In for a raw deal from second hand car dealers?

"I just bought a light American truck for P60, 000. I settled for this particular model because it was extremely cheap," says Nathan Mushota, a technician with a printing company in Gaborone. "I paid the dealer, collected the truck and set off for my village. I was excited because it was my first vehicle, bought with my hard-earned savings of many months. But as I approached the BDF area in Mogoditshane, the vehicle suddenly developed a problem with the automatic gearbox.

"The clutches in the gearbox started to slip. I pressed the accelerator paddle down flat, but the gearbox failed to respond. I parked on the side of the road and called the dealer. He told me that he could not do anything because it was after hours. A friend came to my rescue and we towed the truck to his house, which was near the car dealership."