Advise about a used car purchase
Discussion
Hi all,
I have been looking around for a car and I managed to get myself a lovely 987 boxster from a used car dealer yesterday. There are however two issues with the car which is really putting me off the car and not allowing me to enjoy my new purchase:
1. The key will not come out of the ignition after putting the car in park and turning the engine off. This happens about 70% of the time and I have to use the emergency method of releasing the key
2. The SRS/airbag light is permantly on
Both of the above issues where present when inspecting the car however the dealer assured me that because the battery was flat, these are common issues of a low battery and they would clear eventually. After driving the car for 100+ miles they still persist and they are annoying me. I would ideally like to get a refund for the car but after complaining to the dealer they point blank refused this however I mentioned if they would reimburse me for the cost of the repairs and they agreed to this. After much thinking however I would prefer a refund and to look for the same car from a private seller as the car itself is lovely. It is a 2005 model.
I know about the consumer rights act etc.. so what can I expect realistically?
I have been looking around for a car and I managed to get myself a lovely 987 boxster from a used car dealer yesterday. There are however two issues with the car which is really putting me off the car and not allowing me to enjoy my new purchase:
1. The key will not come out of the ignition after putting the car in park and turning the engine off. This happens about 70% of the time and I have to use the emergency method of releasing the key
2. The SRS/airbag light is permantly on
Both of the above issues where present when inspecting the car however the dealer assured me that because the battery was flat, these are common issues of a low battery and they would clear eventually. After driving the car for 100+ miles they still persist and they are annoying me. I would ideally like to get a refund for the car but after complaining to the dealer they point blank refused this however I mentioned if they would reimburse me for the cost of the repairs and they agreed to this. After much thinking however I would prefer a refund and to look for the same car from a private seller as the car itself is lovely. It is a 2005 model.
I know about the consumer rights act etc.. so what can I expect realistically?
As in all these cases you have 2 choices.
If you ask the dealer for a refund and he refuses then you can take him to court over it. If the court decides in your favour then they will make an order for dealer to repay you. If he disregards this then you may have to take enforcement action. It's likely that he will have other assets available to be seized in lieu of payment but there's no guarantee of this.
For the above scenario to take place will take months rather than days to sort out.
But once it's done you can go and buy a car from a private seller which will have even fewer consumer rights if the engine falls out after 3 months.
Or you can whizz the car into your local Porsche specialist ( maybe the one that you hoped to build a relationship with for service and repairs in the future ) and get the garage to pay to fix the faults you have with the car.
Could be done and dusted within a week.
Up to you to choose which is best for you though.
If you ask the dealer for a refund and he refuses then you can take him to court over it. If the court decides in your favour then they will make an order for dealer to repay you. If he disregards this then you may have to take enforcement action. It's likely that he will have other assets available to be seized in lieu of payment but there's no guarantee of this.
For the above scenario to take place will take months rather than days to sort out.
But once it's done you can go and buy a car from a private seller which will have even fewer consumer rights if the engine falls out after 3 months.
Or you can whizz the car into your local Porsche specialist ( maybe the one that you hoped to build a relationship with for service and repairs in the future ) and get the garage to pay to fix the faults you have with the car.
Could be done and dusted within a week.
Up to you to choose which is best for you though.
phey708 said:
Hi,
I would prefer for the faults to be fixed. If it has to go to court it will take a long time to get any refund. Perhaps if I apply some pressure with a letter they may cave in?
You gave the impression in your original post that the selle rhad already offered to pay for the repair?I would prefer for the faults to be fixed. If it has to go to court it will take a long time to get any refund. Perhaps if I apply some pressure with a letter they may cave in?
If it makes you feel any better, here's someone else having trouble with an old Porsche they regret buying. Eighteen months later they are still arguing the toss, and I'm sure this guy can afford whatever legal representation he desires
https://uk.yahoo.com/news/legal-row-over-sale-vint...
It beggars belief a registered trader has sold a car with an indicated airbag fault.
I've got nothing more to add from above on your options or how they might turn out.
My opinion - The dealer is clearly a POS. I would fear being left high & dry with a big bill to settle - so I would get a signed agreement in writing before committing another business to do the jobs.
Also, I would be wary of the car's roadworthiness, considering its MOT is completely without merit, and I would pursue the refund route.
I've got nothing more to add from above on your options or how they might turn out.
My opinion - The dealer is clearly a POS. I would fear being left high & dry with a big bill to settle - so I would get a signed agreement in writing before committing another business to do the jobs.
Also, I would be wary of the car's roadworthiness, considering its MOT is completely without merit, and I would pursue the refund route.
carreauchompeur said:
It hasn’t passed the MoT with this light on, or if it has it’s a dodgy one!
I doubt it anyone with a code reader can turn the light off . It might not reappear for a good few starts . An pass an mot . Allso low battery / battery cable issue can indeed cause this kind of fault to appear . Just plug it in an you will have a much better idea . It Still shocks me the amount of people who have no diagnostic equipment
Weekendrebuild said:
I doubt it anyone with a code reader can turn the light off . It might not reappear for a good few starts . An pass an mot . Allso low battery / battery cable issue can indeed cause this kind of fault to appear . Just plug it in an you will have a much better idea .
