New car turns out to be an ex display model ...

Kilty_2

If this car is pre-registered you MUST check when it was actually registered (DVLA vehicle enquiry - google it) - warranty starts from the day the car was registered, not the day you pick it up.

Pre-reg cars normally have a SUBSTANTIAL discount on list price so if you've paid full list I'd be telling them where to stick it....

Plus you'll be the 2nd keeper, not the first....

(all of this assumes the car is already registered to the dealer and is going to be transferred to you - which I assume it is since you said you weren't able to choose the registration number)

yoni_one

Kilty wrote: »

If this car is pre-registered you MUST check when it was actually registered (DVLA vehicle enquiry - google it) - warranty starts from the day the car was registered, not the day you pick it up.

Pre-reg cars normally have a SUBSTANTIAL discount on list price so if you've paid full list I'd be telling them where to stick it....

Plus you'll be the 2nd keeper, not the first....

(all of this assumes the car is already registered to the dealer and is going to be transferred to you - which I assume it is since you said you weren't able to choose the registration number)

I just checked the vehicle enquiry and it was reg on 28/05/10. I was told that it would be reg in May because that is when I bought it and it would make their figures look good for that month without affecting me one way or the other.

I know I am going to sound an idiot here (if not already) but given the above I can assume from this that it isn't pre-reg?

Kilty_2

yoni_one wrote: »

I just checked the vehicle enquiry and it was reg on 28/05/10. I was told that it would be reg in May because that is when I bought it and it would make their figures look good for that month without affecting me one way or the other.

I know I am going to sound an idiot here (if not already) but given the above I can assume from this that it isn't pre-reg?

Yes I assume if it was only registered a couple of days ago then it's registered to you as the first keeper

So just see what you can squeeze out of them and don't use that dealer again, imo (I wouldn't bother trying to get servicing out of them, because I wouldn't go back to them!)

only_mee

No, it was freshly registered for you.

mountainofdebt

I'm assuming your car was one of those that are sat inside the showroom, given the low mileage.

I know sometimes that a certain period of time has to pass before they can sell demonstrators so I'm wondering if this was the case with the other car that you fancied.

Also from my experience, these cars are not actually sat in unless they are seriously considering test driving a car, so I doubt very much that there would have been much fiddling with if that makes sense.

As for the registration number I don't believe you can actually chose your number now - I think that the cars are allocated registration numbers by the DVLA on a first come first served basis but can check that tomorrow.

I'm not sure how I would feel about it tbh.....I guess we're all different in that respect.

lrr_2

When I bought my car in 2006 I couldnt choose the number plate, it was just allocated.

sw67

When i purchased a new car last month i was of the opposite view. I was offered the showroom car as it was the colour i wanted and was able to inspect it including a test drive before purchasing. I was happy with the deal and the car as i knew exactly what i was getting a week later

vikingaero

I don't see the problem with an ex-display model as long as it hasn't been damaged/scuffed etc.

If you are going to negotiate or reject the car about the fact that you found out it was an ex-display model then ask to inspect the car NOW and not at point of delivery. If any trim is damaged or scuffed cosmetically then tell them that you want the parts replaced. Some parts may be too expensive to replace, such as the dashboard, so you would be better off getting a new car. If they don't like it tough.

yoni_one

It's really helpful to hear the different views.

I guess for me it boils down to me wanting to be the first to twiddle my own knobs and believing I have paid for that right given the amount of money I have just spent.

I have telephoned around a few dealers and asked general questions about the expectations of a 'new' car and all the feedback seems to be the same, that a car may stand in the showroom with stickers on it, public who are interested may sit inside the car and play with the knobs, fart on the seats etc., equally some are not even unlocked but either way they are considered to be brand new.

This is my first time buying new and I am majorly surprised that all this is considered ok. I know for sure that with any other large purchase I expect to pay less for ex-display, even if it has not been used in the store.

I have also discovered that the car I have ordered is now very difficult to get in the colour I want so my choice may be to take this one and try and pretend I didn't see her on a bad bonnet day or cancel the order and go for a colour I don't want or a different car entirely.

If I had only left it til tomorrow I would have spared myself this disappointment and instead been doing a happy dance as I bonded with her.

There's a lesson in all this - jetlag sucks!

Again thanks for all your comments and I will still see if I can negotiate a little something with the manager that leaves me completely happy with the purchase.

The last thing I want is fall out with my new car.

MrSmartprice

I'm afraid there is some bad advice on this thread. You need to consider the definition of a new car. It is deemed new on date of first registration, so if it were on display unregistered prior to that, then it is new when supplied to the OP. (Case law has reinforced this definition.) There is no justification to reject the car at that point and a court would support the dealer. Unless there were faults that would support rejection, of course.