Bought a car last year, now found out it was a Cat D write off

xHannahx

Go on parkers.co.uk for a free valuation, a 2003 fiesta ain't worth more than a few hundred at most as part ex, even without a cat d marker.
Put it on gumtree declare as previous cat d repaired to be honest, alhough most private buyers wouldn't bother and put for a grand or even £700-800 and it should go easy.
Cat d will be a minor damage that the insurers couldn't be bothered with.

jenuk1985

Marktheshark wrote: »

Find the difference, thats the loss it has caused.

So if we were to accept this £150 part exchange, I should be able to pursue the original dealer for £1350?

loskie

you should get more than 150 off with no part ex.

And


are you doing an HPI check this time??

xHannahx

jenuk1985 wrote: »

So if we were to accept this £150 part exchange, I should be able to pursue the original dealer for £1350?

No because it isn't worth £1350 now.

Also it is buyers responsibility to do the checks, the dealer only has to declare if the number plates were not visible at time of viewing and/or in advert.

If you place a car advert and blank out the registration you have to declare its history, however if registration is visible it's the buyers responsibility to carry out the checks.

You haven't chance making a claim unless he hid the registration or you can prove he told you it had never been written off. It's a myth that a seller has to declare details. Seller doesn't have to volunteer any information unless asked, and then they answer to the best of their knowledge so if the seller doesn't know something they don't have to declare, although I'd be certain a dealer would have carried out a hpi check.

motorguy

jenuk1985 wrote: »

So if we were to accept this £150 part exchange, I should be able to pursue the original dealer for £1350?

You can buy a relatively low miles one for £795 on gumtree with a years MOT.

https://www.gumtree.com/p/ford/for-sale-ford-fiesta-zetec-1.4-petrol-year-2003-low-milage-12-months-mot...-/1143332655

I would have thought even with a Cat D marker you could get very close to that for yours if its in good condition and running well.

I think you would be very foolish to be trying to chase the dealer through the courts for the sake of a few pounds.

Rack it up to experience.

motorguy

xHannahx wrote: »

It's a myth that a seller has to declare details. Seller doesn't have to volunteer any information unless asked, and then they answer to the best of their knowledge so if the seller doesn't know something they don't have to declare, although I'd be certain a dealer would have carried out a hpi check.

Sorry but thats wrong. The dealer is deemed the "expert" and should know the cars history, or do whatever he can to establish the history.

As such the dealer MUST furnish the buyer with all information that might influence their buying decision.

The dealer IS in the wrong here, however i think its too far down the line to get anything meaningful out of this, particularly when now theres very little difference between the value of a non Cat D car and a Cat D car.

d123

jenuk1985 wrote: »

So if we were to accept this £150 part exchange, I should be able to pursue the original dealer for £1350?

A quick check on Parkers shows the trade in value should be around £500.

Aretnap

jenuk1985 wrote: »

So if we were to accept this £150 part exchange, I should be able to pursue the original dealer for £1350?

No, the fact that one particular dealer only offered you £150 for it just proves that the dealer doesn't want the car very much, not that it's really only worth £150.

How much would you be able to sell it for if you made a reasonable effort to get the best price for it, eg by advertising it on auttotrader?How much would you get if it was not a cat D? The diffence between the two numbers is your loss. I would be surprised if it were much more than a hundred quid.

I doubt very much if you could claim for the repairs you've done unless you could prove that they were somehow related to the acident damage (which is unlikely). If you buy a 10+ year old car you expect some repair bills - that's just a fact of life whether or not it's a Cat D.

xHannahx

motorguy wrote: »

Sorry but thats wrong. The dealer is deemed the "expert" and should know the cars history, or do whatever he can to establish the history.

As such the dealer MUST furnish the buyer with all information that might influence their buying decision.

The dealer IS in the wrong here, however i think its too far down the line to get anything meaningful out of this, particularly when now theres very little difference between the value of a non Cat D car and a Cat D car.

This is a myth, they are under no legal requirement to volunteer that information, it is down to the buyer to ask and at that point they must be honest.
If a dealer wanted to all they have to put is "for sale" with no information, not even a price. It is down to the interested party to ask. Any info the dealer advertises legally has to be correct, but there is no law for the dealer to provide any info that isn't asked by the buyer.

david_a

As a car dealer of 34 years I can categorically confirm a dealer MUST declare the true history of the car. I would contact the dealer. The time span is irrelevant.