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Bought a car / cheated - insurance write off
Not sure if this is the right forum but hopefully someone can put me in the right direction please.
I bought a car from a cousin of someone I used to work with in Jan 2011. I knew it had some work done to it and it was OK for me as I needed to learn how to drive so a cheaper car sounded ideal. One year on, the car started sounding strange. I thought rather then wait for it to break down completely, I will sell it. I went to webuyanycar, then entered the details on the computer and it said the car was declared as an insurance write off 2 weeks before I bought it. I was never told about it. The problem is a gear box which must have been already a problem to the previous owner. Would anyone know what I can do about it ? I spoke to a solicitor and they just told me to contact DVLA. Thx
I bought a car from a cousin of someone I used to work with in Jan 2011. I knew it had some work done to it and it was OK for me as I needed to learn how to drive so a cheaper car sounded ideal. One year on, the car started sounding strange. I thought rather then wait for it to break down completely, I will sell it. I went to webuyanycar, then entered the details on the computer and it said the car was declared as an insurance write off 2 weeks before I bought it. I was never told about it. The problem is a gear box which must have been already a problem to the previous owner. Would anyone know what I can do about it ? I spoke to a solicitor and they just told me to contact DVLA. Thx
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Comments
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well you could start with getting quotes for a new gearbox because if it goes bang you might be late for work
this solicitor you spoke to who mentioned the dvla as advice are you sure he is a solicitor and not dave in the pub?0 -
I stopped driving it as don't want it to fall apart on the road. The gearbox would be about £400. I paid for the car £1200. Even if i fix it, there is no guarantee that there aren't more problems that were hidden from me. I would like to find out if what they did was legal and could I make them give me my money back.
Yes, it was a council solicitor apparently0 -
I stopped driving it as don't want it to fall apart on the road. The gearbox would be about £400. I paid for the car £1200. Even if i fix it, there is no guarantee that there aren't more problems that were hidden from me. I would like to find out if what they did was legal and could I make them give me my money back.
Yes, it was a council solicitor apparently
Sorry to hear of your problems.
Firstly, if you bought it from a private seller, you have very little recourse, especially after this length of time
Personally, i'd get it to a mechanic and have it checked out. If you've had it a year can we assume its been MOT'd during that time and that should give you some assurance as to its roadworthiness.
Also, it would take very little to write off a car valued at say £1200 to £1500. I had a Passat and it cost £1,000 to replace the wing via a main dealer, so you can see how it could quite easily be 'uneconomical to repair'.
As i said, have an independent mechanic check the car over. Or perhaps pay for an AA inspection?0 -
Thanks Paul,
You see, I was stupid and the alarm bells should have rang earlier. I did go for MOT last September to main dealer and it failed. I spoke to the people who sold it to me, as they own a garage, and they told me 'don't worry, we will do the MOT for you, the people who did it for you at the dealers, wanted to rip you off'. And they came, took my car and passed the MOT.
I am not sure what to do. Do I actually stand a chance because they withheld the info about the write off ?
I could also threten them to report them to the police as I know some of them have been disqualified but continue driving.
I am just angry and it was a lot of money..0 -
Thanks Paul,
You see, I was stupid and the alarm bells should have rang earlier. I did go for MOT last September to main dealer and it failed. I spoke to the people who sold it to me, as they own a garage, and they told me 'don't worry, we will do the MOT for you, the people who did it for you at the dealers, wanted to rip you off'. And they came, took my car and passed the MOT.
I am not sure what to do. Do I actually stand a chance because they withheld the info about the write off ?
I could also threten them to report them to the police as I know some of them have been disqualified but continue driving.
I am just angry and it was a lot of money..
it *sounds* like they could be trading but masquerading as private sellers?
If you could find any evidence of this, that would greatly help? Cars for sale around their garage, check if their phone numbers appears on gumtree, etc.
If you can prove they are traders then you have some recourse, though again its a long time after the sale to be trying to claim repairs.
The odds of them being traders posing as private sellers, you being able to prove that, trading standards being motivated enough to do anything about it, you taking them to court AND getting your money back are going to be remote at best.
I'd suggest calling trading standards and explaining the situation, and maybe 'tipping off' the police to their activities with regards to driving whilst banned.0 -
Thank you Paul !
I will do that.
Although I need to stay positive, I need to start getting used to the idea of losing this money ...
Thanks for your time !!!0 -
Thank you Paul !
I will do that.
Although I need to stay positive, I need to start getting used to the idea of losing this money ...
Thanks for your time !!!
No problem
Dont beat yourself up over this - a gearbox could go on any car, and the car may otherwise be fine. focus on how to get that sorted out cost effectively and try to otherwise enjoy the car when you get it sorted.
Its quite common for a 'written off' car to be put back on the road, and at the price point you're in it shouldnt impact the value too much come resale time if the car is otherwise good.
I'm in the motor trade and i've been caught out with cars too...0 -
"I was never told about it"
Is it also fair to say, that you never asked or checked?
In a private sale it's down to you to ask, not for them to tell you.
The car's lasted a year just fine, so chances are this problem didn't exist when the car was sold, and it has nothing to do with it being a previous write off (just a damaged bumper is enough for a write off on an old car).0 -
sorry to hear about your problems..Firstly yuo should have had HPI check on the car when you bought it but that is late now. Also the alarm bills should have been ringing when the seller passed the car through MOT in his garage eventhough it failed at the dealer. More worryingly is the fact that he drives while disqualified..you should have asked yourself then...Do you really want to do business with such person?0
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"I was never told about it"
Is it also fair to say, that you never asked or checked?
In a private sale it's down to you to ask, not for them to tell you.
The car's lasted a year just fine, so chances are this problem didn't exist when the car was sold, and it has nothing to do with it being a previous write off (just a damaged bumper is enough for a write off on an old car).
Thank you and yes, that's fair. I know that now. I have learn so much in one year. I know this is my fault as should have done more checks but I didn't know all those things at the time and just trusted them as they were someone I knew. Clearly a mistake.
I never trusted the car and should have done something about it then. But at the same time, I would have expected them to tell me.
I guess it's a lesson learnt.
If I want to sell it now, it just makes me as bad as them.0
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