I sold a car privately months ago and now I’m getting stick about it.

Manxman_in_exile

TheJP said:

CosworthRichie said:

 I purchased the car last year with a head gasket fault and had a local engineering firm completely overhaul the head etc

Did you tell them this before you sold it to them? The fact the issue is relatable is very relevant here, as they may not have bough the car had they know a head gasket fault had been rectified. I think this could be an issue for the company that did the work, did they issue a warranty etc.

If you have a car with a fault and you get it fixed/repaired, is there any obligation on you to volunteer* this information if you subsequently come to sell it?

If somebody buying from a private seller wouldn't buy a car if it had previously had such and such a fault, isn't the onus on the purchaser to ask the private seller?

Now the car has been sold by the OP, I'm not sure what sort of "issue" the repairing company might have?

*In any case, the OP says they did volunteer the info.

TELLIT01

There is generally very little protection for the purchaser with a private sale/purchase.  5 months down the road I don't think they would stand any chance of success in the small claims court.

diystarter7

OP
How many cars have you sold over the past 5 years? Are you a part-time dealer?

If not, as others have said, block her as by what you have posted you have done nothing wrong.
If she or the family tries to contact you again, politely tell them you'd contact the cops for harrassment.

This is why during the last 10 years or so I just px or sell a car to a dealer. I might get a bit less but it is worry free sale and that is priceless.

When I did sell privately I used to get the buyer to sign something like - "Sold as seen and tested and buyer happy with car."

DE_612183

I wonder if we'll see another post in the next few days...."I bought a car 5 months ago and it's now broken - what are my rights?"

Grumpy_chap

mattyprice4004 said:

Grumpy_chap said:

You sold a 14 yo (end-of-life) car 5 months ago, and it is a car known for being driven hard, and the head gasket went.  That is just bad luck for the purchaser.  Ignore them.

You’re right on the technicalities, but 14 years really isn’t end of life these days (especially for a performance car). 

I’ll be hopping in my ‘working as new’ V6 engined shed made in Birmingham for my commute tomorrow, and I know she’ll make it no bother  

I'm not sure I entirely agree that a "performance car" would be any more (or less) likely on average to have more durability than the "run-of-the-mill" version of the same.

I happen to have a 2007 Focus 1.6 petrol.  At 146k+ miles, that car really is near the end of life - even though the engine works and the car gets from A to B reliably, the body work is failing, the trim rattles, and the luxuries (like air-con) are going wrong as are some of the non-luxuries (LCD mileage display). 

Now, the small-engine versions like mine won't have been thrashed, quite simply because the set up does not encourage that and it is, frankly, not possible to thrash particularly hard.  The small-engine versions also do not lend themselves to modifications or being "blinged-up".

Compare that to the powerful ST version.  Arguably, if unmodified and driven in a modest manner, the engine is always far less stressed so should go for ever.  However, the "performance" version is more likely to be driven aggressively and more likely to be modified or upgraded.  Altered wheels, exhaust, brakes, and bore out the engine for increased power.

So, on balance, I would say the expected life of the ST-Focus would be no more than a regular Focus.

It also so happens that, two cars back, I had a 2007 Mondeo fitted with the same engine as the ST-Focus of that era.  It was a less-good and less-accomplished car overall than the Focus I have now because Ford had plonked the big engine in the car without making the necessary gear box and suspension improvements that would allow the car to make best use of that engine.  That particular car died at around 110k miles when the cam belt failed less than a month after replacement by Ford (which was a blessing as it at least meant I had some come-back and a "goodwill" resolution via Ford).

Admiral_Barbarossa

So the daughter bought a banger in a private sale?

Ignore the texts, block her.

stuey_aka_poppa

5 months in a previous job i had i could have driven about 20k? for an older car 20k could be the difference between running fine and dead by the side of the road no matter what. ST engines are renowned for drinking/leaking oil anyway, so head gasket isn't that uncommon on a turbocharged ford as they tend to get abused way more than a standard model, servicing gaps get larger as insurance goes higher when owners amass penalty points for speeding etc. So although an ST is a fine car to own, it needs looking after and the OP appears to have done so rather than flogging off cheap with a problem.

