[MPowered]

4000 miles on a new car is a lot of miles. You just don't know how it was broken in. If you got a big discount like $10K off, then that's something to think about. But $4K off is nothing for a demo. I have a hardline 10 miles rule. Anything over that amount on a new car is a no go for me unless I can get a significant discount, and I'd only do that if there weren't any new ones with less miles around.



My family and I have purchased enough cars that I will never buy one with demo or test driven miles on it. My family had purchased one with 50-70 miles on the odo because it was driven from another dealership in a neighboring state. The car had problems years down the road. We also purchased another car with over 20 test driven miles, and again years later, it had all sorts of problems. I'm not saying that demo/test driven vehicles are problematic, but the 2 cars that didn't have delivery miles had mechanical problems but none of our other cars with delivery miles had problems.


I was looking at the Nissan GTR in the first few years when it came out and visited a dealership to purchase one. To my surprise, they let me test drive the new GTR, but first the sales manager took me out and proceeded to show me how fast the car was by hitting triple digits on the highway and then some. They had 2 GTRs, and I wanted to buy the other one instead. We were close on the price, but the dealership wouldn't budge unless I took the one that I test drove. No way man, not happening. I still liked the car and visited a different dealership a couple years later when Nissan had that $15K "unadvertised dealer cash". I liked the color from the second dealership but after seeing 50 miles on the new car, it was over. OP, think of the Camaro like that GTR that I was looking at except the Camaro has 4000 chances of things happening to it.


Like someone said, getting that low delivery mileage and new car smell is part of the special new experience. Can't be a virgin again.

[MPowered]

Another thing to consider is that the Camaro is coming to an end, so probably no more petro engine. Worth it to get new if you can and make it a keeper. It's special.

[cdrptrks]

Originally Posted by GearheadSS

Anyone looking at used should do their homework and inspect the car to make sure it's all good. There are a shit ton of good used Camaros out there and just because some you are scared to buy one, does not mean that the OP should have the same fears.

Originally Posted by N Camarolina

For all you guys that say don't worry about how the car was treated previously, I'll ask how many of you have had to have your LT1 engine replaced because it blew up?

If you have like I have (5K miles, bearing failure), and you've been through the pain of trying to manage the dealership errors made during the trans and engine removal/reinstallation process, you'd probably feel differently. It's a huge aggravation at a minimum, made worse still because it is nearly impossible to reinstall the all the wiring harnesses to their correct mounting points/positions underneath the car.

I bought mine used (less than 2 years old) but it was about 15k off of sticker price so it was worth the risk to me since a local Chevy dealership was able to verify the warranty during my pre-purchase inspection. I ended up needing the warranty last year when major engine work was required and dealing with the dealership was a huge pain. The diagnosis/repair dragged on for months longer than it should have and I was lied to by almost everyone I interacted with at the dealership. It is possible to put the wiring back correctly but the techs make more money (or finish their workday sooner) if they rush so they cut corners. I have heard similar complaints from several others who have had engine warranty work/replacement. In my case the plastic ignition coil covers were loose, the header heat shield bolts were not tightened so it fell off while I was driving, and miscellaneous wiring harness clips were missing, damaged, or not reattached correctly. The car was also significantly low on coolant which the service manager did not mention/notice so it is a good thing that I saw it before I left.

Some of the things I mentioned in my previous post simply cannot be found with homework/inspection. I don't think these would be mentioned in the manual and track prep guide unless GM had reason to believe that they would improve the car's long term reliability.

[N Camarolina]

Originally Posted by cdrptrks

I bought mine used (less than 2 years old) but it was about 15k off of sticker price so it was worth the risk to me since a local Chevy dealership was able to verify the warranty during my pre-purchase inspection. I ended up needing the warranty last year when major engine work was required and dealing with the dealership was a huge pain. The diagnosis/repair dragged on for months longer than it should have and I was lied to by almost everyone I interacted with at the dealership. It is possible to put the wiring back correctly but the techs make more money (or finish their workday sooner) if they rush so they cut corners. I have heard similar complaints from several others who have had engine warranty work/replacement. In my case the plastic ignition coil covers were loose, the header heat shield bolts were not tightened so it fell off while I was driving, and miscellaneous wiring harness clips were missing, damaged, or not reattached correctly. The car was also significantly low on coolant which the service manager did not mention/notice so it is a good thing that I saw it before I left.

