Help!

JayJay100

Update - the finance company are taking this over, as they're technically the owner of the car. Thank you to everyone who took the time to try and help.

I recently purchased an ex PCP car from what I thought was a reputable dealer. The car was a fair price, appeared to be in mint condition and I paid for a car history check, which all came back as ok. I bought the car using the dealer's finance scheme for simplicity more than anything else. There were a few niggles with the car, and it has been back for a couple of repairs under warranty, but you know when something just doesn't feel right?
I went to meet a friend for coffee and when she saw the car, she said that she'd witnessed an accident with exactly the same model of vehicle and showed me the photos she'd taken at the time - same car. The damage is the entire offside, where two cars moved into the centre lane of the motorway at the same time and hit each other.
I went back to the dealer, showed them the photos and they don't want to know. They said that they have the paperwork form the PCP, where the previous user confirmed that the vehicle had not been involved in any accidents. They said that the car had been subject to their own vehicle inspection and they had found no traces of an accident. They intimated that I could have crashed the car myself, had it repaired and I am now trying it on.
I would never have purchased the car if I had known it had been in accident.
Any suggestions what my next move should be?

Car_54

Your friend witnessed an accident, and took photographs, On a motorway. Are you sure?

facade

The car will have been repaired by insurance, so the accident won't be recorded.


The PCP "owner" is hardly going to say anything that will reduce the value at handback.



The car will have been inspected and pushed out as grade B or C to auction.


Assuming you can prove it was crashed- (a proper inspection would show it, they can always tell from things like paint thickness, overspray, paint on the inside of a panel, stickers left on/missing etc.) the dealer will say that they didn't know, that it has obviously been properly repaired (which is why they or you didn't spot it) and it doesn't affect the value.



I assume (always dangerous) that the dealer is not a main dealer for that model of car- they usually cherry pick the grade A pcp returns, and they wouldn't get caught with a major repaired car.


I don't know what you can do, though, you haven't suffered any quantifiable loss. (But you might have a less reliable car)

foxy-stoat

JayJay100 wrote: »

I would never have purchased the car if I had known it had been in accident.

Perfect.......you haven't purchased it yet, you are merely renting it for a few years with an option to buy it. Just hand it back at the end of the agreement.

JayJay100

Car_54 wrote: »

Your friend witnessed an accident, and took photographs, On a motorway. Are you sure?

Absolutely - I have the photographs.

EdGasketTheSecond

JayJay100 wrote: »

Absolutely - I have the photographs.

Do they show the number plate as being your car?

JayJay100

facade wrote: »

The car will have been repaired by insurance, so the accident won't be recorded.


The PCP "owner" is hardly going to say anything that will reduce the value at handback.



The car will have been inspected and pushed out as grade B or C to auction.


Assuming you can prove it was crashed- (a proper inspection would show it, they can always tell from things like paint thickness, overspray, paint on the inside of a panel, stickers left on/missing etc.) the dealer will say that they didn't know, that it has obviously been properly repaired (which is why they or you didn't spot it) and it doesn't affect the value.



I assume (always dangerous) that the dealer is not a main dealer for that model of car- they usually cherry pick the grade A pcp returns, and they wouldn't get caught with a major repaired car.


I don't know what you can do, though, you haven't suffered any quantifiable loss. (But you might have a less reliable car)

It is the main dealer and they did the original PCP agreement. There's been no auction involvement. I think you're right with the quantifiable loss element and I'm basically screwed.

JayJay100

EdGasketTheSecond wrote: »

Do they show the number plate as being your car?

Yes, one photo does - only the front one, but still clearly my car.

Aylesbury_Duck

JayJay100 wrote: »

It is the main dealer and they did the original PCP agreement. There's been no auction involvement. I think you're right with the quantifiable loss element and I'm basically screwed.

Why? On what basis?

JayJay100

foxy-stoat wrote: »

Perfect.......you haven't purchased it yet, you are merely renting it for a few years with an option to buy it. Just hand it back at the end of the agreement.

It's not me that has the PCP; I've purchased the car, using their finance.

JayJay100

Aylesbury_Duck wrote: »

Why? On what basis?

I think the dealer is going to take the route that Facade has said - the repair means that it doesn't affect the value and I've suffered no quantifiable loss. The fact I wouldn't have bought it if I'd known it had been crashed, doesn't count for anything, nor does the fact I don't want to drive it now I know it's been crashed.