Man learns used car he bought had been in accident, contrary to report

It’s every used car owner’s worst nightmare.

On March 25, Kwabena Agyarko bought a 2012 Corolla for $11,888 from the reputable Maple Toyota dealership in Vaughan because, he said, “a lot of the curbside guys are shady.”

He was told the vehicle had not had any damage. He was even shown the CarProof vehicle history report, which showed the vehicle was accident-free.

After driving the vehicle for a few weeks, Agyarko found the Corolla was a bit small for his kids’ car seats. So this week, he inquired about a trade-in at another dealership.

The dealer ran the vehicle identification number (VIN) — and that’s when he got the bad news. His car in fact had been damaged. A claim of $4,251 was listed on Jan. 14.

So, Agyarko went back to the Maple Toyota dealership, where they offered him $10,000 towards a lease, but not a full refund.

“I was looking at the Toyota Prius and they said we can offer you 10-grand for that and a lease of $125 a month,” he said. “I don’t want to lease. I want my money back.”

Ontario’s Motor Vehicle Dealers Act requires dealerships to disclose on the bill of sale a vehicle’s accident if the damage is over $3,000.

After hearing Agyarko’s story, Maple Toyota ran another vehicle history search and that time it did show the claim.

The dealer’s used car sales manager and the GM of sales Bill Wood were both equally surprised by the results.

“This is the first time in 11 years here and 27 years in the business for me where we see a claim show up after the fact on the CarProof,” said Wood.

CarProof said it can take several days and, in some cases, weeks for an insurer to close a claim and for it to show up their reports.

Maple Toyota’s policy is to run a CarProof report when the dealership buys a used car from a client. It turns out they ran their initial report 11 days after the damage claim had been filed.
The Vaughan dealership claims the long-time customer they bought the vehicle from never mentioned the damage.

Maple Toyota admitted Agyarko should have been offered a full refund, not just $10,000 towards a lease.

Wood said he’s “more than happy to refund his money.
“It’s not his fault. It’s not our fault. But we have to own up to it. But he gets his money back. There’s going to be mistakes. The key is how you handle the mistakes.”

Ontario Motor Vehicle Industry Council (OMVIC) recommends always running the history and VIN yourself when buying a used vehicle.

Here are some more tips for buying from a registered dealer.

1. Ensure the salesperson understands your needs. Not being listened to? Shop elsewhere.

2. Take a thorough test drive — not just around block.

3. Understand all-in price advertising. Don’t accept additional charges (except HST and licensing).

4. Only agree to pay for optional products or services you want and believe have value.

5. Used vehicle? Ask for or purchase history report; consider inspection by a trusted mechanic.

6. Get all conditions and promises in writing.

7. Keep copies of all documentation including advertisements, contract and/or finance agreement.

8. Carefully read the contract (and finance agreement). There’s no cooling-off period once signed.