gianni

I bought a MY2000 Turbo from a main dealer & have now found out it was euro import. It was called Impreza 2.0GT on log book told dealer this and they said it was a mistake & definately UK car.DVLA have now told me it was imported from Holland.
Do you think I should complain eg.get some money back on the deal or just let it go.

Richard Askew

Depends:

Was it cheaper than a UK car (go and compare prices)
Is it out of manufacturers warranty
Will it affect your insurance

Finally: did you specifically ask the dealer if it was UK or Import - remember there is a difference between UK car and UK spec car

Cheers
R

Mickle

Sounds like the mis-descriptions act to me. I know nothing about trading standards stuff but I do know imports are not worth as much as UK cars and if they've sold it as a UK car you're being fiddled.

fitzscoob

technically its a uk spec car, same as mine, your insurance will be the same as a uk car. Its classed as a parallel import, everything in the car is as is.

chiark

On the MY00 imports were full UK spec with the exception of:
- alarm (no alarm as standard on EU spec RHD)
- locking wheel nuts (not supplied)

Also, it was possible (but a stupid move) to order the car with no passenger airbag and also no ABS but no-one in their right mind would do this. If it says "SRS airbag" on your passenger dash you'll be fine as the two things come together on EU spec.

Impreza GT is the name of the Turbo in Holland. You can get the DVLA to correct it to the proper UK description.

chiark

if this was a Subaru main dealer, unless you paid significantly less I'd play merry hell with them. They offered a grand less on my car to trade in for being an import of better spec than a standard UK spec... If you paid UK money, you've been done.

gianni

I paid £10500:-(W-reg) 48000 miles last month.
Happy with the car but cant help feeling I've been ripped off.

fitzscoob

i paid 12500, in april for the same car as you but my99 uk turbo, mines also from holland. prices change all the time, if you like your car and you enjoy driving it, dont worry about the cash. your gonna spend more on your car whether you want to or not.

go and sit in it and rev it without the radio on, you will soon stop worrying about the cash.

Harry_Boy

Surely, the whole point is that, if it was described as a UK-sourced car, this is a misdescription. So, it's a matter under the Trades Description Act, and does not 'conform to its description'.

On the other hand, if it was described as UK-spec, that's very much a different matter....

SlowBoy

iTrader: (1)

£10,500 is a good price for that car from a dealer. If it's a main dealer then I assume you've got a one year warranty.

For your own peace of mind have a look in the classified adds and check the prices of similar cars at main dealers. I reckon you'll find they're going for a bit more.

I'd still hassle them though as they were out of order telling porkies. Use this as a negotiating point to get something out of them as I think you're well within your rights.

Scott.T

iTrader: (2)

As mentioned above £10,500 is a bloody good price from a Dealer even for a GT.

I paid via a private advert £11,900 for my 'X' plate Impreza GT back in Feb with 16,000miles on the clock.

The dealers in the area at the time wanted £12,999 or even £13,999 for 'V' plates with no Air-Con and 43,000 miles.

At the end of the day the Impreza GT is the same as a UK.
It's just people don't like paying as much for them 'if they know' as they know they were a few grand cheaper when new.

The main difference is one came with a 3 year warranty where the other only came with 1 or 2 years. When there all 3 years old they will all be equal.

If it's got an 'Impreza 2000 Turbo AWD' sticker on the back it may well be a UK. If all it has it the SUBARU badge then it's probably a GT.

[Edited by Scott.T - 8/29/2003 8:40:53 PM]

greasemonkey

Depends what your priorities are. Non-ABS Imprezas have considerably better pedal feel, which for some is more than enough reason to do without it.

Edited to add that there's also a fair bit of evidence to suggest that airbags aren't the safety boon they were once thought to be, so slightly nebulous point with the passenger 'bag too

[Edited by greasemonkey - 8/29/2003 8:50:55 PM]

Davestamf

So it turns out that, of all people, even second-hand car dealers may be dishonest.

Gary C

Maybe airbags are not the perfect safety device, but they saved my life when I flipped my open top MR2 end over end.

I would never be without them in a performance car (ok, the MR2 is not exactly performance

seven xl

But will he get the going rate when he sells it on?

greasemonkey

...And said without even the slightest hint of irony/sarcasm

greasemonkey

That's a reasonably good price for a car of that age and mileage, assuming it's in good nick and as-per UK spec. On those grounds alone, you have no reason to be p.o'd.

If the logbook says GT, the car is definitely a Euro-import, no question about that. If the dealer told you (preferably in writing) that the car was a full, bona fide UK market car, you have grounds to be a bit ticked-off and should take the matter up with them. However, if they only said it was a "UK car", you're on a slightly sticky wicket.

If they're so sure it's a UK car, have they said as much in writing anywhere? If not, it might not be a bad idea to try and get them to do so. If they already have, just phone up International Motors, give them the VIN number, and ask them if it's one of theirs...

Sukhy

I would compare prices too at first, whatever the result I would still go and complain to the dealers for them lie'ing to u in the first place. Just think of it this way wat if they had lie'd to u about something more serious which could of cost u your life.

SlowBoy

iTrader: (1)

Lol @ Davestamf

Seven xl - I wouldn't be concerned about getting market price when selling on 'cos I think he's paid below mp when he bought it.