Used Car Dealers Feedback (Part 2)!

[Ct3833]

15 hours ago, Penutbuttah said:

Hi guys I need to seek your advice. Recently went to a dealer wanting to view and test drive a car. The dealer deflected test drive and invited to talk about finances instead. As I was enquiring on full loan responding to their ad, the dealer mentioned to place a deposit first to try for loan to see if Im eligible. Mind you there were no price breakdown or calculations at all. Just rough maybes here and there on installment and upfront but nothing penned down. Dealer kept on assuring me to try for the loan and due to my stupidity I caved and agreed. Dealer mentioned verbally that deposit is refundable if the loan outcome doesn't meet my budget.

So a week later came down to discuss as my loan was approved but during the discussion we couldn't come to an agreement as the installment and upfront he required couldn't meet my budget (as it did not match to what was stated on their ad).

Again, he was not transparent and deflected my request to test drive or view the cars and there was still no price breakdown. Its just him talking about installment and upfront for drive away over and over. Dealer got angry since I couldn't meet my budget for his installment and upfront offer (again I reiterate, not the amount stated on his ad) and mentioned that I will have to wait for quite some time for my deposit to be refunded. 

My concern is if he were to play me out and not refund my deposit, could I stand a chance in small claims tribunal?

Obviously the dealer is out to prey on you, first time I heard of having to pay deposit just to take a loan assessment.  Judging on the situation, I can imagine that if you will to take a loan from him, the interest will be nearly as high  as that of a loan shark. On the same token, he seems to be running a con shop,  chances of you getting a good condition car is low. If the car turns out to be a lemon, your chance of getting any support from them is likely zero.  I just hope that you did no pay too much for deposit, you should avoid this guy as much as you can. Now what you can do is to insist that the loan amount did not meet your budget and try to get back the deposit, the more you deal with them the more you will have to lose,   whether you will be successful in getting back your deposit or not is a separate discussion.

[Penutbuttah]

Thanks for all the inputs guys. Really a hard lesson learnt. My first car was from a direct owner and transaction went smooth. This is my first time going to a dealer. The deposit made was 1k. I felt tricked after making the deposit as such searched online and chance upon this thread thus sought advice from all of you. Very grateful for your replies. 

He mentioned deposit was required for loan application. So just to get the flow right, the normal practice is to test drive, send to trusted workshop/AA/STA, negotiate on price and try for loan, yes? Deposit not necessary for loan application, more for "chopping" the car, yes? 

 

Just to add on, when I was leaving their office, their painter spoke to me in private mentioning that the cars odo all had been tampered and there are many major problems with their cars. Apparently the painter was pretty pissed at the person despite working for the same dealership due to conflict in work ethics. I'm glad I didn't get myself into a world of mess. Just hoping to get my deposit back since we couldn't get into an agreement. 

Edited December 20, 2020 by Penutbuttah

[Hamburger]

Full loan as in 100% or 50%?

If the former and you need a car for work purpose, better to lease it on short term basis. 

[TheCarDealer]

14 hours ago, Ct3833 said:

Obviously the dealer is out to prey on you, first time I heard of having to pay deposit just to take a loan assessment.  Judging on the situation, I can imagine that if you will to take a loan from him, the interest will be nearly as high  as that of a loan shark. On the same token, he seems to be running a con shop,  chances of you getting a good condition car is low. If the car turns out to be a lemon, your chance of getting any support from them is likely zero.  I just hope that you did no pay too much for deposit, you should avoid this guy as much as you can. Now what you can do is to insist that the loan amount did not meet your budget and try to get back the deposit, the more you deal with them the more you will have to lose,   whether you will be successful in getting back your deposit or not is a separate discussion.

The car will be reserved for the customer for the duration of the loan application, therefore its legit for the dealer to collect a small deposit. Otherwise it will be unfair to the other sales rep in the company.

[Ct3833]

12 minutes ago, TheCarDealer said:

The car will be reserved for the customer for the duration of the loan application, therefore its legit for the dealer to collect a small deposit. Otherwise it will be unfair to the other sales rep in the company.

TS has not even tested the car , letting alone to reserve the car, he was distracted (con) into making a deposit to assess his loan, this is outright con job. It can be further seen by the fact that the dealer said will take a while to refund when TS said the loan did not meet his requirement. 

