You know that feeling when you buy something and it turns out to be a lemon? Well, that's exactly what happened to Jan Joubert Jooste of Gauteng. He purchased a 2019 Toyota Corolla from GP Combrink Car Sales CC in December 2025 for R230,000, with monthly repayments of over R5,200 through Absa.

The issue started when Jooste took the vehicle in for a routine service at Toyota in February 2026. During the service, he discovered that the vehicle had already accumulated approximately 90,000km in 2023, despite the odometer reading being recorded at 76,569km at the time of sale. This raised serious concerns about the accuracy of the mileage.

After conducting his own investigation, Jooste managed to trace the previous owner, who allegedly provided crucial information about the vehicle's past. The previous owner revealed that she was involved in an accident and the car was subsequently written off, information which Jooste claims was never shared by the dealership. >'She sent me a photo of the accident and said she was no longer driving it because it was written off after the accident,' Jooste said.

Jooste confronted the dealership with the new information, but they ignored him. He claimed that he was eventually forced to return the vehicle to the dealership after being presented with a calculation and deduction framework for the vehicle usage. He agreed to the framework but maintained that it was not an admission of guilt.

Absa Vehicle and Asset Finance confirmed that Jooste received his refund of R261,000, stating that the decision was in line with legal guidance. Jooste, however, maintains that he should have received the full R300,000 he initially paid, citing Section 56(2) of the Consumer Protection Act.

'I still believe that under Section 56(2) of the Consumer Protection Act, I should have also been refunded all my instalments given the circumstances surrounding the transaction,' Jooste said. 'The distinction is important: Section 20 deals with the return of goods and can include deductions for usage, while Section 56(2) applies where goods are defective or not as represented and provides for a remedy that is intended to place the consumer in the position, they were in before the transaction, without penalising normal use.'

Key Facts:

  • Vehicle mileage was recorded at 76,569km at the time of sale
  • Vehicle had already accumulated approximately 90,000km in 2023
  • Previous owner was involved in an accident and the car was written off
  • Jooste paid R230,000 for the vehicle
  • Jooste received a refund of R261,000