Demo vs "New Car" on lot
#1
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Demo vs "New Car" on lot
I was wondering if there is a difference between what most people know as a demo car and one that has been on the lot for some time?
The reason I ask is that I have test-driven cars that still had the white protective wrapping. While I never accelerate hard on a test drive, I am sure there are plenty of a-holes who do that every time they get in.
Long rant short, would even [for example] 10 miles on the odometer indicate that the car was test driven. And if so, would you not pay a bit more and get a non-ho?
The reason I ask is that I have test-driven cars that still had the white protective wrapping. While I never accelerate hard on a test drive, I am sure there are plenty of a-holes who do that every time they get in.
Long rant short, would even [for example] 10 miles on the odometer indicate that the car was test driven. And if so, would you not pay a bit more and get a non-ho?
#2
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I think most cars probably have about 3-6 miles on em before they even arrive at the dealership. I wouldn't hesitate to buy a car w/ 10 miles on it. 50-100 miles is a different story though.
#4
Team Owner
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Originally Posted by Dan Martin
![Agree](https://acurazine.com/forums/images/smilies/agree.gif)
Demo's are abused in ways you wouldn't imagine. 1,000 demo miles is like 50,000 of conventional driving. 10 miles is no problem.
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#5
Photography Nerd
Originally Posted by CGTSX2004
![Nod](https://acurazine.com/forums/images/smilies/nod.gif)
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I wasn't really used to how fast the engine revved because I was coming from a Golf with a 5800rpm red line.
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#7
Team Owner
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Originally Posted by Dan Martin
I abused the hell out of the demo I drove.
I bounced it off the rev limiter from 1st through 3rd on my test drive.
I wasn't really used to how fast the engine revved because I was coming from a Golf with a 5800rpm red line.![Owned](https://acurazine.com/forums/images/smilies/owned.gif)
![Big Grin](https://acurazine.com/forums/images/smilies/biggrin.gif)
![rofl](https://acurazine.com/forums/images/smilies/rofl.gif)
I wasn't really used to how fast the engine revved because I was coming from a Golf with a 5800rpm red line.
![Owned](https://acurazine.com/forums/images/smilies/owned.gif)
...he was
![Scared](https://acurazine.com/forums/images/smilies/scared.gif)
It probably tipped him off too when I told him he might want to make sure his seat belt is fastened.
![Big Grin](https://acurazine.com/forums/images/smilies/biggrin.gif)
I've had some other interesting test-driving experiences, like a recent one when I test drove a slightly used 350Z Track model. I beat on that thing like you wouldn't believe, sliding it around corners and doing a couple of smoky launches. Funny thing was the salesguy was totally having a great time. I love it when sales people let you abuse their cars.
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#8
Originally Posted by pby
.....While I never accelerate hard on a test drive, I am sure there are plenty of a-holes who do that every time they get in....
![Wave](https://acurazine.com/forums/images/smilies/wave.gif)
My salesman encouraged me to beat on the car. He said "That's what the demos are for! How will you know if you like the car unless you test it under all conditions?" I just said
![Dunno](https://acurazine.com/forums/images/smilies/dunno.gif)
If you check my TSX loaner car thread, you'll see that I beat on that one, too. NEVER EVER EVER EVER EVER buy a demo car. And while it's not the BEST idea to get a car that's been sitting on a lot for months (if you have the choice), ten miles on the odo won't hurt you no matter how they were run.
#9
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![pofl](https://acurazine.com/forums/images/smilies/pofl.gif)
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Buncha a-holes.
I'm expecting a loaner next week when I get my oil change/rattle/shaking/safety recall and what not. Damn, there is so much wrong with my TSX that I should demand a DVD update.
Guess I'll take my frustrations out on the loaner. hehe
#11
Drove mine kinda hard too I guess, never hit redline but I did knife through traffic on the freeway a little more than usual ![Racing](https://acurazine.com/forums/images/smilies/racing.gif)
Speaking of demo cars, I noticed on my demo car (the one they refuse to sell btw), that the brushed titanium/aluminum looking panelling also ran down the inside of the center console and gearshift area too (besides horizontally along front of dash).
