo or executive cars..plp usually drive the sh*t out of that car, because its not theirs to keep. I was offered several demo/executive cars, when I last shopped for a car, and to be honest the discount wasnt great. The salesmen kept insisting its considered a new car and it had like 4500 miles on it. Seriously??? new?? I dont think so. I hate how dealerships try to pull off demo/executive cars as new, because obviously theyre not. I got the exact same discount on a new car (same model/equip/year/everything) as I was offered for the demo car. Unless they're willing to go 5-10k under invoice I wouldnt buy one.
Click to expand...

Wow, thanks for insulting all of our cars.

There's absolutely zero wrong with buying a car that has been used as a demo as long as the dealer makes it clear that that was how it was used and you get a discount based on it. There is virtually NO damage that can be done to a car with 5000 or fewer miles of driving as long as the car hasn't been wrecked and the person actually knows how to drive - if it's malfunctioning at that point, it's because it's a lemon, not because someone drove it for a month. I seem to remember you posted previously about problems you've had with your "brand new" car - I've had zero problems with my demo in 5 years, plus I got it for invoice. So it appears that your logic isn't sound based on your own experiences.
 
#12
amanda said:
Wow, thanks for insulting all of our cars.

There's absolutely zero wrong with buying a car that has been used as a demo as long as the dealer makes it clear that that was how it was used and you get a discount based on it. There is virtually NO damage that can be done to a car with 5000 or fewer miles of driving as long as the car hasn't been wrecked and the person actually knows how to drive - if it's malfunctioning at that point, it's because it's a lemon, not because someone drove it for a month. I seem to remember you posted previously about problems you've had with your "brand new" car - I've had zero problems with my demo in 5 years, plus I got it for invoice. So it appears that your logic isn't sound based on your own experiences.
Click to expand...


Amanda is right! And those things are babied like crazy! Its not usually some randon salesmn driving a demo, usually its the manager or someone higher up. All maintenence will be done on it because its free from the dealer. Also most of any little bugs the car may have had will have been worked out by now.
 
#13
When I was 15, my parents bought a demo car. It was a great car and was eventually passed down to me. I drove it until last year when the things that held the engine in the car rusted off. The engine was still running but was literally falling out. By this point it was 12 years old. I got another demo last August and it is great. It was the exact car I wanted at a lower price. I love demos.

I would be very upset if it wasn't communicated to me that it was a demo. It is not a brand new car.
 
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