Engine Failure after Three Days of Delivery,” “I Was Assured the Car Was a Certified Pre-Owned Car…” A Series of “Dark Side of Buying Troubles” in the Used Car Industry

Wheels and tires are out of model

We have also received information about many other problems. One customer, a woman in her 50s, bought her car for 1.2 million yen in the spring of 2012, but on the day of delivery, she was suddenly told, “The price will be reduced by 500,000 yen because there are repair marks on the car. She said she was told that the cancellation fee would be 300,000 yen. Another male customer in his 50s said that in the fall of 2012, he went to the store because the car he was looking for was offered at 1.5 million yen for a limited time. If you buy it today, it will be 1.8 million yen,” and the price was raised. However, when he checked the price a week later, it was again 1.5 million yen.

There are still numerous such problems. Just the other day, the author received a case concerning a “certified pre-owned” luxury imported car. Mr. B, who was a victim of the problem, revealed, “Certified pre-owned cars are certified by the manufacturer or dealer.

I bought a certified pre-owned car for 1 million yen more than the market price because I was told that the manufacturer’s or dealer’s warranty was very generous and that careful maintenance would be performed on the car. But then we found out that the wheels were one generation older and the hood had been replaced. This alone lowers the price by about minus 500,000 yen in the appraisal. Also, the tires that were said to be brand new were used ones that had been driven 2,000 km by the previous owner when we traced the records. However, the dealer refused to negotiate with us, claiming that ‘it was the customer who decided to purchase the car after seeing the actual car, so we did nothing wrong. I was relieved because it was a certified pre-owned car from an authorized dealer. ……”

It is true that it was Mr. B himself who actually saw the car and decided to purchase it, but in the absence of a specific explanation, it would be difficult for him to spot the parts on the spot.

Nearly two years have passed since the old Big Motor problem, and the used car industry is undoubtedly undergoing a period of change. However, there are still many cases where major used car dealers and even well-known dealers use misleading sales methods and opaque assessments and inspections that leave buyers in doubt.

Choosing a good used car dealer is extremely difficult. This is because the evaluations on major review sites are often based on so-called “cherry-picking. Nevertheless, since the incident with the former Big Motor, the used car industry has been making various efforts to dispel its dark image and ensure that customers can buy and use used cars with peace of mind. We hope that the day will come when everyone will be able to purchase a used car with complete confidence, thanks to the unrelenting efforts of these companies.