Napier dealer must pay after selling dodgy car
A secondhand car dealer has been ordered to pay up after he sold a dodgy vehicle that lasted only 20 days.
Napier man Yousif Al-Hayader was taken to the Motor Vehicle Disputes Tribunal by German tourist Susanne Lotz last month.
In July, Lotz bought a 1994 Nissan Largo from Al-Hayader’s business Cheap Cars 2015 Ltd for $2700. Within 20 days, the car overheated and the cylinder head gasket failed.
Lotz’s mechanic quoted her $2500 for the repairs, only $200 less than the amount she bought the car for.
She returned it to Al-Hayader and asked for her money back.
He had his mechanic look over it and fit a new thermostat for $70.
When Lotz drove a short distance, the car again overheated, so she took it back to Al-Hayader, who offered to buy it back for half of what she bought it for.
The tribunal stated that, although the 22-year-old vehicle had racked up more than 170,00 kilometres, it should have lasted months, not days.
‘‘I do not think any reasonable consumer would have bought this vehicle if they had known that it would only last for 20 days and 379km of travel before requiring $2500 or more,’’ the tribunal’s judgment read.
A spokesman for Al-Hayader said that, when the business sold the car, it believed it was in tip-top shape.
‘‘Hey, mishaps happen all the time. It is part of business. We would not willingly sell a dodgy car,’’ he said.
‘‘It is unfortunate it has gone this far.’’’
The spokesman said it disputed Lotz’s claim because it did not think the car was as bad as she said it was.
It also believed she had driven it while it was overheating, causing the problems to become worse.
‘‘It was no way as intense as she portrayed, or as much as her mechanic has portrayed,’’ the man said.
Al-Hayader was ordered by the tribunal to pay back Lotz the $2700 she paid for the car and also collect the vehicle at his own expense.
The car was currently being repaired and would be put back on sale later in the month, he said.