# Buying a demo - Pros and Cons?



## deafjam (Mar 27, 2008)

Hi.

I was at a dealership over the weekend and saw a couple of demos with what appears to be pretty healthy discounts. What are the pros and cons of buying or leasing demo cars?

Aside from the pros and cons, how would you price a demo?

For example, I saw a 2009 328i with a MSRP of about $39,000 (don't remember the exact MSRP), and the asking price was about $32,000. The car had about 5000 miles. Is this discount substantial enough given the number of miles on the car?

I'd like to get more opinions on this. Thanks.


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## Grentz (May 16, 2009)

I cannot comment from the dealer side, but from my own observations:

Pros:
-Dealers want to move them and thus better discounts and negotiating usually
-Usually kept and maintained properly by dealership

Cons:
-Driven hard on demo drives
-Not always broken in properly and kept well by dealership
-Lots of people touching/playing with/forcing parts and accessories on the car
-Sitting on the lot outside for months if the dealer does not have covered storage


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## Rubber Ducky (Feb 27, 2004)

I wouldn't hesitate to go into a demo if the price was right. It was a demo 530 (with the tiny V-8) that got us into BMWs and it was a jewel - with 8400 hard miles on it when we bought it - and zero troubles. 

That's the beauty of a demo deal: a lot more car for the money. And with combination of warranty and maintenance, you are assured of perhaps 3 years of trouble-free ownership, at the end of which you'll know the car better than anyone and can make an informed decision on keep-or-sell.


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## soupcon (Sep 13, 2008)

in california at least, a car that is officially a 'demo' is not covered by the lemon laws. i would suggest you look into what they mean by "demo." a car can be called a demo in marketing and/or can be used for demonstration purposes but still sold as 'new' (as indicated by the appropriate checked box on the sales invoice).


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## chrischeung (Sep 1, 2002)

Run a search - discussed quite frequently. For one thing, BMWCCA rebate won't apply.


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## sbux (Apr 23, 2009)

i would avoid....they are not in general well maintain and are usually heavily beaten....


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## Mech_Man (Jun 2, 2008)

First, you need to approach the question of what price to pay for it like it was a new car (the method, that is). and that means ignoring the MSRP and build up a value from the factory invoice: 
Add invoice of car + invoice of each option + other legit dealer costs + make/model/location's reasonable dealer's profit ($500 is a good starting point for that) + tax - trunk money (if any) etc. Look through these forums for pricing and methods. Then deduct the difference in value for the milage and age.
Also, see how the title would read.
I got a "loaner" from a dealer, had it well inspected to make sure it had been treated right, and drove off as the "first retail owner" of an 8 month old car, paying a good used car price.


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## deafjam (Mar 27, 2008)

Thanks for all the great info. I knew I'd get a much better perspective on this from you guys.


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## sdbrandon (Mar 18, 2006)

A demo does not qualify for the BMWCAA rebate.

Also, the warranty started the day it was put in service.

But if the price is right, and it is not a buy back, none of this matters.


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## deafjam (Mar 27, 2008)

So I'm concluding that if I can get a "great" price on the car (per the calculation above), I should feel all right in purchasing a demo as long as it is not a buy back, right?


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## mclaren (Jan 5, 2005)

A demo gets an additional 3 month of new car warranty from the in service date and 5,000 extra miles ( 55k ).


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