Question: Dealer Shown Car

I'll assume they are telling the truth so the milage wouldn't hurt. If these "shows" were at the mall I'd be concerned about scratches. Other than that it wouldn't bother me. I'm not even sure if it had been test driven a few times that it would concern me. It's not like someone went out and burned the tires several times.

Bottom line is Dark Gray is a lot different than Sandy beach. Do you want a light color or a dark color? Get what you really want, even if you have to wait.

 

I think he means the dealer drove it home to SHOW his neighbors, friends and family the new car

In all seriousness I think it would probably be ok but I would want a discount on it. Don't pay MSRP get them to knock $1500 off at least. My dealer was going to give me 1k off a PKG4 with sunroof so $1500 shouldn't be too hard.
G

 

You're buying a used car, and you should get a used car price. Who knows how many people (customers or sales reps) drove it.

How many miles are on it? How much of a discount did they offer?

 

Here's my opinion and it might not be popular as usual. BUT...

A car is either new, or it isn't. If it was used and being defined as a "show car" then it isn't "brand new". It might be fine, but without very carefully looking over for anything it might of suffered even as a show car, such as scratches, there's no way to know. Also in my opinion, if it has miles on it and has been used in any capacity then yes, the dealer should be offering you a discount...you are not buying a brand new product.

Like I said, it might be fine. If you can get a discount it might even be a good deal. But I certainly would want a discount. I certainly would want to know how many miles have been put on it, and I'd take an extra extreme look at the vehicle, both inside and out, and since it already has mileage I'd also want an extra long test drive before purchasing.

Beyond that, here's my feeling. What can you afford to do? Obviously you feel you can afford a new car, and you want a new car. You wouldn't be posting in here asking for advice about this issue if you didn't have some reservations. I feel if you are paying for what you want, you should get exactly what you want. Can you afford to wait? If so, wait. Get exactly what you want. It would bother me to an extent that the dealer didn't offer a discount upfront. Probably calling hoping you will feel you don't want to wait and be willing to pay full price, for an automobile that should have a discount.

Personally, unless I got a "Nice" discount. Plus I checked the automobile out very, very well and felt 100% comfortable, my philosophy would be, I have the time, I have the money, why compromise?

Is a month or even two months a prohibitive time for you to wait? You shouldn't even have to compromise on your color. Yes, The Prius is new, and yes it is in just released demand but it should be possible for you to get exactly what you want relatively quickly. Despite specifically strong sales for The Prius, we are in a global recession.

In either case No Compromise, or Get a deal. No way I would pay absolute full price for a car The Dealer has to disclaim as being used in a different manner before purchase. Your comfort level is up to you. I'm assuming still very low miles, and full new car warranty and support. Good Luck.

Feel good about getting a "deal" on exactly what you want, if you check it out and you are comfortable with it.

Feel good about waiting and getting exactly what you want, if you don't want the concious worry about what "Dealer Used" might result in meaning either short term or long term.

Good Luck, and this is actually kind of a nice problem to have.

 

Personally, I would be very cautious about how the vehicle was broken in during those 1,100 miles. These are the most critical in the life of a new car. Who knows who (and how many) drove the car under what conditions. Perhaps taking it to the limit, both acceleration and braking. I know how I am when in a rental car or alone during a test drive.... "What will this baby do?".

Hope I'm not scaring you, but this is reality. And if it's not your clear color of choice you may regret that later on.

Please do not be intimidated by the sales rep... The discount on remote start - is peanuts... It IS a used car. Used is the key word - how well...or not. What would they tell YOU if you brought your new Prius back with 1,100 miles on it?

Wish I was closer to you; would be happy to help out.

 

I'd pass on that, that is a lot of "show" miles. I'm not sure why a dealer would drive that far to show a car. I'm guessing it was more of a demo assigned to the saleperson to drive for some reason, even if simply to "show" it.

I'm not sure why you're settling for your third choice either.