After ordering/signing/waiting/and receiving my car (they had none on the lot besides the demo) I mentioned to the sales guy that this part of the interior panelling was missing. The two doors in the center compartment, the "ashtray", and the area around the gearshift panel were all black. He responded by saying that this wasn't part of the car normally and they also don't offer it in the list of options. When I asked him why the demo had he simply shrugged. I felt a little jipped by this but, got over it quickly enough.
Just curious if anyone else has ever see this before?
![Racing](https://acurazine.com/forums/images/smilies/racing.gif)
Speaking of demo cars, I noticed on my demo car (the one they refuse to sell btw), that the brushed titanium/aluminum looking panelling also ran down the inside of the center console and gearshift area too (besides horizontally along front of dash).
After ordering/signing/waiting/and receiving my car (they had none on the lot besides the demo) I mentioned to the sales guy that this part of the interior panelling was missing. The two doors in the center compartment, the "ashtray", and the area around the gearshift panel were all black. He responded by saying that this wasn't part of the car normally and they also don't offer it in the list of options. When I asked him why the demo had he simply shrugged. I felt a little jipped by this but, got over it quickly enough.
Just curious if anyone else has ever see this before?
#13
Originally Posted by NorCal
...Just curious if anyone else has ever see this before?
body kit
spoiler
moonroof deflector
extra wood kit (like what you described, but for parchment interior)
wood steering wheel
"silver star" (gunmetal) wheels
all season floormats
trunk tray
I think the extra plaluminum trim is a little too much, but it can be had if you've got the dough...
![Dunno](https://acurazine.com/forums/images/smilies/dunno.gif)
#14
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Originally Posted by pby
I was wondering if there is a difference between what most people know as a demo car and one that has been on the lot for some time?
The reason I ask is that I have test-driven cars that still had the white protective wrapping. While I never accelerate hard on a test drive, I am sure there are plenty of a-holes who do that every time they get in.
Long rant short, would even [for example] 10 miles on the odometer indicate that the car was test driven. And if so, would you not pay a bit more and get a non-ho?
The reason I ask is that I have test-driven cars that still had the white protective wrapping. While I never accelerate hard on a test drive, I am sure there are plenty of a-holes who do that every time they get in.
Long rant short, would even [for example] 10 miles on the odometer indicate that the car was test driven. And if so, would you not pay a bit more and get a non-ho?
#15
Originally Posted by CGTSX2004
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#16
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Originally Posted by ClutchPerformer
<----- a-hole
My salesman encouraged me to beat on the car. He said "That's what the demos are for! How will you know if you like the car unless you test it under all conditions?" I just said
and had fun.
If you check my TSX loaner car thread, you'll see that I beat on that one, too. NEVER EVER EVER EVER EVER buy a demo car. And while it's not the BEST idea to get a car that's been sitting on a lot for months (if you have the choice), ten miles on the odo won't hurt you no matter how they were run.
![Wave](https://acurazine.com/forums/images/smilies/wave.gif)
My salesman encouraged me to beat on the car. He said "That's what the demos are for! How will you know if you like the car unless you test it under all conditions?" I just said
![Dunno](https://acurazine.com/forums/images/smilies/dunno.gif)
If you check my TSX loaner car thread, you'll see that I beat on that one, too. NEVER EVER EVER EVER EVER buy a demo car. And while it's not the BEST idea to get a car that's been sitting on a lot for months (if you have the choice), ten miles on the odo won't hurt you no matter how they were run.
#17
Burning Brakes
Me too...I'm one of those A-holes...
When I test drive a car I get a Sleg-Hammer and take out the head lights and rear lights. Then I dent the rims and smash the hood. Then while driving it I put it in first and redline it through the whole test. I break hard and steer fast. Sometimes I like to bump into walls or other cars with the demo to see how the 8mph bumpers hold up. If they dont fall off its a plus.
Now after all that I can tell if its a good car or not!
When I test drive a car I get a Sleg-Hammer and take out the head lights and rear lights. Then I dent the rims and smash the hood. Then while driving it I put it in first and redline it through the whole test. I break hard and steer fast. Sometimes I like to bump into walls or other cars with the demo to see how the 8mph bumpers hold up. If they dont fall off its a plus.
Now after all that I can tell if its a good car or not!
#21
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there are a lot of assholes here, and i guess im one of them. i test drove the tsx with a couple friends, and one of them said, "floor the biatch," so i did. u gotta hear the engine growl before you purchase it, rite?