I would agree that a dealer should ask for a deposit if a customer is keen to reserve a car, otherwise there is no reason to ask for deposit. 

I have been buying used car for years,   no dealers asked me to place deposit before i was prepared to commit anything.  If a dealer ask me to pay a deposit to reseve a car, i will tell him to sell it if he could get a confirmed customer or let go if he gets a better offer. 

Edited December 20, 2020 by Ct3833

[kobayashiGT]

21 hours ago, Penutbuttah said:

Thanks for all the inputs guys. Really a hard lesson learnt. My first car was from a direct owner and transaction went smooth. This is my first time going to a dealer. The deposit made was 1k. I felt tricked after making the deposit as such searched online and chance upon this thread thus sought advice from all of you. Very grateful for your replies. 

He mentioned deposit was required for loan application. So just to get the flow right, the normal practice is to test drive, send to trusted workshop/AA/STA, negotiate on price and try for loan, yes? Deposit not necessary for loan application, more for "chopping" the car, yes? 

 

Just to add on, when I was leaving their office, their painter spoke to me in private mentioning that the cars odo all had been tampered and there are many major problems with their cars. Apparently the painter was pretty pissed at the person despite working for the same dealership due to conflict in work ethics. I'm glad I didn't get myself into a world of mess. Just hoping to get my deposit back since we couldn't get into an agreement. 

 

Getting a used car is an art. 😎 Don't worry bro, I am pretty sure the next car you own you won't get these issues.

Anyway, I really hope you can get back the deposit. Chances are 50/50. They have all sort of reason to retain the deposit. So do follow up this with them closely. 

If not just treat that $1,000 as part of your incoming car cost lor. 

 

[Fcw75]

Spend $10 go Small Claims Tribunal but you must have all the documents. 

[Kopites]

10 hours ago, TheCarDealer said:

The car will be reserved for the customer for the duration of the loan application, therefore its legit for the dealer to collect a small deposit. Otherwise it will be unfair to the other sales rep in the company.

Absurd!

C'mon if another customer come by willing to offer higher price surely red carpet will be lay out.

Don't  talk nonsense " what deposit to reserve car when seeking loan approval". 

Deposit is for company to tender the coe!

 

Edited December 21, 2020 by Kopites

[Kopites]

1k deposit. 

Take it as year end holiday in Singapore. Leave it and seek for the next car.

Remember to post yours search here to seek for advices.

 

[mersaylee]

Don't ever believe in the bull about owner leaving...migrating...

actual fact is owner is migrating from this car to another car...leaving the problematic car to you... 😁

[Gab84]

22 hours ago, Penutbuttah said:

their painter spoke to me in private mentioning that the cars odo all had been tampered and there are many major problems with their cars. Apparently the painter was pretty pissed at the person despite working for the same dealership due to conflict in work ethics.

This is a warning signal and a rather glaring one actually. If only you had been a little bit braver at that point in time to request for your deposit shortly after walking out from the office. Don't be mistaken, I'm not insinuating that you were timid or something.

It is understandable especially for first timers to have this feeling of "paiseh-ness" and also to go with the flow as we can only rely on what the dealers say as they are deemed the "subject-matter-expert". 

On hindsight, everything's 20/20 🙁 But at least you have chanced upon this forum documented with rich experiences and advisories from all the senior members. This thread alone could already form an e-encyclopedia. Have a read, good luck on your next car hunting and hopefully you'll be accorded your deposit. 

[Kopites]

 

I have posted this video in some other thread. If you are into buying resales click take a look. Hong kong context but most pointers quite relevant here as well. There is chinese subtitle.

[Vinceng]

Highly recommend Viking Motor. Their used cars mileage are extremely low, especially their >10 yr old COE cars' mileage, average only 120,000km., 

[Penutbuttah]

Thanks all for your replies. Am following up closely. Really hoping to get my deposit back. Turned me off for abit from getting a car but I shouldn't give up. If it doesn't work out I'll be going to small claims tribunal as I have evidence of him verbally mentioning to wait for my deposit refund. 

