Today I searched both the internet and Choice Community for an answer to my question. However, I found the Internet (Government sites) to be confusing, and Choice Community not specific to my question. I’ll keep it as brief as possible. My friend and I have both bought Demo Cars. Her car had 13km on it and mine had 104km on it. Does the five year warranty start from the purchase date the we actually bought the vehicles or on the date it was first registered to the Dealer from which we bought the cars (2 different dealers involved here). We both have thoughts on the matter, but we need specific detail.
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I believe it is here somewhere, but I couldn’t find it quickly either 
The warranty starts on the date first registered to the first owner. In the case of a demo it would be the date of original road registration by the dealer.
eg. a demo first registered on 1 Dec 2021 and bought by a customer on 14 March 2022 would have a warranty that began on 1 Dec 2021.
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There is information in this thread…
From what I understand, WA is a state that has different requirements to that outlined by @PhilT. Information for WA can be found here…
It is also possible that different manufacturers approach demo warranties differently, and it is worth checking the specific vehicle in question.
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Also some discussion of several scenarios in this topic.
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Both Mazda & Mitsubishi operate as @PhilT has outlined; from the date the vehicle was first registered. This means that all services, updates, and end of factory warranty are calculated commencing from before your purchase.
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The warranty starts from when the car was first registered ( that is the case in Victoria where I live ) .One thing to watch is that if an extended warranty is offered by the dealer , we will say a 3 year extension , your capped price servicing will usually only cover the first 5 years . The extended warranty period services are usually full price .
In my case the jump in cost will be from $349 to $800 . I’m on a 6 month service interval so I will probably buy a new vehicle even though I have 3 years of warranty left . Capped price servicing on my vehicle , a Suzuki , only continues during the official warranty of the manufacturer . Suzuki cease the service subsidy after 5 years . Always check what the service costs will be after the manufacturers warranty ends and the extended warranty starts . In my case it will be cheaper to trade up to a new vehicle than pay 3 years of inflated servicing charges .
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Hello all, Thank you for your replies, they are not how I wanted it to be, as in my mind (morally) I think it should be ‘from the date I collected the car’. However the law is what it is, and I really appreciate the comments made as quickly they were.
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phb, Thank you.
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Be aware that many dealers do NOT register their demo vehicle, rather they use traders plates.
I purchased a demo vehicle and that’s how I was told warranty worked - from the day it was registered in my name coz it was the initial rego.
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Yes, and it depends on the vehicle and its use by a dealer.
Some dealers register demos (to have their own Department of Transport issued plates). These cars are those which are to be used for purposes more than test driving, such as courtesy cars, cars staff take home at night or long term test drive vehicles (which have the potential to be used more than just test drives).
Trade plates are highly restrictive and can only be used on cars used for test drives, to move vehicles where they may enter a public road (say to another car yard or on a side street to enter the sealer service centre) or to take the vehicle to another place for repair, modification or sale. Each state government transport departments have information on trade plate restrictions.
Trade plates also have time restrictions, whereby they can’t be used on a vehicle after a certain time period.
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FORD - I bought a DEMO which was 12 months since first registered - I only had 2 yrs warranty out of the 3 years. The salesman pointed it out clearly, and it was in the sales documentation.
Not good enough, though.
What was the history of the demo? Was it zero km, low (10’s of km) or greater.
Regardless of the km did the discounted vehicle price reflect the model is a year old, and hence will be superseded a year sooner than if purchased when first registered?
For a vehicle with just 2 out if 3 years warranty, Ford have been offering 5years for some time now, hope the discount was substantial?
Regardless consumers have warranty protections that extend past the manufacturers warranty period.
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The statutory manufacturers warranty still exists.
you can by extended warranties.
I bought 1996 demo Hyundai Santa Fee Elite and bought extended warranties insurance.
Came in handy and well worth the money.
The same reason one buys comprehensive car insurance, for “Justin” just in case.
and if one never uses it, it is still money well spend just like house and home insurance.
