Have I made a bad decision?

jaqui59

Late yesterday afternoon, I put down a deposit on a Smart ForTwo Car 698cc ... Im due to pick up the car late today.

A couple of people have told me I have made a very bad mistake, as the car has just over 60,000 miles on the clock, and the Smart ForTwo is not known for engine longevity, and that it could already be coming to the end of its useful life .. I will just mention here that the dealer has given have a 3 month warranty to include parts and labour if any of the mechanical parts of the car develop a problem.

I am now kicking myself I didnt do any research and am wondering where I might stand if I call the dealer first thing this morning to cancel the sale.

I paid a £500 deposit via my debit card, and also paid £50 to get a dent repaired (I am prepared to lose that £50.00)

I havn't signed any paperwork, and the only paperwork I have got from the dealer is a handwritten receipt for the deposit.

Does anyone think I might stand a chance? ... Has anyone found themselves in a similar situation?

Thankyou .. Hope someone will reply

harveybobbles

Does the reciept say "INVOICE" or "ORDER FORM"? If it says invoice then the dealer could sue you for the remaining amount. If it says order form then you'll be able to kindly and politely ask for your deposit back and maybe suggest the dealer keeps say, £100?

As for the Smart engine - they usualy get to about 35,000 before they hit trouble...

jaqui59

Thanks for the quick reply

Its just a handwritten receipt for the £500.00 ... Doesn't say Order or Invoice or anything else.

finished

jaqui59 wrote: »

Thanks for the quick reply

Its just a handwritten receipt for the £500.00 ... Doesn't say Order or Invoice or anything else.

not sure of the legal aspect but I think a deposit is an intent to buy and if the goods are as described and fit for purpose you may lose the deposit.

Hintza

Personally I don't think you should get your deposit back. Pointless paying a deposit if it is refundable. You could argue the £50 should be refunded.

So you might struggle to get it back does the dealer have other cars that are of interest? That could be the way to salvage something but you are of course now on the back foot.

PS I know nothing about the Smart car but don't listen to mates do some of your own research and see how bad/good the deal is.

hewhoisnotintheknow

Hintza wrote: »

You could argue the £50 should be refunded.

assuming its not been repaired already


If i was a dealer i would be keeping the £500, whats the point in the deposit it people can just take them back

motorguy

jaqui59 wrote: »

Late yesterday afternoon, I put down a deposit on a Smart ForTwo Car 698cc ... Im due to pick up the car late today.

A couple of people have told me I have made a very bad mistake, as the car has just over 60,000 miles on the clock, and the Smart ForTwo is not known for engine longevity, and that it could already be coming to the end of its useful life .. I will just mention here that the dealer has given have a 3 month warranty to include parts and labour if any of the mechanical parts of the car develop a problem.

I am now kicking myself I didnt do any research and am wondering where I might stand if I call the dealer first thing this morning to cancel the sale.

I paid a £500 deposit via my debit card, and also paid £50 to get a dent repaired (I am prepared to lose that £50.00)

I havn't signed any paperwork, and the only paperwork I have got from the dealer is a handwritten receipt for the deposit.

Does anyone think I might stand a chance? ... Has anyone found themselves in a similar situation?

Thankyou .. Hope someone will reply

Why not take out an extended (comprehensive) warranty once the dealers warranty expires? Shouldnt cost a fortune.

There will always be people who say 'oh you shouldnt have bought that'. If you're happy with it and the price is right then what odds?

There are lots of Smart forums around so people will keep you right...

http://smartmaniacs.co.uk/site/
http://www.smartz.co.uk/forumdisplay.php?f=11
http://www.thesmartclub.com/board/forumdisplay.php?f=32

motorguy

jaqui59 wrote: »

Late yesterday afternoon, I put down a deposit on a Smart ForTwo Car 698cc ... Im due to pick up the car late today.

A couple of people have told me I have made a very bad mistake, as the car has just over 60,000 miles on the clock, and the Smart ForTwo is not known for engine longevity, and that it could already be coming to the end of its useful life .. I will just mention here that the dealer has given have a 3 month warranty to include parts and labour if any of the mechanical parts of the car develop a problem.

I am now kicking myself I didnt do any research and am wondering where I might stand if I call the dealer first thing this morning to cancel the sale.

I paid a £500 deposit via my debit card, and also paid £50 to get a dent repaired (I am prepared to lose that £50.00)

I havn't signed any paperwork, and the only paperwork I have got from the dealer is a handwritten receipt for the deposit.

Does anyone think I might stand a chance? ... Has anyone found themselves in a similar situation?

Thankyou .. Hope someone will reply

Why not take out an extended (comprehensive) warranty once the dealers warranty expires? Shouldnt cost a fortune.

There will always be people who say 'oh you shouldnt have bought that'. If you're happy with it and the price is right then what odds?

There are lots of Smart forums around so people will keep you right...

http://smartmaniacs.co.uk/site/
http://www.smartz.co.uk/forumdisplay.php?f=11
http://www.thesmartclub.com/board/forumdisplay.php?f=32

Heres one with 103K miles btw...

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/200940342959976/sort/priceasc/search-target/usedcars/make/smart/model/fortwo/maximum-mileage/over_100000_miles/page/1/postcode/bt667gu?previous=/search/results/usedcars/postcode/bt667gu/make/smart/model/fortwo/maximum-mileage/over_100000_miles/page/1/sort/priceasc&anchor=advert200940342959976&logcode=p

LandyAndy

http://www.usedcarexpert.co.uk/SmartSmart2000.htm

This looks helpful in spotting faults.

mluton

You are only going to read bad stuff on the net, as why post a problem if you havent got one. So net reading tends to be bad news.

I have read stuff about the 60K lifespan, but I have seen smarts 600cc engines with 100K+ on the clock still going strong.

If your not sure, then loose the deposit. A new engine will cost more than that fitted.

Has the car got a full service history, a smart one ideally ?

Or haggle the garage, if possible to extend to at least a 1 year warranty. Print off stuff to take with you to the garage. Could be used to get the price down to.

Did you pay a dealer price or did you get a good price: http://www.parkers.co.uk/cars/prices/#

bootman

I have a smart car and love it. I have only done 20k in mine and it's 5 years old. If it has a full service history then I would not worry. I'm sure you got it for a good price.

Visit the smart maniacs forum, there is always help for anything that may need doing in the future.