Car Sales - Unbelievable Facts

Nishan.dj · September 19, 2015

Hi Guys,

I was looking for a Honda FIT Hybrid GP5 and after visiting many places in couple of weeks time, I met few people who helped me to understand the reality of Car Sales and Imports.

I almost shocked by hearing and what SL importers ( Not ALL ) do. It was about cut a car in half, bring it down here as separate parts and weld them ( Assume there has to be a more technical term than "Weld" ) together and sell them through Car Sales around the country. (Again not in all car sales)

However, I was not able to buy a GP5 and price went up (Recently) and was asked to wait few more months at least till December by a friend of mine who bring down cars.

I just shared these to let know the people who still don't know (like myself a couple of months back).

Also finally, I would like posting / advising me a better way of getting a GP5 ( I mean without being trapped to such places)

Thanks.

Edited September 21, 2015 by Nishan.dj

iRage · September 19, 2015

Sorry about your GP5 hunt....don't you know any people who could point you to some honest car dealers ? Even then maybe you should get them to get an inspection report done from one of those services that are well known now (don't trust any auction sheets or JAAI/JEVIC certificates these morons show you)?

Kavvz · September 19, 2015

On 9/19/2015 at 6:02 PM, iRage said:
Sorry about your GP5 hunt....don't you know any people who could point you to some honest car dealers ? Even then maybe you should get them to get an inspection report done from one of those services that are well known now (don't trust any auction sheets or JAAI/JEVIC certificates these morons show you)?

lol !! @ "Honest Car Dealers" ! Show me one if you ever come across such a person and I'll show you a tortoise we have that can sing "Mary had a little lamb..."

iRage · September 20, 2015

LOL. Good point. Well at least some one who dont bring complete junk but half junk

Magnum · September 20, 2015

On 9/19/2015 at 4:12 PM, Nishan.dj said:
Hi Guys,
I was looking for a Honda FIT Hybrid GP5 and after visiting many places in couple of weeks time, I met few people who helped me to understand the reality of Car Sales and Imports.

I almost shocked by hearing and then seeing what SL importers ( Not ALL ) do. It was about cut a car in half, bring it down here as separate parts and weld them ( Assume there has to be a more technical term than "Weld" ) together and sell them through Car Sales around the country. (Again not in all car sales)

Even though I saw only one Honda Insight car which was cut in half, I noticed several other vehicles including a super GL van, few mini minors. By the time I saw the Honda Insight I thought it certainly had met an accident and was there for parts. It was a workshop ( All in one place from Engine to AC, Tinkering, Painting and Electrical) and I went there with a friend of mine who knows the people inside. So after one month, again I went and saw the Honda Insight was fixed and I wasn't able to find it as it was the one I saw a month before. However, with the help from the one I knew, I saw it was perfectly fitted and in next few days it will go to a Car Sale for a buyer :| (I never knew how the registration will be done but I am sure what I saw was real and not dreaming)

Few weeks after, I went to another place ( Both these were in Kandy and Mawanella) and also with someone I know ( Well, don't blame me for knowing those people which I never believe what they told me once I saw those in real) who work there still, A Super GL van, few mini minors were being treated the same way as Honda Insight and got to know the minors got 5-Sri numbers after the work done and Super GL van was sold too. However after another couple of weeks, I got a call from the guy who helped me seeing such things and said, the van was returned by the person who bought it because of a document issue with RMV. I was expecting a news even on gossip sites to come up with the story but 2 weeks later I got to know the issues were solved and the vehicle is on Sale with "Original Book" ( I don't know the meaning of Original anymore). I never knew how it happened but this is the reality of one side of the car (vehicle) business in SL.

However, I was not able to buy a GP5 and price went up (Recently) and was asked to wait few more months at least till December by a friend of mine who bring down cars.

I just shared these to let know the people who still don't know (like myself a couple of months back).

Also finally, I would like posting / advising me a better way of getting a GP5 ( I mean without being trapped to such places)

Thanks.

Original in the sense with the original chassis number? Thats not possible!

This cut and welding scene has been happening for a quite a long time, usually what they do is they weld frame where the chassis number is marked of a crashed vehicle on to the illegally imported one.

As similar thing is done with bike imports too. As far as I know almost all bikes imported are brought down as parts.

Edited September 20, 2015 by Magnum

Nishan.dj · September 21, 2015

On 9/19/2015 at 6:02 PM, iRage said:
don't trust any auction sheets or JAAI/JEVIC certificates these morons show you

Well, If I am going to import a vehicle with the help of a known person who has experience of importing cars, What certificates should I see to know the real facts of the car that I virtually see on my screen ( While bidding or as auction pics ) ?

Thanks in advance for the replies.

iRage · September 21, 2015

On 9/21/2015 at 4:38 AM, Nishan.dj said:
Well, If I am going to import a vehicle with the help of a known person who has experience of importing cars, What certificates should I see to know the real facts of the car that I virtually see on my screen ( While bidding or as auction pics ) ?
Thanks in advance for the replies.

Well what I meant was do not trust the auction sheets etc of what car sales over in SL present you with for their cars

If you are actually buying a car directly from an auction and your trusted supplier gives you access to the auction cars to pick what you want to bid on then the chances of the auction sheet being forged or mucked about with is low isn't it ? For starters you say you can trust the supplier secondly the supplier has no idea what you want to bid on and the supplier doesn't have his/her hands on the car already to muck around with it. For the most part you can pretty much trust the auction sheet on the car when it is at the auction. However, keep in mind this is based on an average inspection and service records. It is by no means an exhaustive inspection so in an older car little things like a failing alternator or a hub that starts whining when it heats up might get missed.

