Saturday, February 19, 2011

Would You Buy a Car if a Sumo Wrestler has Sat on it?

For the competent consumer, the answer to this question doesn't require any consideration.

But for one gentleman on a local (Vancouver) Subaru forum, he found out after purchasing his new Subaru Forester that the vehicle had been used in a commercial - one which included having a Sumo Wrestler sprawled out on the hood.

Here is his original post quoted from Subaruforester.org:

So I picked up my new 2011 Subaru Forester last weekend. Drove it home, parked in the sun to get a good look, and much to my dismay, noticed small imperfections in the hood... as if someone placed something heavy on the hood. Not really dents... just areas where the light reflections show up shallow imperfections.
At first I wasn't going to complain, thinking "it's not noticeable unless you really look..." but every time I looked
Drove back to the dealer (Don Docksteader in Vancouver), and they said "no problem, we will take care of that for you... must have happened when we shot the latest Sumo Wrestler Add!! Google "Sexy Sumo 2011 Forester"
At the end of the add, you can see a bunch of Sumo Wrestlers lounging on Forester hoods outside the dealership.... I guess this is where the damage happened.
Tomorrow the manager is supposed to phone me, and I am wondering what I should ask for:
1. replace with a new Forester that hasn't been sat on by a huge Japanese man. I can guess that would be a difficult discussion.
2. replace the hood with a new Factory painted hood... not sure this is even possible?
3. repair the hood and re-paint it... I am really not in favor of this option, but that is likely what the dealer will offer. Kind of like paying full price for a new car after it has been in an accident and repaired.
4. ask for money back to compensate for the damage.
Any thoughts / suggestions?
I guess the only good thing is knowing the Forester can actually take the weight of a Sumo Wrestler without too much damage... I would have thought sitting on the hood of a new vehicle these days would have definitely left a large impression.  


Here is the ad that he is referring to in his post:




Now although instances of this magnitude would be few and far between, it just goes to show you that even if you purchase your vehicle brand new, from the dealership, you still don't know exactly what they've done with it before selling it to you.

I think it was fairly irresponsible of this dealership to sell the Forrester to this guy without properly inspecting it after the commercial was filmed, because surely they could have anticipated that SOME damage might occur. However, this just perpetrates my theory that you should never buy a car from a dealership.

19 comments:

  1. nope, would not buy a used car that was used by a sumo wrestler...

    very similar to the idea of buying a car that someone smoked it everywhere that they drove.

    no thanks.

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  2. i wouldnt mind buying that car assuming they gave me some sort of fattie discount. It seems fair right?

    http://randomramblingggg.blogspot.com/

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  3. text from quote too smlll cant read it :(
    about the wrestler on my hood? yes. most definately. I have one on order from craigslist is name is jūryō and he'll be here monday.

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  4. That's quite unfortunate for the buyer

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  5. Having bought a few used 4-doors with very roomy backseats in my day, I think a sumo having been on the hood is the least of my problems.

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  6. Sumos weigh about what? 500 pounds? Takes less than 15 to properly dent a hood. I would have thought they would have kept the car as a display model only. But then again, if they knocked off $2000 off the price, it would be somewhat worthy

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  7. That is an odd problem to have.

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  8. Over here that's called shop soiled and requires discounting but if you're paying full price I want one where they're hadn't been a Sumo frollicking on my bonnet. Thanks for the info on the Ford Transit.:D

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  9. Haha, thats sort of awesome, you know.

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  10. If it wasn't for the sumos, I wouldn't want it.

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  11. lol. Dealerships don't care at all about anything but the sale.

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  12. I'd take it if they threw in the wrestler. Loved the way he handled the parking ticket.

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  13. I cant believe I actually hit PLAY!
    * going to find a hot poker for my eyes *
    Once seen it can not be unseen :<

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  14. If that sumo can take care of me whenever a police car pulls me over, I'd buy that Subaru Forrester anytime now! Hahahaha! Jokes aside, this Subaru is a tough car. If it can handle a sumo wrestler on its hood, then it is definitely a tough vehicle - not to mention undoubtedly sexy.


    Leisa Dreps

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