Many of the do's and dont's depend on the age of the car and whether financed or not. Then there is also the car make/model/year specific advice.
One is usually keen to own a car asap so you are vulnerable to the many tricks of the trade. You can become even more vulnerable when, what you are looking for, is not so easy to find.
Avoid, like a plague, Joburg CBD dealers (and Pretoria as well). If budget is tight and you want a fair bargain most of the searches will come up with these dealer. Dealer names from Apartheid era but owned by shysters with just a smattering of English and fronted by moronic receptionists
Avoid dealers that sell as 'buyer beware'
Needless to say, there will always be something that is overlooked or a problem waiting to happen. Inspections and test drives will not be a sufficient coverage in all cases and will only be a snapshot.
So it is down to how much risk you are willing to take for the likely cost and time to repair. Useful to get an estimate for any known issues. Note, a quick estimate may not be worth much.
Warranties, if any, will be a good selling point but may not be worth much or heavily caveated.
Dealers should, as a minimum, provide some independent report at their cost. After all, how do they know or can be truthful about what they are selling and why should you buy something without knowing this. Not many unfortunately will do this.
Dekra report can be cut and paste or standard phraseology - too lazy/inept to describe anything unique. Probably too under-resourced and thus also rushed or cursory. Not sure if they accept any liability for something overlooked. They should and this may then make them more effective. Overall, better to have a Dekra Report or equivalent than nothing at all. Useful to contact the person who did the report, if possible.
For bank repos, only work through approved dealer auctions. Many claim to have special access from the bank to these bargains and offer even more incredible deals as before-auction cars. Cars that actually do not exist (the amazing photos are from other forecourts) and where you pay a deposit to secure the car before it goes to auction. All salesman talk. No refunds. All fake.
Avoid Facebook Market Place. Full of fake auctions. https://www.mycars.co.za/ is also full of such fakes
Overall, it seems there are more scams than real trustworthy deals/dealers
One is usually keen to own a car asap so you are vulnerable to the many tricks of the trade. You can become even more vulnerable when, what you are looking for, is not so easy to find.
Avoid, like a plague, Joburg CBD dealers (and Pretoria as well). If budget is tight and you want a fair bargain most of the searches will come up with these dealer. Dealer names from Apartheid era but owned by shysters with just a smattering of English and fronted by moronic receptionists
Avoid dealers that sell as 'buyer beware'
Needless to say, there will always be something that is overlooked or a problem waiting to happen. Inspections and test drives will not be a sufficient coverage in all cases and will only be a snapshot.
So it is down to how much risk you are willing to take for the likely cost and time to repair. Useful to get an estimate for any known issues. Note, a quick estimate may not be worth much.
Warranties, if any, will be a good selling point but may not be worth much or heavily caveated.
Dealers should, as a minimum, provide some independent report at their cost. After all, how do they know or can be truthful about what they are selling and why should you buy something without knowing this. Not many unfortunately will do this.
Dekra report can be cut and paste or standard phraseology - too lazy/inept to describe anything unique. Probably too under-resourced and thus also rushed or cursory. Not sure if they accept any liability for something overlooked. They should and this may then make them more effective. Overall, better to have a Dekra Report or equivalent than nothing at all. Useful to contact the person who did the report, if possible.
For bank repos, only work through approved dealer auctions. Many claim to have special access from the bank to these bargains and offer even more incredible deals as before-auction cars. Cars that actually do not exist (the amazing photos are from other forecourts) and where you pay a deposit to secure the car before it goes to auction. All salesman talk. No refunds. All fake.
Avoid Facebook Market Place. Full of fake auctions. https://www.mycars.co.za/ is also full of such fakes
Overall, it seems there are more scams than real trustworthy deals/dealers