Discussion
I work where evidence based information from properly controlled trials provides the day to day basis, rather than anecdotal.
So is there a comprehensive trusted review that demonstrates that ex demo cars are worse than non ex demo cars, even better still by brand?
Anecdotally I have purchased ex demo a BMW a VW and never had a problem, was I "lucky" ?
So is there a comprehensive trusted review that demonstrates that ex demo cars are worse than non ex demo cars, even better still by brand?
Anecdotally I have purchased ex demo a BMW a VW and never had a problem, was I "lucky" ?
depends what you mean by worse. Too many uncontrollable variables to do a definitive comparison. Largely depends on how its driven. Might be that female drivers are much more careful versus male drivers for example. Might be on one car you get an unrepresentative sample of people who are unfamiliar with the gearshift and cant change gear properly so over revving the engine. On the other hand it might be that you test drove the one factory 'reject' where quality control just happened to let a dud through. Who knows.
looking how some owners treat their cars, some times you are better buying a ex demo lol
I went to look at loads of cars when buying my Audi and even at dealers only 12 months old , the state of some cars was shocking.
again when I bought my Cayman I went down south 5 or 6 time to be met with s
t cars.
I would not even phone any one up who lived down south for a car these days.
I guess the more money you have the worst the car seems to get treated, most are bought on PCP for 3 years and handed back.
And becasue of that no one gives a st about them.
Even the dealers down south seem well below standars set in the Midlands.
As for female owned cars, in my experience , they don't keep the revs down when cold, they curb the wheels, they never check oil or tyres. When I see a 1 female owned car I don't phone up about it, more than likley the cars got no oil in it, and has been through a car wash 300 times, added to that ring scratch marks on the door handles.
I went to look at loads of cars when buying my Audi and even at dealers only 12 months old , the state of some cars was shocking.
again when I bought my Cayman I went down south 5 or 6 time to be met with s
t cars.I would not even phone any one up who lived down south for a car these days.
I guess the more money you have the worst the car seems to get treated, most are bought on PCP for 3 years and handed back.
And becasue of that no one gives a s
t about them.Even the dealers down south seem well below standars set in the Midlands.
As for female owned cars, in my experience , they don't keep the revs down when cold, they curb the wheels, they never check oil or tyres. When I see a 1 female owned car I don't phone up about it, more than likley the cars got no oil in it, and has been through a car wash 300 times, added to that ring scratch marks on the door handles.
Edited by mrdemon on Friday 29th June 09:23
As far as I'm aware, there has'nt been a review done on this.
For myself, I would always prefer a brand new car to an ex. demo, but would'nt automatically discard an ex.demo if it was at the right price and condition.
Knowing what I know now, I'd always ask for a rev. range printout on an ex. demo or used car, even if purchased fron an OPC. IMO
For myself, I would always prefer a brand new car to an ex. demo, but would'nt automatically discard an ex.demo if it was at the right price and condition.
Knowing what I know now, I'd always ask for a rev. range printout on an ex. demo or used car, even if purchased fron an OPC. IMO
Demo cars are likely to lead a pretty hard early life. It's hard to imagine them being run in gently. If I was trying a demo car I would want to experience the full rev range and wouldn't be too concerned about running it in by the book.
The best kept cars are usually those owned by keen enthusiasts from new. Quite a rarity with the modern era cars and disposable mentality.
The best kept cars are usually those owned by keen enthusiasts from new. Quite a rarity with the modern era cars and disposable mentality.
Depends how long you intend keeping a car I guess; if you are keeping for 7+ years, then brand new is a good option, but the savings to be had from ex-demo/pre-reg can make it a much more viable option, especially if you only plan to keep a couple of years.
2 years of ownership, large price discount, full warranty, can't see anything wrong buying a demo.
2 years of ownership, large price discount, full warranty, can't see anything wrong buying a demo.
I think the first definition you will need is what constitutes a 'demo' car. Cars sold as 'ex-demo' at dealers can be any of the below:
1. Management/Director car from dealer group
2. Employee lease scheme (ie. Audi's driven by Bentley workforce, Mercedes driven by McLaren F1 staff)
3. Cars that have been used for test drives
4. Press cars that have been used for photo shoots
5. Press cars that have been used for road tests
6. Cars that have been used for track days (eg. porsche silversone cars / porsche marketing cars for demos)
7. Loan cars for services etc.
etc. etc.
There are obviously huge differences in their usage profile depending on their history, just like the history of private owners can vary wildly.
1. Management/Director car from dealer group
2. Employee lease scheme (ie. Audi's driven by Bentley workforce, Mercedes driven by McLaren F1 staff)
3. Cars that have been used for test drives
4. Press cars that have been used for photo shoots
5. Press cars that have been used for road tests
6. Cars that have been used for track days (eg. porsche silversone cars / porsche marketing cars for demos)
7. Loan cars for services etc.
etc. etc.
