# How many miles should a NEW car have on it?



## grapes (Jan 1, 2007)

I have been trying to purchase a new car. One dealer tried to pass off a car with 247 miles on it as new, and another dealer tried to sell me a car with 20 miles on it. There is nothing wrong with purchasing a car that was used as a demo, if that is what you are looking for........but that is NOT what I want. 
What should I expect 6 or 7? What is reasonable?


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## tjl (Mar 24, 2001)

*Re: How many miles should a NEW car have on it? (grapes)*

Demo mileage is probably a bad thing if it is a sporty car or one that appeals to the under 25 male demographic.
10 to 20 miles is probably typical. Up to about 40 is possible for a new car that was not a test drive demo. If it has been sitting around for a while, it may have more from being moved around, or occasional test drives.


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## Midwest-AMG (Nov 16, 2001)

*Re: How many miles should a NEW car have on it? (tjl)*

I wouldn't consider a car with over 200 miles new. Especially if it ha a manual tranny. I was offered a car like that and the guy dropped the price considerably to the new ones he had for sale.


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## grapes (Jan 1, 2007)

*Re: How many miles should a NEW car have on it? (grapes)*

I intend to order my car so that I don't have to take one from the lot with mileage and possible damage on it. 
If I order a car to my exact specifications, and it is delivered with MY NAME on it, how much mileage should it have?


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## 2ndTimesACharm (May 28, 2002)

*Re: How many miles should a NEW car have on it? (grapes)*


_Quote, originally posted by *grapes* »_I intend to order my car so that I don't have to take one from the lot with mileage and possible damage on it. 
If I order a car to my exact specifications, and it is delivered with MY NAME on it, how much mileage should it have? 

Our ordered cars don't get driven except for the 2 miles on them for PDI. All of our order cars are delivered with 3-4 miles on them


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## Midwest-AMG (Nov 16, 2001)

*Re: How many miles should a NEW car have on it? (grapes)*


_Quote, originally posted by *grapes* »_If I order a car to my exact specifications, and it is delivered with MY NAME on it, how much mileage should it have? 

I didn't order my car. But I did get one "just off the truck". It had 7 miles on it. It really depends on the dealerships circumstances. A new vehicle could be driven over from another dealership as well.
To be honest I wouldn't be concerned about something that has less than say 50-75 miles on it.


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## bridri (Dec 20, 2002)

*Re: How many miles should a NEW car have on it? (grapes)*


_Quote, originally posted by *grapes* »_I intend to order my car so that I don't have to take one from the lot with mileage and possible damage on it. 
If I order a car to my exact specifications, and it is delivered with MY NAME on it, how much mileage should it have? 

It absolutely depends on the model -- some VWs arrive here with 7 or 8 miles, others right off the truck with 30 (usually EOS). Then there's the PDI drive, when we usually put on 2-4 miles.
It is not at all uncommon for a new, untitled car to have 200-400 miles on it if it has been in stock for a long time and has been on many demo drives over the course of a year. That DOES NOT make it a "demonstrator", i.e. driven around by a salesperson or other employee. Demos usually have 5,000+ miles on 'em, and it is not reasonable to ask for a substantial discount for only a couple hundred. (You can ask, but don't expect to receive it!)
On a sold order-out car, no one will drive your car, but no one can give you an exact number of miles it will or won't have when it arrives, either. If it was selected for testing by VW, it might have as many as 60 or 70 right off the truck.
All dealers are not bad, evil people trying to pull one on you. If you require absolute straightforward dealing, then come up to Wisconsin and see me!!








Brian


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## ByAirorByWater (Sep 27, 2006)

*Re: How many miles should a NEW car have on it? (bridri)*


_Quote, originally posted by *bridri* »_
All dealers are not bad, evil people trying to pull one on you. If you require absolute straightforward dealing, then come up to Wisconsin and see me!!








