Second Hand Car Dealers' Admin Fee

[Shanhz]

It will be good to spread the word to stand our ground. Usually the first time car buyers are the ones who tend to be fleeced.

 

totally agreed.. was fleeced first time i bot 2nd hand car. after that smarter leow..

[Dunno]

2) boot unable to close normally.. (have to slam hard)

 

One of the signs of lousy workmanship for a car being rear-ended before. My previous car was rear-ended by a lorry, after the repair, the boot cannot close proplerly unless I use some force to slam it down. Reason is because the boot latch is not accurately aligned back after the repair. So the catch does not lock over the latch properly unless I use force to slam it down.

[Forrestcat]

Admin fee is a ploy to squeeze more out of you. After you have agreed car price with the dealer and agree to start with documentation to purchase the car, admin fee suddenly appear on their written quotation.By then, you are almost to embarrased to back out as they tell u that admin fee is standard practice.

 

Some dealer's ad on sgcarmart clearly states No Admin Fee, Agreement Fee & GST.

One example: http://www.sgcarmart.com/used_cars/info.ph...010&DL=1198

 

 

[Mudman_81]

Hi Pple

 

am in the midst of deciding a buy on a 2nd hand car as well

was told by the SE that i need to pay

1. transfer fee

2. admin fee

3. 1st mth installment

4. STA fees if i wana get the car evaluated for accident free

 

was told that i hve to pay the 300 admin fees and 100 plus sta fee...they say that if sta results shows the car had accident then

i can reject....but i was thinking, no matter what, buy or reject, i will still borne the fee...for wat...car also not mine yet...they stand to gain

 

 

after i read the threads, quite shocked that i nearly kena chopped by them ...

kaoz...

 

thanks for the posts.... benefitted from them.

[Kengohth]

i paid 500 bucks for my 2nd hand EX ride in March 09. Brought along 2 buddies but they were not too sure about 2nd hand market and `i was too eager then, so `i paid the fee.

 

when `i got the car, got the following issues:

1) brake worn out ( wear and tear, no choice)

2) engine trottle issue.

3) odometer spolied. the milage always remained the same.

 

 

the worse part was when i send the car to AD, they informed me that the car was problably involved in an accident as the left door was slightly dented in, among other things.

 

when i took the car in, i insisted on STA check, the grade was A or B. mostly A, but they were not able to find out the previous issues listed above. luckily, still under warrenty, otherwise die liao. the odoneter would have cost ard 2 to 3k alone.i think the ~STA check not accutate. once you get the car, make sure the following:

 

1) send the car for immediate MAJOR servicing.

2) make sure if still under warrenty, preferably. ideally get car which was purchased from AD.

 

not too sure if any other things.

but nevertheless, still pleased with my ride so far, despite the issues at first.

 

 

[Schneider79]

how to get STA grade A ? As long as the car has no accident, they'll grade it as A.

 

A stands for Accident-free. Thats all.

[Picanto]

how to get STA grade A ? As long as the car has no accident, they'll grade it as A.

 

A stands for Accident-free. Thats all.

 

 

its more than that. they have a comprehensive of things to check.

[Shanhz]

LTA transfer fee and STA inspection fee is paid by buyer. that isnormal. some say STA is kelong, tho' 'i have no proof. best is bring it in your self. for me, i insisted on AA instead of STA.

 

 

[SporeHongkong]

is it normal if we took an in-house loan and charge 800 for agreement fees?

[Ichibawa]

is it normal if we took an in-house loan and charge 800 for agreement fees?

 

Nope. Thanks for your contribution to nation building.

[Alexchua88]

i buying a second hand car soon....e dealer say i hav to borne transfer fee n admin charge sia...which add up too 700....is it normal?

[Ichibawa]

i buying a second hand car soon....e dealer say i hav to borne transfer fee n admin charge sia...which add up too 700....is it normal?

