Hello there people. My mate has a got a MY95 wrx and recently discovered that the head gasket is leaking and also the mechanic pointed out that the crankshaft has alot of play in it aswell, causing the auxillary belt to drop off 1 of the teeth. He is therefore advising him to buy another engine to swap over. Also the turbo has gone too.

I would like to know what options he has here regarding moving forward and resolving the problem as either way it seems extremely expensive and hes only just bought the car.

There is currently an engine with a cracked block on for sale cheap at the moment at ebay, could he buy that and swap over any parts that he will need by any chance? Seems like a way of saving quite abit of money as its tight at the moment.

Appreciate any help as always.

Sami

 

that is an option, quite a bit of work though. who and how long ago did he get the car? even through a private seller you should have comeback under the sale of goods act, not being fit for purpose, especially if it wasnt disclosed on the sale, he is better off finding out his legal position with the seller and getting money back and guying a decent car.
swapping stuff is ok, but if the other engine has a cracked block then there is no teling what sort of other damage it might have. he is better off having the engine properly reconned or buying a nice working one.

 

As Mikey2 said, get a recon. engine is the best option or if he's only had the car a day or two - not several weeks/months then maybe hand it back to where he got ot from for a full refund. The sale of goods act covers second hand cars too; they should be fit for purpose. If it's from a dealer and he only bought it say on Saturday then he should be okay. Good luck.

 

how long has he had the car and where did he get it from? Has he driven it like a tit since having it?? have all the fluids been checked and replaced as required. If its no and yes then he has come back, might take a small claims or a solicitors letter to get it moving but i reckon thats gotta be better than forking out for a new engine. His best bet is to get an experienced scooby mech to have a look and see how bad and how long its been like that, if its been while then get on to the previous owner.
Its gonna require some effort to get it back to the previous owner, but dont be put off, when you get a good one he will love it!!

 

He bought it 2 weeks ago today. Its hardly been driven, just to work and back and hes just had it checked on saturday before he was going to start modifying it. The tw*t he bought it off knew about it as we contacted him and he said "ive written sold as seen on the receipt now go sort it out yourself without involving me" so seeing as thats on the receipt it looks like we dont have much to go back on...

Either way its looking close 2 a grand for sorting it all out so anything would help

 

I'd get some legal advice, I'm not sure "sold as seen" means anything anymore.

You should be able to find a solicitor who will give the first 30mins free so you'll know if you can proceed with a claim against the vendor. Solicitor costs for this fairly straight forward senario will be a fraction of replacement engine cost. Good luck

 

i really dont think it matters mate, even sold as seen still means it has to fit for purpose, which its not, keep the email, you can use it to prove the guy knew about it. I suggest you get hold of a solicitor who knows about consumer law. i beleive you can either force the guy to give you the money back or pay for it to be returned to 'fit for purpose' condition. There just is no point selling a car these days without telling the buyer about the problems, it does bite you in the *** if the buyer knows what side his bread is buttered on.
You can look it up on the net too, its a bugger to find as the law is so complex, but its there somewhere. I think you might find it on the trading standards site, you might even be able to talk to them about it, as the sale of goods act is their baby.
I really jope he doesnt give up on this, the seller sounds like a right tosser and deserves a good kicking, and your mate should take it all the way.

 

Use this a leverage to get some of the costs back !

 

sorry but in a private vehicle sale 'sold as seen' means exactly that. Sale of goods act does not apply

expensive lesson all about a market full of sharks and fools

From HPI website:-

"Caveat emptor is Latin for 'buyer beware', meaning the onus is on you (the buyer) to ensure that you know what you are purchasing.
Legal protection in the used car market is limited. Whilst dealer activities are covered by many laws and regulations, the only rule to which a private seller must adhere is that the car must not be mis-described. As there is rarely a written contract in the private market, the seller could claim to have told the buyer a vehicle's true condition and then it is one person's word against another. The solution is to be as well informed on the vehicle's status and history as possible."

 

Oooooooooooooooops!!!!!!
RAC Know-How - Buying & selling a car - Buying privately – your rightsHard lesson leart