Walk away from a deal?

Raisins

Ive been looking for a while for a used golf mark 7, went sale agreed on a 171 golf 1.4. 150 bhp from a Toyota dealer. Have test driven it. Happy with it and it looked in great condition.

As we agreed a deal over the phone I just mentioned that I assumed but wanted to check it had never been crashed or had any work done whatsoever etc. Salesman said no. Later that evening got a call to say a lad working in dealership drove it into a pothole and it needed new wishbone and new tyre and balancing. Sales fella said he didn’t know about it. They won’t discount it any more. They confirmed they used a vw part so warranty should be fine.

Be interested in anyone’s opinion if looks in perfect nic would you proceed or would you walk away? Seems dodgy to me that he didn’t know or didn’t tell me. Not sure about a lad apparently bombing around in it but then maybe it would not take much to do that damage.

ml100

Pothole, wishdone, tyre, I'd assume wheel would also need replacing, I'd be getting it checked out by someone who knows cars before I'd purchase.

micks_address

That must have been one heck of a hole..

bazz26

If your not comfortable about the car now then just walk away. There are thousands of Mk7 Golfs out there for sale.

drunkmonkey

172 would have a nicer entertainment system. Have a look at the side of the engine there's a sticker there that'll tell you when it was made.
I've never done in a wishbone in a pothole I'd check the wing wasn't repainted.

Raisins

Thanks for that will do. Some pothole.

AMKC

micks_address wrote: »

That must have been one heck of a hole..

It can happen. I knew someone who wrecked the front suspension of there car by hitting a pothole on a country road but luckily they had got the car for free kinda. Would have cost more than what the car was worth to repair so they did not get it fixed. Think it got scrapped. They were car less for a while after do.

Raisins

Got a call this eve, after I requested a breakdown of work done. Transpires the lads in garage were joking with the salesman that was dealing with me and it wasnt a pothole...he says he now knows it was actually in a tip of an accident some evening a customer had it on loan. Got a wing replacement as well. He assured me he didn’t know.

They won’t discount it because they know they’ll get the price from someone else. They keep saying they’re happy for me not to take it. I’m gonna walk away. Glad I asked. I was naive thinking a reputable dealer would disclose that straight away.

micks_address

Raisins wrote: »

Got a call this eve, after I requested a breakdown of work done. Transpires the lads in garage were joking with the salesman that was dealing with me and it wasnt a pothole...he says he now knows it was actually in a tip of an accident some evening a customer had it on loan. Got a wing replacement as well. He assured me he didn’t know.

They won’t discount it because they know they’ll get the price from someone else. They keep saying they’re happy for me not to take it. I’m gonna walk away. Glad I asked. I was naive thinking a reputable dealer would disclose that straight away.

Aren't they legally obligated to tell you if a car has been crashed?

punisher5112

micks_address wrote: »

Aren't they legally obligated to tell you if a car has been crashed?

If they know....

See this is how they can claim they weren't aware.....

pajosjunkbox

I would be a little sceptical it it was me !!

punisher5112

I bought a focus off a main dealer in the UK.

Bought over the phone as went over to collect.

Car had been from north but sold very far south so rust was quite bad, it had previously crashed at the rear and no e mentioned so don't trust any dealer to be honest.

Toyotafanboi

Sounds like he knows well it's been in an accident and he knows he's obliged to tell you now that you've asked but is trying to dumb it down as much as possible to not lose the sale. Gone from no accident, to a staff member damaged a wishbone and tyre to a customer damaged it on a test drive needing a wing.

It's been in a slap of some sort and that's it. They aren't obliged to advise you of cosmetic repairs, as in if it got a wing after graising a garden post, they are obliged to inform you if it's been involved in an accident and repaired and that's what the saleman is telling you, in not so many words.

The whole thing sounds very amateur. I'd be gone, personally. Have you done a history report on the car?

You can be sure of only two things here from what you've been told. That a Toyota garage isn't giving out a Golf as a loan car, so that's a lie and that they will get their asking price off someone else, but that's not reason enough for you to feel like you need to complete the sale.

micks_address

Toyotafanboi wrote: »

Sounds like he knows well it's been in an accident and he knows he's obliged to tell you now that you've asked but is trying to dumb it down as much as possible to not lose the sale. Gone from no accident, to a staff member damaged a wishbone and tyre to a customer damaged it on a test drive needing a wing.

It's been in a slap of some sort and that's it. They aren't obliged to advise you of cosmetic repairs, as in if it got a wing after graising a garden post, they are obliged to inform you if it's been involved in an accident and repaired and that's what the saleman is telling you, in not so many words.

The whole thing sounds very amateur. I'd be gone, personally. Have you done a history report on the car?

You can be sure of only two things here from what you've been told. That a Toyota garage isn't giving out a Golf as a loan car, so that's a lie and that they will get their asking price off someone else, but that's not reason enough for you to feel like you need to complete the sale.

Are you allowed name the dealer here? I'd be reluctant to deal with a place like that

Toyotafanboi

micks_address wrote: »

Are you allowed name the dealer here? I'd be reluctant to deal with a place like that

You're not, no.

That being said, OP asked the question to the dealer and they gave him the honest answer, despite it being as sugar coated as possible. What OP does now with this info is up to himself.

The dealer has admitted it's been in a tip of some sort so they've been honest and there's no crime in selling a car that's been repaired after an accident once you disclose it if asked. If anything we should at least acknowledge their honesty. They could have said no and the OP would likely have bought it.

bazz26

Raisins wrote: »

Got a call this eve, after I requested a breakdown of work done. Transpires the lads in garage were joking with the salesman that was dealing with me and it wasnt a pothole...he says he now knows it was actually in a tip of an accident some evening a customer had it on loan. Got a wing replacement as well. He assured me he didn’t know.

They won’t discount it because they know they’ll get the price from someone else. They keep saying they’re happy for me not to take it. I’m gonna walk away. Glad I asked. I was naive thinking a reputable dealer would disclose that straight away.

That is one very bizarre story they are giving you there. Hard to know what to make of it really. The cynic in me thinks they have made up such an odd story to intentionally put you off buying the car because they got a better offer on it or on the flip side they are a really incompetent bunch having a laugh with a customer around how the car was damaged.

Either way I'd just stay well clear of such an establishment irrespective of what brand sign is hanging over their door.

GreeBo

Doesn't sound like a very professional setup to me.
I'd walk away

gk5000

Remember you may wish to sell it on someday and it may/will be valued as a crashed car.

mickdw

Look, if they are telling you anything about hitting a pothole or anyth ikng like that, it has had body or chassis work as they wouldn't mention it otherwise.
They k ow the story but they are not telling you the full truth.
Walk away.

Raisins

Much more to the background than I was told. It wasn’t a tip of any description, the more I picked away the worse the story got, for a lot of reasons. Probably shouldn’t go into detail on the forum. Pulled out. Surprised to get that from a large dealer but glad a dodged a bullet. Thanks for the advice.

colm_mcm

Contact Toyota Ireland with your concerns, they have one of best if not the best used car programme and this is not the experience they want customers getting.

Greentree_uk

don't think I'd be dealing with that dealer..