The biggest mistake you can make when buying a used car in South Africa

Trusting the salesman is the biggest mistake you can make when buying a used car in South Africa.

Car dealers have a reputation for not always being truthful. Whether they are truly uninformed or willfully ignorant, it can be a tough task to get the real story of a particular model out of a salesman’s mouth.

That’s why it’s of vital importance not to take their word when they say a particular car is in tip-top shape.

Before taking the plunge, you should always get an independent professional to review a potential purchase as their small fee could save you hundreds of thousands of rands.

These experts verify things such as the vehicle’s service history, past insurance claims, mileage, paperwork, and status of the warranty, which all represent costly pitfalls that the untrained consumer is prone to falling victim to.

People clued up on the industry can check these things themselves, but for everyone else, it’s advised to contract the services of a trusted professional who can do it on your behalf.

This remains true whether you’re shopping for a cheap hatchback at a dealer in the Joburg CBD, or a supercar at one of the premium retailers in Melrose Arch.

An expensive mistake

Consumer advocate Wendy Knowler recently assisted a woman who was allegedly misled by a dealer to believe that a vehicle was in a good condition, a mistake that ended up costing her R289,000.

Knowler told The Money Show that the woman in question bought a two-year-old Land Rover Defender with only 20,000km on the clock from an accredited dealer in June 2022 for the hefty sum of R1,435,350.

From the moment the high-end SUV was delivered to her, she started discovering defects such as strange noises from the wheels, engine warning lights, and on some occassions, the engine refused to start.

She informed her dealer of these problems who invited her to bring the vehicle back for repairs.

She duly took it back to the dealer four times over the course of the next six months but to no avail, as the issues persisted.

After the last visit, the unhappy owner asked to reverse the deal in an effort to get her money back, which the dealer allegedly refused.

She then asked to see details regarding the car’s history and any issues reported by the previous owner, but was reportedly told that the dealer was not aware of any such matters.

She subsequently took the Defender to a different retailer in Polokwane, Limpopo, where she attempted to perform a trade-in.

Here, the salesman was quick to inform her that her particular car had a well-documented history of defects and multiple warranty claims under its previous owner.

She discovered that between the time the SUV was sold to its first buyer in 2020 and when she purchased it in mid-2022, it was taken in for repairs a total of nine times.

The previous dealer either failed or purposely neglected to inform her of these details when she initially showed interest in the vehicle.

She begrudgingly accepted the trade-in offer that the new dealer gave her, which saw her take a R289,000 hit.

With the evidence in hand, the victim sought legal assistance from a specialised law firm who attempted to reach a settlement between the dealer and the Original Equipment Manufacturer.

After hitting a brick wall, the victim sent an open letter to the concerned parties which was also sent to media including Knowler.

Knowler got in touch with Jaguar Land Rover South Africa who confirmed that it is working on finding an amicable solution to the situation and that a settlement should be reached soon.

In the meantime, however, the dealer once again sold the defective Defender to another buyer.

Whether it repaired what was broken or not, or informed the new owner of the problems, remains unclear.

“The bottom line is, never make the mistake with whatever dealership you are dealing with – at the top end, the low end, and everything in between,” concluded Knowler.

“I’m sorry to say this, but you can not afford to take a car salesperson’s word for anything.”