The world s full of brand names that are so familiar to us it seems we have known about them since the day we were born. Coca Cola, Pepsi, Microsoft. Some of these are huge conglomerates, whereas others are simply items or products that have inspired the nation for years. The delicious Mars bar, Marmite, Fairy liquid. In the motor industry, there is one iconic brand that stands head and shoulders above the rest – the MINI.

Born in 1959, the Mini was designed to (believe it or not) let passengers have more leg room than they had in other cars. Some innovative design saw 80% of the floor space being used for passengers and their luggage, although the tiny size of the mini means that space really wasn’t as impressive as they tried to make it sound! After all, most people have crammed into a mini with a group of friends before, and know that bunched up knees and a certain amount of body heat are unavoidable side effects of this teeny cars design.

It is that size – truly Mini – that stood the Mini out from a crowd of larger, more expensive cars. Noone wanted to shell out all their hard earned cash on a runabout, and the Mini offered an option that people had never even thought of before. Even better, this tiny model had a number of sister models for people who wanted that Mini shape with a little more room – introducing the Mini estate (always a surreal car to see) and even a van model. The pickup truck was one of the most entertaining designs, standing at least half the size of most other trucks – but it was the traditional and popular original Austin Mini shape that was the real star of the show.

Of course, soon enough the name of the Austin Mini changed again, and the only way to get the true original model was to opt for a used Mini. Otherwise, you would drive the still iconic Morris Mini Minor, where the car was just as much of a British Eccentric, but without the name popularity. Also, although this never stopped enthusiasts, the original Mini was plagued with flaws and problems, with the renowned issue that bits tended to fall off if you drove too fast.

Thankfully the new version of the Mini, brought out in 1969 as the Mini Clubman, saw a few of these problems resolved, although that initial quirky Mini magic wasn’t as strong in this new, more refined, breed. If you buy one of these used Minis, however, don’t expect perfection – these are now truly classic cars, advertised by equally iconic Twiggy in the swinging sixties, and consequently suffering the demands of age. To have one of these, you need to love it – deeply, unequivocally, and with commitment.

Now we are in the age of the new Mini (arguably the new Maxi), which takes that tiny shape to a whole bigger dimension. A used Mini in its own right now, these comparable behemoths don’t get quite the same love – but they complete the Mini story from then until now.

Who says your car had to be big to be powerful? Once upon a time American muscle cars may have been the meat on the bones of the car market, but thankfully times have changed. We no longer rely on having a huge beast of a car, complete with humongous wheels and a body to boot, in order to experience the torque and pull of a truly powerful drive.

One such example of this compact power is with the LS F. In fact, this sleek little car looks a little too preened to be packing such a punch, what with its smooth edges and curvy ways. Not often does a saloon this stylised and good looking (and dare I say it, feminine?) actually produce anything worth reporting when on the track. Not with this baby, however. With this one, whether a new or used Lexus, appearances do offer a clue to what lies beneath.

It seems that Lexus have gone all out with this sporty automobile to produce a beast that looks housetrained and domesticated on the outside, but purrs like a wild thing on the inside. That engine, if we are honest, is the real selling point of the car. You can get plenty of pretty cars with swish interiors and shiny paint, but finding that with an engine worth mentioning really doesn’t happen enough.

Here, however, the engine does live up to expectations. With a sizeable 2.5-litre V6 monster tucked under the lid you are likely to be impressed by the power and pull. For a car this size, any more will make the ride too raw and uncomfortable, but this amount lets you roar ahead without putting your back out! All too many fancy cars forget that driving isn’t just about speed, and is more about manageability, holding tightly onto the corners and letting you relax, whether as a driver or a passenger. That said, 4.8 seconds to get from 0-60 may be enough to tempt anyone into wanting a test drive!

So if this fast and sexy car is so good, where is the best place to find one? Lexus dealerships advertise the LS F with a slightly maniacal look in their eyes, waxing lyrical about the rarity of the car, the grip of the wheels, and any other weird and wonderful terms of description that they can dredge up. Your best bet, although depreciation is slightly less with this model than with other cars, is to fall in love with this once that registration plate is just a little out of date.

A used Lexus LS F is a delight to own, especially knowing how much you have saved letting someone else have that first try. It also allows you to be a little more flexible, finding a 2.5litr petrol rather than the 2.2litr turbo diesel. The newest model isn’t necessarily the best, and opting for a used Lexus will let you go for those models that really wowed the critics from forecourt to garage.

When it comes to their demo units, most car dealers will put the demo units in a prominent place on the lot or even in the showroom. They do this in order to attract people to them just as is the case with any type of marketing or advertising.

Many times a dealer will offer cash bonuses to the salespeople who can’t sell or move these demo units off of the lot and get them out of inventory.

Demo units in the automotive business are demonstrators units. These cars are used by managers to get to and from work. Usually as part of your salary package as a manager it will include the use of a demo unit.

As a car buyer you should know that demo cars usually have anywhere from say… 2000 to 6000 miles on them. This is because when they reach this mileage range the manager will stop using a particular demo car and switched to a new one. Once this happens the dealer has to sell these cars as “demo cars”.

Because these demo units have miles on they will sell somewhat cheaper than a new vehicle even though they are still considered a new car and will qualify for any type of rebate, special financing, and new vehicle warranty.

It’s probably important to note at this point the new car warranty part of that last statement. Keep in mind that from the manufacturer the new car war and the begins at 0 miles on the odometer… not at the mileage on the car at that point in which you buy it.

Demo cars aren’t always cheaper than a new car. Manufacturers have the ability to offer various incentives for car dealers to use a particular car as a demo car and this can sometimes be used by the dealer to put the deal together on a demo car, thus making it cheaper.

The problem is this is not consistent across the board when it comes to manufacturers. So, some dealers don’t have these incentives from the manufacturer, so they can’t sell the demo car much cheaper if at all.

Because of this, the only way for a dealer to discount the demo car in order to make it attractive enough for a buyer, they would have to actually lose money on the sale of the car.

As you might imagine, dealers will generally do this. So, if you are thinking about buying a demo car, be sure to check out the price and the deal you can get on a new car with a heck of a lot less mileage on it.

So, our demo units good car deals? Well… they are certainly worth looking into, but whether a demo car is a good deal for you or not is really going to depend on the dealer’s situation.