Sold my car privately, they are now threating to bring me to court if I don't agree to refund

AdrianC

Sub £700 car...

I presume there's no way that you could be taken as a trader, you genuinely are a private seller?

Do not reply, block her number, move on with life.

If she does launch a court claim, simply defend it with facts. The "uncle is a solicitor" bit is a giant red flag that she's simply flapping her jaws. Small claims (<£10k) don't use solicitors at all.

user1977

AdrianC said:

If she does launch a court claim, simply defend it with facts. The "uncle is a solicitor" bit is a giant red flag that she's simply flapping her jaws. Small claims (<£10k) don't use solicitors at all.

Well, you can use a solicitor, but I doubt he's going to be happily spending hours on pro bono advice for a small claim about some banger his niece has bought...

Herzlos

What's the car and is there still a listing?

Used car prices are mental at the moment, so I'd assume a £680 car is just above scrap and the expectations can't be high.

NonSoCosaFare

AdrianC said:

Sub £700 car...

I presume there's no way that you could be taken as a trader, you genuinely are a private seller?

Do not reply, block her number, move on with life.

If she does launch a court claim, simply defend it with facts. The "uncle is a solicitor" bit is a giant red flag that she's simply flapping her jaws. Small claims (<£10k) don't use solicitors at all.

I am as far to a trader as I possibly could. Not even good with cars. 

NonSoCosaFare

Herzlos said:

What's the car and is there still a listing?

Used car prices are mental at the moment, so I'd assume a £680 car is just above scrap and the expectations can't be high.

I did remove the listing, cause I had received a lot of annoying messages. I have got screenshots though. The original price was 1000 and we agreed for 700.  The quote for the car with those online dealers was around 1400 but the car, as I found out, is a cat N, because of the car accident i mentioned in the listing. I tried to sell it to traders before trying privately but they did not want to buy a cat N. 
The car was working for me, I was moving around fine, but was not really using much other than once or twice per week to go shopping. So, I could not have know if there was any fault as it was working ok the way I was using it. I did state that in the listing too, that I was not using it much, only to go shopping.

Grumpy_chap

NonSoCosaFare said:

Hello, I am honestly very stressed out and would like to have opinions on this matter.
I sold my car privately for 680 pounds. the buyer came to see it with her mum who checked the engine and looked around etc. as that was the fourth car she bought in just a few months and they all broke down.

The day after I receive a picture with a warning light on saying that this came up and the car was not starting. 

Now she says that her uncle is a sollicitor, and if we do not come to an agreement she will drag me to court as I sold her a broken car.

£700 cars are never going to be wonderful and will all be one issue away from the scrapper.
Rather sounds as though the buyer is a serial-opportunist buying £700 cars and seeking refunds.

The buyer should claim off her Mum, who checked the car over for the buyer - I assume Mum is a mechanic otherwise bring Mum to check the engine is little more than tyre-kicking.

I assume, also, the car was working when purchased and the buyer drove away in the car fine.

Given the buyer said there are four times this has happened, is it possible that the photo of the warning light is not even from the OP's car but one of the other cars (they could all be same make / model)?

Mention of the Solicitor is non-sense and just to scare the OP.  How many hours of work will a Solicitor do in connection with a £700 car?

ontheroad1970

NonSoCosaFare said:

AdrianC said:

Sub £700 car...

I presume there's no way that you could be taken as a trader, you genuinely are a private seller?

Do not reply, block her number, move on with life.

If she does launch a court claim, simply defend it with facts. The "uncle is a solicitor" bit is a giant red flag that she's simply flapping her jaws. Small claims (<£10k) don't use solicitors at all.

I am as far as a trader as I possibly could. Not even good with cars. 

Neither are many traders (joke, well partly)

NonSoCosaFare

The mum is not a mechanic. The buyer is quite young (I don't think that she is more than 20) and the mum came along cause apparently this was the fourth car.
They absolutely drove off with the car, the message with the picture arrived around 24 hours later, but by then everything could have happened. I do not know if she went to drive crazy fast on the motorway.
I do not know if it is or it is not my car, it look like it is but there is no mark to clearly identify it.

She wrote again today saying she was going to the office for the claim cause everybody told her she is entitled to do so. It is obviously another threat. I do not see how she could prove that I knew that it was faulty. 
I am sorry for this, but at this point I would rather go to court and pay for a sollicitor if necessary, cause she could have done anything with the car, drove it inappropriately etc The fact is that the car was working the way I was using it, and she took it and broke it.

ontheroad1970

NonSoCosaFare said:

The mum is not a mechanic. The buyer is quite young (I don't think that she is more than 20) and the mum came along cause apparently this was the fourth car.
They absolutely drove off with the car, the message with the picture arrived around 24 hours later, but by then everything could have happened. I do not know if she went to drive crazy fast on the motorway.
I do not know if it is or it is not my car, it look like it is but there is no mark to clearly identify it.

She wrote again today saying she was going to the office for the claim cause everybody told her she is entitled to do so. It is obviously another threat. I do not see how she could prove that I knew that it was faulty. 
I am sorry for this, but at this point I would rather go to court and pay for a sollicitor if necessary, cause she could have done anything with the car, drove it inappropriately etc The fact is that the car was working the way I was using it, and she took it and broke it.

You have no need to use a solicitor - you will not get back much of your costs should you win.  If a claim form arrives, state the facts as you have here.  On a car costing only £680 (trader price would like be £1k for a private sale of £680), expectations would be low from a dealer.  Expectations will be zero on private sale.  Don't get yourself out of pocket speaking to a solicitor.  Some will give a free initial consultation, but these are often just sales opportunities.  

user1977

NonSoCosaFare said:

She wrote again today saying she was going to the office for the claim

What office?