I remember selling an imported JDM Subaru Impreza with a blown head gasket and i got negative feedback on ebay because it didnt have a stereo?? it was sold as a parts car/non runner and was never described as having a stereo originally. Cars are the second biggest investment after properties, so i can understand people being annoyed when it goes wrong, but it wasn't a new car or from a garage?

CosworthRichie

I don’t tend to sell a lot of cars, if one pops up on an auction site that I think I can sort out I will, it’s only ever a side venture,  we use to run coaches, we have stopped running coaches now, so I use the garage to do valeting and detailing along with servicing and welding, steel fabrication is what I trained to do, so I wouldn’t call my self a car dealer.

CKhalvashi

Grumpy_chap said:

mattyprice4004 said:

Grumpy_chap said:

You sold a 14 yo (end-of-life) car 5 months ago, and it is a car known for being driven hard, and the head gasket went.  That is just bad luck for the purchaser.  Ignore them.

You’re right on the technicalities, but 14 years really isn’t end of life these days (especially for a performance car). 

I’ll be hopping in my ‘working as new’ V6 engined shed made in Birmingham for my commute tomorrow, and I know she’ll make it no bother  

I'm not sure I entirely agree that a "performance car" would be any more (or less) likely on average to have more durability than the "run-of-the-mill" version of the same.

I happen to have a 2007 Focus 1.6 petrol.  At 146k+ miles, that car really is near the end of life - even though the engine works and the car gets from A to B reliably, the body work is failing, the trim rattles, and the luxuries (like air-con) are going wrong as are some of the non-luxuries (LCD mileage display). 

Now, the small-engine versions like mine won't have been thrashed, quite simply because the set up does not encourage that and it is, frankly, not possible to thrash particularly hard.  The small-engine versions also do not lend themselves to modifications or being "blinged-up".

Compare that to the powerful ST version.  Arguably, if unmodified and driven in a modest manner, the engine is always far less stressed so should go for ever.  However, the "performance" version is more likely to be driven aggressively and more likely to be modified or upgraded.  Altered wheels, exhaust, brakes, and bore out the engine for increased power.

So, on balance, I would say the expected life of the ST-Focus would be no more than a regular Focus.

It also so happens that, two cars back, I had a 2007 Mondeo fitted with the same engine as the ST-Focus of that era.  It was a less-good and less-accomplished car overall than the Focus I have now because Ford had plonked the big engine in the car without making the necessary gear box and suspension improvements that would allow the car to make best use of that engine.  That particular car died at around 110k miles when the cam belt failed less than a month after replacement by Ford (which was a blessing as it at least meant I had some come-back and a "goodwill" resolution via Ford).

I've just looked up the registration of an '07' plate car I owned from 2 months old until 2011 (it was sold with 174k miles to someone in our office, then again at 240k-ish miles in 2014 to someone else). That car happened to be an S-Max 2,0 diesel. It was licensed as a Hackney Carriage for the first 2 years and a PHV for the following 2 years of my ownership (although was used predominantly for musicians on contract work, not picking up drunks on a Friday/Saturday night).

It last passed an MoT in 2020 at 371k miles and looks to have been scrapped since.

I'd also agree that a Focus ST is likely to have a lesser lifespan of a regular Focus due to the type of person likely to buy it. They're likely to end up with someone who is genuinely interested in cars or to a boy racer-type.

For OP, they're not likely to be liable as they have both sold privately and disclosed more than I'd ever expect a private seller to disclose. I'd also therefore go with the option of stating as a third party you won't communicate and will be blocking the number due to abuse.

Grumpy_chap

CKhalvashi said:

I've just looked up the registration of an '07' plate car I owned from 2 months old until 2011
It last passed an MoT in 2020 at 371k miles and looks to have been scrapped since.

I think it is age as much as, if not more than, miles that leads to a car's demise (given equal care and attention).