Brian

Thank you !! Just like anything there are bad people and there are good people. I love how people always like to say that dealerships are screwing them. But beating me over the head with preconceived notions about the content of my character and who I am as a human being just because of the industry I choose. Do all you internet know it all's want to know what creates most of the attitude that salesman have toward customers comes from. YOU!!!!! I can honestly say that I
have never been lied to more in my life by anybody more than customers. They are the worst, so after a while the you can stop caring about people and are just trying to feed your family. We are not asking for pity for our career choices just be upfront and honest. If you really want to get what you want you can be firm but have some tact and some common curtiousy.
If you really want the best price upfront then do this DRIVE the car, it is one step that most stores WILL NOT accept an offer unless you have done so. It's for no other reason than to be sure that it is the one you want. Because when all is said and done and we have spent the time working out a deal. The dealership wants you to take delivery. It's a crazy notion really







When we do a job we want to finish it and move on. Meaning your trade in our boneyard, financial's signed ( I really don't care if you go to your bank or not the little bit of reserve I may or may not make will not stop my kids from eating. ) At the end just educate yourself and you will get a good deal. This does not have to be battle royale everytime you go. 
Sorry but I needed to get some of that off my chest. And to answer the OP's question a Pre-Ordered car should come to you with less than 15 miles on it. If you look at the one with 247 mi on it and look at the MSRP it will tell you what dealership it was delievered to. I have cars on my lot that have milage like that because they were dealertraded. It's very common and no we won't trailer it unless you pay extra that cost up 4x as much as a straight dealer trade.


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## mauslick (Aug 9, 2000)

*Re: How many miles should a NEW car have on it? (ByAirorByWater)*

mine had 35 on it.......between: on the boat in germany, off the boat in san diego, on the boat to hawaii, off the boat to the dealer it had 30, 
on the boat and off the boat to maui...it had 35..... and it was ordered


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## Jetty! (May 10, 2006)

*Re: How many miles should a NEW car have on it? (grapes)*

Most manufacturers select random cars for quality assurance testing - so a new car fresh off the truck could come with 50-60 miles.
A BMW dealer told me one customer who had ordered a BMW was unfortunate enough to have his ordered car selected for the BMW factory testing before shipping. When the car arrived he refused delivery because to him, the car was "used" and forced the dealership to re-order the car.
We bought our Lincoln LS with 400 miles on it, and I had a test drive a while ago in a car that had over 400 miles.
If the car has a couple hundred miles on it, be sure to ask for the warranty to be extended by that many # of miles.


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## TRegKnowItAll (Oct 2, 2003)

*Re: How many miles should a NEW car have on it? (Jetty!)*

We see RS 4's come right off the truck with 40-60 miles on them and other 20-30. 
When the R32 came out, VW issued a statement that they were the ones testing the cars prior to shipping. Those cars were coming with 40-50 as well.
The lowest I have ever seen an Audi is 8 before PDI. Most at 12-15 at least.


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## chicagovwsales (Jul 6, 2005)

*Re: How many miles should a NEW car have on it? (ByAirorByWater)*


_Quote, originally posted by *ByAirorByWater* »_
Thank you !! Just like anything there are bad people and there are good people. I love how people always like to say that dealerships are screwing them. But beating me over the head with preconceived notions about the content of my character and who I am as a human being just because of the industry I choose. Do all you internet know it all's want to know what creates most of the attitude that salesman have toward customers comes from. YOU!!!!! I can honestly say that I
have never been lied to more in my life by anybody more than customers. They are the worst, so after a while the you can stop caring about people and are just trying to feed your family. We are not asking for pity for our career choices just be upfront and honest. If you really want to get what you want you can be firm but have some tact and some common curtiousy.
If you really want the best price upfront then do this DRIVE the car, it is one step that most stores WILL NOT accept an offer unless you have done so. It's for no other reason than to be sure that it is the one you want. Because when all is said and done and we have spent the time working out a deal. The dealership wants you to take delivery. It's a crazy notion really







When we do a job we want to finish it and move on. Meaning your trade in our boneyard, financial's signed ( I really don't care if you go to your bank or not the little bit of reserve I may or may not make will not stop my kids from eating. ) At the end just educate yourself and you will get a good deal. This does not have to be battle royale everytime you go. 
Sorry but I needed to get some of that off my chest. And to answer the OP's question a Pre-Ordered car should come to you with less than 15 miles on it. If you look at the one with 247 mi on it and look at the MSRP it will tell you what dealership it was delievered to. I have cars on my lot that have milage like that because they were dealertraded. It's very common and no we won't trailer it unless you pay extra that cost up 4x as much as a straight dealer trade.



