[Mad Max]

Please don't take the demo car. You've waited for this long. What's 4 weeks more from a timing perspective? I understand the commuting challenges but please drop the idea of taking the demo car. Unless there are deep discounts and its from a trust worthy dealer, you need not take this unwarranted risk.

[arun_josie]

Originally Posted by Altocumulus

No additional discounts. The usual 35k consumer discount and corporate discount of 2.5 k.

Definitely you should ask for more discount. And if you are going ahead with this one, then also make sure that all the door locks/door closing sound, hand brake, boot door/lock, fuel inlet opener, bonnet opener etc are working fine because these are some of the parts which are abused or regularly used by the people in a display car. And all the buttons as well.

[audioholic]

Originally Posted by Altocumulus

I booked a Ritz Zxi on 7th September. The car is not dispatched yet. However there is another dealer who has just one Zxi but is a showroom display car. Doesnt seem to have any scratches. Its a May 2014 car as per the VIN. Regular discounts. Do I take it ?

Hey,
I brought a Dzire in the end of august. The car was manufactured in June, and was despatched from factory on July 10th(parking slip of maruti yard which contains IN and OUT details) which meant that it was a end June manufactured car. Since there was no stock available at that time, and we required a car immediately, GM of the dealership whom I know very well pointed out to this car which was on display. The next obvious thing I had in mind was whether to go for this one or not. According to him,

1. The car has been safely kept in the showroom and hasn't been driven anywhere. ODO read 19kms.
2. Compared to other cars this hasn't baked in the sun in their yard.

But my concerns were
1. Car being abused by visitors, children and what not. Opening and closing the doors, slamming them hard, turning knobs, controls.
2. Suppose this was a transit damage car which was repaired and then brought here.

I was let to do a thorough PDI at the dealership itself. I checked for any loose panel, handle, switch etc. Couldn't find anything wrong. The carpet was soiled at a point which they cleaned up. The keys were kept away from the car and I got I later. Checked the parameters through OBD port which also seemed fine. After a thorough inspection of the body for accidental damage, I sealed the deal and agreed to take the car the very next day. The car was then locked and no one was allowed in later.

The deal I was able to cut for this one was I got Paint sealant + underbody coating free from the dealer. In addition, got reverse sensors and corner protectors.

In all, if you find that the car is okay, no harm in buying a display car, as long as its not too old and not looking suspicious. OTOH, while buying this Dzire, I went to another showroom in my native itself, but was shocked to find a half repainted Dzire as a display car. Then I concluded that they push such cars to rural areas to dispose off to innocent customers. Hence we brought the car in Bangalore itself at a place who knew me and my choosy attitude Speaking of abuse, display car would be anyday better than a car that might have been used to offer test drives. Things like slamming of doors, meddling with controls are bound to happen in daily life when we have some irritating people in the car who travel with us. At the most, a loose handle can be replaced so is a damaged trim. However if a new engine is abused by a TD, that is more unwelcome and will affect things in the long run.

[phanitha]

hi Gurus,

Please suggest, i am getting a VW Vento Demo car 2013 June model, completed 4000 Kms for a discount of 2.5 lakhs on Ex Show room price. the Car is in scratchless condition and i would be the first owner for the car and also the car has all the warranty like a new car. would it be a wise decision to go with this car, over all on road price would be around 9 Lakhs where a new car is coming for 11 lakhs on road. maximum i may bring down to 8.75 lakhs.

I intend to use the car for 5 years from now.

Pradeep

[arnabchak]

@ Pradeep

Pls. avoid. It is a VAG vehicle and be vary of expensive reapirs should a part fail.
Also, a Demo vehicle would have been driven by hordes of people with diverse driving dynamics.

Reasons to avoid:

1) Irrespective of whether a manufacturer claims it or not, you need a 1000 kms run in period. In your case, the car would most certainly not have been run in.

2) You are the new owner of a old car. Multiple "prospective" owners have driven the car in diverse driving methods. This will certainly have a load on the engine is a new car.

