Stop ‘Shonky’ Car Sales Says Brown

New Zealand First has called on the Customs Minister to stop his department selling off imported motor vehicles that have been seized for odometer tampering because they can be passed on to unsuspecting buyers.

Transport spokesperson Peter Brown said today that Customs has seized about 600 of these vehicles and has sold through auction about 400 of them.

“The first buyers are told that the vehicles have suspected odometer tampering but there is no obligation to pass the information on to subsequent purchasers.

“This means that an unscrupulous trader could buy these cars at auction then sell them without divulging the true odometer details. The public should be better protected.”

Mr Brown said that vehicles seized by Customs for odometer tampering should be wrecked and sold as spare parts so there was absolutely no chance that they could be passed off to unsuspecting buyers.

“The present system is not good enough. It is time for the Minister, Rick Barker, to act because I believe he has been aware of the problem for some time.”

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