2 Offers, Demo vs Clean- Which One Do I Take?

[anhanhymous]

Hi all newb here.

I've been eyeing the stinger for a while now and have started to shop around and got two quotes that I am considering.

2020 GT1 AWD - $48835 MSRP includes destination
Mileage - 8 miles
Dealer Discount - $4040
Rebate - $8600

2020 GT2 RWD - $52155 MSRP includes destination and add ons
DEMO - Around 1k miles
Dealer Discount - $7182
Rebate - $9300

What are your thoughts on this? I'm concerned about the GT2 being a demo and am wondering if anyone else has any issues with their demos.

Thanks!

 

[RedHotStinger]

I bought a white/red interior 2019 GT2 AWD as a demo and it ended up being wreaked and not disclosed at the time of sale. That was a swift return to the dealer for a full refund.

 

[GPhenom]

Hard to beat a GT2 around $35K. 1K miles isn't bad at all for a demo, of course you don't know how hard those miles were driven. Honestly, there doesn't seem to be a wrong answer with those deals. Make sure you get a Carfax and ask about all the disclosures on the GT2. Good luck!

 

[anhanhymous]

Wow what was the damage and how did you find out?

 

[StingertimeNC]

GT2! Just get all the bells and whistles. Plus RWD for tail out fun! for 35k you can't go wrong. assuming it's clean.

 

[OhioStateStinger]

GT2! Just get all the bells and whistles. Plus RWD for tail out fun! for 35k you can't go wrong. assuming it's clean.

I have put every mile but 7 on my GT1, but if I had the demo 1k mile GT2 for 35k presented to me... that is an easy choice.

 

[RedHotStinger]

Wow what was the damage and how did you find out?

The entire rear end was pretty much pushed up to the rear window. I have the body shop detail of all of the work done to fix it still. It has to be disclosed at the time of sale. They called me two days later saying they forgot a document I needed to sign. It was the acknowledgement statement for the damage. The dealer really owned their mistake and gave me zero issues returning the car. I was so impressed by the way they handled the situation I bought a new one the same day from them.

 

[StingertimeNC]

The entire rear end was pretty much pushed up to the rear window. I have the body shop detail of all of the work done to fix it still. It has to be disclosed at the time of sale. They called me two days later saying they forgot a document I needed to sign. It was the acknowledgement statement for the damage. The dealer really owned their mistake and gave me zero issues returning the car. I was so impressed by the way they handled the situation I bought a new one the same day from them.

that does sound a little like they hoped you would be in love with the car at that point and just sign it. How do they forget about that document at the time of sale. just a little weird. Nice that they gave you a refund with no hassle though.

 

[RedHotStinger]

If you were a salesman with a sale imminent would you disclose that the car was wreaked? I have a feeling the salesman was the guilt party in this case. If I was in a rear end accident after the sale was finalized and it came to light that the car was wreaked and not disclosed it could end with the dealership being shuttered once the insurance companies and federal agencies got done with them. They would rather piss off someone and not risk everything. I pulled a carfax report on the VIN and it showed no owner (the dealer did not register the car - by law they do not need too) and no reported accidents. That means the body work was done at the dealer level were it would not need to be reported to the DMV. They gave me two options - sign the statement and get an additional $7000 off the purchase price or return the car for full purchase price ie cancel the contract before the financing finalized. I returned the car instantly. I had never heard of the bodyshop who did the work and to what standard they did it too. Not worth risking my self and the family to possible dodgy repairs. I have a body shop I trust to do repairs on my vehicles; they are trusted with fixing supercars so a normal day driver car is easy for them.

 

[adam1991]

I bought a white/red interior 2019 GT2 AWD as a demo and it ended up being wreaked and not disclosed at the time of sale. That was a swift return to the dealer for a full refund.

I imagine damage like that wouldn't have survived a cursory daylight "run your hands and eyes over everything like you're washing it" inspection. That's what you must have done after you brought it home, and that's how you discovered the damage?

I'm shocked that the dealer played it out for you like they did. But, that whole "btw, we 'forgot' about this piece of paper..." That was purely intentional. The whole process, they planned it like that. They were playing the puppy dog sale. You've already physically and emotionally taken ownership of the car; they were hoping you'd just sign the paper and move on. No way were they going to show you that paper during the whole F&I signfest. They did all of that intentionally. They rolled their dice. They lost, but then they won--you rewarded them for their skanky behavior, which was intentionally skanky from the moment you walked on the lot.

They were playing you (or anyone else who showed interest in the car) like a fiddle. Based on knowing that, I wouldn't have bought a thing from them.

 

[adam1991]

How do they forget about that document at the time of sale.

They don't. Not for a second. They played every prospect intentionally like that. They won their odds game; they found one to take them up on their routine.

 

[adam1991]

I have a feeling the salesman was the guilt party in this case.

You know, I wouldn't even put it on him. He might have not wanted to play it that way. But he was directed by his management to do so.

