We’re in the process of buying a 2nd hand Renault Zoe, though haven’t yet taken possession of it, from a reputable, long established Renault dealership, with a strong regional presence here in Normandy. After signing all the documents, we have discovered (independently from an acquaintance who has legitimate access to Renault’s databases) that the car was previously involved in a head-on collision, and the entire front was replaced.
What surprises me is that the dealership appear to be wholly unaware of this history (ie I believe their firm assurances). They have immediately found us an equivalent substitute Zoe to buy. My question is what is the norm with 2nd car purchases from dealers? Do they typically have access to vehicle history (or is it only manufacturers who have access, as seems to be the case here). If so, is it the norm to check a vehicle’s history, or are the previous owner’s representations accepted by them in good faith?
Grateful if anybody with dealership experience can offer a view.
Not so much with the current vehicle as you have discovered its history but this might be useful:
3 Likes
Didnt the zoe get nil points (stars) in the euro ncap test?
@billybutcher thank you, very helpful, I’d never heard of this database previously.
@Corona Absolutely correct. I gather that Renault Zoes appear to have gone from the maximum safety rating to the worst in 8 years, on new/recent models. For some reason they’ve removed the head airbags, which presumably must reduce the safety margin on side impacts.
The dealership is our case have recognised that we have information they simply do not have (ie the car’s involvement in a head on crash) and have found us a similar Zoe, that has only done 1000km in 3 years, so we’ll go for that. It does have head airbags, not being a recent model!
I understand safety tests are performed every 2 years. They passed the tests in December 2019 but failed in December 2021, so sometime in 2020 or 2021. Renault presumably didn’t proudly announce the abandonment of head airbags (!) so it’s hard to put a specific date on the change.
1 Like
I’m looking at pre 19 so all good! Electric for you?
Definitely. This week, as part of our reactions to Mad Vlad’s assault on our energy prices, we’re having a wood pellet stove fitted (in lieu of oil burner stove) for heating, and going electric with the Renault Zoe. Dealership permitting!
1 Like