Some of the things I mentioned in my previous post simply cannot be found with homework/inspection. I don't think these would be mentioned in the manual and track prep guide unless GM had reason to believe that they would improve the car's long term reliability.

It may be that we are more cautious about this than a lot of you because we track our cars. When you drive on the track, you are putting a lot more stress on the car than you do when street driving, not least of which is the engine (revving out to red-line multiple times per lap, lap after lap). So if possible, I want to be sure the engine was broken in correctly and not abused. To each their own.

If you only plan to put on street miles, then risk with buying demo is low. especially if the car in question really was the manager's rather than a test car driven by lots of people including hooligans. Good luck in whatever path you choose to take!

[laynlo15]

Are they going to give you an extended warranty like they do on GM Certified cars. I bought a used truck a few years ago and the power train was extended to 100,000 miles and the bumper to bumper was extended to 48,000 miles instead of 36,000. I don't see it much different in buying a used Camaro off the lot with 4k miles. I'd be more worried about if its been smoked in, you'll never get the smell out of it, it gets in the headliner and seats plus the vents. I made that mistake once years ago and no matter what a dealer tells you that it will go away eventually, I found it never does so I ended up trading it back in for a new truck, never again

[TP2SS]

If the car has never been titled, make sure the warranty starts on the date of sale to you, and the mileage also starts at 4000, so your "factory" B2B is really 40k and 36 months from YOUR purchase date.

If GM records show it's in-service date is whenever the sales guy started driving it, insist on them making it a CPO, which will extend the B2B to 48k and 48 months, and the PTW to 100k. That should take the sting off an in-service date/miles driven prior to you buying it. I would also insist on an inspection on a hoist since no CarFax likely exists for it since it's never been titled. Could have had some collision damage they fixed without reporting it. Go over everything with a fine tooth comb looking for bent/obviously repaired metal. If that inspection passes muster, I'd have no problem buying something like that myself, but to each their own.

As far as what I noted above on delayed warranty, trust me that's legit. I just bought a 2021 Acadia that had an in-service mileage of 3,677 (according to CarFax), and the (Chevy) dealer showed me that the GM recorded warranty will in fact expire at 39,000, not 36,000 (I'm looking into why it wasn't recorded as 3,677 and rounded down to 3k). I also had it CPO'd which took it to 51k and 48 months, with 103k on the PTW.

[grgus73]

I have had 2 past demo models and a current demo.
Past being a Tacoma and 4Runner, and my current log cabin car, a 2018 Trax AWD. No issues on any of them.

If the car is in great shape, warranty, and low price. Then why not?

[Wyzz Kydd]

Demo non sports car, sure, as it’s unlikely it’s been flogged by test drivers.

Demo sports car, no way.

[Mike C]

I bought my RAM 1500 with 5500 miles on it. It had the main 3 options I wanted, Blue, diesel and sunroof. The Laramie package with all the options, Ram box and 4 corner air suspension were a bonus. This was the only Blue diesel in a 500 mile radius. It happened to be about an hour drive away. We went to look at it, but it wasn't there that day. It was the Sales Manager's truck. They took pics and sent it to me. My wife and talked about it and the price with incentives made it worth it to me. I got 12K off sticker. My warranty started at the mileage I picked it up with. The dealer also added spray in bed liner, hard tonneau cover and bed divider. That was another $1500 in options not listed on the sticker. When I picked it up it was dirty inside and underneath. But, one of the best trucks I've ever owned. Still have it with 93K miles and just getting broke in. If it's got 4K miles, they need to knock off more than 4K. If it's not exactly what you want, don't get it. Just wait for your order. If you plan on having this car for a while, don't settle just because you can save a few $$. Get what you want.

[Junction65]

Agree with the great points on the CPO/warranty stuff.

A used vehicle is just that, a used vehicle. You never know how many worms are going to be in that can...

