Pajero Owners Club of South Africa

Hi guys,

I'll try keep this as short as possible.

My brother was visiting from Germany and was keen to do some overlanding while he was here and we decided to go half and half on a Pajero. Both of us had Pajero's in the past so it was a no brainer.

Shortly after I found a 99' SWB Blister Fender, "Mint condition, treated for like a princess, full service history" etc. from a dealership.

Went to go look at it and took it for a test drive - Not knowing a lot about the gen 2's it felt okay despite it being a 22 year old car.
Beautiful car and seemed to be well looked after and had a few extras. This was on a Friday.

I told the salesman I would feel more comfortable if I had my mechanic take a look it to which he agreed but also said he has another buyer on his way later that day.
Salesman said all the right things to the right buyer at the right time. He seemed trustworthy.

We made a formal agreement that if it had any problems or if I wasn't 100% satisfied I can return the Pajero that following Monday for a refund.

I took the Pajero to 2 very well renowned Pajero mechs in Cape Town and both of them said the same thing. Take it back.
Valve stem seals, noisy lifters, cam shaft seal, tappet covers etc.

Phoned up the salesman to which his response was "F*ck right off I'll see you in court". That's the short of it. It's been an absolute nightmare dealing with the scummiest person I have ever dealt with. Have been going back and forth with him for the past month but have now reached the conclusion that the money is gone.

Have spoken to a lawyer, the cops and some other secondhand dealers but not to much avail.

So here's the part where I need advice - Do I sell it for less than what I paid for it or do I fix it over time ?

Other than for when my brother was here I have no use for it and funds aren't really available now for fixing things I have no use for.

I paid R88k for it but I can't morally sell it for the same amount without disclosing the issues that was brought to my attention by the mechanics. Do I sell it for R70k and mention the faults?

Any advice/thoughts will be greatly appreciated.

Thank you for your time.

Sad tale, but all too familiar. Firstly, I would make aware all your contacts, this group and any others, of the identity of the scummy dealership and salesperson. The safest way of doing so is first register your complaint with the RMI and the Consumer Protection ombud. Then publish it.

Remember the CPA provides for a return of defective goods, within certain periods, but particularly where it does not meet the purpose for which it was bought. A lesson here is to reduce all agreements to writing. In this case at least you have the advertisement.

Once you get over that process, if you have not managed to get your money back (and I accept these hyenas know how to dodge any bullet so that can be a harrowing and stressful process) I'd say sell it if you have no use for it. The reduced price and the quotation for repairs may well attract an enthsiast willing to have the work done or one who can fix it themself. You'd have to decide how low to go during negotiations.

On the other hand, if the rest of the vehicle is as attractive as you thought, it may well be an irresistible deal with a rebuilt engine. But it doesn't sound like you have the appetite to go through that process.

I'd cut my losses and sell.

Extract from Hellopeter


Eric A

3 reviews | Active since Apr 2021

03 Jan 2022, 16:09
Cowley refuses to fix or even look at my car under warranty - despite MIOSA ruling in my favour
I bought my car there - less than 67k kms
Diesel injector/s broke about 2 weeks into owning the car.
The DP (Herman Marx) refused to look at it, even though the CPA forces a 6 month warranty. Delay tactics have been played by the Dealer and the RMI (remember the RMI is not the authority here Miosa is).

I finally won the case at miosa.co.za and am now at thencc.gov.za seen as the DP still does not want to even look at the car. The NCC is a long process, but it seems like they will not let them get away with this.

It is sad Dealers don't take up their responsibility - I would say be very careful buying a car here. my car was spotless, but something went wrong and I was left on my own. If you cant take this risk, go somewhere else. Cowley's many year ago, used to be great. seems like new ownership / management is just not there to look after their clients

Social media is here to help warn each other. Very sad guys like this get away with things like this.


Public comments

Reviewers


Businesses


Support


© Copyright 2018 hellopeter.com and its affiliates. All rights reserved. | Legal

Thanks so much for the sound advice Vijay.

Things have developed slightly since I made the initial post.

I managed to get some more info from the previous owner who sold the car to these guys for way less than what I paid for it. The previous owner is also a friend of another very well respected Mitsubishi mechanic that also said there's no point in repairing it.

To make matters worse I tried putting the Pajero through road worthy on Friday and it failed spectacularly.

I then got into contact with the seller again and brought it to his attention that it can't even pass roadworthy (even though he put it through roadworthy 4 weeks ago) and he admitted to the fact that he knows it's not roadworthy and they put it through roadworthy through some dodgy contact and that I shouldn't ask too many questions.

They were very well aware of the state of the Pajero when selling it to me...

I have now considered going through the motions of rebuilding it but it's the third mech that knows the car well and told me to not bother.

So I guess the only hopeful resolve is to start the Miosa and CGSO process ?

Well that, or selling it for a lot less.

I'm so sorry to hear of your problem. Caveat emptor . Let the buyer beware. It could well be time to cut your losses and move on. No one likes to lose or spend obscene amounts to put right someones mess. Hopefully there are still honest people out there who will sell you something decent and reliable. Heart breaking I know. But if you still hanker after a Pajero, take your time and take someone knowledgeable and do some really hard, background checks, the slightest whiff of a problem, WALK AWAY, there is always more out there for sale.