In for a raw deal from second hand car dealers?
MARTIN NYIRENDA
Correspondent
| Friday January 25, 2008 00:00
'I just bought a light American truck for P60, 000. I settled for this particular model because it was extremely cheap,' says Nathan Mushota, a technician with a printing company in Gaborone. 'I paid the dealer, collected the truck and set off for my village. I was excited because it was my first vehicle, bought with my hard-earned savings of many months. But as I approached the BDF area in Mogoditshane, the vehicle suddenly developed a problem with the automatic gearbox.
'The clutches in the gearbox started to slip. I pressed the accelerator paddle down flat, but the gearbox failed to respond. I parked on the side of the road and called the dealer. He told me that he could not do anything because it was after hours. A friend came to my rescue and we towed the truck to his house, which was near the car dealership.'
'First thing the next morning, I went to see the dealer and explained that I had a problem with the gearbox. He told me that he could not help unless it was a minor problem like replacing a seal which is readily available locally.'
Nathan is not the first person to buy a second hand vehicle from such dealers; nor is he the first to experience problems soon after.
A car dealer of Asian origin in Mogoditshane, who requested anonymity, conceded that his company offers no guarantee on imported vehicles because his suppliers do not give him any.
'You can expect anything to happen on a second hand car, but we try to help our customers with services that benefit them. We ask them to come with their own trusted mechanic to examine the car before buying it, but when the deal is done, whatever happens, we are not necessarily liable.
'If you buy a vehicle from me, I will give you two weeks guarantee on the gearbox because that is where we mostly experience problems. After two weeks, whatever happens to the vehicle, we are not responsible.
'Before you buy the vehicle, we will completely service it, attend to minor mechanical problems like fixing or replacing broken side view mirrors and radios.' Another dealer shared these sentiments. He stated bluntly: 'I can give you only two days on the gearbox if you are paying cash. I will do the entire registration of the vehicle and service it before I release it to you. Our mechanic will check any other part that needs replacing. You buy the car the way it is.' Kennedy Mosipi, an accountant in Gaborone says: 'I bought a car from a car dealer in Mogoditshane and drove it less than 10 kilometers before it developed a mechanical problem in the engine. I had to replace the starter motor and seal all the oil leaks under the sump. But the oil began leaking after another few kilometres.
'I went back to the dealer within the hour, but he was refusing to help me until his partner came to my rescue by offering their mechanic to help me. 'They refused to refund me or allow me to choose another car of the same value, saying they sell second hand cars, hence no guarantee.'