Father got ripped off - what to do

stufflol

stufflol

stufflol

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28 Apr 2011
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UK
Hello all,

Just recently my father purchased a car that was posted for sale on a local buy and sell. Listed as a great runner and good condition – Vauxhall Corsa 1.2.

The reason he bought a new car is because the one he had for 6 years had just packed in and he had to have it scrapped. He is 70 years old and just needs a car to get to and from the supermarket/doctors etc. he has a hearing aid as his hearing is not great (was in the army for many of his younger years).

Being a very trusting person he gave the guy £2000 straight up after test driving the car. However, being partially deaf he did not here a rattling produced by the cam chain. It now turns out that he has to pay £600-£700 to have the cam chain replaced – he has been told not to drive the car as it could cause great damage to the engine if it snaps.

I got in touch with the guy who sold it to him and he said he was unaware of this (I don’t believe he was) and basically he doesn’t care.

He some smug little 20 year old with a massive house and he is happy to rip off an OAP.

What should I do?
 
Go with your elderly Dad next time he goes to buy a car!
If it was a genuine private sale, there is not a lot of comeback really. You would need to prove he knew of the errors, and knowingly hid or didnt describe them. Even then, its a tough ask!

Although, that said, some unscrupulous dealers will pretend to be a private seller to offload troublesome stock. See if he has any other cars for sale, or call him up asking about "the car he has for sale" and see if he asks "Which one?"..

Also, you can check his phone number, and see if it is attached to a load of car adverts.
 
Not sure there is anything you can do, private sale so no come back. My sister bought a rover once and the head gasket went two days after, nothing she could do.

May be worth moving to the Motors section.
 
stufflol said:
But surely I should take some form of action??
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What sort of action?
The car was sold as seen by a private seller.
You can go and smash his windows if it'll make you feel better but there's nothing you can do legally.
 
To be honest, and you won't like it but: Caveat Emptor (Buyer Beware).

The guy who sold the car has no obligation to repair that fault or even take it back, unless he misrepresented it and lied about it. It's not his fault or problem that your Grandfather has poor hearing and didn't hear it.

stufflol said:
He some smug little 20 year old with a massive house
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It doesn't matter if he lives in a Council Flat or 49 bedroomed Manor House, the same info above still applies.

stufflol said:
But surely I should take some form of action??
Click to expand...

Get the cam chain replaced before it goes and allow your Grandfather to enjoy his car.
 
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Poo through your old man's letterbox and see if he hears that.

Go with him next time.

Maybe it genuinely wasn't at fault until 1h after he bought it...
 
Sadly this is a generational issue - people of the older generations are fiercely independent and like to make decisions. Unfortunately they get hot-headed and sometimes lack foresight and the ability to spot a scam, and get all rose-coloured vision when something seems too good to be true, or alternatively, if they convince themselves "If he was a scammer he wouldn't do it openly on the paper/TV/Internet/etc". I won't tell you what my grandad has done (86yrs old).

Regarding the situation, you can report him to Trading Standards/Consumer Advice who may establish that he is in fact selling many dodgy vehicles regularly and not declaring them as business transactions. Aside from that, warranty/insurance/good-will/breakdown are your next port of call.
 
You allowed your elderly, near deaf OAP of a father go and buy a used car on his own.

I think you should consider pooing through your own letterbox!
 
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