This kind of skankiness starts from the top down. The floor guy didn't invent this. Remember, even the F&I guy had to play by deliberately not presenting a legally-required piece of paper. That's his whole job, is to get all the legally-required papers signed.

You can bet the F&I guy was sure to get signatures on the "you won't sue us" waiver, as well as the "you told us you don't want window etching and Ed's Extended Warranty" waiver.

But somehow he "missed" that crucial waiver that could get them shut down by the state's attorney general. Fascinating.

 

[adam1991]

They gave me two options - sign the statement and get an additional $7000 off the purchase price or return the car for full purchase price ie cancel the contract before the financing finalized.

That was their game. They knew they could be closed by the state attorney general for this, so they carefully crafted a story. You have the car and are in love with it; you might be willing to take the problem off their hands. $7K? That was CHEAP compared to you going to the attorney general.

They could buy your silence, or--and they know how the game's played--they'll just offer to take the car back. But hey, they don't know if you'll take the car if they don't ask. That's the entire sales game. They specifically and deliberately put you in that position where they could reasonably ask, will you take this car. Then they dangled a $7K carrot.

Now, imagine if they had started the entire sales cycle out this way, from the moment you expressed interest in the car. "The car's been wrecked but repaired; you can have it for an additonal $7K off". That conversation would have ended immediately, and they would have had zero chance of you taking it. But two days later? It's another chance to get in front of you to make an offer.

It's the odds game. They created the rules, they set it up, and they enticed you through it. All for their benefit, all under their game rules. They took advantage of you (or anyone else, it didn't have to be you) in a way that is pure Herb Tarlek car sales.

Me? I would have held out for more. If $7K is on the table right now, how much more could you ask before THEY say "well, we're too far apart, we'll just take the car back from you". I bet you left a TON of money on the table. Because you had the option to walk and take this story to the attorney general--and that's huge leverage. But hey, by that time you had traded your old car in, right? You couldn't just park the Stinger until it all played out. You were *forced* to play it out on the spot, in front of an organization that does this for a living. So the dealer had you over a couple of barrels.

So there you were, on the spot, not knowing what's really happened, playing a game that was invented by the other side, playing by their rules. And you had to make an immediate decision (I'm sure that's how they framed the conversation), without full information.

You were played by some of the finest in the business. Who was this dealer, so we can all know to avoid such skankery?

 

[Kamauxx]

Hi all newb here.

I've been eyeing the stinger for a while now and have started to shop around and got two quotes that I am considering.

2020 GT1 AWD - $48835 MSRP includes destination
Mileage - 8 miles
Dealer Discount - $4040
Rebate - $8600

2020 GT2 RWD - $52155 MSRP includes destination and add ons
DEMO - Around 1k miles
Dealer Discount - $7182
Rebate - $9300

What are your thoughts on this? I'm concerned about the GT2 being a demo and am wondering if anyone else has any issues with their demos.

Thanks!

I'd go for the GT2. You'll still have a warranty until it hits 101k miles, should it be needed.

 

[RedHotStinger]

Actually I was in full control of the situation. I had made the needed calls to the right people before I even walked back in to the dealership. For a period of a few hours I was the owner of two Stingers. They were very much interested in writing the deal I wanted. I bought a new 2019 Stinger at WELL below what the demo was being sold for and got a few high priced goodies for free. I did not sign off on cancelling the contract on the demo until I was satisfied with the contract on the new one (I still have all of the paperwork from the cancelled sale - including one unsigned damage waiver). When I go into a new car sale I take certain steps to protect my self and I know all of the tricks they use. Do not assume I was smitten with the new shiny Stinger and was all doe eyed and weak in the knees. That is not me so do not assume anything. There are a few aspects to the entire situation that I will be keeping to my self about the whole thing; I am more savvy than the average car buyer.

 

[adam1991]

Do not assume I was smitten with the new shiny Stinger and was all doe eyed and weak in the knees. That is not me so do not assume anything.

Good for you.

But that's all too rare in the car selling biz, so they assumed otherwise and played their game--and despite everything that happened, they ultimately got rewarded for it.

When I go into a new car sale I take certain steps to protect my self and I know all of the tricks they use.

That should be a rule of thumb for everyone. Unfortunately, it's not. And that makes car buying all the harder for those of us who do protect ourselves with knowledge. We end up dealing with the types that want to play the other games, assuming us to be ignorant.

