Hi all

First off apologies if this is in the wrong forum.

To start, a week ago I purchased a vehicle that a saw on trade me, I went to the used car dealership, did the usual visual check and took it for a test drive happy days.

As I’m entering into the sales agreement I ask the dealer a couple questions about the mechanical history of the car and if there is any issues he knows about, he said NO only the things I spotted like a tyre with a bulge in the side wall, he then says “oh by the way this is a sale on behalf so we are not liable for any issues and you’d need to contact the current owner if you have any issues” basically saying they they take no responsibility.

Sale goes through, and I drive off.. the next day I have the tyres replaced (I work in the industry so tyres isn’t a problem) and I want to put tyres on I trust. I then take the car for a service and I get a call from the mechanic saying the car has the wrong springs fitted and there’s bolts welded to the chassis to hold the springs in, and this has caused the top mounts and bushes to not be acceptable for a WOF, along with a couple other issues that are not related to the safety of the vehicle.

I call the dealer and as expected he’s washing his hands of all responsibility and at this time is acting as a medium between me and the seller which is a slow process so far but the seller has said he will buy new springs but this is dragging on and I’m unsure if they think buying new springs and I foot the bill for the install and repairs is their answer.

So with that said I have looked into my rights and from what I can find is

- if the dealers gst#/company name is on the CIN, it’s a Dealer sale not private even if the say it’s a private sale as they received the money directly from me.


This link https://www.cab.org.nz/article/KB00001534 goes into it

And also this I found online



Am I covered under the CGA? And should I cease all communication with the dealer and file with the DT or continue to negotiate in good faith that the seller will remedy the issue?

One note: I have screen shots of the trade me listing which has in the listing “AA SAFETY CERTIFIED” which to me is false advertising.

Any advice pertaining to what my rights may be would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks