Beware the lemon — what to look out for when buying a second-hand car

Money Cents reader Emma bought a second-hand Opel Vivaro in March 2022, and was a little suspicious when she found there was no service book in the cubbyhole. “I asked the smooth salesman, and he said it’s all digital and he’ll get it to me asap,” she recalls.

However, five days later she was alarmed when the car stopped dead in a rural area late at night – with her kids in the back seat. “The alternator had melted. A lot of backwards and forwards later, and the dealer agreed to pay for a new alternator,” she says.

However, that was just the start of her troubles. The car started leaking oil about four months later. It wasn’t showing any warnings from the electric control unit, or anything on a diagnostic scan.

“I took it for a service and to have the oil leak looked at, only to find that the engine block was cracked and a gasket had blown,” she says. The dealership had by this stage stopped responding to her, other than to say it wasn’t its problem.

Emma laid a complaint with the Motor Industry Ombudsman of South Africa, which responded that the implied warranty is void because the car was in for a service. The Retail Motor Industry Organisation was keen to help, but Emma found the dealership is not a member. So she hired a lawyer at great personal cost.

The case dragged on through the National Consumer Commission, which eventually gave her a notice of non-referral, so Emma’s lawyer referred the matter to the National Consumer Tribunal and was granted a hearing in January 2024.

“The dealership postponed the hearing and offered me R16,000 compensation for repairs that cost R80,000. I declined.

“The lawyer agreed with me, but did not pass the message on until nine months later,” Emma says.

Her legal fees have racked up to a whopping R80,000, in addition to the R90,000 she has forked out for repairs. “I’ve now been told the car is irreparable. The body electric control unit was broken. The wheel hubs and bearings are broken. The entire engine and turbo system had to be replaced. The bodywork was glued together. (I discovered this when pieces started falling off.)

“And I am still waiting for the tribunal hearing – between the lawyers trying to ‘find a date that suits them’,” she says.

To compound matters further, the car was financed through a bank, which has issued a notice before summons, forcing her into debt review to prevent a judgment.

“The notice specifically said I did not have to pay if the matter was before the tribunal, which it was, but Absa went ahead with the action anyway,” she says. 

As Emma succinctly puts it: “I’m paying R5,000 a month for the pleasure of a lemon that literally does not go anywhere, and off-the-charts legal fees, while the dealership carries on its lucrative business.”

She never received a service history, and has since discovered there is no record whatsoever of the vehicle on Lightstone Auto or on VIN Lookup.

As the cost of new cars continues to rocket, buying a second-hand car has never made more sense – more so when you consider that a new car loses value as soon as you drive it off the showroom floor.

To avoid getting landed with a lemon like Emma did, use these pointers before putting any money down or signing any paperwork:

Go for a test drive. Turn off the radio and listen for any strange engine sounds. Pay attention to the handling – for example, does the car drag to one side? It may need wheel alignment, or it could be a sign of a more serious problem.

Inspect the car carefully in a well-lit area. “Look for bodywork damage or signs of repainting, check that the interiors look good, switch on lights, indicators and wipers to make sure they work, and open and close the bonnet, boot, doors and windows. Don’t be shy of the seller’s thoughts. This is your money at stake,” advises Ernest North, cofounder of digital insurer Naked.

Read more: Warning to car dealerships: Consumer Tribunal taking a harder line on unethical conduct

Read more: National Consumer Tribunal fines two car dealerships for stiffing consumers

Do your research. In addition to requesting the car’s service history from the seller, check the vehicle identification number against the South African Insurance Association’s vehicle salvage database to check the car’s history. This will tell you all sorts of useful things, such as whether it has ever been written off.

Use Lightstone Auto to find out more about the car’s repair history. A verification and repair history report costs R128,15 and could save you thousands in the long run. 

Ask a mechanic to have a look at the car. If you don’t have a mechanic you trust to do this, you can book a technical inspection via Dekra Automotive. DM

This story first appeared in our weekly Daily Maverick 168 newspaper, which is available countrywide for R35.