#22
Burning Brakes
iTrader: (1)
Originally Posted by Powered by Honda
Me too...I'm one of those A-holes...
When I test drive a car I get a Sleg-Hammer and take out the head lights and rear lights. Then I dent the rims and smash the hood. Then while driving it I put it in first and redline it through the whole test. I break hard and steer fast. Sometimes I like to bump into walls or other cars with the demo to see how the 8mph bumpers hold up. If they dont fall off its a plus.
Now after all that I can tell if its a good car or not!
When I test drive a car I get a Sleg-Hammer and take out the head lights and rear lights. Then I dent the rims and smash the hood. Then while driving it I put it in first and redline it through the whole test. I break hard and steer fast. Sometimes I like to bump into walls or other cars with the demo to see how the 8mph bumpers hold up. If they dont fall off its a plus.
Now after all that I can tell if its a good car or not!
![Lame](https://acurazine.com/forums/images/smilies/lame.gif)
#23
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Originally Posted by pby
I was wondering if there is a difference between what most people know as a demo car and one that has been on the lot for some time?
The reason I ask is that I have test-driven cars that still had the white protective wrapping. While I never accelerate hard on a test drive, I am sure there are plenty of a-holes who do that every time they get in.
Long rant short, would even [for example] 10 miles on the odometer indicate that the car was test driven. And if so, would you not pay a bit more and get a non-ho?
The reason I ask is that I have test-driven cars that still had the white protective wrapping. While I never accelerate hard on a test drive, I am sure there are plenty of a-holes who do that every time they get in.
Long rant short, would even [for example] 10 miles on the odometer indicate that the car was test driven. And if so, would you not pay a bit more and get a non-ho?
#24
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Originally Posted by PixelHarmony
My friend bought a RSX with 2000 miles on it and it needed a new clutch at around 18,000 miles.
Dealers .... meh.
#25
I think the original issue of ‘demo or “new car” on the lot’ is being lost here. I too had an Acura test-drive a few months ago where the car (a TL actually) was on the lot with the seal wrapping in place. I wanted to test-drive a manual, and the available demo(s) were automatic. I remember the salesman ripping some of the wrapping, I think while throwing a license plate case into the trunk. It seemed a little like a ‘break and enter’, but I was basically oblivious… I was focused on my upcoming test drive.
This use for a test-drive seems to blur the distinction between a ‘demo car’ and a ‘new, not-ever-a-demo car’. For the buyer to have to guess the car's history based on the odometer mileage seems unfair. A car is (was) a demo car or it isn’t. I doubt that the car I test-drove that day, then immediately became the dealer’s TL 6MT demo car.
As an aside, I personally am not one to push a car to it’s limits, but that TL test drive actually helped lead me to ordering a 2005 TSX a while later. I had been set on ‘graduating’ from a four-cylinder car. As I was on the test drive route and was coming out of the side street area and back onto the wide, commercial road approaching the dealership, I shifted into 3rd and gave it a moderate amount of throttle…the TL took off like no car I had ever driven, I was pressed back in the seat. I then needed to hit the brakes some to turn into the lot. I was jerked forward. The salesman smiled and looked at me as if to say ‘How’d you like that’. I nodded, but afterward was thinking that I am a conservative driver, by no means a lead foot, but I like driving freely and actively. I don’t want to be concerned about pussy-footing around the pedals when just driving around. Of course, I might have eventually gotten used to that very easy, quick power feeling with the TL
This use for a test-drive seems to blur the distinction between a ‘demo car’ and a ‘new, not-ever-a-demo car’. For the buyer to have to guess the car's history based on the odometer mileage seems unfair. A car is (was) a demo car or it isn’t. I doubt that the car I test-drove that day, then immediately became the dealer’s TL 6MT demo car.
As an aside, I personally am not one to push a car to it’s limits, but that TL test drive actually helped lead me to ordering a 2005 TSX a while later. I had been set on ‘graduating’ from a four-cylinder car. As I was on the test drive route and was coming out of the side street area and back onto the wide, commercial road approaching the dealership, I shifted into 3rd and gave it a moderate amount of throttle…the TL took off like no car I had ever driven, I was pressed back in the seat. I then needed to hit the brakes some to turn into the lot. I was jerked forward. The salesman smiled and looked at me as if to say ‘How’d you like that’. I nodded, but afterward was thinking that I am a conservative driver, by no means a lead foot, but I like driving freely and actively. I don’t want to be concerned about pussy-footing around the pedals when just driving around. Of course, I might have eventually gotten used to that very easy, quick power feeling with the TL
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#26
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Originally Posted by Powered by Honda
Me too...I'm one of those A-holes...