3) VAG after sales is one of the worst in the country. God forbid, you have a car that may require some parts outside warranty/not covered by warranty, you are looking at huge bills which may mitigate your savings.

4) You are getting a close to 1.5 year old car. Consider the depreciation and the discount automatically come to nil.

5) Irrespective of keeping the car for 5 years, VW resale is low. So, even when you sell a Jun 2013 against an Jun 2014 VW, the price differential will be huge.

BEST SAID: AVOID. Get a new car and enjoy Man!!

[neethi_raj]

Hi phanitha,
It is seems to be a good deal, but kindly consider the following before you decide.

1. Vento is already at a discount of nearly a lakh. so you are just getting a discount of 1 lakh over the new car. (11 to 9 is only 2 lakhs)
2. Are you absolutely sure the car ran for only 4k kms?

On the brighter side, Vento is a solidly built car. So, I wouldn't worry too much. If you are ok with the above 2 points, bargain a little harder and who knows you could get a killer deal.

[SaurabhSaran]

Pradip, I would say stay away from the deal.

Most of the points are already very well explained by @arnabchak

My two cents to this, all of the regular maintenance/replacement will come to you 1.5/2 years early like tyres and battery which are not covered under warranty.

And here you are getting a used or may be abused car with registration papers saying NEW. Abused I am saying as many of the customers who come to test drive the vehicle some time pushes the vehicle to its limit to check how it behaves. Speeding, sudden braking and late gear shift are the most common checks what people do with demo-cars.

Although we can not be sure that the new car we get was never been offered by the dealer to some prospective buyer in the absence of TD vehicle at showroom but here it’s an official Demo-Car.

Originally Posted by neethi_raj

Hi phanitha,
On the brighter side, Vento is a solidly built car.

But solid built can not assure long-life if not used properly and incase of TD vehicles this can't be assured when its driven by hundred of drivers.

[svsantosh]

Phanita,

1) Check with another showroom what is the BEST possible price of the same car (new) today - this would include the so called 1Lac company cash discount which may be there due to Diwali season...

2) Check the used car market for a same month car, say, used for 1000Km a month till now (15K approx) and its price...

3) If you are getting 2.5Lacs off that ^ (USED CAR) price, it is a good deal. 2013 is toooooo old friend!! You should get it for even more less.

...Of course Granted the car is free from major accidents. Also get a VAG/OBD Scan done before your eyes to show the actual running life of the engine/car. Also ensure tyres and batteries are in decent condition.

[::CMS::]

The clutch and the brake pads are the two major parts that are bad in the demo cars. So check them apart from the tyres and the other common parts, also check for the wear and tear on the tyres for any unevenness. If these are fine, I dont see any issue in going for a demo car if you get it for a killer price. You may have to spend a 6-8k for a in-out detailing session to make it fresh and new. Also make sure all the fluids are replaced. Pushing to the limits doesnt affect or does nothing to modern cars.

Originally Posted by svsantosh

VAG/OBD Scan done before your eyes to show the actual running life of the engine/car

It wont tell you the actuals as it can be cheated too.

[captain.torque]

As far as I know, the dealers offer a handsome discount and do inform the customer before hand. Case in point is a close friend of mine whose elder brother got a Chevy Captiva (used as a demo car for a couple of months) for just Rs. 17 lakh.

[ajaypjayaraj]

Seen the brand new cars being driven from their stock yard to showroom/service centres? That would be the most rash driving a car would probably experience in its lifetime. There are stock yards of a few car brands near the place I live and I see these stunts every day. Now imagine the same type of driving for thousands of kilometers and for months. To top it up, all those endurance testing customers too who love to test drive cars pushing to its limits. That's the reality of what a test drive car goes through. There could be some lucky cases where these cars din't give trouble to the owner who bought it from the showroom but I wouldn't recommend going for these cars.

