Hi all, just wanted a second opinion.
I purchased a car online from an auction. It was sold as a "2007" (without "MY"), but one of the photos online shows the build year as Nov 2006. After purchasing I found out it's registered as a 2006 car, etc.
I feel kind of ripped off. It's a nice car, put some money on it to get it RWC'd, etc, but I won't feel comfortable selling as a 2007.
Is what the auction done legal? Or ethical?
No, not typo, I called and checked. I kind of went into the auction last minute, I will keep an eye out for this sort of thing in thw future though.
Nothing wrong with it so long as it's an actual MY07 - what make/model vehicle is it and are you aware if there's any changes between the MY06/07 years?
It's common for manufacturers to start producing the next MY model early; earliest I've personally seen is August
As far as I know, no changes. But I could be wrong as I don't know much about German cars.
Very dishonest of the auction house I would say. If it were an ordinary business you'd definitely have grounds for a remedy.. as it was an auction though I am unsure… best to contact fair trading in your state.
Is the seller an LMCT?
If not then you really can't do much IMO.
As a prospective purchaser, it's really your job to do all of the research and ask all the questions if unsure and need clarity.
Edit: It is a hard one tbh .. I can see where you assumed and trusted the seller. Nov 2006 and advertised as 2007 could assume that it is registered on MY2007
Try to push to get a refund.
Good luck
Cheers
Yes, LMCT. Bought from what I thought was a trusted auction house.
Already put a decent amount of money on it to make it RW, etc so I won't push for a refund. Just feel cheated I guess? Anyways, I talked to the guy responsible and he thinks it's fine that he sold it as a 2007, even though it's registered as a 2006.
He's not entirely wrong - when talking about car years, sometimes actual year matters more, and sometimes the model year matters more. Since they didn't specify which date they were talking about, (and especially since the photos show it's registered 2006), imo it was up to you to either clarify which, and/or buy without checking and live with it.
In short, tough.
Their description is correct. Just as it would be if they said 2006.
They chose to describe the MY rather than the BY.
Here's the thing - they described it as "2007", not "MY 2007". It's a nice car, it just felt unethical on their part if that makes sense.
I hear you and I think you might have been duped, but by saying it's a 2007 car, they are being correct. It's up to you to do your due diligence and if that means taking 30 seconds to look at a build plate, then it's all on you.
Live and learn
True that, thanks for your replies :)
The full year specified is date of manufacture. MY is like the "version" of the car.
You've been duped. It is no accident. This is an especially common "advertising oversight" by people who sell cars on a daily basis.
Unfortunately, it is an auction and you were able to verify what was advertised vs what's actual so caveat emptor applies.
Compliance is 06 or 07?
Not sure to be honest.
What state was the auction in?
Reason I ask is WA sells off compliance date, not build date
VIC
but one of the photos online shows the build year as Nov 2006
SOL IMO
MY means manufactured year but without MY it could mean the year model.
MY does NOT, and has never meant manufactured year. It means model year.
It might be built November 2016 BUT, this it the important part, if it's MY17 it means the model, means the car COMPLIES with the 2017 model. Complies = same specifications. Does that make sense?
Otherwise if a car is built on 31/12/2016 … by the time it gets to Australia or to you in January 2017, it is already 2016 model. Hence, why there is "MY" terms for cars.
Thanks for the explanation :)
Would 11 vs 12 years old have made much of a difference in price though? I would have thought things like condition would be more important by that point.
I think its misleading to advertise a newer model year without using the 'MY' moniker in the headline, but it's probably legal. And the compliance plate was shown in the advertisement so it should have been pretty evident.
Having said that, on a 11/12 year old car the impact will be less than you think.
Carsales even did a submission on this to the ACCC, identifying that consumers have a poor understanding of the distinctions.
https://www.accc.gov.au/system/files/carsales.com%2520Ltd.pd…
Personally I buy cars on feature-set, not build. So I care more about the MY than the build year or compliance.
Sounds like you saw a last-minute hot deal and made a quick decision. I do this all the time. I always assume there's at least one "gotcha" that I didn't catch. Sounds like you got a decent deal, I wouldn't worry about it.
It’s over 10 years old. One year different in the description will make very little difference to value, unless there is a significant model change at that time - and by that I mean different engine, transmission or body shape, not just bumpers and bluetooth in the stereo.
If you otherwise like the car just let it go.
Cars are sold as compliance date , that’s the year that will be on the rego papers
Build date and compliance dates can be several months apart
My is important when getting parts And it also represents the model change
Around this time of year you will be seeing 2018 vehicles meaning 2018 compliance and there will be the old my18 model and the new my19 model yet both are 2018 cars
The only big drama is buying or selling in say the first 3-5 years of their life which affects their worth , once you are getting 10+ years old the condition is all that really matters
Typo?
My understanding is that auction purchases are on 'as-is' basis, so it's up to the buyer to be satisfied with the item. You mentioned an online photo shows the compliance plate, so I don't see you would have any grounds to argue.