Man paid $112,580 for 2nd-hand BMW with so many defects that he takes taxi every day instead

The New Paper
Dec 7, 2022

He purchased a second-hand BMW from a car dealership in September. But three months on, he’s been forced to take a taxi to work after discovering a litany of defects on the vehicle.

As a result, the man has since filed a police report against the business.

Posting on the Complaint Singapore Facebook group on Dec 5, Dappy Tan said he bought the vehicle from Evolution Motors on Sept 11, but collected the car only on Sept 29 because of several delays.

He later found several defects in the car, and alleged that the dealership has yet to submit the full paperwork and some refunds owed to him. 

Tan, 27, spoke to AsiaOne and said the vehicle in question is a BMW E60 5 Series 523i.

During a test drive around the time of purchase, Tan noticed several problems with the car, such as defects on the vehicle's shock absorbers, engines, windows, and door locks. These were highlighted to the owner of the dealership, whom Tan refers to in his post as Farhan.

"He promised that he will get them fixed before the handover of the vehicle," said Tan, a first-time car owner who took out a bank loan to pay for the $112,580 car.

But when he picked it up on Sept 29, he said he wasn't even given a working car key.

"I had to change the key casing and duplicate one more," Tan said, adding that the car wasn't even washed when he collected it.

He voiced his unhappiness at the situation, but said the dealership kept attributing Covid-19, manpower and supplier issues to the delays in fixing the defects.

"I trusted Farhan since he's the boss of his company, but he ended up being worse than a salesman."

Describing how the car would "shake" whenever he stepped on the gas, Tan said: "I went to the mechanic last Sunday (Dec 4) and I was shocked by how serious the defects were."

Stuck with a faulty car, he’s forced to take a taxi for deliveries and meetings – incurring additional expenses of up to $80 daily.

"Having to pay for a car and not being able to use it, it's just like burning money.

"I have consulted a lawyer and made a police report. I am sharing this experience as I do not want anyone else to face this kind of situation."