Ex-demo Golf GT?

[STV4SYT]

I went out in one, the car still had the plastic on it and hadnt been washed, apparently it was "being put on as a demo this week" had 15km on the clock. Salesman drove it in traffic about 5km got onto an open road and then thrashed it, demo'd the ESP at 160ish around a tight corner then encouraged me to do the same. of course i obliged and tried out all the things that i was interested in. that put me off the demo ones for sure, and as it turned out with a bit of haggling i was able to buy a new one for less than the other dealership wanted for their 9000km old demo???

[SoVeReIgN]

I went out in one, the car still had the plastic on it and hadnt been washed, apparently it was "being put on as a demo this week" had 15km on the clock. Salesman drove it in traffic about 5km got onto an open road and then thrashed it, demo'd the ESP at 160ish around a tight corner then encouraged me to do the same. of course i obliged and tried out all the things that i was interested in. that put me off the demo ones for sure, and as it turned out with a bit of haggling i was able to buy a new one for less than the other dealership wanted for their 9000km old demo???

Scary thing is - They probably delivered it as new to a customer

[mrx]

I'd be more concerned with the way it's been looked after in terms of the interior, wheels, etc. Engine/mechanicals can always be fixed under warranty, but the interior plastic, etc. is a bit more difficult. I've seen some pretty nastily scratched up demo's.

[VW Convert]

I'd be dubious about buying a demo after seeing how the salesman drove the Jetta demo out of the yard when I was looking to buy. Out of the driveway he floored it, thought my neck was going to snap! Up through the gears the Jetta screamed then he realised the traffic lights 200 metres from the driveway were red and near snapped my neck again as he hit the anchors.
My observation of his driving was enough to turn me off the idea of a demo.

Salesman drove it in traffic about 5km got onto an open road and then thrashed it, demo'd the ESP at 160ish around a tight corner then encouraged me to do the same.

160ish? Not with me in the car, I'd have belted the daylights out of him! That's madness!

Cheers

George

[jb747]

Whilst its rare for me to ever be in a situation where the saleman is driving the car (I don't learn anything that way, and just get into the driver's seat), when they have driven, I have never yet come across a salesman who did anything other than drive quite gently.

[motk]

Mind if I ask why you won't have a black car?

Two reasons, I suspect: Heat retention and on-road visibility.

[STV4SYT]

Whilst its rare for me to ever be in a situation where the saleman is driving the car (I don't learn anything that way, and just get into the driver's seat), when they have driven, I have never yet come across a salesman who did anything other than drive quite gently.

Whether this be true or not, some dealerships insurance stipulates that the salesman must first drive the car off the premises. some of them will drive around the corner and swap over, whilst some who are more up for a bit of a hoon will drive a bit further.

[gregozedobe]

My salesman said they are under instructions not to let customers drive until the engine is properly warmed up, which is fair enough. And generally they all seemed to stick to that pretty well unless they know you well enough to trust you.

I've never had a salesperson drive hard when I've been in the vehicle, and they didn't mind me accelerating as hard as I liked. But I wasn't prepared to go too hard around corners - has anyone ever read the fine print in the test drive agreement you sign, particularly if you take the car by yourself (without a salesperson) ? $2,500 excess !!!!

[greygolf8]

I recently test drove a tdi. had to sign a paper stating the excess was $3k or $5k, cant remember which. A gopher drove it round to the front yard and left it idling. The salesman suggested a route to drive and when I came back, he was a bit surprised. I think he expected a few more laps and detours ...

[mrx]

My salesman said they are under instructions not to let customers drive until the engine is properly warmed up, which is fair enough. And generally they all seemed to stick to that pretty well unless they know you well enough to trust you.

I've never had a salesperson drive hard when I've been in the vehicle, and they didn't mind me accelerating as hard as I liked. But I wasn't prepared to go too hard around corners - has anyone ever read the fine print in the test drive agreement you sign, particularly if you take the car by yourself (without a salesperson) ? $2,500 excess !!!!

I've never had to sign anything to go on a test drive? They take a copy of your licence though, and often drive it off the lot before letting you take over.

[Logzy]

MP3 compatible cd player

[Chung]

I'm happy to report that I've put down a deposit for a reflex silver GT Sport, manual, no options. In the end the ex-demos weren't a good option because they weren't willing to bring the price down enough to justify it and I got a pretty good deal on the new one.

Delivery sometime next week, will try to get some photos up in due course.

Thanks for all the advice everyone, both in this thread and the forum generally.