When I test drive a car I get a Sleg-Hammer and take out the head lights and rear lights. Then I dent the rims and smash the hood. Then while driving it I put it in first and redline it through the whole test. I break hard and steer fast. Sometimes I like to bump into walls or other cars with the demo to see how the 8mph bumpers hold up. If they dont fall off its a plus.
Now after all that I can tell if its a good car or not!
When I test drive a car I get a Sleg-Hammer and take out the head lights and rear lights. Then I dent the rims and smash the hood. Then while driving it I put it in first and redline it through the whole test. I break hard and steer fast. Sometimes I like to bump into walls or other cars with the demo to see how the 8mph bumpers hold up. If they dont fall off its a plus.
Now after all that I can tell if its a good car or not!
![Woot](https://acurazine.com/forums/images/smilies/woot.gif)
When I open the door to get in or out, I push it all the way open and then some, cranking hard against the hinges to see if maybe the car is "made poorly" , which can be indicated by bent metal at the leading edge of the door when you do this test. Also, slam the hood, the trunk and the doors as hard as you can when closing them to check for rattles. Also good for rattles is to keep the key turned in the ignition after starting: bad cars make this grinding sound after about a minute or two. It's real important to abuse the crap out of something and then discard it as "the next guy's problem". Can I borrow your car?
![Dunno](https://acurazine.com/forums/images/smilies/dunno.gif)
#27
In all seriousness, a test drive is just that: a test!! You should drive it hard(er) than normal, that way you get a feel for the quickness, the responsiveness, and the general handling. But then, these are also reasons why you should NEVER buy a demo...At least, I wouldn't...but then, I don't do used either
#28
Burning Brakes
a kindred spirit. I like to try and take off in third or fourth gear with as little gas as possible. Then I floor it once I'm going and see if I can find reverse. It's real good to keep your hand on the shifter the whole time, applying pressure to the stick. And don't worry about the stupid clutch! Modern cars don't really need a cluthc to shift.
When I open the door to get in or out, I push it all the way open and then some, cranking hard against the hinges to see if maybe the car is "made poorly" , which can be indicated by bent metal at the leading edge of the door when you do this test. Also, slam the hood, the trunk and the doors as hard as you can when closing them to check for rattles. Also good for rattles is to keep the key turned in the ignition after starting: bad cars make this grinding sound after about a minute or two. It's real important to abuse the crap out of something and then discard it as "the next guy's problem". Can I borrow your car?
When I open the door to get in or out, I push it all the way open and then some, cranking hard against the hinges to see if maybe the car is "made poorly" , which can be indicated by bent metal at the leading edge of the door when you do this test. Also, slam the hood, the trunk and the doors as hard as you can when closing them to check for rattles. Also good for rattles is to keep the key turned in the ignition after starting: bad cars make this grinding sound after about a minute or two. It's real important to abuse the crap out of something and then discard it as "the next guy's problem". Can I borrow your car?
![Agree](https://acurazine.com/forums/images/smilies/agree.gif)
![Woot](https://acurazine.com/forums/images/smilies/woot.gif)
#29
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Originally Posted by a_TSX_4_Me
In all seriousness, a test drive is just that: a test!! You should drive it hard(er) than normal, that way you get a feel for the quickness, the responsiveness, and the general handling. But then, these are also reasons why you should NEVER buy a demo...At least, I wouldn't...but then, I don't do used either
![Big Grin](https://acurazine.com/forums/images/smilies/biggrin.gif)
It just irks me that some dealers will try to sell these as brand new vehicles and pretend they're doing you a huge favor. Perhaps, one of the best lines I have heard is, "The warranty begins the day you drive it off the lot".
#30
yeah...dealers will be dealers, you're lucky if you find someone who is genuinely nice. I have had people that are nice right up until we talk about dealing, then the whole personality changes. The key is (damn, i guess this is off topic) to just keep your cool and stand your ground....Works for me at least!
BTW, dont' buy demos, even if its a "deal" ;-)
BTW, dont' buy demos, even if its a "deal" ;-)
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