Demo car buying

Grant0033

Hello, I'm considering buying a demo car from an official dealer. The car mileage is about 3000 km. Do you think I can trust the dealer? I have heard that sometimes demo cars have damage. I saw videos on Youtube when people checked the official demo car and found unpleasant surprises. Cars have sometimes been crashed during accidents, repainted, and so on. Is that true? How could I be sure about a vehicle that I want to buy? 

Thanks for your answers 😉

AdrianC

Any new car may have had transit damage repaired prior to registration, demo or otherwise. Some estimates reckon that applies to about a third of all new cars. Think about the logistics chain... On and off trucks, trains, ships, stored in compounds, half-way-round-the-world...

And that's before considering what may have happened post-registration for any used car.

How to be sure about any vehicle? Look at it. Carefully. If you don't know what you're looking at, ask somebody that does.

Louie3166

Grant0033 said:

Hello, I'm considering buying a demo car from an official dealer. The car mileage is about 3000 km. Do you think I can trust the dealer? I have heard that sometimes demo cars have damage. I saw videos on Youtube when people checked the official demo car and found unpleasant surprises. Cars have sometimes been crashed during accidents, repainted, and so on. Is that true? How could I be sure about a vehicle that I want to buy? 

Thanks for your answers 😉

Yes, I have also heard that. Try to ask your dealer for a VIN code and check the car on Carvertical, Carfax or Autodna. Also, if you have a possibility show your car to mechanic. He can see the damage that is hidden or not registered.

cattom

if it has been damaged in any way, then it will have to of been repaired to or above the original spec to stay within the manufacturers warranty. ex demo vecihles are a good way of buying a new car, because the initial depreciation that happens as soon as any car is registered has all ready taken place. also you are buying a car that's been tried and tested. so hopefully the potential is there to get a good deal. ask the dealer if they give you tank of fuel and some mats, all in the price.

williamgriffin

Louie3166 said:

Grant0033 said:

Hello, I'm considering buying a demo car from an official dealer. The car mileage is about 3000 km. Do you think I can trust the dealer? I have heard that sometimes demo cars have damage. I saw videos on Youtube when people checked the official demo car and found unpleasant surprises. Cars have sometimes been crashed during accidents, repainted, and so on. Is that true? How could I be sure about a vehicle that I want to buy? 

Thanks for your answers 😉

Yes, I have also heard that. Try to ask your dealer for a VIN code and check the car on Carvertical, Carfax or Autodna. Also, if you have a possibility show your car to mechanic. He can see the damage that is hidden or not registered.

How can a mechanic see unregistered repaired damage?

brend10

Some people believe that buying a demo car is similar to buying a new one. It's not true. I think you should follow similar steps like buying a used vehicle. I think the most important thing to do before buying a demo car is: ask about the car's history and check it by yourself; negotiate the price; check everything on the car; don't take the deal immediately compared to different choices. Be very careful because the first sight could be deceptive. Good luck.

facade

williamgriffin said:

How can a mechanic see unregistered repaired damage?

Because it is virtually impossible to completely hide a significant repair. It may be "repaired to manufacturer standards" but there will still be evidence- discolorations, stickers on panels, date codes that don't match, spotwelds in the "wrong" places.

Then there are things like overspray, misalignment, seam sealer differences............

Tbh, with a demo car, I'd be more concerned that it had been driven unsmpathetically by a lot of drivers, usually for short journeys when cold- you don't have a test drive in a 650BHP car and drive it like a milkfloat for example, whearas if it was your own car, you'd meticulously adhere to the running in schedule

Louie3166

williamgriffin said:

Louie3166 said:

Grant0033 said:

Hello, I'm considering buying a demo car from an official dealer. The car mileage is about 3000 km. Do you think I can trust the dealer? I have heard that sometimes demo cars have damage. I saw videos on Youtube when people checked the official demo car and found unpleasant surprises. Cars have sometimes been crashed during accidents, repainted, and so on. Is that true? How could I be sure about a vehicle that I want to buy? 

Thanks for your answers 😉

Yes, I have also heard that. Try to ask your dealer for a VIN code and check the car on Carvertical, Carfax or Autodna. Also, if you have a possibility show your car to mechanic. He can see the damage that is hidden or not registered.

How can a mechanic see unregistered repaired damage?

The mechanic is a professional who could say if any parts are not original/changed. I am talking about damage, which registred by insurance companies. Such info you could see in Carvertical, Carfax, or reports from other sites. But if the damage is not registered, only professionals could evaluate the real condition of the vehicle.

Penelopa.Pitstop

Check paint depth if you are afraid it was crashed and repaired. Also, there are demo cars used by employees and demo cars used by customers as courtesy car. It can make a difference in condition. I bought ex-demo at 5000 miles and it had no issues, except I had to change front tyres at 10K miles, as they worn out faster than expected. Later set of tyres lasted me 15K miles each, so different style of driving.

On the other hand, I had courtesy car from Merc and it suffered damage to the bonnet, when big stone hit it and made a dent. Car was one week old, so I'm sure it was left like this until it was prepared for sale and bonnet repaired and painted.

ontheroad1970

facade said:

williamgriffin said:

How can a mechanic see unregistered repaired damage?

Because it is virtually impossible to completely hide a significant repair. It may be "repaired to manufacturer standards" but there will still be evidence- discolorations, stickers on panels, date codes that don't match, spotwelds in the "wrong" places.

Then there are things like overspray, misalignment, seam sealer differences............

Tbh, with a demo car, I'd be more concerned that it had been driven unsmpathetically by a lot of drivers, usually for short journeys when cold- you don't have a test drive in a 650BHP car and drive it like a milkfloat for example, whearas if it was your own car, you'd meticulously adhere to the running in schedule

Isn't a running in schedule something that died out some time in the 90's?

[Deleted User]

cattom said:

if it has been damaged in any way, then it will have to of been repaired to or above the original spec to stay within the manufacturers warranty. ex demo vecihles are a good way of buying a new car, because the initial depreciation that happens as soon as any car is registered has all ready taken place. also you are buying a car that's been tried and tested. so hopefully the potential is there to get a good deal. ask the dealer if they give you tank of fuel and some mats, all in the price.

Tried and tested = lots of short journeys up and down local roads which might be ragged depending on what sort of car it is and what the salesman thought the buyer would like to see e.g. a car that might be driven by a boy racer like a civic could be revved and "raced" during the test drive. For a diesel that's not the greatest start to the car. A demo might also be loaned to someone whose car was in for service/repair and treated badly.