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used car-can she get her money back?

My friend in France has just bought a new car in UK from a private seller which has broken down going through Paris. Is there a time limit wherby she can make any claim to get her money back. She does not have a paper to say 'sold as seen'.

Sadly, she asked her father in UK to check the vehicle out before she travelled over to buy it and this situation is now tearing them apart.

Many thanks.
j
«1

Comments

  • pendulum
    pendulum Posts: 2,302 Forumite
    In a private sale things are automatically sold as seen and there's no cancellation period. Basically, nothing you can do, unless the car did not meet its description.

    It's unfair of her to blame her father, as it's impossible to check for every fault. She should have bought from a dealer if she wanted a warranty, rather than taken a risk buying privately and putting the blame on her father when things went badly.
  • Premier_2
    Premier_2 Posts: 15,141 Forumite
    10,000 Posts Combo Breaker
    edited 10 July 2011 at 2:36PM
    ... She does not have a paper to say 'sold as seen'. ...

    What does she have? The vehicle must be as described to conform to contract.

    If it says it's a car, and it's a car she bought then she got what she paid for. It got her from the seller to Paris, so it couldn't have been that bad.
    Cars go wrong. Hers did. Tell her to get over it and take it to a garage to get repaired, or sell it and use public transport in future.
    If she wanted breakdown cover, she should have bought some. The private seller cannot be expected to provide this to your friend, as your friend will not be expected to provide it when she comes to sell it.

    To have a family falling out over this naivity is extremely sad ... :(
    "Now to trolling as a concept. .... Personally, I've always found it a little sad that people choose to spend such a large proportion of their lives in this way but they do, and we have to deal with it." - MSE Forum Manager 6th July 2010
  • emmell
    emmell Posts: 1,228 Forumite
    That's a heck of a long drive for any car let alone a car she new very little about.
    I think it is unfair for her to blame her Dad.
    ML.
    He who has four and spends five, needs neither purse nor pocket
  • pitkin2020
    pitkin2020 Posts: 4,029 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Combo Breaker
    My friend in France has just bought a new car in UK from a private seller which has broken down going through Paris. Is there a time limit wherby she can make any claim to get her money back. She does not have a paper to say 'sold as seen'.

    Sadly, she asked her father in UK to check the vehicle out before she travelled over to buy it and this situation is now tearing them apart.

    Many thanks.
    j

    :rotfl::rotfl::rotfl::rotfl::rotfl::rotfl::rotfl::rotfl:

    As others have said if you buy private thats the risk you take, if you wanted to minimise the risk then it would have been best to buy from a dealer who offered a warranty. It would be interesting to know what car and how much was paid.

    I wouldn't fall out over a family member because they looked over the car that broke down, I would have though got an AA/RAC inspection on it knowing I needed it to drive such a huge distance back to paris.
    Everyones opinion is the most important.....no wonder nothing is ever agreed on.
  • Premier_2
    Premier_2 Posts: 15,141 Forumite
    10,000 Posts Combo Breaker
    Begs the question why someone living in France came to the UK to buy a car?

    I would have thought they would have wanted a left hooker? Or maybe it was a left hooker and that's whay they came to England in the hope of getting one cheap?

    As my grandma used to say: if you buy cheap, you buy twice ;)
    "Now to trolling as a concept. .... Personally, I've always found it a little sad that people choose to spend such a large proportion of their lives in this way but they do, and we have to deal with it." - MSE Forum Manager 6th July 2010
  • paddedjohn
    paddedjohn Posts: 7,512 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture
    emmell wrote: »
    That's a heck of a long drive for any car let alone a car she new very little about.
    I think it is unfair for her to blame her Dad.
    ML.


    Have you even driven to Paris? its only 125 miles away from Calais so hardly a long drive for any car.;)
    Be Alert..........Britain needs lerts.
  • astgte
    astgte Posts: 44 Forumite
    paddedjohn wrote: »
    Have you even driven to Paris? its only 125 miles away from Calais so hardly a long drive for any car.;)

    I see, so if it was bought in Glasgow it's the same distance, amazing what you find out on this site:rotfl:
  • s_b
    s_b Posts: 4,464 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Combo Breaker
    who would buy a car in this country inspected by their dad who usually turn out to be a chippy when they come to see me?
    then drive all the way down france without so much as a basic service and safety check by someone competent?
    good job a wheel didnt come off or it would have been a long term in a very nice french penal place with no remand

    the crassness of people on here never ceases to amaze me
    can i have my money back? perhaps if poster scweams and scweams she might get an iced lolly?
  • shaun_from_Africa
    shaun_from_Africa Posts: 12,858 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 10,000 Posts Name Dropper
    astgte wrote: »
    I see, so if it was bought in Glasgow it's the same distance, amazing what you find out on this site:rotfl:

    Yes it's still the same distance from Calais to Paris, which is the distance that paddedjohn mentioned.
  • astgte
    astgte Posts: 44 Forumite
    Yes it's still the same distance from Calais to Paris, which is the distance that paddedjohn mentioned.

    Yerp but as we dont know how far it travelled before it got to that teeny tiny liddle journey across snailland it's really an unknown thing aint it, but probably saved thruppence in the meantime:rotfl:
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