Would you buy a demo car?

[ryandesign]

After initially giving me a crappy offer, a dealer I'm working with said they could give me a better deal on another i3 which had been used as a demo car. I'm trying to get clarification on what exactly that means. According to the VIN it's less than 3 months old. Would you buy a demo car? What concerns should I have? How much discount should I expect to get?

 

[archieb]

I leased a Mega BEV last Friday which was listed as a dealer demo. It had 74 miles on it.

MSRP $43385
Sell $36745
Incentives $4875
Final price $31870

I would have no concerns on purchasing a demo. Dealers get incentives for making a car a "demo" even it is rarely or never used as one. The dealer can choose to pass these savings along to the buyer, or they may decide to keep part or all of the incentives themselves.

The 2015s are available so any 2014 i3 should be discounted substantially compared to last summer. If they are not, buy a 2015. Current incentives end Monday so watch for new deals starting February 3rd.

 

[Schnort]

After initially giving me a crappy offer, a dealer I'm working with said they could give me a better deal on another i3 which had been used as a demo car. I'm trying to get clarification on what exactly that means. According to the VIN it's less than 3 months old. Would you buy a demo car? What concerns should I have? How much discount should I expect to get?

Depends on how you plan on buying it.

If you're doing owners choice and planning on returning it in 2/3 years, then take whatever discount you can get because you don't need to worry about resale, mileage is from when you purchase it, and its under warranty for the entirety of your ownership.

 

[roofless]

If you buy a demo rather than lease it, you might not be able to claim the tax credit, because that's only available for new cars. Ask the dealer whether the demo will be considered new or used.

 

[jelloslug]

If you buy a demo rather than lease it, you might not be able to claim the tax credit, because that's only available for new cars. Ask the dealer whether the demo will be considered new or used.

Don't just ask them, make them prove that it has never been titled before.

 

[ryandesign]

Don't just ask them, make them prove that it has never been titled before.

Thanks for the advice. I'm pretty sure it will be considered new, but how could they prove it? What would constitute proof?