Bizarre experiences while purchasing a vehicle from the used car market

Buying a new car from a dealership is an experience of its own but nothing comes close to the drama that happens in the used car market.

BHPian greenhorn recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

While I’ve had some fun experiences with dealerships buying new cars (you can read plenty here), nothing compares to the drama that happens in the second-hand car market.

I was recently in the market for a used 4G Honda City for my father-in-law and saw this very keenly priced Zx at a dealership in a town nearby. Called them up and was told that the seller was in the seafood export business, was trying to sell the car at a showroom owned by an online aggregator, but not getting any offers so trying out OLX by himself.

Ideally, this should have rung alarm bells because any aggregator worth their salt would spam every ad opportunity. And the Truecaller for the “owner” gave the name of another dealership in that town.

The fun really started when we saw the name of the owner on the RC book. It was from my city, not the seller’s town, and pretty close to where I lived. Suddenly I remembered a doctor who lived in that area with the exact same name.

And then the “owner” claims that since he already had a car loan in his name for another car, he had to get it in the name of a friend, who just happens to be from my town. When I asked for the service record, again it was from the dealership near my house than the one this guy should have used in his town.

Anyway, the TD didn’t go too far. The car’s suspension and brakes were trashed. The “owner” continued spewing dialogues about “trust” etc even after we confronted him with the name of the doctor who lived at that address being a known person.

I’ve bought used cars before, and know that dealers keep cars without transferring them. I have no idea why the guy kept spinning this tale that went to be taller and taller till it began to sound ridiculous

Please share your stories from your used car experiences.

Here’s what BHPian revvharder had to say about the matter:

An uncle during the first lockdown purchased a used 2016 or 17 WagonR LXI petrol which had allegedly run only 6000 kms from True Value in the city, I had asked him to wait but he bought the car anyways. The first time when I looked at the car it was completely painted from top to bottom, each and every panel was painted very poorly. All the 4 doors had started rusting from inside and the silver accents on the steering wheel were a little worn down, the tyres were around 50 % worn down so much for a 6000 kms car. The roof lining from near the boot hatch was also removed for painting. So much for the True Value assurance.

I was looking for a car myself a month back and looked at several cars, a few of the stories.

At Dealer 1

Jazz V: Even though I was looking for a VX, I looked that the asking price was around 3.8 Lakhs and it had run around 40,000 kms but the tyres were on their last legs and the interior trims were heavily worn down. I had gone on my Activa as the dealers are all nearby and maybe he thought I don’t own a car so he was trying to convince me that tyres only last 40,000 kms and I did not engage in the conversation.

Swift Lxi: 1-year-old with a CNG kit fitted had two tyres completely worn down because of the same logic that tyres only last 30 to 40,000 km. At this moment I informed him we have had cars for more than two decades and if the cars are maintained properly tyres easily last for 60 to 80,000 kms.

At Dealer 2

Grand i10: This car had run around 50,000 kms. The overall condition was poor but when I looked in the boot of the car it was painted all black and when I touched it, it was wet. So either it was an accidental car or it had a CNG kit fitted at some point in time. When I confronted the dealer about the same he told me that it is from the factory, so I told him, sure it hasn’t had the time to dry off and without any further discussion I moved on.

At Dealer 3

Swift Dzire 2010: This was in the worst condition. The interior had glue all over and it seemed like the interior was from a scrap yard.

Elite i20 2019: The car was in a good condition but it had run around 30,000 kms, the brake pedal was worn off and when I checked the boot it had reinforcement metal strips and it was painted so most probably it also had a CNG kit fitted at some point.

At Dealer 4 Mahindra First

Baleno 2019: The battery was of a WagonR and the interior had scratches all over so I dropped it because if the owner wasn’t ready to get a proper battery how can I be sure the car was maintained properly.

With all the used car prices going through the roof and with such examples I have shelved my plans for now.

Here’s what BHPian fhdowntheline had to say about the matter:

Sometimes I feel this is all about market cycles. With supply chain shortages, there are delays on fresh cars so the second-hand market has heated up. A few years ago that market was going abegging. Suddenly I see used car dealer lots springing up along the Pune BLR bypass with hundreds of cars. Everyone seems to be jumping in it. Companies like Spinny are even making a virtue of not discounting prices. The tide will turn after some time.

Here’s what BHPian adi.mariner had to say about the matter:

Recently, while searching for a used car for my sister-in-law, I came across a 2011 Hyundai i10 Asta Automatic with a Sunroof and a CNG kit fitted. It was priced at an atrocious 3.7 lakhs. The dealer’s reasoning was that it had a sunroof and CNG which is a rare combination and so worth that much. The delays in delivery and the overall price increase of new cars have made the used car business very lucrative.

Check out BHPian comments for more insights and information.