Hi ALL,

New to all of this but could really do with your help.

To cut a long story short i paid 7k (5.5k in cash and 1.5k through bank transfer) for a car i purchased from a trader 120 miles away from me. He drove the car down to me and after a 2 minute inspection (was rushed as he had to get a taxi back to the train station) we agreed the sale.

The very next day the engine management light is on the dash needing a 400 repair.

After taking it for a service i was told by the mechanic that the shades of paint on the black differed on the front of the car.

Other issues arose such as no service book even though it was stated on the advert as having 6 stamps by Audi and there were 2 owners not 1 as stated on the advert.

Have called trader asking for a refund but he is giving it all the excuses eg maybe next week.

Now i cant drive it as the engine management light is still on and i am hiring a car.

Can anyone advise as what to do next?

I dont want to keep the car

under the consumer rights act go get your money back.

real shame you paid cash...

sri that was short autolinks not working more to follow..

dx

I'm assuming this all happened within the last 30 days. In that case you can assert your "short-term right to reject" which means that if any defect manifests itself then you can insist on a repair or a refund at your option. In this case insist on the refund.

Write a letter immediately. Send it by recorded delivery and also email if you have that address. Tell him that the car is defective and that you are rejecting it under the consumer rights act. Tell him that you are returning the car to him and that you require a refund.

First of all, don't expect this to be easy. The seller may not respond or he may refuse to accept the car or he may even propose a repair. I accept that you ignore everything and get the car to him. It is important that you get rid of the car even if it means leaving on his forecourt so that it is his responsibility. As you leave the car, take photographs of it so that there are no arguments about its condition when you leave it. A good idea would be to take somebody else along with you as a witness – although make sure they don't get involved in any discussion or any argument. They are simply there to witness that you are returning it and the condition in which it is returned. That person might be able to take a video of returning it as long as it is not provocative.

After that you will have to argue for the return of your money. If you're very lucky the trader will be decent and will simply put his hands up and return your money. What is more likely to happen is that he will refuse and that you may eventually need to take legal action.

Sorry to give you a little moral lesson here – in case you still need it. The second hand car trade has got a rotten reputation and so it beats me why you should have bought a car in these circumstances when you didn't know anything about it, you have never met the trader before and yet you are prepared to turn over 7 1/2 thousand pounds on a two minute encounter when the guy has to rush off.

Secondly, there are lots of second-hand cars all over the place. It is never worth buying a car 120 miles away because the logistical problems of getting there and back if the thing goes wrong add a completely new dimension to the difficulty that a rip-off purchaser will face.

You may consider you don't need this lesson – but other people who read the thread might do.

Get cracking. Don't hang around. Be assertive. Don't accept any proposal of repair.

Let us know what happens. Who's the dealer? Why haven't you told us?

Thank you for your replies, didnt realise i would get such quick and informative replies on here.

The dealer has verbally agreed to take the car back and will be sending a driver out to pick up the vehicle on Wednesday.

He didnt seem to happy but i insisted like you said and he has agreed so now its a waiting game until wednesday to find out if he is going to hold up his end of the deal.

Massive lesson learned

Assuming that he does, no doubt we'll see, then the dealer is wise enough to know that they're on to a loser if they refuse. And it will cost them a great deal more than just giving you your money back.

dealers always rip people off

they pay a garage to pass a car even if it should of failed so it looks like nothing is wrong with the car im a side job mechanic

my parents needed a car and the dealer was a [removed - dx] saying my mechanic passed the car and nothing wrong with it

I said well

1. 2 tyres near the limit should of been advised on the mot

2. wipers all need replacing

3. rear plate needs replacing as its faded

and the dealer said my mechanic knows his stuff

I was like more like you paid him off and never replied when I said that

so you after beware and make sure you take a mechanic with you

problem is not many people selling private and if they are they dodgy as dealers