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Holden Epica – Don’t like it? Bring it back! If you can

It seems that the auto industry's (except for Holden's Wheels magazine) constant negative reporting about Holden's latest Korean made "aussie" car, the Holden Epica, has scared a few potential buyers.


Lets be honest, we are not Epica's biggest fans. Nonetheless, we have asked Holden to give us the Epica for a road test, and once it arrives in the CarAdvice garage, you can bet we will give it a thorough run through.

However, it seems that despite all the public campaigning by Holden to remind us all that Epica will not be like its brother, the 2 star barina, there is still a great deal of resistance to the Epica.

So what can you do when no one wants to buy your car? Of course you can start by offering all private customers the option of bringing the Epica back if they are not satisfied! In essence, a Money Back Guarantee, but read on, because this is no ordinary money back guarantee.

This is the first time an Australian manufacturer has offered such a deal on a model. Of course, just like the Epica being "aussie" the deal has some very small fine print.

Customers wishing to return the Epica must first purchase ANOTHER vehicle! And the Epica must be returned within 30 days or 1500kms – whichever comes first. Obvious other conditions include that you do not damage the car in any way, but usual wear and tear is acceptable.

“This offer is a unique and differentiated marketing tool to launch the new nameplate in this highly competitive mid-size sedan segment.

We believe Epica stacks up incredibly well against the opposition for specification, value and fuel economy. Adding the money back offer into the mix will be a further attractive incentive for private customers considering this car.” GM Holden Executive Director Sales, Marketing and Aftersales, Alan Batey,

The above statement is a little bit of a marketing ploy. Firstly, as mentioned, customers will need to purchase another vehicle prior to bringing the epica back to Holden dealers.

Lets think about that for a few minutes, put yourself into the shoes of a prospective Holden Epica owner, The Epica starts at around $25,000, so if you were unsatisfied with the Epica, you would need to first find approximately another $25,000 to buy ANOTHER car, before you can return the Epica.

Not exactly a scenario likely to happen often? You just have to read Holden's terms & conditions to realize that the Money Back Guarantee on the Epica is a bit of a joke:

The Customer must provide proof of purchase of a new (not used) motor vehicle of equal or greater value than that appearing on the original final purchase invoice for the Vehicle (Epica)

Thank you Holden for bringing about quite possibility the most shameless (and useless) promotional campaign to sell another Korean sourced vehicle.

To put this into perspective, imagine going out and buying an expensive LCD TV with a money back guarantee and coming home unsatisfied, only to go back to the shop and be told that you must first purchase ANOTHER LCD TV in order to get your money back on the original TV, sound logical? Didn't think so.

If you want to take advantage of this "money back guarantee" deal, make sure you have roughly $60,000 saved up, this will fund you enough to purchase the Epica and quickly purchase another vehicles afterwards if your not satisfied.

Alternatively, before being sucked in by this ridiculous offer, you can give the Toyota Corolla, the Mazda 3, the Ford Focus, the Honda Civic, Mitsubishi Lancer, and other cars in the same class a good thorough run before you put your name down for the Epica thinking you can bring it back; because lets be honest, Holden knows your not going to bring it back.

You can find pricing and specifications for the Holden Epica here.

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