Used Car Consumer Information Notice - Year of Manufacture or Year of Registration?

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Jase2985

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#1459146 30-Dec-2015 17:02

i had a 1996 honda civic that was manufactured in 1991. it was a 1996 because thats when it was first registered anywhere.

Hondas manufacturing year is from September to September

tstone

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#1467357 11-Jan-2016 09:29

Wade: You are obviously happy enough with the car to put down a deposit, is it really a deal breaker or is this just an avenue to get our of a case of buyer remorse?

It's a ten year old car, recalls or warranty work will have already been resolved so in my eyes that argument becomes a moot point?

Sorry, I don't get your points. There is no guarantee that warranty work/recalls would have been performed by the previous overseas owner and surely the whole point of performing pre-purchase checks is to ensure there are no problems with a car. Deposits are made upon condition of satisfactory pre-purchase checks.

I guess my concerns weren't clear in my original post/question, most people seem to be focusing on the fact that I put a conditional deposit on the vehicle. My concerns are related to misleading information about the year of manufacture and threats of violence from the dealer. Also, I found the information on the two websites describing what is required to be on the CIN to be in conflict with each other. IMO 'model year' is not relevant information to be trading used vehicles on (model year is just a marketing term used for new vehicle sales), even the links I provide in my original post don't provide any reference to model year, only for 'year of manufacture' or 'year of first registration'.

Maybe I wasn't clear that I also put conditional deposits other vehicles of same model/make pending VIN and AA checks and eventually purchased one that met the conditions we were looking for. I did not receive threats from any other used vehicle dealer, nor were there any questions when I requested my deposit returned.

Anyway, no big deal, I appreciate the feedback.

Technofreak

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#1467385 11-Jan-2016 10:16

I must admit I'm reading between the lines here a bit, and those lines are a bit blurry.

After reading the thread and then your original post a second time I make the following comments.

The dealer advertised the car stating the model year in a manner that isn't unusual. I would expect this vehicles year was advertised in exactly the same manner all of his other vehicles have been and that practice is the same as used by other dealers . There is plenty of evidence to show there is scope for a variety of dates to be used. Even some manufacturers don't comply with a calendar year for their model years.

You discovered that the advertised year and the manufactured year differed.

You approached the dealer about the discrepancy. From what you wrote is could be assumed you accused the dealer of telling porkies about the model year.

He also claimed that he didn't have to display the year of manufacture on the CIN, nor in any advertisement.

You also use the term "misleading" in a manner that indicates you think the dealer was trying to mislead purchasers.

If you did (note I say 'if") accuse the dealer of pulling a fast one over the date this could explain his indignation and reaction when you asked for your deposit back.

He would see he had acted above board and see as your actions as being a devious way of backing out of the deal. He may have lost the opportunity to sell if to another person.

The way I see it you have learned a valuable lesson on how the application of motor vehicle model dates can vary and this is a lesson for everyone for the future. The dealer did nothing wrong with respect to how the model date was advertised.

You have the right to choose not to buy based on the VIN for the reasons you stated.

The dealer didn't act appropriately to your decision not to proceed with the purchase and you were rightly upset. Though noting as I mentioned earlier his/her reaction may have been triggered by how you approached them about the date discrepancy. Even so a better salesperson would have applied the old adage "The customer is ALWAYS RIGHT" and agreed and given the money back without a fuss.

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ObidiahSlope

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#1467391 11-Jan-2016 10:25

I beleive your focus on the year of manufacture is misguided.

It is a ten year old car. The life it leed since being first sold is of more importance. Was it well maintained? Was it garaged under cover or parked on the street in beach suburb? Was it rallyed rolled and raced by a hairy *rs*d boy or used by a liitle old lady to drive to church on Sundays?

Obsequious hypocrite

WyleECoyoteNZ

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#1467424 11-Jan-2016 11:03

The Op may have a point here.

I know that a few of the Alfa Romeo 166's sold in NZ as NZ new were ex Singapore.

Let me explain the story as it was told to me.

A bunch of the Alfa 166 were shipped to Singapore, but were never registered at all, basically they sat on the wharf as new cars fresh off the boat. Somehow, and I don't know how, the NZ distributor got hold of these cars and imported them to NZ. They then been sold and registered in NZ whenever they were sold. So it's been registered in NZ as 2007, but because it sat on the wharf in Singapore it could be a 2005 build.

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