I would like to add to this - I do agree that customers do lie a lot to us salespeople and it's unfortunate in my opinion that there is such a generally low opinon of our "species" that anything goes when it comes to buying cars - going elsewhere for $50 less after you do all the work, etc. There's no loyalty in the business that's for sure.
However - OLD SCHOOL CAR GUYS GOT US THIS REPUTATION - by switching odometers, throwing keys on the roof, shooting someone's credit all around for not buying a car, being abusive, you name it. 
As a car salesperson I think you have to accept that people are going to expect the worst out of you, and they are going to do whatever they feel justified in doing to get the best deal for themselves. The best way to combat that is forget about the one that got away, don't be so cynical, and do such a good job showing them the car and answering their questions that even if they don't buy from you you deserved the sale.


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## ByAirorByWater (Sep 27, 2006)

*Re: How many miles should a NEW car have on it? (chicagovwsales)*


_Quote, originally posted by *chicagovwsales* »_

I would like to add to this - I do agree that customers do lie a lot to us salespeople and it's unfortunate in my opinion that there is such a generally low opinon of our "species" that anything goes when it comes to buying cars - going elsewhere for $50 less after you do all the work, etc. There's no loyalty in the business that's for sure.
However - OLD SCHOOL CAR GUYS GOT US THIS REPUTATION - by switching odometers, throwing keys on the roof, shooting someone's credit all around for not buying a car, being abusive, you name it. 
As a car salesperson I think you have to accept that people are going to expect the worst out of you, and they are going to do whatever they feel justified in doing to get the best deal for themselves. The best way to combat that is forget about the one that got away, don't be so cynical, and do such a good job showing them the car and answering their questions that even if they don't buy from you you deserved the sale. 


Your right I was maybe a little bit harsh BUT what I said was true. I am glad that I don't have to work on the line anymore ( Been in F&I for like 4-5 yrs now. ) When I was a liner I worked very hard to combat all of the stereotypes that have been put upon the business. I was very knowlegable and non threatening. I still think the best deal is when the customer leaves and they are happy with their purchase. I have just seen it so many times the people you make decent money on and spend a little time with are the happiest. They bring you good surveys they refer people to you and they figure that you will give their friends a good deal. This way you have less walls to break down. The people that come in with a stack of quotes from EVERY dealership in the world and buy a car for invoice minus holdback ( I work at domestic store's only ) are not so happy. They have no personality sit there with a scowl on their face, they kill you on the survey and you will never get a referal out of them unless it's somebody else that wants the world on a plater. All this for a mini? No thanks.


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## mauslick (Aug 9, 2000)

*Re: How many miles should a NEW car have on it? (ByAirorByWater)*

in all things...what goes around comes around.....inlcuding both side of the sales fence.........the customer or the sales person buts out bad JuJu....
bad JuJu comes back to you one way or another.........
having the attitude of "how much am I going to make/save" going into a deal pretty much you've defeated yourself already.....
'all this for a mini!" no thank you reflects this type of attitude....
but my car had 35 miles on it when I picked it up at the dock


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## ByAirorByWater (Sep 27, 2006)

*Re: How many miles should a NEW car have on it? (mauslick)*


_Quote, originally posted by *mauslick* »_in all things...what goes around comes around.....inlcuding both side of the sales fence.........the customer or the sales person buts out bad JuJu....
bad JuJu comes back to you one way or another.........
having the attitude of "how much am I going to make/save" going into a deal pretty much you've defeated yourself already.....
'all this for a mini!" no thank you reflects this type of attitude....
but my car had 35 miles on it when I picked it up at the dock


I am not talking about it from the money aspect really. If you go back and see I am really saying if givin the choice most salespeople would rather work with somebody who is going to be happy with deal. In my experience people you sell to and make a mini are the ones that I talked about above......


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## mauslick (Aug 9, 2000)

*Re: How many miles should a NEW car have on it? (ByAirorByWater)*

yes I would like to work with only happy people and make the max sale only....especially the easy sales .....I'm really lazy.....it would be cool if people just gave me money.....
oh well back to reality....


