Would you buy a demo

[bfi2906]

I'm about ready to place an order for a 135 coupe. In considering options, and thinking about all the aspects (I do that too much), buying a demo is one alternative.

Assuming you could get the car configured the way you wanted it, I'm interested in people's views about buy a demo 135 manual coupe. My major concern is the treatment they may have had before I get it. Not that an "addict" would do such a thing, but I'm sure there are some out there that would be less than kind to these cars - the "drive it like you stole it" brigade. Would this have any short or long term impact on the car?

Perhaps someone has purchased a demo, and can share their experience.

Thanks for your input.
B.

[aus135i]

I live 5mins from the dealer and always see test drives on my road, and i tell ya some of those people should be killed!

But if you dont plan on keeping the car for more then 3yrs nothing wrong with getting a demo, as anything that goes wrong your still coverd.

[airhead]

It's more mental than anything else. All cars are stress tested far beyond their limits so 3 months worth of test drives is hardly going to do much damage. The dealer also has legal obligations to ensure the car is good working order.

Just don't buy a press car.... Kris knows all about that

[bfi2906]

Those folks are a prime example that natural selection isn't perfect.

That's what I'm afraid of. And I'm guessing that 135's are a prime target for the joyriders to give it a good spanking. And because of the price point, all kinds of reprobates get a test drive. The dealers can't pick and choose, because they need the business. So you end up with idiots behind the wheel, giving it an absolute flogging - just because they can. And then some poor bunny spends his hard-earned on "damaged goods".

Thanks,
B.

[Kris]

Originally Posted by airhead

It's more mental than anything else. All cars are stress tested far beyond their limits so 3 months worth of test drives is hardly going to do much damage. The dealer also has legal obligations to ensure the car is good working order.

Just don't buy a press car.... Kris knows all about that

The only thing i had with a demo audi was a broken oil line about 1000kms after buying the car. Audi replaced the Turbo and Oil line very promptly.

I'd buy a demo car time and time again. The only reason I didnt this time was because there weren't any around!

[Zuzu]

And most of the time, the test drives are taken solo, depending on the clients relationship with the dealer...

My test drive was overnight... Not saying that I caned the bejesus out of the car...BUT..

I personally would never buy a demo... Spend that much money regardless of the make, just to save a few thousand dollars and a short wait..

[Wraith]

My 2 cents - if your going to cough up and buy new, then buy 'brand spanking' new...if your going to want to save money and opt for a demo, IMHO you'd be better off buying S/H from a private sale and save even more money that way :wink:

However that said, I can understand if one wanted a certain vehicle immediately without delay and found exactly what he/she wanted as an ex-demo at the right price and decided to go for it...

For me, I'd serve the waiting period and pay that little extra :smile:

[takahashi]

How much discount is BMW demo??

Is it worth the effort?

I won't because I am very strict on the colour and trim. I won't buy an M5 because they don't have Alpine White with red interior option!

['fatboy']

I agree with most on the message board - if you can afford a few extra grand, then go brand new.

I was allowed to take the demo 135i manual for 2 hrs alone... The dealer basically said 'give it all you got'. Not to say I mis-treated the car, but I'm always a believer that new cars should get a decent 'run-in' period before given any kind of flogging.

[Yep 135]

Yes I would. Mine was when I bought it and had just over 1000k's on it.
Things I noticed -
front tyres slightly rubbed.
cheaper price
every thing worked and still works perfectly. no rattles things falling off etc
being a demo everthing must work and look perfect I assume.

[woosh]

My father bought a demo model 2002 E65 with 2000 kms on the clock back in 2003. A fat discount (and i mean FAT) will make anyone change their mind hehe That being said, we've had no major problems with it since day one, except for the random airbag light on and a few others.

[cam2801]

Like all things it depends on the deal. Our E87 130i (from Alto BMW) was a demo as was our 325ti (Sydney BMW) and we had no problems with either that don't happen on any car (although the rat eating a radiator hose and getting cooked for its trouble was novel on the 325ti).

