Buying ex demo/service car

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Tue 12 Aug 2014 08:33
Buying ex demo/service car - sambi

I have seen some really good prices on ex demo/service cars. I'm a little hesitant about buying one - should I be wary about demo cars or should there be no problem in going ahead with a deal on one?

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Tue 12 Aug 2014 11:42
Buying ex demo/service car - double_tap_that

Back in 2000 i bought a demo car, it was a mx5, in yellow, the dealer who had it in his showroom knocked off £2000 and gave me warrenty plus still had mazdas warrenty.

With only 50miles on the clock, it was basically a new car.

So yes, I would have no problem being an ex demo car.

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Tue 12 Aug 2014 12:14
Buying ex demo/service car - Falkirk Bairn

>>With only 50miles on the clock, it was basically a new car.

I think the OP means a car that ahs been used as a demo/free loan during service (& cash damage repair etc) with maybe 5,000 miles in say 6 months.

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Tue 12 Aug 2014 12:29
Buying ex demo/service car - RobJP

>>With only 50miles on the clock, it was basically a new car.

I think the OP means a car that ahs been used as a demo/free loan during service (& cash damage repair etc) with maybe 5,000 miles in say 6 months.

I don't think there's any reason why you wouldn't buy a 6 month old car like that.

It'll have been driven in a variety of ways by different drivers, which is good for ensuring the piston rings are properly bedded in. If there have been any glitches, it'll have been into the workshop to have them fixed (after all, who's going to buy a new car off you if the demonstrator is faulty), and if it's been a service car, they aren't generally driven stupidly (the insurance excess sees to that).

The only point for me would be the price. I'd be looking to see what the new car cost (best broker price) and then looking for anything from 10 to 20% off that, if it was 6 months/5k miles old.

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Tue 12 Aug 2014 13:03
Buying ex demo/service car - gordonbennet
If there have been any glitches, it'll have been into the workshop to have them fixed (after all, who's going to buy a new car off you if the demonstrator is faulty), and if it's been a service car

You'd be right in thinking that, unfortunately the dealer demo Pathfinder went into limp mode as SWMBO romped away from the traffic lights, salesman thought it quite reasonable to have to stop, and restart to clear that little fault.

We bought a Hilux, but not the demo for two reasons, 1, we got a brand new one cheaper from the same main dealer (to be fair they looked after me well as i delivered many of their new cars and looked after them), and 2, one of the sales geezers spun the demo out on a wet roundabout and wrote it off.

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Tue 12 Aug 2014 12:32
Buying ex demo/service car - coopshere
Same rules apply to buying any second hand car, it is now second hand as it will be registered to either the manufacturer or the dealer.

Don't be fooled into thinking it's almost new so it will be alright, you need to know its value as a second hand car with the mileage it has covered. If it has been used as a customer service car then it's use will be have similar to a hire car.

It may be a good buy if the price is right.
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Tue 12 Aug 2014 13:06
Buying ex demo/service car - gordonbennet
If it has been used as a customer service car then it's use will be have similar to a hire car. .

And if its a Diesel, the same increased risk of misfuelling as hire cars, again, not a deal breaker but something else to consider.

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Tue 12 Aug 2014 14:43
Buying ex demo/service car - Manatee

Bought for my uncle a 3 month old, 2,100 mile Skoda Roomster recently at about 28% off new list price. Described as an ex-demonstrator, it appeared mint on collection, and drove and sounded exactly as the mechanically identical new one I also took delivery of a week earlier. It was about £2,000 less than the cheaper broker price for a new one.

It may equally have been a service loan car - the web pictures had clearly had the dealer name phot***opped off the side! No trace remained when we collected it.

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Tue 12 Aug 2014 14:48
Buying ex demo/service car - Andrew-T

The key to making your decision is finding out exactly what use it has had. All sorts of labels are attached to nearly-new cars - ex-demo, ex-rental, hire, management, staff, .... You just have to ask the right questions and look at the V5 (reg.doc). There will be no service history of course. And look for any evidence of resprays.

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