# What does "listed as dealer vehicle" mean?



## vwpanther (Nov 8, 2005)

I am looking for a used car, and I've seen this mentioned in Carfax several times... what does this mean exactly?


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## martensvwguy (Jan 23, 2004)

*Re: What does "listed as dealer vehicle" mean? (vwpanther)*


_Quote, originally posted by *vwpanther* »_I am looking for a used car, and I've seen this mentioned in Carfax several times... what does this mean exactly? 

It means it was a dealership demo model. Either they used it as a loaner car for service, a manager's car, or something of the like. It's simply a designator for when a dealership registers a car. Keep in mind, many states don't require dealerships to do this, so even if it doesn't show as a "dealer vehicle" it could have been used as one.


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## Paul79UF (May 9, 2006)

*Re: What does "listed as dealer vehicle" mean? (martensvwguy)*

hmm, that's good info to know.
I'm wary of loaner and rental vehicles. I feel like people abuse them more so than single owner "used" cars.


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## tjl (Mar 24, 2001)

*Re: What does "listed as dealer vehicle" mean? (Paul79UF)*


_Quote, originally posted by *Paul79UF* »_
I'm wary of loaner and rental vehicles. I feel like people abuse them more so than single owner "used" cars.

In some cases (at least with VWs), leftover cars at the end of the model year were "bought" by dealers as "service loaners" in order to collect the about-to-expire incentives on those cars. Some such cars were never actually used as "service loaners". The main thing buyers had to be aware of was that the warranty time limits started when the cars were "bought" as "service loaners", not when the buyers actually bought them. There were some postings from people who felt that they got cheated out of warranty coverage, since the dealer did not obviously disclose when the warranty clock started ticking.


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## martensvwguy (Jan 23, 2004)

*Re: What does "listed as dealer vehicle" mean? (tjl)*


_Quote, originally posted by *tjl* »_
In some cases (at least with VWs), leftover cars at the end of the model year were "bought" by dealers as "service loaners" in order to collect the about-to-expire incentives on those cars. Some such cars were never actually used as "service loaners". The main thing buyers had to be aware of was that the warranty time limits started when the cars were "bought" as "service loaners", not when the buyers actually bought them. There were some postings from people who felt that they got cheated out of warranty coverage, since the dealer did not obviously disclose when the warranty clock started ticking.

Failure to disclose the changes in warranty coverage on a "Loaner" vehicle is a federal crime. Many dealerships (ours included) actually have customers read and sign a form to record that they _were_ told, indicating exactly what the changes on their particular warranty are for demo vehicle purchases, simply to CYA in exactly that situation.


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## vwpanther (Nov 8, 2005)

*Re: What does "listed as dealer vehicle" mean? (martensvwguy)*

It is indeed good to know... I've seen quite a few around, though the one I am looking at (a VW of course) seems to have been owned by a manager who put tint and a turbo timer on it... 
Now the question is whether managers take good care of the cars or not...?


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## martensvwguy (Jan 23, 2004)

*Re: What does "listed as dealer vehicle" mean? (vwpanther)*


_Quote, originally posted by *vwpanther* »_It is indeed good to know... I've seen quite a few around, though the one I am looking at (a VW of course) seems to have been owned by a manager who put tint and a turbo timer on it... 
Now the question is whether managers take good care of the cars or not...?

That definitely depends on the individual manager.


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