For Nathan Levack, buying his first car was supposed to be an exciting prospect but he says all he got was grief.
The 24-year-old says he was sold a dud by Big Apple Motors in Muizenberg when he bought a 2017 VW Polo Vivo in August last year for R146 000.
Nathan, from Capricorn, was driving his dad’s old bakkie when he got a new job but says he wanted to look “presentable” and decided to buy the second-hand Polo Vivo at the local dealership.
He says the process went quickly and smoothly but little did he know that his joyride would end in tears.
He says a week after receiving his car, the battery went flat, which the dealership replaced.
Another week later, he and his girlfriend took a drive to Gansbaai, but the car started making “rattling noises”.
“It started by making a funny noise and then it wouldn’t start but I managed to get back home and took it to the dealer,” says Nathan.
“They replaced the spark plugs.
“There the problem started. It was a back and forth thing with one problem after another and they eventually told me they couldn’t be held liable for the damages.”
In May this year, the car broke down completely.
“Last month I had to take out a R12 000 loan to get my vehicle fixed as I can’t be paying for a vehicle that is standing in my garage.
“I want compensation, they must pay for repair costs.”
Sam Ramjam, the sales manager at The Big Apple confirmed doing business with Nathan but claims: “He hasn’t asked for help nor have we refused to assist him.
“I know he had a complaint about his battery that runs down which we had replaced with a new one and since then I hadn't heard from him.”
However, Nathan says Ramjam is a liegbek as they’ve been discussing the problematic car since last year.