scoobybubbles

Last Friday i purchased a car for my son from a company called M>B cars, based in bedford Eastcotts road,

little renault clio, 2001 plate, had a bit of a dent on left back wing, but other than that seemed a nice looking car, placed a £100 deposit on it on wednesday, fri went to pick it up, £1000 cash in hand, felt it strange that we had to go to the persons house to collect the car, and not the yard where we had been before, gary went in filled in the bottom of the reg documnt, and then i went in and asked a few questions, (i assumed my son knew the answers dumb *** he is) we found out there and then the car had no tax, and the mot runs out on the 8th of dec! i was ''oh gary for f sake!!!!!'' but as he had filled in the doc, i have never bought a car before in my life i kind of panicked a bit and gary said oh its fine we'l go and get it taxed!!! I didnt know what to say, so he handed over the money and we left, had to go to a gas station as the car was also empty of fuel!

While there i call my mate jim, told him what had just happened and he said have you handed over the cash yet , i said ''YES! he went a bit barmy and said i shouldnt have handed over anything , as i assumed the car was at least taxed!!! at this point im ready to cry!!! (realising afterwards, there were several people i could have called from the that house to ask advice) (live and learn!) so anyway we get back to MK, park car on drive! thank god we had a drive as i didnt realise you needed insurance docs to tax the car! Mick insured the car on the thursday , docs finally came on monday afternoon!!

On sat gary went out o fiddle with his new car adjusting the time etc... 3rd time he went out , the car wouldnt start! we had to go to hemel so we didnt have time to muck around , but monday a mate came over took battery off, and it was warped and dead as a dodo!!! I was mighty pissed off as they had sold us a car now with no tax an mot that was about to run out, and a ****ed battery! also front drivers side tyre.... BALD , so after an expensive ****y week of paying out for new baby in family, 2 of my kids birthdays , and a car , a battery (only £39 from new bradwell compared to £67 halfords) new tyre and oil fill up as that was empty too!!! £47 neath hill garage. im now thinking im having a crap week! spoken to many friends and family who are all saying one thing or another,...
My brother sai take the car back demand a refund, and tell them if they dont do something to take them to a small claims court!

some want to just go there and batter the w**ker

uncle who used to sell cars said its all out of oder , but as im with the RAC to call them and see what they say,

husband says lets just get the car serviced and MOT'd and get fixed what ever needs fixing!!

i havent called the bloke i got the car from yet , as i couldnt find a number on the net for him , and the card my son was giving as a reciept for the deposit, i found in the scoob today ,( i thought gary had lost it) my ex pa inlaw will call them today ...
basicly i am fuming at all of this as i am certain they knew the battery was buggered, and that they saw a young idiot and his stupid mother and maybe should have pointed out the tax and mot were gone! I knew its all a learning curve, but what would you guys do in my position! ?


very angry bubbles x

WRX_Dazza

did you not see the car before purchasing it??

tyres / tax etc ???

scoobyvirgin

Personally, i'd just get over it. A car doesn't have to be taxed or mot'd to be sold. The buyer should have asked these questions when buying. Not much you can do.

Sorry.

gpssti4

iTrader: (6)

Sorry to hear all this, but, as always - buyer beware.

I assume that you had a chance to check the car over before handing over the cash. As for tax and MOT; well a alot people take the tax off the car before they sell it, traders do this too, MOT - at least if you have it done then you know it's okay. Car's do need work doing to them, so a battery isn't the end of the world.

Just hope that he's got a nice little runner now and move on. It's not worth worrying about.

scoobybubbles

Yea thats what my husband said, yes i took a mate with me on the wednesday to look over the car, he said then it would need a new tyre, but you'l all think im stupid, it was dark, as my brother said YOU NEVER LOOK AT A CAR IN THE DARK!!!! the poor guy that came with us, thought that gary had already asked all the relevant questions on the monday about tax and mot etc.... he is now gutted as he would have knocked them down a bit more had he have known this!! I will move on from it and get the car sorted , but i think they deserve a call to thank them for selling us a car with a duff battery!!