[Penutbuttah]

Moving forward, I just viewed a direct owner consigned ody. Coe car with 8 years left, milieage around 225k but I must say the interior is very well kept. Checked the engine bay and it was relatively clean. Checked reserve coolant level was healthy. Couldn't check radiator coolant level as car was just parked by owner about 15 mins before our viewing appointment. 

 

Test drove the car, am liking it. No undercarriage noises, no steering rack noises and suspension was good. A very quiet drive. Pick up was great, smooth gear changes. Getting good vibes out of the car. Price is within my budget. Owner is open for my own workshop evaluation however I'm leaning towards it being unnecessary. Should I still? 

Thinking of taking the plunge between this and a newly renewed touran but the thought of a major vw gearbox problem scares me while Honda parts availability, reliability and affordability definitely reassures me. Looking forward to all your great advice guys! 

[Ct3833]

1 hour ago, Penutbuttah said:

Moving forward, I just viewed a direct owner consigned ody. Coe car with 8 years left, milieage around 225k but I must say the interior is very well kept. Checked the engine bay and it was relatively clean. Checked reserve coolant level was healthy. Couldn't check radiator coolant level as car was just parked by owner about 15 mins before our viewing appointment. 

 

Test drove the car, am liking it. No undercarriage noises, no steering rack noises and suspension was good. A very quiet drive. Pick up was great, smooth gear changes. Getting good vibes out of the car. Price is within my budget. Owner is open for my own workshop evaluation however I'm leaning towards it being unnecessary. Should I still? 

Thinking of taking the plunge between this and a newly renewed touran but the thought of a major vw gearbox problem scares me while Honda parts availability, reliability and affordability definitely reassures me. Looking forward to all your great advice guys! 

Just like any other auto transmission, it is about time to repair the gear box  wear and tear at around 200+k km. I repaired my ex odyssey at 240k km mark. But as i said, this is wear and tear, no big deal, it is unavoidable when driving an old car.  I drove my odyssey for 10 years till scrap in 2016.

The steering rack and pinion of my 2006 model could not last for 10 years, two of my friends Ody had to had it replaced around 8 year mark, mine was lucky but i could feel the problem coming around 10 year mark. The rack and pinion repair would cost about 3.5k. I dont know if the 2018 model has an improved rack and pinion. But if any, by now it should have been replaced since the car you are viewing is 2 year old coe. You may want to ask the owner if he has repair the auto trans and rack and pinion, if he did then it will be even better for you.

Ody is a simple car that  there is nothing much to breakdown . Parts is easily available from stockists.

 

[Penutbuttah]

1 hour ago, Ct3833 said:

Just like any other auto transmission, it is about time to repair the gear box  wear and tear at around 200+k km. I repaired my ex odyssey at 240k km mark. But as i said, this is wear and tear, no big deal, it is unavoidable when driving an old car.  I drove my odyssey for 10 years till scrap in 2016.

The steering rack and pinion of my 2006 model could not last for 10 years, two of my friends Ody had to had it replaced around 8 year mark, mine was lucky but i could feel the problem coming around 10 year mark. The rack and pinion repair would cost about 3.5k. I dont know if the 2018 model has an improved rack and pinion. But if any, by now it should have been replaced since the car you are viewing is 2 year old coe. You may want to ask the owner if he has repair the auto trans and rack and pinion, if he did then it will be even better for you.

Ody is a simple car that  there is nothing much to breakdown . Parts is easily available from stockists.

 

Thank you for your reply. Will check with owner if he had changed the steering rack and pinion as it was very quiet and smooth for a 12 year car.

As for the touran, any advice? Asked a workshop on carousell what's the worse case for touran gearbox he mentioned 1.2k for mechatronics and 800 plus for clutch. That's kinda reassuring too as I have this scary idea of vw gearbox repairs going from 5k above.

[Mkl22]

28 minutes ago, Penutbuttah said:

Thank you for your reply. Will check with owner if he had changed the steering rack and pinion as it was very quiet and smooth for a 12 year car.

As for the touran, any advice? Asked a workshop on carousell what's the worse case for touran gearbox he mentioned 1.2k for mechatronics and 800 plus for clutch. That's kinda reassuring too as I have this scary idea of vw gearbox repairs going from 5k above.

Vw for sure more problematic than the ody. The turbo engine will have a much higher wear than the NA of the ody. You also have to put up with typical conti failures of door locks and other nonsense.