Yeah, I shouldve known better...

Hi all, just reading Erics post re the dud cars doing the rounds and thought I would tell you all about my latest hassle with a Used Car Dealer impersonating a human being... About 5 months ago I decided to sell my 2000 model Mitsubishi Challenger, car had just clicked on 100,000 ks. Was in fantastic condition, ARB bar, IPF spots, OME suspension, basically all the fruit from ARB... I advertised it at a fair price (26k) and didnt get 1 bite.. So I decided that I really needed to get rid of it seeing as I had already bought another vehicle. So I went to a dealer (whom at this stage will remained un-named) that was recommended to me by friends who had consigned their vehicle with (they didnt have a hassle, car was sold and paid for within 21 days) and signed the relevant paperwork for an agreed price of 24k and left the car with them...

Alarm bells started ringing about 3 days later when I saw my Challenger being driven by a really fat old guy that looked alot like the dealer... So after 2 weeks I ring up to see whether my car had sold yet... they told me that a deposit had been taken and that they were just waiting for the finance to come through.

I ring a week after that and they said 'congrats your car has sold, you will be paid within a fortnight'... At this point I will tell you all that I had a lease on the car and the finance company was owed 19k of the money... I called up exactly ten days later and was told that I would be 'paid by the end of the week', sure enough at the end of the week they gave me a cheque for just over 4k (of which the balance of 19k was to be paid by the car yard direct to my finance company), that cheque promptly bounced. I got angry and went back to them and got another cheque, guess what? Bounced again...

The third time I basically threatened a little physical violence and was 'granted' $4300 in cash... That was 4 weeks ago, now they still owe my finance company the outstanding amount and just informed me that the Dept of Fair Trading has shut them down due to insolvent (sp) trading...

I have been told that I will be covered via the DFT compensation fund for the outstanding amount on my car, but could wait up to 3 months for the money to come through, in the mean-time I have to pay the interest on the stopped finance payment.

I am sure there are reputable guys out there doing consignments, but pleaes guys and girls, beware the Used Car Dealer, they can be real sh$t bags...

Cheers