Demo Car Sold as New? (Too Far in The past to Change Anything Now)

soan papdi on 22/06/2020 - 11:21
Last edited 22/06/2020 - 11:39 by 1 other user

This has been nagging me for several years now, so asking for an opinion.

My first (and current) car, I purchased it new. Test drove a red i30 on a Saturday, was happy to buy it and put down a deposit for a red one. Five days later, I was asked to pick up my car and the odometer said 72km. I asked why 72km on a new car and the salesman fobbed me off saying it's normal. I felt it was the same demo car from earlier but knowing nothing about cars, I didn't push my case. Unfortunately I didn't take a pic of the VIN after the test drive etc (which I learnt about only a few months later).

Probably too late to remedy this but just for my curiosity, was my suspicion plausible and was it legal of them to do this?

EDIT: I do like my car was not going to pursue any remedies but good to know I've been needlessly worrying for so many years. Thanks everyone.

Automotive Car

Comments

  • jimbobaus on 22/06/2020 - 11:23
    +8

    Was the car registered in your name from the day or the day before you picked it up?
    If yes then it was not a demo

    demo's are registered to the dealer then a transfer occurs when you buy the car.

    Most New cars are deliverd to dealers with Km's on the clock
    They are driven from the factory, onto the boat, off the boat, onto the truck around storage facilities and also on the dealer site.

    If it was not registered to anyone before you, then its a new car

    • soan papdi on 22/06/2020 - 11:26

      Revealing my ignorance here, other than checking VRE.vicroads.gov.au, what else do I need to verify? AFAIK I've been the only owner.

      • pegaxs on 22/06/2020 - 13:55

        Check your rego due date and your delivery date. It should be a day or so at max.

        If you purchased it on 15 Feb., but your rego is due a month before your purchase date, say 1 Jan. It was a demo. If the rego date is the same date or very close, it was a new car.

        You can also ring the head office of the vehicle manufacturer and check the warranty start date. It should be the same or very close (a day or so) from your date of purchase.

        • soan papdi on 22/06/2020 - 14:19
          • Test drive was on 5th May 2012 (Saturday), deposit paid same day
          • Pickup date was 9th May 2012 (Wednesday)
          • Current rego expires 4th May 2021. I presume it began 4th May 2012
          • pegaxs on 22/06/2020 - 14:32
            +1

            @soan papdi: Yeah, I don't think it was a demo. It was basically registered the day you paid the deposit. If there was weeks or months between when rego was paid and when you picked it up, that could mean it was a demo.

            • soan papdi on 22/06/2020 - 14:33
              +1

              @pegaxs: Thanks.

            • RockyRaccoon on 22/06/2020 - 16:30

              @pegaxs: Actually I disagree. It was registered the day before they paid the deposit. To me the following would make more sense

              Dealer chose one car to be their new demo car, registered it.
              You came into see car next day
              You liked the car and asked for a red one.
              The only red one was the this one, which they were going to make their demo car.
              You got the intended demo.

              If you were on the ball you probably could have got a free tank of fuel if you wanted to push it, or wait a few more days for them to get another red car from the factory, etc but would it have been worth the hassle?

              • soan papdi on 22/06/2020 - 16:36

                @RockyRaccoon: I did get a tank of fuel and new floor mats but that was decided on the day I paid the deposit. This scenario makes sense but I didn't notice what the odometer was at the end of my test drive. By your theory, it's possible a few other people test drove it on Monday and Tuesday before I picked it up

              • pegaxs on 22/06/2020 - 16:43
                +4

                @RockyRaccoon: I beg to differ.

                I purchased a car only a week and a bit ago. I purchased it unregistered and put the registration on it myself. Dealer supplied the blue slip for me to register it that day. Picked up the car on 10/6. Went to the the RMS on 10/6. Just looked at my paperwork and expiry date is 9/6. That's 365 days (excluding leap year bullshit).

                It makes sense if OP bought the vehicle on the Saturday and the dealer registered it on Saturday 5th. Registration would expire on 4th next year at midnight. You don't get 1 year and 1 day for registration. Registration started on the 5th, ends on the 4th.

                @ggop;

                "it's possible a few other people test drove it on Monday and Tuesday before I picked it up"

                I doubt a dealer would do that, as the risk of having it damaged is too great. Usually once a vehicle is parked up. It's not impossible, just highly unlikely.

                • RockyRaccoon on 22/06/2020 - 18:28
                  +2

                  @pegaxs: Yes, putting it that way makes sense. 👍

                  @ggop

                  No I would agree with pegaxs, that it extremely unlikely they would let anyone drive the car again after you bought it, why screw up a sale should it get damaged, plus all the paperwork as the car was in your name. Not worth it and why? They would just use a stock car for a test drive

                  • soan papdi on 22/06/2020 - 18:43
                    +2

                    @RockyRaccoon: I feel better already. Wish I had asked the question few years back.

    • salmon123 on 22/06/2020 - 14:35

      In NSW demos that have been registered are sold as "used" cars, so the dealer needs to provide a 90 day statutory warranty (in addition to the balance of the manufacturers warranty). There's also a declaration the buyer signs acknowledging that it's a used car.

      It's possible the regulations were different in 2012.

    • SnoozeAndLose on 22/06/2020 - 16:53

      Demo card will need to register to the dealer? I think they just use the testing plate and never registered the car for demo purposes.

      I have bought a car only sit in the show room as demo and dealer give extra $1000 discount to take the car instead of waiting 2 weeks for a new one.in my case I believe it is still a new car,if it got driven by public then it should classicify as demo.