That being said we did negotiate good deals and both cars had been treated fairly lightly.

[123D-M]

Originally Posted by airhead

Just don't buy a press car.... Kris knows all about that

Specifically, don't buy this press car...

[HondaGoneRogue]

woa^^ what thread was that in??

[123D-M]

Originally Posted by HondaGoneRogue

woa^^ what thread was that in??

From here: http://www.wheelsmag.com.au/wheels/s...2574EB000CC9C7

[HondaGoneRogue]

Wow, that is the craziest story I've ever heard. Goog to know the car held up nicely. Thanks for the link!

[Sprey]

I've bought demo's in the past and have no issues with the idea. I think the trap is where a sales person ends up using the leverage of 'immediate delivery' against a discount you are entitled to (in my view). From my understanding, Dealers get a rebate on 'demo' cars and should pass it on.

In terms of the condition of the car, I'm not sure you can really hurt a car, aside from some consumables such as tyres and I guess potentially clutch/brake. Having said that, I treat demo cars like used-cars in the way I inspect them prior to purchase and if it survived some history of hard driving, it'd survive mine.

The highest mileage demo I once bought had 8,000kms+ on it, a supposed BMW Australia (Melbourne) car. This was back in the late 90's however...

[MikeVictor]

I'd buy one if it had the options I wanted and the price was right. You could always haggle for new tyres and such if you felt it was warranted.

Mrs Mattyv is happy however as she prefers the black leather on Wolfgang as opposed to the red on the demo I was looking at originally.

[Guran]

The BMW manual for the 135i recommends a run-in period. This consists of limiting the revs to 4500rpm or less for the first 2000km, and also minimising the usage of this upper rev range. After that you're meant to gradually increase the max revs. I'm sticking to this schedule for my car and have only just recently graduated beyond the 2000km mark (I'm now limiting myself to 5500rpm for another 1000km or so).

Now, when I took two different 135s out for test drives, both of them were well within the 2000km range and the dealers had no problem with me revving out to the limiter ... which I did for just about every gear change! I also gave the car a hard go on a short mountain pass, giving the brakes and tyres a good test. That's what a test drive should be about -- no point in puttering about in the city. It'd be a bit naive to think that a test car would NOT get such treatment.

On the other hand, BMW still provide full warranty coverage on demo cars. If you're not after a long-term "keeper" (ie up to 3 years), then I reckon it'd be worth accepting the big discount and taking a demo.

[bfi2906]

Thanks guys - appreciate you perspectives.

My natural instincts are to shy away from a demo, but as somone said, if the deal's sharp enough, it could sway me. But it'd have to be a mighty good deal.

Now a related question I'm hoping someone will be able to help with.......

When trading in or selling a car, what matters most in determining the year of a car, and thus value --- build date, or compliance date.

I've always understood that it was compliance date. That is, if a car is built in December '08, but has a compliance plate that says March '09, it's regarded as an '09 car.

Can anyone comment?

Cheers.

[Sprey]

Haha! You ask good ones!

When it comes to trading, the dealer would have you believe it's build-date that's important. And so they have to pay you less. If you were a buyer of that traded-in car, the dealer would have you believe it's the compliance-date which matters. And so you have to pay more.

If you put yourself in the shoes of the buyer, I'd be more concerned about a car's mileage and service history. So it's all irrelevant to me as a buyer anyway if the build versus compliance dates have a small delta.

I've argued the point with dealers before but generally feel trade-ins are 'lose/lose'. I believe the practice I've described above is inexcusable when the car's model has not had any kind of update or changes.

I'd rather find a good reputable used car dealer and have them sell a car for me on consignment. Private sales, though daunting in concept, may well be worth the trouble.

Unfortunately, that does mean you need some other car to use in the meantime.

[Zuzu]

Originally Posted by Sprey

When it comes to trading, the dealer would have you believe it's build-date that's important. And so they have to pay you less. If you were a buyer of that traded-in car, the dealer would have you believe it's the compliance-date which matters. And so you have to pay more.

100% Correct...