second hand car a lot of junk!!

carole.uk

hi soory it;s a bit long and not sure if anyone can help my son saved like mad to buy a car cost £2000 from a private seller. he did do a check with the AA to see if it was still on credit or had any major accidents ,these came back clear. he's only had it 5 days did a longish run yesterday and the back wheels have locked. the AA turned up and could not fix it they towed it too a garage who basically said it was knackerd. does he have any come back from the seller or will he have to just learn from this. any advice much appriciated

Bossyboots

This might be of some help to you http://www.tradingstandards.gov.uk/cgi-bin/calitem.cgi?file=ADV0003-1011.txt

trigger_mike

what kind of car is it? is it a peugoet 106 or citroen becase rear axle problems are common, needs a new axle, if thats the case

tomstickland

You buy a car at your own risk. Sometimes you can spot problems, other times it's just something that you have to take on the chin. Don't feel bad though, just fix the problem, it doesn't mean that the car is a wreck. Just a mechanical problem.
Does it have rear drum brakes? They can seize. Either that or it's the rear wheel bearings. Car parts are cheap and there are loads of good scrap yards around, so I don't see why it can't be fixed cheaply.
I suggest going and finding a one-make internet forum for the car and getting advice their. There are loads of forums, all full of keen motoring anoraks.

trigger_mike

a good website for parts are http://www.find-a-part.com/parts_location_quick.asp you leave a message what your after then dealers around the country will contact you

tomstickland

Single marque forums are really good for parts - they all have "wanted" sections and a large knowledge base.

lily_the_pink

unfortunately buying privately means you have less legal combacks - see autotrader website (http://www.autotrader.co.uk/CARS/buy/ba/buyingadvice_ba-4.jsp) - though obviously if the fault was known about there is some comeback to the seller even in the case of a private sale.

I would also get another opinion on the state of the car - I am not saying that all AA men are unscrupulous but they and the RAC have been known to sell people batteries when not needed so they may not be telling you the whole truth.

There are loads of guides on how to buy a used car http://www.topgear.com/content/buyersguides/ is one example. A bit late for this occaision but maybe point your son in this direction in future. Long term it is probably worth building up a relationship with a decent local garage or a mechanic and get them to give the car the once over - if you are a regular customer, most good small independent garages (that do not also sell cars!) will do this - probably for free. Of course, for this you need to find a good independent local garage.

carole.uk

thanks for all your responses it is much appriciated. the car is a citroen xsara. its now been towed 50 miles from home in a garage and they can't look at it till wednesday, so will be next weekend before he can get back up there. oh and i paid for the RAC for his birthday and did not put in home recovery it was only £20.00. oh well we live and learn i guess

tomstickland

register for free here

http://www.citroencarclub.org.uk/PostNuke/

trigger_mike

ahhh citroen, i was right, they have problems with rear axles, thinks it's to do with the type of suspension set up they have, citroens for you sadly

mr_accountant

trigger_mike wrote:

ahhh citroen, i was right, they have problems with rear axles, thinks it's to do with the type of suspension set up they have, citroens for you sadly

cits also offer incredible value if you find a good one, at the end of the day you can spend £20,000 on a car and still have a dog.

If you want some real help may i recommended the best Citroen forum on the net (in my opinion) for hydropnumatic cits, bit also cits in general.

https://www.frenchcarforum.co.uk

Go to the Citroen section, register, then post your problem. Im sure you will find some help if you wish to repair your son’s car

Good luck