There are obviously huge differences in their usage profile depending on their history, just like the history of private owners can vary wildly.
MrTickle said:
2. Employee lease scheme (ie. Audi's driven by Bentley workforce, Mercedes driven by McLaren F1 staff)
You most definitely do NOT want one of these. I had company lease cars for years and treated them like bic pens. They were returned for retail sale at under 10K miles and you really would not want to be the next owner! They are just treated as a disposable item and thrashed mercilessly from day 1. Cars I've personally bought from new have led a much different early life, carefully following the run-in regime etc, regular hand cleaning/polishing etc. Totally different mentality.MrTickle said:
I think the first definition you will need is what constitutes a 'demo' car. Cars sold as 'ex-demo' at dealers can be any of the below:
1. Management/Director car from dealer group
2. Employee lease scheme (ie. Audi's driven by Bentley workforce, Mercedes driven by McLaren F1 staff)
3. Cars that have been used for test drives
4. Press cars that have been used for photo shoots
5. Press cars that have been used for road tests
6. Cars that have been used for track days (eg. porsche silversone cars / porsche marketing cars for demos)
7. Loan cars for services etc.
etc. etc.
There are obviously huge differences in their usage profile depending on their history, just like the history of private owners can vary wildly.
Regarding number 6, I drive cars supplied by Audi Middle East for track experiences. They do get exercised hard, shall we say, but they are also very well looked after and get resold under the Audi Approved Used programme. I know the OP is not looking for anecdotal evidence, but I know someone who bought an ex-track RS4 and found it to be one of the most reliable cars he has owned.1. Management/Director car from dealer group
2. Employee lease scheme (ie. Audi's driven by Bentley workforce, Mercedes driven by McLaren F1 staff)
3. Cars that have been used for test drives
4. Press cars that have been used for photo shoots
5. Press cars that have been used for road tests
6. Cars that have been used for track days (eg. porsche silversone cars / porsche marketing cars for demos)
7. Loan cars for services etc.
etc. etc.
There are obviously huge differences in their usage profile depending on their history, just like the history of private owners can vary wildly.
I know the OP is looking for representative, data-driven views not indvidual perspectives but as I can only provide the latter.... 2 Boxster Ss bought from OPC, both 6-12 months old with around 8k miles (+ / - 500 miles). One had one private owner, the other was an ex-demonstrator. Both have felt the same to me but the one difference is the private one only had about 1k miles left in the rear tyres while the ex-demonstrator has plenty left. I guess this doesn't tell you anything other than an ex-demonstrator needn't necessarily have been ragged..
gl20 said:
I know the OP is looking for representative, data-driven views not indvidual perspectives but as I can only provide the latter.... 2 Boxster Ss bought from OPC, both 6-12 months old with around 8k miles (+ / - 500 miles). One had one private owner, the other was an ex-demonstrator. Both have felt the same to me but the one difference is the private one only had about 1k miles left in the rear tyres while the ex-demonstrator has plenty left. I guess this doesn't tell you anything other than an ex-demonstrator needn't necessarily have been ragged..
or had already been changedI think if its a keeper then you might not want an ex demo car due to the hard life they may get (even during during the running in period). Case in point: yesterday I phoned a BMW dealer about an E90 M3 they have up for sale which is currently a demonstrator with 2,500 miles on the clock. I asked the sales lady to confirm tread depths on front and rear. 6mm and 4mm respectively. So thats the rears nearly shot in 2,500 miles! Whilst the owners maunual prescribes gentle driving and not to exceed 5,500 RPM for the first 1,250 miles (IIRC)then gradually increase max RPM. Dealers dont care as the car will be out of warranty by the time the issues occur + clutches are maybe seen as consumables not covered by warranty.
iMungo said:
I think if its a keeper then you might not want an ex demo car due to the hard life they may get (even during during the running in period). Case in point: yesterday I phoned a BMW dealer about an E90 M3 they have up for sale which is currently a demonstrator with 2,500 miles on the clock. I asked the sales lady to confirm tread depths on front and rear. 6mm and 4mm respectively. So thats the rears nearly shot in 2,500 miles! Whilst the owners maunual prescribes gentle driving and not to exceed 5,500 RPM for the first 1,250 miles (IIRC)then gradually increase max RPM. Dealers dont care as the car will be out of warranty by the time the issues occur + clutches are maybe seen as consumables not covered by warranty.
I agree and it's possibly the 3rd or even 4th owner who will suffer the most expense from the effects of a badly run-in engine etcGassing Station | Porsche General | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff