I have just purchased a 1992 2LT TD townace and was begining to think i had made a big mistake thinking that i was all alone with this vehicle,what with no manuals and a reluctance by garages to go any where near it until i found this site ( what a reliefe i'm not alone) But the main reason of this article is that prior to this purchase me and my wife travelled 70 miles from staffordshire up to Blackburn and purchased a 1990 townace.We noticed on our way back that the aircon wasn't working and just thought that it might need re-gassing,but the dealer we purchased from was not going to look at it because he said it wasn't covered under his warrenty (strange!!)The next day i noticed a massive pool of oil and took a look underneath (totally soaked)and at the same time noticed that a lot of pipework was missing and left unconnected, so i took it to my garage who said that most of the aircon was missing.So i contacted the dealer about the oil leak and he told me to try to get it back to him,,70 miles with a major oil leak!! i told him. Nothing else he could do he said and when i told him that the aircon was missing,,,silence, "oh yes" he replied we forgot to mention it but some of the parts are here.But because it was going to be so expensive to install he suggested that i go halves with him on the cost. "No thank you i will have my money back".The vehicle was first advertised at £2995 and since he has had it back and done the oil leak it has gone up £300 and carefully re-advertised not mentioning aircon.So buyers in the Blackburn area beware. The vehicle is a 1990 2LT Td 4WD manual, first prefix G999 in gold colour. and the garage is CROSSFIELD CAR SALES,HASLINGDEN ROAD,BLACKBURN.website,,,crossfieldcarsales.co.uk I can't mention everything that went on with negotiations and time spent travelling there and back plus loss of money on insurance etc because i would go on forever.But to me they are a pair of conmen re-selling the vehicle for more money and incomplete.
- (#3182) henry, 29 May 02
Thanks for sharing this with us Henry. Unfortunately the contributors to this site normally get involved AFTER purchase so unfortunately some poor hapless soul may indeed end up with your ex-nightmare.
I too have a tale to tell re the purchase of mine and I'm sure there are others who could tell a tale or two about dodgy car dealers. Another example of how corrupt the industry can be unfortunately.
I do hope that it has not soured your view of these unique vehicles. You've obviously not been put off too much as you've got another one. Good for you. If you should need any assistance in the future there are planty of knowledgeable owners that contribute to this board.
regards
Ian
- (#3189) Ian Dunse, 30 May 02
With reference to a posting I recently spotted on your website, I feel it is only fair to allow me to respond. I am the owner of Crossfield Car Sales, and I feel that Henry Drag has given a very one sided view of events, and this does not convey the true story.
Shortly after Mr.Drag took delivery of his 1990 Townace he telephoned to tell us his air conditioning was not working. I explained that this is something our warranty underwriters would not normally get involved in on a 12 year old vehicle - they cover major mechanical failures only on vehicles of this age, which is quite normal on older cars, and this was pointed out very clearly to Mr. Drag before he purchased the vehicle - but as a goodwill gesture I offered to pay half of the cost of repairing the Air Con out of my own pocket.
Mr.Drag explained that he had spent all of his available budget on the car and the insurance, and he had no further funds to repair the Air Con. I asked whether the Air Con was important to him, and offered a partial refund on the car to compensate for this not working.
It became evident that Mr.Drag was not happy to have the car without Air Conditioning, so in the interests of maintaining my companies reputation I offered to give him a full refund on the vehicle, which Mr.Drag thought about for a couple of days and finally accepted.
I would like to add that no other Garage I know of would offer a full refund due to a minor fault of this nature on a 12 year old vehicle, and that Mr.Drag seemed very happy at the time. I offered the refund as we had been recieving many enquiries for the vehicle and I knew I could easily resell it to someone who would be very happy with it, so there was no point in making Mr.Drag keep it if he was'nt happy.
I am dismayed and very annoyed that Mr.Drag has gone behind my back in this underhand manner and posted a derogatory message on a newsgroup - this is my livlihood and I will not tolerate anyone unfairly trying to give me a bad name without confronting me in person with their grievance. I had no complaint from Mr.Drag at the time, in fact he seemed very happy with the service I had given him. I wish he had brought his true feelings to my attention so that any issues could have been resolved. Posting this message seems a very cowardly way to vent his feelings.
I sincerely hope Mr.Drag reads this response, I am sure he never expected me to discover his posting attempting to spoil my good name without my knowledge, and now other people can see the other side of the story.
I look after my customers, I do my best to ensure they are happy with their cars and the deal we have done, even if it means refunding money in full.
Incidentally, the Town Ace was sold again a few days later, and the new owner was happy to take the car without air conditioning.
As for the editors comments about the industry beeing corrupt, and "dodgy car dealers", please make sure you are in full possesion of the facts before you pass judgement. Mr.Drags part exchange, a Cavalier Turbo Diesel, had previously been used as a Taxi Cab and was not showing it's true mileage, facts that Mr.Drag neglected to point out to us at the time.
- (#5512) Dan, 13 Sep 02
Hello Dan,
I hope when you referred to "the editor" you weren't meaning me because I am the site owner and I always post with my name at the top.
I'm glad you took the opportunity to reply to one of the earlier postings concerning your business but cannot accept responsibility for each and every posting. None of the information given on this site comes with a guarantee and the reliability of peoples opinions are uncontrolable.
I have attempted to get hold of the posting you are answering but that must have been on the board when it bottomed out.
Once again, I'm pleased you have responded.
Mark
- (#5513) Mark, 14 Sep 02
Yes there are always two sides to a story but when I buy from a "reputable" dealer, I expect the vehicle to have been thoroughly checked and serviced and for everything to work. That's why the punter pays a premium over and above the figure that one would pay for a private sale which is sold as seen.
- (#5580) Ian Dunse, 19 Sep 02
Whilst I appreciate that Mr Drag was hardly an angel in this scenario, I would think that the vehicle would have been fully checked by the dealer as Ian says, especially things as simple to check as the operation of the Air Con, you have to wonder what else didn't work if the A/C hadn't even been checked, I ask the question of Dan exactly what they class as a PDI. Regards Rob.
- (#5581) Rob Drinkwater, 19 Sep 02