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## skysy1999 (Jan 12, 2007)

*Re: How many miles should a NEW car have on it? (grapes)*

It's veery possible the car might have miles because it was swapped with another dealer and driven from one to the other. Just so you know demo miles is anything upto 1000


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## 4UTURN (May 2, 2005)

*Re: How many miles should a NEW car have on it? (skysy1999)*


_Quote, originally posted by *skysy1999* »_It's veery possible the car might have miles because it was swapped with another dealer and driven from one to the other. Just so you know demo miles is anything upto 1000

Exactly. My wifes car had 234 because it was swapped with another dealer. They didnt put it on a truck. Meh I really didnt care and have had no issues with it. My car on the other hand had 12. The dealership I bought from didnt even take off the stickers when they were new until you decided to purchase. So when I took deliverary of cars the prep time was lke 3-4 hours each to take off stickers and than wash, wax and gas them up for me.


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## 1.8TurboWagon (Dec 12, 2006)

My car had 1.4 miles when I took delivery. As I watched it get taken off the truck, and into the garage for PDI and I actually drove it to the pump to fill it with gas (on-site). 
It depends on the route for the PDI, how many times its moved throughout the parking lot, and if its test-driven. 
Is it bad to buy a car that's been out a few times??? NO, its a brand new car. If you're worried about something being broken or defective you shouldn't be shopping that car. If a car gets broken/damaged in the first 200 miles, the dealership will fix it almost 99% of the time. 
By definition, a new car is one with under 6,000 miles without being titled. 
We had corporate demo's at one point... The manufacturer reimbursed as well as the company using the demo... so we sold the car for $4,000 less than invoice because it read 5,100 miles. 
I'd rather have saved that much money than drive one with 1.4 miles. That way the car has already been broken in and they'd have fixed any glitches.



_Modified by 1.8TurboWagon at 7:15 PM 1-13-2007_


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## gTirl (Aug 18, 2006)

*Re: How many miles should a NEW car have on it? (bridri)*


_Quote, originally posted by *bridri* »_
It is not at all uncommon for a new, untitled car to have 200-400 miles on it if it has been in stock for a long time and has been on many demo drives over the course of a year.


i got my '05 gti in mar '06 with 30 miles on it. it was the last one at that dealership and one of the last two within 75 miles of where i live. i put more miles on it getting it home than it had on it sitting at the dealership (50 miles to get home so 80 when it was sitting in my garage)


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## iamjosie (Apr 6, 2006)

*Re: How many miles should a NEW car have on it? (gTirl)*

my 05 gti had 6 miles 3 were from my test drive


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## carnutchuck (Mar 8, 2005)

*Re: How many miles should a NEW car have on it? (grapes)*

....some cars are driven by the factory for build quality (even sold orders), but they only go 30 - 50 miles.


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## damiencvw (Feb 9, 2004)

My .02 most cars have between 10-15 miles on them sometimes just a few. Demo miles should be anything above 600 because anything below that and the manufacture warranty does not start. Shady dealers are shady dealers. You can tell a good place with a good salesperson when you are there. With so few of dealers it is absolutely not uncommon for cars to have a couple of hundread miles on them from trading. I am on my 3rd GTI demo since the new reface. Before that I had 2 R32's 2 337's 4 20th's and a few others here and there. I have been managing a Vdub store for 9 years now and not one of my GTI's has ever had a problem, as a matter of fact the majority of the owners drove it harder than I did. Again it all depends on the dealer and the salesperson.


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## gli87jetta (Nov 26, 2001)

*BUMP*

I just wanted to bump this since I was reading another post about a guy that was asking about this. When I got my 2k17 GTI directly from port it had 12 miles on it. When I just got my 2k18 one month ago it had 18 miles on it. So, I would say anywhere between 10-20 miles direct from port to dealer is pretty typical. I'm very picky about this because the manual clearly states the life of the engine is very dependent on how it was broken in the first 500-1000 miles. I wouldn't want to get a new car with over 30 miles personally.

When I was first shopping for my 2k17 I had one sales guy try to tell me the tolerances are "so tight" now break-in periods don't apply. I beg to differ. Especially with manual transmissions. When I bought my new clutch/flywheel for my 2k5 GLI the manufacturer specifically said not to go over 2-3k when shifting and avoid hard launches for the first 500-1000 miles. I babied that sucker for 1k miles and it flipping rips and holds great. So anyways that my 2¢.


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