Would you sell a car you know has a problem?

ChroniC

ChroniC

ChroniC

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Joined
18 Oct 2002
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10,290
Recently bought a car for the Gf as she need to cut costs. It mostly works perfectly but there is definitely something not right about it, as we discovered on hill start in 1st it shudders violently until you change up.
This was something we did not discover on a test drive as we didn't drive up any hills.

Googling suggest one of many things. Driveshaft, clutch, engine mounts. Don't know yet.

However she would like to get rid of it, but I have a horrible feeling of, not wanting to without fixing this issue.

Someone obviously sold it to us with a problem, do people think this is acceptable, would you willingly pass on a problem to someone else?
 
I don't think it acceptable but a lot of people do it. Personally I wouldn't feel happy selling something on knowing there was a problem and passing it off as in good condition - plenty of people though who will buy a car with a known issue if the price is right and the condition liveable with or fixable with some work.

Problem with something like this unless you regularly use and or are on good terms with a good mechanic you will probably get ripped off trying to fix.
 
@ChroniC ah fair enough.
It happened to my last car too...I suspect the third gear in the auto box was going, which would have cost about 6k to fix. So part-exed it for my current car. Got 2.7k, and saw it listed for 4k...so took a 1.3k hit
 
It definitely going. She's upgrading to a PCP plan anyway, as she is now better off. It's only worth 1800 and here lies the problem. If I find the problem is big, that's a huge chunk of the value of the car.
I know if I'm dishonest it would sell, so going to see a mechanic to weigh up the options.
Since it's not my car I can't stop her but I wondered what others would do.
 
I'd have no issue part exchanging it since I've gotten several cars from traders which were ****. I'd never sell a crap car to a private buyer though.
 
Wouldn’t think twice about part exchanging a car with a known fault (and wouldn’t mention it to the garage either) but, if it’s a private sale then I’d always declare any known faults and have done so previously even though I could arguably have said nothing and got more for the car.

OP, get it looked at, you’ll probably find it’s not a huge issue and potentially a cheap fix.

Don’t just sell it on cheap because you think it’s got a major problem without finding out what it is.
 
Depending how long ago the sale was and if private or dealer, different options here.
Particularly, I would fix it. But 99% of the time, people would simply pass the problem on.
 
I’d likely describe the problem and reduce the price of the car compared to similar vehicles for sale. How much I’d reduce the price by is likely to vary depending on the value of the vehicle and how detrimental to the drivability and more importantly safety of the car the issue is.
 
tamzzy said:
I'd part-ex it, but I don't think I could in good conscience sell it on as a direct sale.
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tamzzy said:
@ChroniC ah fair enough.
It happened to my last car too...I suspect the third gear in the auto box was going, which would have cost about 6k to fix. So part-exed it for my current car. Got 2.7k, and saw it listed for 4k...so took a 1.3k hit
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mccarf said:
I'd have no issue part exchanging it since I've gotten several cars from traders which were ****. I'd never sell a crap car to a private buyer though.
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Scania said:
Wouldn’t think twice about part exchanging a car with a known fault (and wouldn’t mention it to the garage either)...
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AiiR said:
Part ex yes, private sale absolutely not unless disclosed.
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Lots of threads in here recently suggesting car dealers/workshops are all dodgy and that they shaft customers.... Seems like hypocrisy looking at some of the posts in this thread.

And to the "the dealers deserve it for screwing customers" argument.... Perhaps some dealers think similar regarding customers after being shafted by the public once too often.

People in glass houses and all that...
 
Richie said:
Lots of threads in here recently suggesting car dealers/workshops are all dodgy and that they shaft customers.... Seems like hypocrisy looking at some of the posts in this thread.
And to the "the dealers deserve it for screwing customers" argument.... Perhaps some dealers think similar regarding customers after being shafted by the public once too often.
People in glass houses and all that...
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hypocrisy from whom? certainly not from me :)
 
Richie said:
Lots of threads in here recently suggesting car dealers/workshops are all dodgy and that they shaft customers.... Seems like hypocrisy looking at some of the posts in this thread.

And to the "the dealers deserve it for screwing customers" argument.... Perhaps some dealers think similar regarding customers after being shafted by the public once too often.

People in glass houses and all that...
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So if you had a car with a very serious problem(s) you would always fix it every single time? Either you're very well off or bonkers.
 
How would people feel if they problem was intermittent. I'm not asking for justification, I am just have problems with the problem.
For instance today I went to diagnose the problem myself. I couldn't replicate it.
I tested all the issued I'd google and none seems to fit.

I'm gona keep testing it periodically, but I'm not happy about spending alit of money on something that happens every now and again. If it doesn't do it again for a while then, what can I do? Waste time on money on something that is a mystery.
Still feel bad about it but it has to go in the next month.
 
depends on what exactly the problem is
eg if it was the brakes failing albeit once every 1000 miles, i don't care how intermittent it is...the car is going...
 
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