Used Car Purchase Issue

cthcth

Today, I purchased from Lookers Ford (main dealer), a Ford Kuga 64reg, which I travelled 200miles to collect. I had seen the vehicle on Auto Trader and as I was not nearby to view I asked for a video and walk around of the vehicle (standard practice).
The vehicle looked in excellent condition and the salesman specifically said on the video it had never been smoked it. (Important).

The vehicle was £9600.
I took out also a three year Ford warranty.

As everything appeared perfect I paid a deposit £300 MasterCard (credit card) and got the train down to collect it.

I arrived, had a look around her car and signed all the paperwork and paid the balance on my debit card before driving off for home.

Not long into the journey and with the heating on and air circulating I began to detect the smell of cigarette smoke. It wasn’t strong but it was there, and when I got home I could also smell cigarette smoke on the headlining and in the drivers seat fabric.

This surprisingly hadn’t been identified upon viewing/collection masked clearly by a recent valet.

Like many people I would never buy a used car which had been smoked in and would like to know what my options/rights are before speaking to the dealership.

Thanks in advance.
Chris

Aylesbury_Duck

cthcth wrote: »

Today, I purchased from Lookers Ford (main dealer), a Ford Kuga 64reg, which I travelled 200miles to collect. I had seen the vehicle on Auto Trader and as I was not nearby to view I asked for a video and walk around of the vehicle (standard practice).
The vehicle looked in excellent condition and the salesman specifically said on the video it had never been smoked it. (Important).

The vehicle was £9600.
I took out also a three year Ford warranty.

As everything appeared perfect I paid a deposit £300 MasterCard (credit card) and got the train down to collect it.

I arrived, had a look around her car and signed all the paperwork and paid the balance on my debit card before driving off for home.

Not long into the journey and with the heating on and air circulating I began to detect the smell of cigarette smoke. It wasn’t strong but it was there, and when I got home I could also smell cigarette smoke on the headlining and in the drivers seat fabric.

This surprisingly hadn’t been identified upon viewing/collection masked clearly by a recent valet.

Like many people I would never buy a used car which had been smoked in and would like to know what my options/rights are before speaking to the dealership.

Thanks in advance.
Chris

Do you want to keep the car or reject it?

cthcth

I really don’t think I could live with it so yes ideally I’d want to return it.

waamo

Just out of curiosity when did having a video rather than a viewing and test drive become standard practice?

Aylesbury_Duck

cthcth wrote: »

I really don’t think I could live with it so yes ideally I’d want to return it.

In which case, tell them you're rejecting it and return it to them straight away without continuing to use it (other than driving it there.)

cthcth

And do I have a right to do that?

cthcth

let’s not digress

Aylesbury_Duck

cthcth wrote: »

And do I have a right to do that?

If you specifically insisted the car must not have been used by a smoker and you have evidence that it has, then you have a right to reject it. Whether they accept that or not is another matter but if you absolutely can't accept the car as it is, it's your only option, other than selling it on.

cthcth

It’s just important to know my rights as like you say taking the car back will be something the dealership will want to avoid.

I’ll ring them tomorrow and see what they say, but just wanted to get other opinions.

mattyprice4004

Did you specifically ask if the vehicle had been smoked in, or mention it at all?

cthcth

No I didn’t specifically discuss it, as in the video the salesman said “it’s never been smoked in or had dogs in anything like that”. So what I would usually ask was kind of preemptively answered.