Buying a car can be one of the most exciting but more expensive purchases you can make if you don’t do your homework correctly.
Buying a car has never been easier with the plethora of online portals available to buyers. However, the South African Motor Body Repairers’ Association (Sambra), a proud association of the Retail Motor Industry Organisation (RMI), says they are increasingly hearing the tragic experiences of buyers who have either bought a car online – sight unseen’ – or without asking for a comprehensive independent assessment.
“The reality is that something that looks too good to be true is probably just that,” says Dev Moodley, the chairperson of Sambra.
There is a persistent practice of unfit and unsafe vehicles being put back on the road, and second-hand car buyers must be particularly vigilant.
He cites a recent case of an 84-year-old man who bought a car, a 2021 Suzuki Brezza, with just 28 525 km on the clock for R230 000.
What looked like a dream car at the initial physical inspection in Johannesburg has been found, on subsequent inspection, to be a code 2 vehicle, which was written off previously, and a rolling deathtrap on wheels.
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Fast forward three months later, and the online portal he bought the car from has confirmed that the dealership registered with them and provided the vehicle has now cancelled their contract and is “no longer operating”, so they cannot accept any liability.
“As part of RMI, we have tried as far as possible to assist the owner with his escalation to the Motor Industry Ombudsman (Miosa) as well as widely publicising the story, but, unfortunately, the owners appear to have gone underground now, and Miosa is struggling with a backlog in excess of 12 000 claims.
“The next step is lodging a complaint with the National Competition Commission, but this takes time and needs a judgement first from Miosa.”
Moodley says losing R230 000 is a hefty amount for anyone, especially if you are an 84-year-old pensioner. This case is just one reason Sambra has strongly advocated for an open and transparent vehicle salvage database for the past four years.
“We feel it is time to legislate this issue because how many more consumers are going to be duped while we wait for the South African Insurance Association (Saia) to disclose the Code 2 list?” he says.
Sambra provides all second-hand buyers with the following advice:
• A used-vehicle buyer must be thorough when questioning the dealer/seller and ensure a testing certificate from a reputable testing centre is provided. Always get responses from the dealer in writing.
• Never buy a car online that you have not seen and that a qualified independent assessor has not checked. Inspect the vehicle physically yourself, but always get an expert to check for hidden repairs.
• It is essential the prospective buyer does not sign or pay anything until all the checks are complete and independent testing reports are secured.
• A roadworthy certificate is not enough. When you buy a second-hand car, it comes with a roadworthy certificate. However, this certificate alone will not confirm any material defects present.
“A roadworthy certificate is a legal requirement to complete the registration for transfer of ownership when one acquires a used vehicle, or for any vehicles carrying passengers for reward, like mini-busses, busses and heavy-load vehicles,” says Moodley.
A roadworthy test done by the vehicle examiner identifies visual defects with the electrical items, bodywork components, steering, suspension, interior seatbelts and an overview of the undercarriage. It makes sure the vehicle is “roadworthy” but will NOT necessarily pick up if it has been in a previous collision and then repaired.
• If you are worried about its service history, pop into any franchised dealership that is a member of the National Automobile Dealers’ Association (Nada) and request them to check the service history of the car when you give them the VIN. Any Motor Industry Workshop Association (Miwa)-accredited service workshop will also be able to tell you if there are any mechanical faults.
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