Apart from that if you are really concerned then tell the supplier to stick to auctions that the supplier can actually go visit (keep in mind this ight take ages for you to find a car) and have the supplier go check the car out. He can't drive the car but can start it and do a walk around. Also for the most part you get things like the service.maintenance notebook inside the car so you can have the guy check it out for any out of the ordinary repairs. But like i said...for the most part you can trust what is on the auction sheets when it is at auction.

I think as long as you maintain control of what you are bidding on you will be safe. Things go wrong when you don't have control and lose knowledge of what was bid on because then the supplier can bid on any heap of crap and then show you fake auction sheets that the supplier himself makes...so....

yeah...

Nishan.dj · September 21, 2015

On 9/21/2015 at 4:54 AM, iRage said:
Well what I meant was do not trust the auction sheets etc of what car sales over in SL present you with for their cars
If you are actually buying a car directly from an auction and your trusted supplier gives you access to the auction cars to pick what you want to bid on then the chances of the auction sheet being forged or mucked about with is low isn't it ? For starters you say you can trust the supplier secondly the supplier has no idea what you want to bid on and the supplier doesn't have his/her hands on the car already to muck around with it. For the most part you can pretty much trust the auction sheet on the car when it is at the auction. However, keep in mind this is based on an average inspection and service records. It is by no means an exhaustive inspection so in an older car little things like a failing alternator or a hub that starts whining when it heats up might get missed.

Apart from that if you are really concerned then tell the supplier to stick to auctions that the supplier can actually go visit (keep in mind this ight take ages for you to find a car) and have the supplier go check the car out. He can't drive the car but can start it and do a walk around. Also for the most part you get things like the service.maintenance notebook inside the car so you can have the guy check it out for any out of the ordinary repairs. But like i said...for the most part you can trust what is on the auction sheets when it is at auction.

I think as long as you maintain control of what you are bidding on you will be safe. Things go wrong when you don't have control and lose knowledge of what was bid on because then the supplier can bid on any heap of crap and then show you fake auction sheets that the supplier himself makes...so....

yeah...

iRage, your post is very valuable.

I have 3 options.

I can bid on a car (Via his bidding site) and win it and inform to the importer. Then I can open a LC and get it down here with the help of him too.
The importer has already bid on certain vehicles and I can choose one and then pay him to bring it down.
Visit importers showroom and buy it after inspecting the car.

The no 1 is kind of risky for a person like me (I have to learn many things I guess) who has no bidding experience (even in eBay I choose Buy It Now option ) and most probably I will loose so much than winning.

Under No 2, According to the importer, He bid on vehicles below 15000Km of usage which he claims that it is worth than buying a brand-new when it consider the amount that we have to pay for a 0 mileage car. The vehicles won is reserved in Japan and once we select one, it will be brought down here. (No LC is needed)

No 3 will cost more compared to both 1 and 2 & also may fall in to cars that has been repaired and done such things we discussed before.

According to importers explanations, I kind of felt that the number 2 will be ideal for me. However, your replies will be very valuable for me to decide because I will be able to make a decision considering all the facts. ( I don't mind paying a bit more which is fair for both parties )

So please comment. Thanks.

Edited September 21, 2015 by Nishan.dj

Schiffer · September 21, 2015

On 9/19/2015 at 8:27 PM, Kavvz said:
lol !! @ "Honest Car Dealers" ! Show me one if you ever come across such a person and I'll show you a tortoise we have that can sing "Mary had a little lamb..."

On 9/20/2015 at 1:23 AM, iRage said:
LOL. Good point. Well at least some one who dont bring complete junk but half junk

He does have a point. i wonnt state what my work is but i deal with every.. well most of the car sale in kandy and kurunegala, and i only found one place that actually do honest business. out of 100s

All most all of these other guys are ,,,, magadiyo

C_J · August 9, 2023

On 9/21/2015 at 11:51 AM, Schiffer said:

He does have a point. i wonnt state what my work is but i deal with every.. well most of the car sale in kandy and kurunegala, and i only found one place that actually do honest business. out of 100s

All most all of these other guys are ,,,, magadiyo

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Hi, I'm replying to this thread after 8 years 🤪

Wondering what might be that ONE honest car sale. Any hints?

Does anybody think that In*ra Tra*ers can be trusted?

iRage · August 10, 2023

On 8/9/2023 at 2:23 PM, C_J said:

Does anybody think that In*ra Tra*ers can be trusted?

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No...they couldn't be back in the 80s, they can't be now. Albeit, they were trust worthier in the 80s than now. Are they the worst ? Possibly not. Is everything they bring bad ? No. They are large enough and bring in enough stock that there are bound to be decent cars in there as well.

But who knows...maybe they've changed.

C_J · August 10, 2023

On 8/10/2023 at 12:43 AM, iRage said:

No...they couldn't be back in the 80s, they can't be now. Albeit, they were trust worthier in the 80s than now. Are they the worst ? Possibly not. Is everything they bring bad ? No. They are large enough and bring in enough stock that there are bound to be decent cars in there as well.

But who knows...maybe they've changed.

Expand

Good to know, I thought they must be doing good business as they try to maintain their good reputation, maybe that's not how real-world businesses operate when the main goal is to make a profit.

I was researching about Car Sales in this forum to understand how they manage to buy vehicles from private sellers and to understand the tricks they use.

(Anyway, I'm NOT planning to buy from a car sale but rather from a first owner who imported it brand new, as my budget is too low to buy a new car 🤔)