Couple of months back, me and my cousin witnessed present gen. Range Rover Sport (TD vehicle) being driven in the worst way possible. Squeezing between traffic on the single lane 2 way highway, honking frequently, flashing lights, tail gating and all sorts of stunts. I called up their Cochin dealer and told them to tell the guys driving that Range to please stop driving it like a mad bus driver. Forget contribution of customers who test drive like that, the showroom guys themselves try all sorts of stunts on these cars especially when they have to take the car to a far away customer for TD.

Now when it is time to dispose it off, they can very well make the car look spotless to present it nicely to the unlucky fellow who falls for his dream car offered at a mouth watering price. There might be cases where the car still managed to run trouble free even after all this. But why gamble especially in the case of premium luxury cars whose parts and maintenance would be very expensive. Cars that are not so expensive to maintain might pose lesser risk if going for the TD vehicle.

[condor]

Just in case some one is interested, there is a demo Skoda Rapid available in BLR. It's a top end model.

[Mission_PGPX]

I have gone through the entire thread and read everyone`s point of view. So many different angles to look at a thing, that the beauty of this forum. Anyway, recently i visited a used car dealer in ahmedabad and found 1 C-class, 2 ML-250, 1 E220, 1 verna petrol and 1 diesel in mint condition with ODO reading average about 2500 kms. Upon asking more info he said many of these were showroom demo cars. Apparently there are two types, showroom demo and Test-drive demo. Test-drive demos are usually 15-18K on ODO while showroom demo are about 2500 on ODO. I checked the cars inside out and oh boy what a feeling C-class gave. He said company MDs and chief guests travelled in these cars and totally driven by drivers. On-road price of a new C200 petrol top model is about 52 on road in ahmedabad, i was offered for 45 on road, that too without bargain. I will be the first owner and dealer can arrange a delivery from showroom itself. Invoice will be also from MB. If one day i become serious, i think i can seal the deal around 40-42. ML was available for 64 OTR. Verna was available for 9.5 OTR, all 2015 models. I was totally sold.

Point i am trying to make is, it all boils down to the condition of the car (Showroom demo vs testdrive demo), history of the car and the deal which is given. With the kind of technology advancements done in these days engine, i can say these are reliable for another 100,000 Kms, yes the abuse in early engine life matters as well but a satisfactory test drive can reveal that these engines are made forever if they have survived the initial abuse. You know you are gonna maintain them nicely. So i think no harm in going ahead with the same manufacturing year car that you are buying (not more than a year old to get better resale), but do bargain hard, real hard. I would be shy in asking that C-class for 35 lacs, damn...

[swiftdiesel]

My personal opinion would depend on the drivetrain of the car. If the demo car is a conventional automatic, and you get it at a bargain basement price, go for it! Why? Because there's very little abuse one can do to an automatic car. As much as one may try, an automatic transmission is programmed to perform a certain way and that's something that cannot be abused.

If it's a manual transmission, avoid a demo car like the plague, however mouth watering the price may be. Because, in a MT, the clutch can be abused and the engine can be made to perform in its operation extremes and finally the brakes would have had much abuse too. Moreover, the car accustoms to a driver's particular driving style and it stays that way. In a brand new car, the mechanicals get to learn your style. In a demo car, the mechanicals get tuned by different, sometimes extreme driving styles, which affects performance in the long run. Stay away if it's a manual transmission.

In short, automatic transmission - yes (if no damage is found) and manual transmission - no (however perfect the car seems to be).

[Vigkey]

I would always be wary of going for a demo car - be it an Automatic or a Manual. Reason being, there is no assurance that the vehicle was handled with the care an owner would have. In fact I would even buy a pre-worshiped car but not a demo car. For a pre-worshiped car, you can get accurate service history and tampering the Odo is less probable - Not so with the demo car.

When the amount of abuse, repair, etc cannot be ascertained with authority, I would rather prefer to stay away from it. Also, as swiftdiesel pointed out, the car would have gone through various driving styles and are tuned by different driving styles, why risk with the car. Even when we went for a pre-worshiped car, we bought it only when we were certain that it was driven by a single person all over.