One of the most common questions that we get in regards to vehicle purchases is whether it is best to purchase a brand new car, demonstrator car or used car.

The simple answer is that it depends! There are advantages and disadvantages to each of the above options and your budget, patience and flexibility all have a role to play in deciding whether a new or used vehicle is the way to go. So for a quick summary of the pros and cons of buying a new car or a used car please read below.

New Vehicles – Benefits

• A new car has negligible (or delivery, generally less than 100) kilometres on the clock
• The history of the vehicle is known for certain
• Client can be exact with required specifications – if delivery time for the new car is not an issue, the vehicle can be built exactly to order
• Vehicle will have full manufacturer’s warranty (usually 3 years)
• New car quotes are generally all inclusive – i.e. on the road

Demonstrator Vehicles – Benefits

A demo car will generally have low kilometres on the clock. However, this should be considered with the knowledge that it will most likely have been used for test drives so there may have been a great many different people driving the car

• The history of the vehicle is usually vouched for by the supplying dealer especially if kilometres are low
• Vehicle may be more readily available than an equivalent new vehicle
• Dealers will usually (but not always) incorporate on-road costs into the price of demo cars

Used Vehicles

• Used cars will almost always be significantly cheaper than both new cars and demo cars
• Used cars may be more readily available that certain new vehicles
• There is a huge range of used vehicles available to purchase

General Points

Technically, a new car is a car that has not been registered. Whilst the date of registration determines exactly when a new car becomes a used car, when referring to the age of a car, it is usual to refer to the date that the vehicle was built. In fact it is certainly possible to find used cars or demonstrator cars that are actually newer (in terms of physical age) than their equivalent technically new cars!

At Private Fleet, one of our dealer conditions is that new australia cars with build and/or compliance plates older than 90 days must be declared up front.