Disclosure of year of tractors

[MossRoad]

I don't like this approach either as the machine could sit around for a couple of years and be sold as new...Doesn't work in the car business.

I was watching the Barret Jackson auto auction last night and the were auctioning off an Amphicar. You know, the little cars that were also boats. They said the cars stopped production in '65 or so, but there were so many left in inventory that they kept selling them new as '66, '67 and '68 models.

I see nothing wrong with them selling you a two-three year old "new" tractor as long as it has no hours on it. They told the O.P. what year it was made, and the warranty starts as soon as you buy it. For all intents and purposes, it is a 2010 model. Strange he would not put that on the paperwork, though.

 

[Hematite]

I was watching the Barret Jackson auto auction last night and the were auctioning off an Amphicar. You know, the little cars that were also boats. They said the cars stopped production in '65 or so, but there were so many left in inventory that they kept selling them new as '66, '67 and '68 models.

I see nothing wrong with them selling you a two-three year old "new" tractor as long as it has no hours on it. They told the O.P. what year it was made, and the warranty starts as soon as you buy it. For all intents and purposes, it is a 2010 model. Strange he would not put that on the paperwork, though.

Yes, that did happen with low production automotive vehicles that didn't change from year to year. I have an antique car, VERY low production, that was made in March 1960 and was sold as a 1961 in January 1961.

I also agree that buying a new old stock tractor CAN be a very good decision depending on the selling price. The part about no serial number on the customer sales form IS very strange.

 

[wedge40]

In the words of "Monty Python in search of the Holy Grail" during the killer rabbit scene.. Run away, run away, run away.
I'm confused a little though.

A Ford 4000 is a model. Great. But which Ford 4000? Pre 1964, which were 4 cylinder engines, then there was two versions Post 1964. Both 3 cylinder engines but different size. All of these little differences are easily know by the date they were manufactured.


Without enough info like DOM etc, how are you suppose to get parts for it?
You were right back out of the deal, and I would NEVER do any business with this person. There are millions of other tractors you can choose from.

Wedge

 

[MossRoad]

In the words of "Monty Python in search of the Holy Grail" during the killer rabbit scene.. Run away, run away, run away.
I'm confused a little though.

A Ford 4000 is a model. Great. But which Ford 4000? Pre 1964, which were 4 cylinder engines, then there was two versions Post 1964. Both 3 cylinder engines but different size. All of these little differences are easily know by the date they were manufactured.


Without enough info like DOM etc, how are you suppose to get parts for it?
You were right back out of the deal, and I would NEVER do any business with this person. There are millions of other tractors you can choose from.

Wedge

I had a late 70s IH2500b. You could get it with gas engine, diesel engine, gear tranny, hydro tranny, integrated backhoe or 3pt hitch, straight or swept front axle, adjustable width front axle, etc.... all in the same model # and same model year. Enough to confuse anyone.

 

[Coyote machine]

Sorry to say that tractors are not the only big ticket item being sold as the year they are sold, instead of the year they are manufactured. Boats suffer the same smoke and mirror situation with both the boat and the motor, if an outboard rig.
Supposedly they do this because one might buy a leftover " '09" in year 2010, and couple it with a motor mfg. in 2008, 2009 or some other mis-matched year. According to the boat industry it theoretically protects the consumer, (yeah, right). Ultimately the dealer and manufacturer are protected before the consumer- no surprise there . The buyer needs unfortunately to be aware of what they are buying by being their own advocate, as you have done by walking away from the deal. Good decision!
The dealer could be refusing to show serial number and year because they might be playing games with their floor plan, bank or manufacturer's vendor.
A car place in VT was closed down because they were moving cars from one lot to another of theirs in different parts of the state and keeping $ they were supposed to be paying Mercedes and other finance outfits. The county sheriff came and took ALL vehicles off the lot and impounded them at the fairgrounds behind locked gates. It was quite the scandal. The dealer closed its doors amid a lot of controversy and scandal.

The end result is maybe I got a leftover '08 tractor myself, but the manufacturer will start the warranty the day I bought it based on their coding of serial number. It is of NO advantage to me to buy a leftover 08' in '09 that has been sitting on the lot through all kinds of weather and sun damage. The buying dealer on trade in can then play the - 'well you bought an '08 model and it has xyz hours on it game'. Plus their tractor 'blue book' can depreciate that year down as if I owned the tractor for all the time it sat on the lot.

