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Broken down second hand car dispute

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  • WellKnownSid
    WellKnownSid Posts: 1,931 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Name Dropper Combo Breaker
    Buying an old car for £2,400 would certainly come with significant risk of using time and spending money.  Especially a French car.
    Any car at this end of the market is going to be a risk.

    The cynical amongst us might wonder about the timing and whether the previous owner had been advised to get shot of the car PDQ by his or her mechanic.
  • Bowties
    Bowties Posts: 13 Forumite
    Third Anniversary 10 Posts
    Buying an old car for £2,400 would certainly come with significant risk of using time and spending money.  Especially a French car.
    Any car at this end of the market is going to be a risk.

    The cynical amongst us might wonder about the timing and whether the previous owner had been advised to get shot of the car PDQ by his or her mechanic.
    Buying an old car for £2,400 would certainly come with significant risk of using time and spending money.  Especially a French car.
    Any car at this end of the market is going to be a risk.

    The cynical amongst us might wonder about the timing and whether the previous owner had been advised to get shot of the car PDQ by his or her mechanic.
    I agree—to an extent. I knew I was taking a risk because buying a second-hand car is always a gamble when you’re not an expert. I just needed a vehicle to last me a couple of years while I get my finances in order. I viewed the car, spoke to the dealer, and was assured it would suit my needs—so I bought it. But just a few days later, it broke down. Regardless of whether it’s French or not, if you’re paying £2,400 for a car, it should last more than a few days.

    If the dealer had been honest with me from the start, I could have made a better, more informed decision.

    I want to reiterate I’m not a car expert. I genuinely thought paying this amount of money would be enough to avoid any major issues.
  • Stubod
    Stubod Posts: 2,582 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Name Dropper
    ...buying 2nd hand from a dealer still gives you certain statutory rights, and given the circumstances you describe the dealer should be offering you a full refund, or at least get it fixed for you. 
    .."It's everybody's fault but mine...."
  • WellKnownSid
    WellKnownSid Posts: 1,931 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Name Dropper Combo Breaker
    Bowties said:
    Buying an old car for £2,400 would certainly come with significant risk of using time and spending money.  Especially a French car.
    Any car at this end of the market is going to be a risk.

    The cynical amongst us might wonder about the timing and whether the previous owner had been advised to get shot of the car PDQ by his or her mechanic.
    Buying an old car for £2,400 would certainly come with significant risk of using time and spending money.  Especially a French car.
    Any car at this end of the market is going to be a risk.

    The cynical amongst us might wonder about the timing and whether the previous owner had been advised to get shot of the car PDQ by his or her mechanic.
    I agree—to an extent. I knew I was taking a risk because buying a second-hand car is always a gamble when you’re not an expert. I just needed a vehicle to last me a couple of years while I get my finances in order. I viewed the car, spoke to the dealer, and was assured it would suit my needs—so I bought it. But just a few days later, it broke down. Regardless of whether it’s French or not, if you’re paying £2,400 for a car, it should last more than a few days.

    If the dealer had been honest with me from the start, I could have made a better, more informed decision.

    I want to reiterate I’m not a car expert. I genuinely thought paying this amount of money would be enough to avoid any major issues.
    To be clear, risky or not, that risk sits entirely with the trader not you.  There is an imbalance of power between the trader and the consumer in the relationship which is why the CRA exists.
  • sheslookinhot
    sheslookinhot Posts: 2,269 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Name Dropper Combo Breaker
    Buying an old car for £2,400 would certainly come with significant risk of using time and spending money.  Especially a French car.
    Any car at this end of the market is going to be a risk.

    The cynical amongst us might wonder about the timing and whether the previous owner had been advised to get shot of the car PDQ by his or her mechanic.
    That’s what I said.

    << Buying an old car for £2,400>>
    Mortgage free
    Vocational freedom has arrived
  • Kim_13
    Kim_13 Posts: 3,437 Forumite
    Tenth Anniversary 1,000 Posts Name Dropper Photogenic
    Additionally, the car was sold in good working condition and at a reduced price, reflecting this agreement.

    To me, this is contradictory. If the car was in good working condition, it would not need to be sold at a reduced price - it would be sold around or above market value for a car of that make, model, age, specification, mileage and cosmetic condition.

    There may not be a warranty provided - but would anyone expect one on a car costing £2,400? What they have replied with is worse than simply stating there was no warranty included.

    I’m guessing that scraping together £3,900 from the outset would have got the OP a more dependable car than £2,400 to this outfit and £1,500 for repairs after 13 days maximum of use. Presumably it was not driven on all of them, as OP had no idea what might be wrong with it.

    Have you checked Trustpilot or similar for reviews? Have other customers reported similar issues? One customer having an issue every so often might be unfortunate, but a number of them is indicative of a pattern of behaviour on the part of the company and would go in your favour.
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