QUESTION: At what mileage is a car considered a demo or program car?

November 02, 2005

Hello Tony

At what mileage is a car considered a demo or program car? I came home with a car last night and realized it had 2,600 miles on it. It was sold to me as a new car. I know I have 72 hours to get out the deal. Is this considered a used car or a new car?

Thank you for your help.

Monica

Answer:

Hi Monica,

A car is considered new if it has never been titled before. Many car dealerships allow their managers to drive new cars as "demos."

They will put 2,000 to 5,000 miles on them before they are parked and put back into stock. These cars can technically be sold as new cars since they've never been titled before. Usually the buyer gets some kind of extra discount as an enticement to purchase these cars.

Program cars are one or two year old used cars that are purchased through dealer auctions. They usually have 10,000 to 30,000 miles on them and are sold as used cars due to the fact that they have been titled already. These cars are usually off-lease vehicles, or rental cars from Hertz, Avis and so forth.

Before purchasing a vehicle with miles on it Ask the car dealer if the car has been titled before. This way you'll know what you are dealing with.

As far as the 72 hour return that you speak of, unless state law specifically has a law on the books to this effect you won't be able to return the car. At the time of this writing the only state that has such a law is CA, and then there are many stipulations associated with it...including the fact that you have to pay extra up front to utilize this option. Don't assume you can simply return a car. Usually you can't!

All my very best...

Tony Iorio