'Used' cars with delivery miles

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What's behind cars like these? For one OEM dealer to unload a new car at an auction and for another to pick it up and list it as used. In this case the first dealer sold two identical new cars at an auction and the purchasing dealer (also a Honda dealer) bought both.

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My bet is someone took possession and drove car and something happened with their finance and got taken back. My local dealer had a jeep with 100+ miles but they still called it new.
 
That jeep got taken back as the people's finance fell through...that is what I was told.
 
Originally Posted By: mbacfp
My bet is someone took possession and drove car and something happened with their finance and got taken back. My local dealer had a jeep with 100+ miles but they still called it new.


Thanks, makes sense. Two cars traded through auction between dealers across the country though, both identical in color and spec? I am always weary of Florida cars, some of the slimiest dealers I've come across.
 
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Hmmm, good question. I see where it says Florida DMV and below it says Torrance, CA which is Honda's US operations headquarters location. So maybe it was a corporate car and then they dump it when it's four months old. The auction location maybe a central area for their corporate cars. If a person owned it and didn't make payments on it then it would have a lot more miles over four months.

The Honda dealer here has service loaners that they use for four months then sells them with 3000-7000 miles.

https://www.carfax.com/VehicleHistory/p/Report.cfx?vin=1HGCR2F33HA030133&partner=REY_Z

I bought a Civic coupe m/t that had to be driven from Erie, PA so it had 240 miles on it.
 
Originally Posted By: SatinSilver
Hmmm, good question. I see where it says Florida DMV and below it says Torrance, CA which is Honda's US operations headquarters location. So maybe it was a corporate car and then they dump it when it's four months old. The auction location maybe a central area for their corporate cars.



I wonder if it went to an auto show?
 
Originally Posted By: dishdude
Originally Posted By: SatinSilver
Hmmm, good question. I see where it says Florida DMV and below it says Torrance, CA which is Honda's US operations headquarters location. So maybe it was a corporate car and then they dump it when it's four months old. The auction location maybe a central area for their corporate cars.



I wonder if it went to an auto show?


That could be since the time frame would be on target for the car show dates. Good thinking.
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Originally Posted By: dishdude

I wonder if it went to an auto show?



Definitely a possibility. The manufacturer may have owned the car for a variety of reasons, such as promotional events, auto shows, photo shoots, and commercials. They will never disclose the original use of the vehicle, but for all intents and purposes, you are getting a new car at a used car price.

My Corvette was a GM owned vehicle for 3 months and it only had 146 miles on it. I am not the first owner, GM is -- which made it a used car. I have speculated it was an auto show car since GM literally had this exact model & color scheme at several auto shows, and the build sheet had special "expedite" codes on it just before NAIAS & the Chicago Auto Show. The CarFax showed the date GM had it titled in their name, and then GM sold it at auction to my dealer a few months later.
 
Originally Posted By: dparm
Originally Posted By: dishdude

I wonder if it went to an auto show?



Definitely a possibility. The manufacturer may have owned the car for a variety of reasons, such as promotional events, auto shows, photo shoots, and commercials. They will never disclose the original use of the vehicle, but for all intents and purposes, you are getting a new car at a used car price.

My Corvette was a GM owned vehicle for 3 months and it only had 146 miles on it. I am not the first owner, GM is -- which made it a used car. I have speculated it was an auto show car since GM literally had this exact model & color scheme at several auto shows, and the build sheet had special "expedite" codes on it just before NAIAS & the Chicago Auto Show. The CarFax showed the date GM had it titled in their name, and then GM sold it at auction to my dealer a few months later.



PM me your VIN and I can give you all the info and build records you ever wanted. If it was a show car or parade car, my info will list it as such.
 
Hondas are hot and maybe the dealer did some hi-jinks for a better factory allocation. Or they might be deadbeats but really really wanted "X" and bought it used from another dealer.

Or it could be a flood car, got damaged in a hailstorm, fell off the truck, was self-insured and not reported.

I see it as shady. Even if it was a car show car think of how many germy people sat in the car and played with the stuff.
 
One of my best new truck deals ever was on a Silverado. It had somehow got off the lot and was 100 miles away. I had a choice between taking it with a couple more miles (drive it to me) or ship it at extra cost.

Duh. It was an easy call, great truck for about 2/3 of new!
 
OT but related:
In January 2003 I purchased a 2002 Buick Century with 11K on Ebay. It was reported to be a GM corporate vehicle (never owned by an individual and purported to be driven by a GM employee). The sticker was approx. $20K and I payed $10.8K. It was one of the best cars I ever owned and regularly got 32 mpg on long trips.....I replaced the lower intake manifold gasket at approx 80K because they were a weak point on the 3.1 engine. I sold it at 119K for $2800 (iirc) and I'm sure it went another 100K unless it was wrecked.
My point is that sometimes you can save a lot by buying slightly used....

PS: That Buick was awesome in snow...
 
Back in 2001 I picked up a "used" P71 Crown Vic with literally 6 miles on it, it was titled to Ford first. It was new in every way except a small, small paint blemish the size of a pencil eraser near where the passenger wiper rests on the edge of the hood.
 
Any number of things could have happened, but probably nothing too crazy or it wouldn't be a CPO car at another Honda dealer. If it was really messed up, a buy here pay here would have it. New car dealers usually won't bother too much with fixing a car, they will just send it back to auction if it needs a lot of work. It may even have more warranty now that it's a CPO car instead of new.
 
Originally Posted By: CT8
Some cars are traded between dealers and have hikers deliver the cars.


But they wouldn't/ shouldn't have to title a new car (such that it becomes a used car) until delivered to a customer who'd register it.
 
Our Malibu was a demo for GM. Titled new with 4200 miles on it. Sticker was 35,000 new. We paid 24,000 out the door. Now at 35,000 miles. We really like the car with the 2.0 Turbo.

The Caprice was not titled new but had 12,000 on it when I got. GM used it for 4,000 miles and dealer put the rest of the miles on over a 10 month period. A new Caprice PPV stickers for 34,000. I paid 20,000 for mine with factory warranty.

I would not be worried.
 
FWIW my Cruze was a "service loaner" and was listed as a rental on the Carfax. It had been in service for 6 months and 2,500 miles. I got it at least 3K cheaper than any deal I could have made on a leftover new 2015.
 
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