[rst08tierney]

I bought a demo once. $70k back in 2016. Had 256 miles on it. (YES IT WAS A FORD) Sales Manager Car. Same BS story they all give you. Vehicle wouldn't Start the next morning and then the morning after that. Instrument cluster would lite up like Christmas throwing error after error.

Car was white with a black painted roof. Noticed the roof line in a section wasn't painted straight. It was off by a 1/2 an inch at one point. Called my paint guy who does restorations for a living and man oh man what did we find........

To make a long story short, with all the damage found and paint failures after a single cut and buff the car was wrecked at the port and fixed by the dealer. Since it wasn't registered or sold, they were able to sell it as "New". With all the back and fourth (to all places a honda dealership) for body work they decided to call it a demo due to having over 200 miles. Car was at the dealership 168 days before being sold to me. Found out after the fact.

After getting an Attorney involved because the dealer would not help they had 3 big wigs from Dearborn come out and tell the Owner of the dealership to take the car back. He refused and claimed there was never damage that he knew of to the vehicle. Tried to blame it all on bird poop!

In 6 1/2 months I drove the car 106 Miles. After the dealer agreed to fix everything wrong with the car the total in repairs just for paint and body/structure work came in just short of $32k. Fortunately myself and the attorney pushed hard for a buy back and won. Whats the moral of the story?

2 months later that same car went back up for sale as a demo with low miles.

After this experience I've only ordered my vehicles directly from the factory. I will never buy anything off a lot ever again even if the odometer reads 3 miles. Specifically ask to see the vehicle before any PDI. 2 Mopar's and 3 Chevys later I haven't been to service for anything more then a blown fuse and basic recalls.

Not all dealers are crooks but lots of damage can happen at port and they dont need to disclose ANYTHING.

Good luck making a decision.

[Realist]

$4k off is probably around 10% off after figuring in less in sales tax and additional interest in finance charges if everything else is equal. Spring is close so prices may raise some. If it’s 4000 miles on clean roads, car service records, window sticker included and my eyes see it hasn’t had any dinks, dents, stone chips or paint repairs it would probably qualify as a possible purchase.

[eCkO]

Well my birthday is today and no allocation from either of the two dealerships I have my builds submitted to, even though both claimed the ability to get allocation by the 5th or 12th of January. Ironically both dealerships are claiming no allocations went out to anyone yesterday and don't know what's going on. It's draining fellas. I know many of you have been there.

I decided not to even look at the demo. I am going to wait it out for a little bit longer, but I also might have to get to the point of looking at the lots. Being in Ohio, I do not want this car to come in at the end of July, leaving me with little to no time to drive it before putting it up. Was trying to time it so it arrived in late spring after the salt was washed away and could enjoy it but that is looking less and less likely unless I find something on the lot in the next 1 1/2 months. Thanks for all your advice and stories. I appreciate the feedback.

[ZPirate]

Originally Posted by eCkO

Well my birthday is today and no allocation from either of the two dealerships I have my builds submitted to, even though both claimed the ability to get allocation by the 5th or 12th of January. Ironically both dealerships are claiming no allocations went out to anyone yesterday and don't know what's going on. It's draining fellas. I know many of you have been there.

I decided not to even look at the demo. I am going to wait it out for a little bit longer, but I also might have to get to the point of looking at the lots. Being in Ohio, I do not want this car to come in at the end of July, leaving me with little to no time to drive it before putting it up. Was trying to time it so it arrived in late spring after the salt was washed away and could enjoy it but that is looking less and less likely unless I find something on the lot in the next 1 1/2 months. Thanks for all your advice and stories. I appreciate the feedback.

Happy Birthday!

I found my car "in transit" to a dealership after waiting with no allocation for 3 months. That may be an option for you. It was preordered, but the buyer got tired of waiting and went a different direction. You can build your car on the Chevy website and then search for similar cars within a certain radius of where you are. That's how I located my car. When I called the dealer to inquire about the car that's when I found out the buyer had backed out. So I put down a deposit on it and it arrived about a month later. I had to inquire about several vehicles before I found mine, but in the end it was better than waiting 6 to 8 months.