If things were the way we as consumers would like, the year of manufacture and year sold would be clearly stated and we would be told what the depreciated value is upfront and would benefit from the choice to buy leftover stock versus right off the factory floor stock with all its improvements, etc. (I know Dave in Maine would like that outcome )

If I were you I'd contact the bank who arranged financing for you and see what the manager has to say- even thought you already moved on you might be able to save someone less savvy than you a lot of grief. And if the bank is nonchalant about it all then they are probably already aware of what is going on and don't care or are willing to look the other way for the referrals from the selling dealer. Additionally, you can call your state's banking and insurance regulators and ask them/ tell them what happened and see what they say is supposed to be disclosed on a finance contract in your state. What state is it you were looking at the tractor?

Good luck, and I hope you get the tractor you want at the right price and year !

 

[kenstrac]

Yes, that did happen with low production automotive vehicles that didn't change from year to year. I have an antique car, VERY low production, that was made in March 1960 and was sold as a 1961 in January 1961.

I also agree that buying a new old stock tractor CAN be a very good decision depending on the selling price. The part about no serial number on the customer sales form IS very strange.

I ran across the same thing when I went to buy a new Sunbeam Alpine Tiger in 1966 at the Chrysler /Plymouth dealer.the cars were being sold as 1966 1 was a 1964 the other was a 1965 1 had a Ford 260 v8 and the other had a 273 Chrysler V8 That was never made?.
I put a deposit on the Alpine with the 273 and they told me I could pick up the car on Thursday.
Comes the day to pick it up they told me there was a problem that they stole the parts on the Alpines to fix customers cars and that I would have to wait 2 weeks for parts,I asked for my deposit back and went down the street and bought a new Dodge Charger.
As much as I have looked they never made an Alpine with 273 Chrysler engine I should have bought it then, I would be rich now.

 

[Bird]

Tractors and boats and boat motors and I have no idea how many other products work similarly. RVs are sometimes another one. In late September, 1991, I bought a new 1992 Bounder motorhome and it was registered as a 1992, manufactured almost a month before I bought it. But Fleetwood, as other manufacturers, bought chassis from other manufacturers, then built their motorhomes on those chassis. It wasn't unusual for them to have many chassis sitting on their lots for a year, or even 2 years, before they built the motorhomes on them. So my motorhome was on a 1991 Oshkosh chassis with a 1991 Ford 460 gas engine and transmission. That was a common thing in the RV industry and I knew it and understood it at the time, but some buyers really got upset when they'd learn their engine was not the year model they thought it was.

But it seems that doesn't happen with most motor vehicles. In 1973, I bought a 1969 Opel Cadet, and I was the first "registered" owner. The dealer had used it for running errands so it had 7,000 miles on the odometer. In 1984, I bought a brand new 1982 Honda 400 cc motorcycle, and in 1984, my Dad bought a brand new 1982 Chevy Luv diesel pickup (built by Isuzu). Both were new, but were regisered as 1982 models. Needless to say, we got them cheaper because they were "new" 2 year old vehicles.

 

[dave1949]

It is of NO advantage to me to buy a leftover 08' in '09 that has been sitting on the lot through all kinds of weather and sun damage. The buying dealer on trade in can then play the - 'well you bought an '08 model and it has xyz hours on it game'. Plus their tractor 'blue book' can depreciate that year down as if I owned the tractor for all the time it sat on the lot.

If things were the way we as consumers would like, the year of manufacture and year sold would be clearly stated and we would be told what the depreciated value is upfront and would benefit from the choice to buy leftover stock versus right off the factory floor stock with all its improvements, etc. (I know Dave in Maine would like that outcome )

I like it! The year vs blue book thing is also a good point. You know how that will go when/if you decide to trade it.
Dave.

 

[timswi]

i fully agree in terms of the hours and warranty...I still don't like paying full freight on something that has been sitting around that long...Just my 2c

 

[CurlyDave]

For all intents and purposes, it is a 2010 model. Strange he would not put that on the paperwork, though.

No is isn't really a 2010 if it was made earlier. A lot of times manufacturers will make running changes without changing the model number. While looking it up by serial number is best, sometimes year can be used also.

He wouldn't put it on the paperwork because it was an older one, possibly much older, and he didn't want to take the legal chance of misrepresenting it, but knew that if he was truthful about the year he would have to give a big discount.