2010 Prius: buying dealer demo vehicle

From reading other posts, $1k under MSRP currently isn't an amazing price for a non-demo. Plus something about buying a demo is just scary. I didn't realize how to operate this car completely when I first got it so think of how many people drove it and maybe did stupid things to it.

 

Sounds like a good deal to me. When I bought mine I couldn't get anything off of the MSRP although I also didn't have to pay for some of the add-ons I didn't ask for that my car came with like pin striping and door/fender edge guards. As long as it is the model and has the options you want and you aren't paying for anything you don't want, I think $1K off is pretty good.

 

Test drive it, if you like it and you think it is a good deal then go for it!

I bought my wife's 2010 IV base for $1000 below MSRP, and my 2010 Package V w/AT (that the rear bumper was scraped, but the dealer fixed it, and looks like it was never touched at all, before I picked it up, an additional $500 off for this) for $1300 off MSRP. Neither was a demo, but I would not hesitate on a demo if it was what I wanted, I think 1k miles is not that much, but others will disagree.

Only you can tell if it is a good deal, let us know what you do!
Best of luck
Don

 

Make sure it REALLY is a demo and not a rental. If it's really a demo it should have never ben titled and the paperwork should show that it's being sold as a NEW vehicle.

 

My III was a manager's demo with 3,400 miles on it. I didn't get as good of a deal as I probably should have ($2,000 off MSRP) but I was stupid enough to buy it the day I saw it and wasn't prepared to negotiate. I love it anyway.

 

I would at least ask fro 2K off. That is at least how much you will loose driving it off the lot.

 

I think its possible to get $1000 off (on a Prius V) without it being a demo so I think you should shoot for a lower price. I would not be concerned at all about 900 miles on a demo vehicle. I would be concerned if it was a loaner or rental though.

I am of the mind that even horribly aggressive driving <but no accidents or purposeful tricks> would damage a Prius even with low miles on it. Yes, even full throttle jack rabbit starts a few times, slamming brakes, hard corners would do next to nothing to a Prius.
Should you do this.... of course not!

 

A Certified Pre-Owned with almost a thousand miles on it? No way in heck would I settle for a thousand dollars below MSRP for a Package V. I say at least $3,000 off or NO deal...

It's almost guaranteed that some not-so-nice things happened to that car during the break-in period and you need to be compensated for that up-front.

Bryan

 

So it is a pre-owned, used car they are trying to get you to pay MSRP for? I am with others on this board, I would say $3K off MSRP or walk away. Contrary to what the dealership hopes you will believe, people are not just standing around with $30K to drop on a used Prius.

 

Well, my gen II used to be a demo/rental car at my Toyota dealership when I bought it. It had nearly 40 000 miles and was 15 months old when I got it, so it was much more used then the one you are considering. Still, it is in a great shape and runs like a clockwork. Many of my friends even thought it was new when they saw it for the first time. So I wouldn't be worried too much about technical state of a demo vehicle. My uncle also got a year-old demo vehicle several years back, and never had a problem with it.

On the other hand, $1000 off the MSRP doesn't sound that appealing to me. I would ask for at least $2000 discount. I payed almost *half* the MSRP for my car (about 56% to be precise) when I got it, although it was an off-going model and much more used then yours, for the fair comparison. Still, I won't settle for a $1000 discount if I were you.

 

uh... my parents purchased a hybrid rx demo.. it always got about 20mpg without a lot of work. i blame this on a poor break-in session... demo drivers like to punch it to see how the vehicle responds. doing this in the 1st several thousand miles tends to wear the cams... making things tick more.. making the engine "that" much less efficient or prone to fail in it's long long life as a toyota engine....

i would ask for more of a discount.. my parents got more like 5k off for buying the demo (40+k car though...)

 

If I were in your situation, I'd go with the second option ($400 off MSRP and new). In five years, you'll have forgotten all about the $600 difference, whereas the thoughts of what might have happened during that first 1000 mi may still be dogging you. Just my way of thinking.

Otherwise, I agree with others here in suggesting you ask for more off if you go for the demo/CPO/whatever you call it. At the worst, they'll say 'no' and you won't be in any different situation than you are now. Never hurts to ask...

Good luck
Tim