Is this a common problem? My local dealer found the exact new car I was looking for in a town in Idaho. We agreed on the price, I signed my trade-in over to them, they put me in a loaner and said my new vehicle would be here in 2 days. They called me today and said the dealer where they found my car traded it to another dealer in Utah before they could lock it in. Now they have it locked in with the Utah dealer, but, the son of the dealership has been using it for is personal demo, and it now has 2400 miles. Do I still want the car? ARE YOU KIDDING ME?
Sure you still want it…for $2000 off for depreciation…
This is an excellent opportunity to beg out of a Jeep and into something more reliable. Maybe he did you a favor.
I would back out of this deal right now. The son (possibly young with a lead foot?) may have thrashed this car to pieces during that 2400 miles.
Keep in mind that this car is NOT a new one. It is now legally a used car. The warranty starts on the day the car is put into service. This means the minute they slapped a DEMO designation on it the warranty clock started running.
It’s also unusual (very) for a dealer to allow a demo to acquire that many miles on it. The only reason I can think of for this is because it was the owner’s son being allowed to get away with it because of who he is.
It doesn’t matter much to the dealer financially as it’s a comparatively small amount carried over on the dealer floor plan.
Tell them thanks but no thanks and they better come up with a brand new (defined as 4 or 5 miles on it) vehicle or else.
Keep driving the loaner and tell them to locate another new car for you. The deal papers you signed were not for a “demo” car. If they can’t locate a car acceptable to you then you get your deposit back and start shopping again.
If you are OK with the demo car there should be a change in the selling price reflecting the demo status and miles on the car. Perhaps $1,000 of “free” service (oil changes, tires, brakes whatever) might work for you. Time to reopen the negotiation process on the car.
I dont think you want to deal with this dealer
if i have it right he sold you a car he didnt own
I told the dealer I couldn’t take the demo. He then offered to find something else and I agreed to have him look. Within 2 hours found me a twin of the car I wanted and is getting it shipped in by truck (no miles). Good advice everyone!
First off, you should NEVER hand over your trade in vehicle until you have the keys to your NEW vehicle, IN YOUR HANDS. NEVER.
Where is your trade in at this point?
Get your car back, and all your money.
Tell the dealer they have 3 days to get you the new vehicle you want, otherwise you are taking your business to a different dealer. No mileage over 20 miles is acceptable, unless it is being drive from dealer B to dealer A by an employee of that dealer.
BC.
This kind of reminds me of the Chevy Chase movie “Vacation”. You may remember at the beginning of the movie the dealer did not come through with the car Clark wanted and was trying to prod him into the Family Truckster.
When Clark laid his foot down about his old car that he had just driven in on the trade they had already flattened it with a crusher.
(The really sad part about this movie is that his old car was an Olds Vista Cruiser if I remember correctly. These wagons are kind of collectible now and were essentially a 442 in a station wagon body.)
Keep in mind that this car is NOT a new one. It is now legally a used car.
That depends on the state…It is still legally considered a NEW car here in NH, MA and even NY…It is NOT a used car. I’ve seen DEMO NEW CARS with 9k miles on them…and they ARE NEW…NOT USED…
Now personally I don’t consider it a new car…and I don’t have a problem buying one…but I’ll reduce my offer based on the mileage.