legally how do i stand. Bourght a car from private seller, 3 days later car needs major engine repairs.?

Answer 1

Much depends on how you found out about the car, advert or word of mouth, what was said about the car and what questions you asked.

If the advert or what was said to you is untrue, i.e. good runner no mechanical problems and you can prove that was not the case you might have claim for misrepresentation and can potentially void the contract.

I would suggest you provide a lot more information and then would get a proper answer which you might find more direct and useful!

Answer 2

You stand accused of being a pillock.

What happened between 3 days ago and now, it must have been OK then or you would not have bought it, did it start rattling straight after you thrashed it up to 7500 revs in third, what are the major repairs, rod through the cylinder block perchance.

Either you know enough to judge whether a motor is a good un, or you take a mate who knows or if you aint got any mates buy from a dealer, get a guarantee, and /or a warranty and if that dont work if it is sold as a car not spares or repair then the law should help you but again, it may be that the damage was due to abuse, iinappropriate treatment such as draining the engine oill and forgetting to put more in before driving off or racing the car in which case you still aint got a leg to stand on.
Buyer Beware.
There is no redress from private sellers but really unless someone deliberately fixed the car to mislead , gear oil in the sump or fixing the oil light to come on and go out with the alternator light for instance to hide a lack of pressure then you have no one else to blame but yourself.
I reckon it was fine when you got it and you wrecked it.
I reckon you are looking at a big bill.

Answer 3

If you asked if there were any major problems when you viewed it and they knowingly Lied by saying the car was fine and you can prove they knew about the problem before palming it off onto you then you can take them to court to get you're money back.
It is called deception and even if you sold it "as seen" if a serious "known" fault existed and you weren't told about it when you asked about any problems then they are breaking the law.

The main problem would be proving that they knew. If you know someone else who knew of this problem before you bought it and they will stand up in court for you then you have a fighting chance...

Otherwise you are unlikely to get anywhere and may have to "chalk this one up to experience".

A good tip when buying a secondhand car is to give it a service as soon as you get it. Oil change, cam belt and so on. It pays dividends in the long run as many people don't bother with older cars. If you pay a lot of money always get an RAC or AA inspection. It may seem expensive but it could save you loads in the long run.

Try talking to the seller to see what sort of reply you get. If he is genuine he may help out..... or he might say get lost...

Note. If you buy a knackered car, then sell it on with a major fault without disclosing it when asked if there are any serious problems, you can get done... especially if the original seller testifies that there was a fault and was mentioned in the original sale.

I hope this has been of some small help. Take care and good luck with you're next purcharse...

Graham

Answer 4

Hi >
"Bought as seen and aproved" was the stock thing on a private sale, in other words, you have bought the thing with all it's problems, as agreed, so no legal come-back to the vendor.
If it were from a dealer, though, it must be "fit for use and purpose", so you could scratch your head and wonder if it worth persuing, hopefully by amicable agreement.
I'm afraid it is a bit of a sticky wicket, but if the person it was bought from was being less than truthful as to the engine condition, I would buy him a pint somewhere quite, and discuss having a share in the repair costs.
Much the best way if possible.
However, if you buy a dud car privatly, then you really have no hope of sorting it out, financially. You are stuck with it.

I would, and have, pointed out to folks buying my old motor, some things that need attention. That would be the honest thing to do.
So best of luck.

Cheers,
Bob

Answer 5

Even though it was a private sale cr Must do the Job it's meant to do, although was it running ok when u took it away.What does the reciept say about contition etc etc, sold as seen holds little water if it was a duffer. How did you pay for it, cash is a problem, although Credit card payment would be great as they will help you get your money back.But Im guessing Cash right ?

Call the locl trading standards get the person u bought the car from checked out, was it advertised as Private Sale ?.

Keep any bills etc you may need them if it goes to small Claims court, but depending on what you paid for the car it may be best to write it off as a bad deal..Hope this helps.

Answer 6

I've got the same t-shirt. If it's a ford or similar, engines and gearboxes are cheap enough. Treat it as a winter project to do up in a lock up. Keep you out of mischief and come spring you will have a decent runner.
I would NEVER buy from a private seller again - been caught out as well. Good luck.

Answer 7

small claims court - but ask them what legal actions can be taken if you want to go that rout. Id call the person you bought the car from and talk to them - if they are idiots and they know about it - then take them to court.

hope that you didn't buy it as a ( AS IS ) sale...then you might be stuck fixing it all on your own. Be fair with the person you bought from they might help you out.

good luck

Answer 8

Unless he gave you a guarantee you're stuffed. You should always take a mechanic or friend who knows a bit about cars before you buy it. I usually ask if there are any problems and tell them I will bring my mechanic back to give it the once over in daylight. If they're going to rip you off, they usually tell you if there's anything needs repaired.

Answer 9

unfortunately, private sellers are not bound by the same rules as garages.
You can try and get a refund or threaten to sue, you may get lucky.

Answer 10

If you have no warrenty its your problem. Know the feeling i bought a car that was perfect when I bought it and 300miles later the gearbox went to pot. But thats life.