Second hand car

[chattykathy]

My brother privately bought a car for £1000 the other day and the very next day the clutch went. He went back to the person who sold it to him but he won't do anything about it. Basically he's saying 'tough luck'. What can my brother do about this? He's been in and out of employment for 6 months (hence only being able to pay £1000 for a car) and can't afford to possibly spend another £300 to repair the car.

[craft1948]

If he bought it privately...................nothing.

[cathfromsaron]

sorry to hear that, but he should have had an RAC or AA check before buying, and second hand cars from private sellers are urely 'sold as seen'! x

[Graham-W]

Sorry, but it's "caveat emptor". Buyer beware.

[chattykathy]

That's really awful. I can't understand how a person can do that to someone :-(

[alavahalf]

If your brother bought from a private seller ... as Graham says .. Buyer Beware.
If your brother examined the car before he bought it, then it's his own fault he did'nt spot a suspect clutch. He should have taken someone with him who was capable of inspecting the car.

On the other hand if you suspect the seller of being a car trader, then the ball falls into your court. Trading standards are very keen to get involved where someone who is a trader, is hiding under a ..'Private seller'.. blanket..!

[Graham-W]

As Alavarf says, try to check if the vendor is a dealer. Does his phone number appear frequently in your local paper? Is he selling cars on ebay? Has he got several cars on his drive? Check adverts in the local supermarkets for his phone number.
If any of the above, he may be a "trader". If so, take it to trading standards.

[bednobs]

what has he done to him? the clutch worked when he sold it to him, he is supposed to look into the future is he?

[MartinBev58]

I sold a car once to a dealer which had only done 28,000 miles and less than 3 years old.
It turned up at a house around the corner about 2 weeks later.
I was surprised it was being towed by the AA the next day.
Through a friend I found out the clutch had gone.
I did not think this was going to happen at the time I sold it.

Martin

[RAV1D]

The seller must of known if the clutch was on it's way out as they come weaker and weaker they are not perfect one day and completly gone the next, It seems to me that the seller knew the clutch was going and decided to sell it, going on the price range of the car also. If worth a lot more they would be getting it replaced but as the car was a lower price range anyway they thought it won't be worth paying half the cars value just to replace the clutch and they kept quiet and sold it on just in time by the sounds of it.

[EDDIE51]

A clutch can fail without warning , it has happened to me more once. You can get a sudden mechanical failure or the hydraulics can go.

[tonywiltshire]

The action you can take very much depends on from whom the vehicle was purchased.

As craft says from an individual, not a lot you can do.

From a dealer or garage quite a lot can be done.