When Should You Refuse to Accept a "USED" New Prius

Agreed.

 

Each state has different laws. It's all about the state laws nothing more. In Va and neighboring states the mileage limit is ~5000 miles. The legal issue is whether the vehicle has ever been titled to a retail buyer as a new vehicle. If it hasn't been titled yet then it's still new, whether it has 100 mi, 1000 mi or 5000 mi; whether it's a 2009, 2010 or even in the case of some domestic models if it's a 2008 - seriously.

 

Not if you coat your car in enough ugly reflective tape...
<ducks>

Oops, did I just start that argument again? Silly me.

No offense New Yorker (or hobbit). It's just not a style that everybody likes. Just like the various OEM colors. Or even the overall egg-shaped car we all drive, even if it did gain a couple more corners for 2010. I'm glad you enjoy your car like that. It'd suck to put all that hard work in only to decide that you don't like it.

Seriously, I bet nobody would carjack you... The cops would be able to spot the car from space!

 

How much damage might be caused by a test driver flooring the pedal on a new car to 'see what she'll do'?

break-in rules do say - avoid hard acceleration for first 6xx miles.

 

You really think many test drivers floor the Prius with the salesperson right next to them?

Hate to break it to you, but you're surely not a typical test driver as someone who rented the Gen 3 three separate times already to test it out.

 

I've had 4 new cars, all of them with the exception of my Prius had between 120-250 miles on them. It doesn't bother me. It's a relatively small amount of miles in the grand scheme of things. And nearly impossible for any kind of damage to have been done.

I think i'd draw the line at 300 or more.

 

Test drive miles are the worst miles for a car.

FWIW, on almost every test drive I've gone on (including a few in a Prius) the salesman encouraged me to "see what it has." They don't care about any abuse to the car--they just want to sell it to you. This is why I'll never buy a car that has more than a few miles on it.

 

I don't know about the others, but if I were to "see what it has," I'd scare the $hit out of them.

Anybody every get pulled over while test driving a car?

 

As long as the car can legally be titled as new then I think that the mileage is irrelevant - it is new. If you do not like the fact that it has a couple hundred miles on the odometer then you need to bring it up when negotiating - let the dealer know that it is important to you. If they put miles on the car after you make the deal but before you take delivery then you have a beef.

So - the dealer has the right to sell the car as new with some miles on it - you also have the right not to buy it if it is a problem for you.

 

Whatever your personal opinon is about New, Used and how buyers should react hasn't this whole thread illuminated that it is NOT a cut and dry issue?

Some people want the plastic from the factory inplace and the vehicle rolled off the truck with "inches" on the odometer. Others will take significant mileage as long as they feel good about the deal and the vehicle.

Dealerships of course will sell any and all vehicles they can, and if they don't have to legally define it as a demonstrator or used...then they aren't going to voluntarily place this definition on themselves in most cases.

I've had enough of this discussion. It is simple, what people will accept, varies from individual to individual and sometimes deal to deal.

Why do I get the feeling New Yorker accepted a deal that he wasn't really comfortable with, and now in retrospect wants people to join him in a "My Car is Used!" campaign?

Sorry but the industry isn't going to change to match your personal insecurities.

 

All during my 40+ yrs of car buying, including living in NYC and NoNJ , I've never been concerned with the details like those you're obsessing over. If I want the vehicle and I'm OK with the price then I just don't care about these niggling details. For me +/- $500 is nothing to be concerned about over the next 7-8 yrs since I'll be driving it 200,000 miles or more and it'll be a junker when I'm done. I simply don't care one way or another. It's a tool intened to go from point A to point B. If the price was OK and it had 5000 miles on it then I'd buy it and enjoy it.

 

It is my understanding that as long as the vehicle was never titled, it is considered 'new' regardless of odometer reading. For the dealer to disclose that the vehicle was a demonstrator is perhaps an ethical issue rather than law.

 

I think anything less than 500 miles is OK if it was sitting on the lot. If the warranty is say, 50,000 miles and you buy it with 500 miles, then the warranty expires at 50,500 miles.

If you "preferenced" the car (since you can't actually 'order' one) then it should be less than about 75. I'm going to assume that Toyota will do something that the big 3 domestic do and that is randomly test cars when they roll out of the factory which can add up to 40 or 50 miles.

Do you really think someone will WHOOP on a Prius? Cars are NOT that fragile.

But it is up to you when you decide to buy the car what mileage is TOO MUCH.