  • John Kimble on 22/06/2020 - 11:23
    +1

    No

    • soan papdi on 22/06/2020 - 11:24

      No to "was my suspicion plausible?" or no to "was it legal of them to do this?"

  • Hybroid on 22/06/2020 - 11:23
    +12

    72KM is absolutely nothing to worry about it, pretty much delivery mileage assuming you're first owner. Move on and enjoy the sun.

    • pegaxs on 22/06/2020 - 13:51
      +1

      Moved around at the factory, driven onto and off the shipping, on and off trucks, move around at the importer, moved around in storage, driven from storage to dealer, moved around at dealer, sold, road tested during pre-delivery, given to customer…

      • MS Paint on 22/06/2020 - 15:37

        Lunch run vehicle for the fellas at the storage facility

        • pegaxs on 22/06/2020 - 15:38

          Now we're getting it… Bosses wife's/secretary post office delivery wagon.

  • No Username on 22/06/2020 - 11:25
    +1

    Normally from what I've seen it's 20-30km. But the 72KM could be part of the extended quality-control test.

    • ol mate on 23/06/2020 - 08:25

      Yep, some (most) manufacturers will select a random car off the line to do extra QC over it.

      I've heard of a Subaru getting delivered with 200km because of this…

  • kronicmacstigator on 22/06/2020 - 11:26
    +1

    As others have said, they did have a tool to 'reset' the odometer below 100km's but dealers got their arse kicked over it. 72km's is delivery distance. Don't forget decent makers put their cars around a test track too!

    If it was 720km's it'd be a completely different story! Just enjoy the car!

  • spackbace on 22/06/2020 - 11:46
    +3

    Only way of knowing is to know if the car had the full 6 or 12 months registration when you bought it. Check your original copy of the licensing papers that you got with the car, and work that one out. See if it was a transfer, or a straight up license of the car.

    But yeah, 72kms is nothing to worry about, it's only the length of rego that would be.

  • SlowCarSlow on 22/06/2020 - 11:49
    +1

    I purchased a brand new car. Before purchasing it I test drove it. The car I test drove was the exact car that I purchased.

    My test drive was about 40 kilometers making sure that it suited my needs, so when I collected the car it had 54 kilometers on the odometer.

    A demo car is a specific thing: https://www.motorama.com.au/blog/buyer-advice/what-is-a-demo…

    If you are the first registered owner than it is not a "demo car".

    72 kilometers on the odometer would represent very few test drives if it was used for that. Have a look on carsales and see how many kilometers a demo car there has and you'll see. https://www.carsales.com.au/cars/demo/?sort=Odometer

    If you are the first registered owner, and it had 72 kilometers on it when you collected it why worry?

    You can't even recall if the car you collected was the one you test drove so you must not have been paying much attention, either at the odometer or whether it had plates on it or not.

  • RockyRaccoon on 22/06/2020 - 12:27
    +1

    My car that I bought was a demo, it had 13Kms on the clock.

    What determined it was a demo was that it was registered on 31/12/20XX.

    I bought it on the 6/1/20XX+1

    The warranty period started on the 31st of December.

    A friend bought the same model etc from the dealer a few days later it also was a demo registered on the 31st December

    All this is stated in the front of the service/instruction manual supplied with the car. If the warranty start period is different from the date you purchased (give a day or two incase they registered it the day or so, before you picked it up), then it might be a "demo"

    Dealers register cars before they are sold to make sales targets etc, but if they do then they call it a "demo", or "undriven demo"

    As others have said 75km while higher than some, its unlikely to be a real issue.

    • oscargamer on 22/06/2020 - 13:16

      Why hide the year of your car?
      State secret?

      • RockyRaccoon on 22/06/2020 - 16:20

        I'd have to run you over if I did 👮🏽‍♀️

  • pegaxs on 22/06/2020 - 13:40
    +2

    Once had a customer come in and buy 6 Land Rover Defenders. On pick up, he came down to inspect the vehicles and bounced all of them and refused pick up because they all had between 5 and 50km on the odometers. Dealership then had to replace the speedo in every vehicle he purchased. Many a Lol was had when the speedos arrived into parts and they already had km on them from the factory… :D

    • kronicmacstigator on 01/07/2020 - 08:43

      I'd be calling the lawyers for breach of contract, what a frigging fruit loop.

  • elgrande on 22/06/2020 - 15:18
    +2

    I had the same issue when I picked up my Ozbargain endorsed Corolla.

    I managed to get an extra $500 off.

    The sales person claimed it was not a demo, but I knew it was the same one I test drove.

    Not much you can do now..

  • wordsmith on 23/06/2020 - 11:12

    I bought a car which had a Blue Slip associated, reasoning given to me was that it was registered for someone who was going to finance it, he could not avail the finance and the deal fell through. When I enquired further, the dealer said you are being give a new car contract, we would not sell you a used car with new car contract. The car had a Sep19 manufacturing plate. Rego provided in my name was from the date of purchase.

    Interestingly, the car I bought also had exactly 72km on odo. Also, the general condition of car raised some questions due to mud deposits on the rubber lining on the doors , the excuse for these two things from dealer was that car has been in yard for too long, has been driven between yard-showroom a bit.

    I have also reached out to manufacturer for clarification about the car condition on day of deliver, but yet to hear back from them, and regards whether I got a demo car, still a mystery.

    • soan papdi on 23/06/2020 - 19:55

      How far back was this? Fwiw I didn't see any such issues with my car, so likely I was just being paranoid. Keep us posted with what happened with your car

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