New Car - Is Display Model Classed As A New Car?

crowncd

We're due to collect our brand new car on 1 March. We called into the dealership last week to sort out a few things and a car was on display that was to the exact specification as the one we have ordered. This car however, was available for potential customers to sit in and 'play around' with the controls although I don't think it had been driven on the road as yet. 
Having ordered the car as 'brand new' I'm concerned that if this is actually our car am I being unreasonable in expecting the car to be locked and not available for others to sit in etc whilst in the showroom?. I do appreciate that garage staff etc. have to drive the car for preparation purposes etc. 

Hasbeen

crowncd said:

We're due to collect our brand new car on 1 March. We called into the dealership last week to sort out a few things and a car was on display that was to the exact specification as the one we have ordered. This car however, was available for potential customers to sit in and 'play around' with the controls although I don't think it had been driven on the road as yet. 
Having ordered the car as 'brand new' I'm concerned that if this is actually our car am I being unreasonable in expecting the car to be locked and not available for others to sit in etc whilst in the showroom?. I do appreciate that garage staff etc. have to drive the car for preparation purposes etc. 

What did the dealer say when you asked?

EmmyLou30

Are you getting a significant discount for it being 'shop soiled'? I think if they're giving you a good discount they may well take the view they can continue to allow people to sit in it. If however you're getting no discount then I would say to them that you would prefer not to risk even more cosmetic damage to the car (people's coat buttons etc scratching the interior, mucky feet kicking the door pockets etc) so could they please allow no further use of YOUR car. That said if it were me I wouldn't buy a potentially scuffed up demo from the show room without a good discount.

crowncd

We are paying full price for the car and it's top of the range. It's a brand new model and no discounts available so far although we did squeeze some free car mats out of them.
Rather naively whilst in the showroom the risk of some cosmetic damage occurring didn't strike me so nothing was said. 

Penguin_

What brand is the car you're buying? When I worked for the VW/Merc?Audi dealership, we would give our customers their order number & they could track it online. From what you're saying, no one has even suggested you're getting the car that is residing in the showroom though.

crowncd

We're having the new MG HS and no, no one has stated that the car in the showroom is our car. As a new model however, they are in short(ish) supply but maybe it's my suspicious mind. 

Hasbeen

Penguin_ said:

What brand is the car you're buying? When I worked for the VW/Merc?Audi dealership, we would give our customers their order number & they could track it online. From what you're saying, no one has even suggested you're getting the car that is residing in the showroom though.

The only way to know is to ask the dealer?

k3lvc

What car are you buying where a top spec version has no discount available ? If you're paying full price then you need to balance the value of showroom version available immediately vs car produced for you in x weeks (or even months) time.
If they hadn't told you would you have known it wasn't fresh out of production if they'd prepped it correctly ? 

crowncd

We actually ordered the car in early December but wanted to wait for March delivery.

k3lvc

crowncd said:

We actually ordered the car in early December but wanted to wait for March delivery.

So what's the car and were you given an order number allowing you to track production/delivery ? I'd be more worried about any changes of spec between the showroom car (which may have been produced some time ago) and a 'new' car that someone would expect to receive in March

crowncd

We weren't given an order number to track the car production/delivery. The model is a new one for MG so there is no change in specification.