SJ_Skyline

Sorry to hear this but the seller is highly likely to turn round and tell you that the car was "sold as seen", the onus being on you (your son in this case) to check the vehicle first. I doubt there is anything you can really do now, even threatening with the small claims court under the vehicle not being fit as advertised may be tough, even if it was advertised with tax and mot...

Small comfort but an expensive lesson to learn

scoobybubbles

Yea i know! at least the lil sod is happy, and now i have to sit here and worry that he's not out there doing dohnuts around the school carpark!!!! 1st time in it yesterday alone, and he didnt even call his mumma to say he wasnt coming home.... OH the worry!!! lil ****!

RJM25R

iTrader: (1)

tbh, isn't £1100 cheap for a 2001 clio? I'd give that for a part exchange in reasonable nick!

Really, you should have asked to see the MOT and asked if it was taxed TBH.

Also, how could you not know that you need insurance to tax a car?

TBH you were taking a chance letting your son drive it without an insurance certificate as well. I don't doubt that you'd set up his policy, but if he'd been pulled and given a producer, and then the documents never arrrived, he could get himself a nasty fine for not producing, or at WORST, if the policy was incorrect (dates etc, I've seen it all before!) he could get done for driving without insurance!

jaytc2003

iTrader: (1)

to be honest unless the garage lied about anything with the car then they havent done anything wrong. Im afraid its a case of putting it down to experience (bad)

scoobybubbles

i never want to buy a car again!!! next time the other half can do it!!! i know nothing about cars! im serprised i can even drive one!! f knows what im doing in a scooby!!! scary!!!

MikeCardiff

iTrader: (2)

Not having tax when buying from a second hand dealer is common, particularly on cheap part ex cars.

The last three cars we bought from dealers werent taxed, but they went out and got 6 months to put on it when we bought from them using their insurance, we could then phone up our insurance from the forecourt and get the car insured so it was all legal to drive home.

Dealers will normally take off the tax and claim back anything they can - no point them having a car with 6 months tax on it that sits on the forecourt for 7 months waiting to sell with the tax just running out.

Having a very short MOT is really your fault ( or sons fault ) as you should ask before you buy, and if it is very short, get the garage to agree get it re MOT'd for you so you have 12 months on there from when you get it.

Agree with the others, the garage havent done anything wrong or illegal, you and your son just didnt know what questions you should have been asking before you bought.

scoobybubbles

we sure as hell do now!!!! lol

Coffin Dodger

One born every minute

Boro

iTrader: (1)

Did you HPI check the car? If not, i would seriously recommend you do that straight away. These people sound like dodgy car dealers and i wouldnt be surprised if it was a) still on finance b) category C or D repaired or worse stolen.

Text CHECK REGNUMBER to 88600 to find out.

Secondly, have you contacted trading standards, they may have had bad reports about this garage in the past and this might be just what they are look.

With such a short MOT you could almost guaraatee its a rolling wreck and should never have been sold in the condition it was.

I dont know what annoys me more, traders who take advantage of people or people letting them.

MJW

A friend of mine bought a lemon of a car from the same company, had it back to them loads of times. I wouldn't touch them with a barge pole !

Dedrater

No such thing as sold as seen if it were a Trade sale, The dealer cannot oust himself out of the contract this being the Sale of Goods Act 1979. There is an implied warranty in the act that the dealer has good title to sell the goods, that the goods should be free from minor defects, be fit for the purpose intended, and has various other implied terms.

If it were me then i would first go and have a chat with the dealer and explain your frustrations, if to no avail then carmly explain that you will be submitting a claim in Northampton County Court i.e. Money Claim Online - which enables a claimant to request issue of a claim online via the Internet.

Dedrater

Have a read of this aswell, its illegal for a trader to use the term "SOLD AS SEEN"

Trading Standards - Advice - Advice to the motor trade regarding the Consumer Transactions (Restrictions on Statements)

Boro

iTrader: (1)

This car should never have been sold in the condition it is and i cant believe the first god knows how many posts told you theres nothing you can do.

Traders have to follow strict guidelines when selling cars and have to abide by the law. Get on to trading standards and get this sorted. I would also get an independant MOT just so you know the full extent of the condition.

If you have anything like corroded brake pipes (quite common) your son could be driving a death trap and there are laws in place to prevent this.