You're always in a good position to negotiate, don't let them think otherwise. They are in business to sell you waht you want. If they can't deliver go elsewhere. YOU CONTROL this deal. It's your money. Don't settle with less than you want.

 

Sorry, after reading this, 1,100 miles? That's a little more than just a "show". Giving you the remote start for $180 isn't really a discount. Personally I'd want more if the dealer expected me to drive off the lot with a vehicle that already had a 4 digit mileage.

Plus don't feel bad. You are always in a good position to negotiate. You are the buyer, the one putting up the money. The fact that you might of changed your mind about exactly what you wanted is inmaterial, as a buyer that is perfectly normal and reasonable. A good dealer and good salesman should be supportive of this and want you to be as happy as possible with your purchase.

Try to divorce yourself from emotion about the deal. Don't feel like you can hurt anyones feelings. You are not there to make them happy, they should be there to try and make you happy.

To be honest, I'd have some reservations about a dealer that was only offering a few hundred dollars off an option, on a automobile with over 1000 miles on it. That in my opinion is not good enough.

 

Brittany, if you don't get this one now, I would highly recommend waiting for the exact color you want. They are out there and dont limit yourself to one dealership.

I really hate when they use tactics like "we have people calling about the car" those are just ploys to move inventory. My wife and I got that from two dealerships here and those Prius are still there 2 weeks later.

 

You seem like a very nice person and unfortunately the sales person is using it against you. Any time I hear "better hurry" I think "run like the wind" in the opposite direction. No offense but get a little spine and tell them a price you would feel comfortable with... $1000 $1500 $2000 discount whatever and be prepared to walk if you don't get it.

Trust everyone here...we don't have anything to gain. You aren't asking for too much. They will act all offended but it is just that, an act. If you don't get a decent discount you will kick yourself later.

G

 

Since the car is still part of the dealer inventory, it's still considered brand new because it has not been registered to an official owner. So, in that respect and considering it is your first choice, I would consider it, but 1.1K miles is a lot! I guess if you and your husband can live with waiting one more month for the other car, I would be inclined to wait, but if you are tired of waiting and you get a good discount in the winter grey, why not? I did get a car from a color that I was not even considering just to get it faster because I was not willing to wait. It turns out that I love the color now, and I don't know why I was not considering it at first.

 

Don't fall for the "you need to act now, because there's a line of people wanting to buy that car" BS.

The discount they offered is a joke for a car with 1,100 miles--and I think it's fair to assume it hasn't been lovingly broken in.

I'm sure there are other dealers in your area--why don't you invest half an hour and call around. And don't let the salesman "guilt" you into buying it.

 

I'd also recommend "passing" on the show car. Even if they threw in the remote start for free, that's just not a good enough deal for me. I very much agree with The Electric Me. You obvious are prepared to pay for a brand new car, so that's what you ought to get. Don't put yourself in a position that you might possibly regret the purchase a couple years down the road.

Put it this way. Lets assume they you bought a brand new car and it turns out to be a lemon. At least you can't blame anything but bad luck for that. But if you got the show car and it has all sorts of problems later on, you will blame yourself for not waiting a couple weeks for a brand new car.

Oh and oil changes are worth like $10 each time. I'd get them to throw 3 free oil changes even if it was a brand new car. They tend to throw that in anyway since they get the chance to sell you more services whenever you come in for any service.

 

Trust me. You can not offend a car salesman. I have several buddies that sells cars and do the financing. We've had laughs over some of the antics they use. It's a game they learn and like to play. It's their job to take advantage of every character flaw you have in pushing you to do the deal.

 

+1 here with extreme emphasis. Don't by the used one without a discount and don't settle for your second choice.

G

 

More like $60, but still not something you can't ask for.

 

This is true...

Also, you're a not too far from Jabber in Chicago, you may want to check with him to see what he has available...

 

Well that's what they charge (Really? Wow, I do not know, I've never taken the car in for an oil change; price sure has gone up), but that's not what its really worth to them. Lol I was going to say max $15, since that's the price of 4 quarts of oil and a 1 filter.