 

[RedHotStinger]

Okay. Back to the topic at hand. If you intend to drive it year round including in the snow go with the GT1. If you live in a warm climate state that does not see the white stuff or park it when the weather goes cold then go with the GT2. I would take which ever one you decide on to a reputable body shop to have it checked out; not everyone is good at spotting not quite from the factory bodywork/repairs . And also to a mechanic that you know and have it gone over; they usually have a $90-110 flat rate service for potential used car buyers. Once you are satisfied with the answers from both of those ask for a dealer's plate and take it on a extended test drive. Take a few hours to drive it on the roads you frequent the most in your day to day and see if it satisfies those little itches we all have and brings a true smile to your face. It may end up not being the right car for you. I have gone on a couple hour test drives and discovered that the car/truck was not what I was expecting and went another way. If they give you push back on the long test drive I would think about walking away. The extra miles will not negatively impact the depreciated value from when it was new; a 100-150 miles is worth maybe $5 off the bottom line to a perspective buyer. I always drive a used one of the car/truck I am looking at with more than 30,000 miles on the odometer (in the case of the Stinger it had a little over 18,000 - not many stingers with higher mileage since they only have been around for a couple model years) before I buy one new to see how they age and how they feel when everything is broken in; the suspension being the more key factor here. There are good deals to be had on demos out there. The key factor is that they are intended to be shown off to perspective buyers. What is one of the first things a new buyer wants to find out - how fast is this sports sedan? How many times has that particular Stinger been driven "spirited". On the other hand some demos are driven buy the upper echelons of the dealer staff as their daily driver and are treated like they are their own. Not every demo gets beat on. If you know what you are looking for, look at the tires, they can tell you a lot on how a car was driven. The dealer is not going to put new tires on it before selling it. Once you have committed to buying it the first thing you do is go home and buy a Carfax report on it; do not get one from the dealer as it is not the same as the one you get from Carfax directly. It will tell you what the maintenance has been like on it. Is it just oil changes or have other things been wrenched on like brakes, sensors, engine components etc.... It will also say if it has been in a two party accident where a police report was filed; wreaked = walk away and do not look back. But the MAIN thing you are looking for is whether it has been registered to the dealer. If it has been registered then it is a used car. If the dealer did not register it then legally it is still a new car with lots of miles on it and they will be asking for a higher selling price; the only benefit to that is the 10/100k warranty starts at the mileage you drive it off the lot. You will need to make peace with it yourself. Most aftermarket extended warranties from old long in the tooth companies will take care of the issues once the factory warranty drops off. The price delta between the used and "new" price will be far more substantial than the price of the 3rd party warranty (not from the dealer). Hope this helps in your decision.

 

[Travis Wills]

Hi all newb here.

I've been eyeing the stinger for a while now and have started to shop around and got two quotes that I am considering.

2020 GT1 AWD - $48835 MSRP includes destination
Mileage - 8 miles
Dealer Discount - $4040
Rebate - $8600

2020 GT2 RWD - $52155 MSRP includes destination and add ons
DEMO - Around 1k miles
Dealer Discount - $7182
Rebate - $9300

What are your thoughts on this? I'm concerned about the GT2 being a demo and am wondering if anyone else has any issues with their demos.

Thanks!

Normally I would say stay away from RWD. I have a RWD Stinger GT2 and absolutely love it. However, I regret not getting AWD even though I live in NC. For everyday driving RWD is fine. However, if you launch the car when it is cold you will understand why AWD is so desirable.

That being said $35.6k for an essentially new GT2 is pretty hard to pass up. You could literally buy that car and then walk into any dealership and they would probably offer you at least $35k for the car. You can probably drive that car for almost free if you keep it more than a few months.

What state do you live in and do you drive aggressively? That is probably the most important question.

 

[Lonz]

I'm not a huge fan of buying demo vehicles, especially a performance vehicle. That's like getting a hot new girlfriend, knowing your buddy already you know what her. lol.

 

[RedHotStinger]

Normally I would say stay away from RWD. I have a RWD Stinger GT2 and absolutely love it. However, I regret not getting AWD even though I live in NC. For everyday driving RWD is fine. However, if you launch the car when it is cold you will understand why AWD is so desirable.

That being said $35.6k for an essentially new GT2 is pretty hard to pass up. You could literally buy that car and then walk into any dealership and they would probably offer you at least $35k for the car. You can probably drive that car for almost free if you keep it more than a few months.

What state do you live in and do you drive aggressively? That is probably the most important question.

I am going to assume you have the staggered front/rear rims and the stock Michelin tires on it. They are safe down to about 44-46 degrees maintaining proper traction. From 38-44 degrees if you are a attentive driver you will be fine as long as you do not get lead in your foot. Below 38 they just turn into slicks on Crisco. The same goes for the AWD with the summer tires but you will have 4 tires under power spinning on Crisco. I have AWD drive and went with the All-Season tire option from the factory. You get a lower governed speed but who is really going to be doing 135mph more than once or twice for the feeling of it. Plus it is much easier to get a quality tire and a larger pool of choices (3 in the staggered summer tires and over a dozen in the all-season) to replace the crap it comes with (All-season tires that is). I dropped the Firestones off of it the day after I took delivery for a set of Michelin Pilot Sport A/S3+; these tires can take more than the car can give. I have yet to find the point were the tire says it has had enough.