Should you buy a demo or not?

Traditionally, all members of the sales staff of a car dealership have permission to drive a car provided by the company. The idea is of course to learn more about the products they sale, and of course represent their brand even when they are away from the dealer.

These cars are then sold as a demo vehicles. Specifically, a demo is a car that has already been driven by someone for a few hundred or a few thousand kilometers, but rarely beyond 10,000.

Because they serve as a showcase for the dealer, these vehicles are often heavily equipped and very well maintained as they are washed almost daily and kept in pristine condition in order to be ready to show to a potential customer.

Moreover, the sales representative who drives the vehicle usually takes very good care of the car and drives it with respect, given that it is owned by his or her employer. A demo vehicle is a sales tool. In order for the test drives to provide the best customer experience, the vehicle must be in perfect condition. The dealership therefore invests time and money so that each demonstrator is in perfect mechanical condition at all times.

The most interesting feature of these vehicles, however, is that they are considered as new and sometimes they have never been registered. They are therefore considered new vehicles, but offered for sale at a reduced price.

But is it a good thing to buy a demo? The quick answer is yes if the price reduction is significant. The rebate you receive on a demo vehicle will vary based on the model and how many kilometers have been put on it, however. Sometimes the savings are small, but sometimes they can be quite significant.

“The biggest advantage of a demo vehicle is that you get a basically new car that has been properly maintained and features a lot of equipment for thousands of dollars less,” says a sales representative at King Mazda.

So, should you buy a demo? The answer depends on your needs, but know that there are certainly plenty of advantages in doing so.