4 days ago
My niece thought she had gotten a ‘great deal' after trading in her $30,000 Ford… I was furious after learning what the car dealership had done
A furious uncle has accused a car dealership of ripping off his niece when they sold her Ford Ranger for almost double what they paid her for it when she traded it in.
Car enthusiast Razz Ghetto blasted a dealership within Car City Minchinbury, western Sydney, after learning of his niece's bad experience there.
She had bought the Ranger with her then-partner for between $20,000 and $30,000, but decided to trade it in for a cheaper model and some cash.
The influencer said he was stunned to learn his niece had left the dealership with only a VE V6 Holden Commodore and $3,000 cash.
He claimed his niece was told the Commodore was worth about $10,000 to $11,000, and that she received $14,000 in total, including the cash payment.
But, he claimed a VE V6 Holden Commodore in good condition would only sell for about $5,000, and was likely worth significantly less.
In a major blow to his niece, the dealership advertised the Ford Ranger for $24,995 soon after she traded it in, the car enthusiast claimed.
'They've just taken the first offer not knowing better,' he said in a TikTok video.
He said the deal fell well below the $20,000 minimum he expected the car to go for.
This broadly aligns with the estimate from Carsales, which values a 2014 Ranger Wildtrak with similar specifications at between $21,700 to $24,900.
'I know at the end of the day, people should know better before doing these things, but sometimes people are in a position where they don't have an option,' he said.
'And why can't they be given a fair go at least?'
The Sydney man said the problem was bigger than the dealership in question, claiming car dealers were taking advantage of inexperienced sellers.
'I understand they've got to make money, that's what they do but come on,' he said.
'They see people coming and they'll grab them and they'll rip them (off), because they don't know better.'
Social media users shared their outrage, including some who said they no longer sold at car yards, preferring to sell privately.
'It's a car yard, what do you expect?' one wrote.
Some were less sympathetic, including one who said dealerships could not be expected to pay retail prices.
'A car yard will never pay retail on a trade, its worth $20k on [Facebook] Marketplace privately but to a dealer that needs to add load pay staff and make a profit you are never going to get as high as if you did privately,' they said.
Another agreed owners needed to take responsibility when selling their vehicles.
'Unfortunately it does come down to you. Got to do a bit of your own research when you're making a big investment,' they said.
A Car City Minchinbury spokesman declined to comment on the specific incident, but said it takes customer satisfaction 'very' seriously.
'We encourage any customer with concerns to reach out directly to the dealership involved so matters can be appropriately addressed,' he said.