 

LTA transfer fee is approx 2% of the paid value. Whatever left is solely going into the dealer's pocket as coffee money. Please give them the hand and walk away if they insist. Let them know that with proper knowledge consumer will not be taken for a ride.

[Kengohth]

i guess at least with the forum for us to share ideas, it will give us more knowledge. what happened cannot be undone. but at least easier to bargin next time.

 

:-)

[Tiny_planet]

Is there a legal requirement that the transfer fee is to be paid by the buyer during used-car transaction? The common practice is indeed by the buyer.

 

As for wat admin fee, agreement fee, "tak-kiu-lui", you can don't pay them. If they insist, say goodbye to them. For the purchase of a car, they are already earning some profit from you + if you take loan/insurance from them, the company also earn commission from the transaction.

[Mahjong74]

is it normal if we took an in-house loan and charge 800 for agreement fees?

 

No it's not. How much interest for the in-house loan?

 

Now Maybank offering 2.28% for used car loan.

 

No reason for you to take their in-house loan which should be higher than 2.28%?

 

Just accompany a friend to AML to buy 2nd hand car last week.

 

After I looked at the engine bay, no sign of repair or accident.

 

Test drive the car one round.

 

Paid $100 for a STA inspection for the car.

 

Car came back with all grade A for all items.

 

Tell the dealer to apply for car loan first before any deposit / downpayment.

 

The next day, loan approved with Maybank for 2.28% interest loan.

 

Pay the dealer

 

1. $100 admin fee

2. 1st installment

3. Transfer fee

4. Downpayment.

 

As there is a car to trade-in, dealer also help

to cancel the old car insurance.

Edited January 4, 2010 by Mahjong74

[Forrestcat]

No it's not. How much interest for the in-house loan?

 

Now Maybank offering 2.28% for used car loan.

 

No reason for you to take their in-house loan which should be higher than 2.28%?

 

Just accompany a friend to AML to buy 2nd hand car last week.

 

After I looked at the engine bay, no sign of repair or accident.

 

Test drive the car one round.

 

Paid $100 for a STA inspection for the car.

 

Car came back with all grade A for all items.

 

Tell the dealer to apply for car loan first before any deposit / downpayment.

 

The next day, loan approved with Maybank for 2.28% interest loan.

 

Pay the dealer

 

1. $100 admin fee

2. 1st installment

3. Transfer fee

4. Downpayment.

 

As there is a car to trade-in, dealer also help

to cancel the old car insurance.

 

I think many brudders here including me. will not want to pay the admin fee.......

[Pisces69]

i buying a second hand car soon....e dealer say i hav to borne transfer fee n admin charge sia...which add up too 700....is it normal?

===============

 

transfer fee u need to pay but that stupid "admin fee" is nothing more than a form of extortion.

 

I refused to pay it & if the dealer insist, I just walk away.

 

Do not b afraid to say "NO" to it. Most of the time the dealer wil plead for your "help" & if u still refuse to pay, they usually back down & just forego it.

 

Its nothing more than extra profit for the dealer.

 

If u got the car at a very good price & really want to buy, just give the dealer a small sum as coffee money & tell him to take it or leave it.

 

Always b prepared to walk away from a deal cos a better one might b waiting for u around the next corner.

 

[Mahjong74]

well, we pay the $100 admin fee becos

 

1. The dealer offered 2k more for the old car trade in,

among the > 10 quotations.

 

2. The dealer is super efficient and offered good services,

Test drive, sent for STA inspection, no deposit, willing

to try for loan and source for cheapest insurance quotation.

 

3. He also dun mind we bring in our car mechanic for a final

check before we went thru the sales.

 

Since he so steady, nevermind lah, just $100 for his kopi although

we know that he did earn $$$ thru the sale of the 2nd car and the trade in car.

 

And some more, the 2nd hand car from him is one of the cheapest in the market.

At first, he asked for $300 admin fee. I told him now is Christmas and New Year period,

why don't be generious one time and he agree to $100.

Edited January 4, 2010 by Mahjong74