A dealer selling a car with a bald tyre is illegal.

Jesus, what are the people of SN talking about when they say stuff like

Im honestly GOB SMACKED at some those comments!!!

TelBoy

Thing is, Boro, most people don't have the wherewithal to pursue something like this in the small claims courts, or are ignorant of their rights. So after a fruitless battle on an unofficial path which obviously yields nothing, they give up and assume that "that's what happens" when you trade with a slightly murky trader, and say as much on SN. Doesn't have to be that way, as you say, but surprisingly few people will follow it through.


Independent.

scoobyvirgin

Why are you gobsmacked, my post said a car doesn't have to be taxed or mot'd to be sold. What is wrong with that?

Boro

iTrader: (1)

That's whats wrong with it. Telling someone to just get over it as theres not much they can do.

scoobyvirgin

Well what would you do in the situation, apart from not buy a car with a short mot, no tax and ask questions before parting with your hard earned?

scoobyvirgin

Oh, and just to make it clear, I didn't tell them to get over it.

I said if it was me, i'd get over it.

Cheers!

Coffin Dodger

Think most of us wouldn't have bought the car in the first place:

1. Would always check how long the MoT has to run and if it's getting close I'd get them to renew it as a condition of the sale.

2. Would have spotted that when checking the car over before purchase. Always look at the condition on the tyres as it can tell you a lot about the car you are buying. For example uneven wear patterns may just be that the alignment is out but could lead you to further discoveries that it's been in an accident and something is bent.

3. Another give away as to how well a car has been looked after. I would always check the oil level and condition on any car I was buying. If it looks like something out of a tar pit then it obviously hasn't been changed for a long time. If its on or below the low mark on the dip stick then it could signal other problems...

I don't supposed you looked at the oil filler cap on the engine either, a dead give away for head gasket failure if there are any emulsified deposits on it, can also have a little squint into the rocker box to make sure it all looks okay (except on flat fours etc )

So that lot and the price, £1k for a tatty '01 Clio sounds a lot, would have me looking elsewhere. There's plenty of bargains to be had at the moment so easy enough to shop around and get a really good car for £1k. (Though IMHO I'd probably avoid unreliable French clutter and be on the look out for a Polo/Micra/Yaris type thing)

apples24

iTrader: (1)

1100 is cheap for a 2001 clio, in all fairness just mot it put a runner tyre on and off he go's

personally i cant see what the fuss is, you looked at the car asked the questions and bought it, hardly the sellers fault is it.

i sold a black y reg clio last week 80k on the clock for £1895

oh and dont use that crappy text hpi check its useless

cossie-nutter

iTrader: (45)

Last time I said what I would do I got an infraction for it!

TBH there's sod all you can do in the real world! and £1100 for a 2001 Clio is cheap!

Good luck fella!

Boro

iTrader: (1)

Ive bought cars before with NO MOT and NO TAX but if i bought a car from a dealer and didnt notice a bald tyre or got home to find the battery was shagged i'd be expecting a) a new tyre and b) a new battery.

If they didnt play ball i'd remind them that the car is going for an MOT and if it failed miserably i would seek legal advice.

People buy from dealers expecting a sound car, not a piece of crap. If you wanted to buy crap there are alot of private sellers or auctions selling them.

David Lock

There is a BIG difference buying a car privately or from a dealer. The dealer has much more responsibility for the car than is generally known and this extends for some time, 3 months I think. I just don't know the details but it could well mean that selling a car with a bald tyre is illegal. But if you contact Trading Standards they will give you the correct information. Now the key thing is that dealers are frightened of Trading Standards so when you have the facts then you can discuss things/or write to the trader and say that you will contact Trading Standards unless certain things are done. Probably not worth the hassle though TBH.

If you're caught driving without insurance I believe plod will impound the car and crush it unless you sort it out pdq.

Son's that age don't have a clue about buying cars or know what questions to ask. You need to give them a list or do it yourself.

Hope it all gets sorted soon. dl

RJM25R

iTrader: (1)

Bought privately by the look of it

RJM25R

iTrader: (1)

No offence intended, but you must be extremely naive.