It Still shocks me the amount of people who have no diagnostic equipment
No, if the light was on then it shouldn’t have passed MOT. It Still shocks me the amount of people who have no diagnostic equipment
Weekendrebuild said:
I doubt it anyone with a code reader can turn the light off . It might not reappear for a good few starts . An pass an mot . Allso low battery / battery cable issue can indeed cause this kind of fault to appear . Just plug it in an you will have a much better idea .
It Still shocks me the amount of people who have no diagnostic equipment
I've done some googling and it seems to be feasible, though I've not heard about it before and it sounds unlikely to me. Only time I've seen it the offending car needed a new ECU.It Still shocks me the amount of people who have no diagnostic equipment
Regardless, the dealer washing their hands of the car, and their story about passing an MOT, is fishier than billingsgate market.
carreauchompeur said:
No, if the light was on then it shouldn’t have passed MOT.
You're correct of course. But I think his point is that the MOT center may not have seen the light was on.OP call the dealer & explain the light hasn't gone out & you'd like him to either fix it or pay for a specialist close to you to carry out the repair, one thing though OP with all the threads on here about issues on car I can't believe you bought a car with an airbag light on & a key release issue.
If you liked the car you should've got the dealer to fix the faults before you collected it.
If you liked the car you should've got the dealer to fix the faults before you collected it.
Goldfever4 said:
It beggars belief a registered trader has sold a car with an indicated airbag fault.
I've got nothing more to add from above on your options or how they might turn out.
My opinion - The dealer is clearly a POS. I would fear being left high & dry with a big bill to settle - so I would get a signed agreement in writing before committing another business to do the jobs.
Also, I would be wary of the car's roadworthiness, considering its MOT is completely without merit, and I would pursue the refund route.
This. I’d be thinking what other horrors lurk beneath the surface. I’m assuming you didn’t buy from one of the top Porsche independents. If I was you I’d get a full inspection done on the car (preferably before buying in the future) from a good Porsche specialist - Porsche Inspections being one of the best, but it depends where you are. The repairs may be relatively cheap and you can move on and enjoy the car. If the inspection highlights some major problems you can then have a think about your next move. I've got nothing more to add from above on your options or how they might turn out.
My opinion - The dealer is clearly a POS. I would fear being left high & dry with a big bill to settle - so I would get a signed agreement in writing before committing another business to do the jobs.
Also, I would be wary of the car's roadworthiness, considering its MOT is completely without merit, and I would pursue the refund route.
Goldfever4 said:
Weekendrebuild said:
I doubt it anyone with a code reader can turn the light off . It might not reappear for a good few starts . An pass an mot . Allso low battery / battery cable issue can indeed cause this kind of fault to appear . Just plug it in an you will have a much better idea .
It Still shocks me the amount of people who have no diagnostic equipment
I've done some googling and it seems to be feasible, though I've not heard about it before and it sounds unlikely to me. Only time I've seen it the offending car needed a new ECU.It Still shocks me the amount of people who have no diagnostic equipment
Regardless, the dealer washing their hands of the car, and their story about passing an MOT, is fishier than billingsgate market.
carreauchompeur said:
No, if the light was on then it shouldn’t have passed MOT.
You're correct of course. But I think his point is that the MOT center may not have seen the light was on.Cheers everyone for their replies.
After much research and thinking, the repairs may or may not be cheap as it will probably require a new shifter unit and the SRS light may be a simple reset or an expensive wiring job. With this in mind, I have fired a letter demanding a refund within 14 days otherwise I would then send a letter before action after this.
After much research and thinking, the repairs may or may not be cheap as it will probably require a new shifter unit and the SRS light may be a simple reset or an expensive wiring job. With this in mind, I have fired a letter demanding a refund within 14 days otherwise I would then send a letter before action after this.
Hi,
After sending the letter to them they rang me this morning which I missed but they left a lengthy voicemail. Basically, the message was quite arrogant and they stated that because it was sold as seen and at trade price that this sale is exempt from Consumers Act 2015 and that I am wrong and they are correct (they mention they have checked trading standards and had a reference number and that they also checked with a solicitor...). I don't believe this is factually correct and they said that I could return the car but they would be looking to charge me the cost of 'hiring' the car since I have had it. Luckily I saved the message from my phone.
They have also told me that I would need to return the car to them. They did give me the option however to give them the car for them to resolve the faults at their expense. What should I do next?
After sending the letter to them they rang me this morning which I missed but they left a lengthy voicemail. Basically, the message was quite arrogant and they stated that because it was sold as seen and at trade price that this sale is exempt from Consumers Act 2015 and that I am wrong and they are correct (they mention they have checked trading standards and had a reference number and that they also checked with a solicitor...). I don't believe this is factually correct and they said that I could return the car but they would be looking to charge me the cost of 'hiring' the car since I have had it. Luckily I saved the message from my phone.
They have also told me that I would need to return the car to them. They did give me the option however to give them the car for them to resolve the faults at their expense. What should I do next?
phey708 said:
Hi,
After sending the letter to them they rang me this morning which I missed but they left a lengthy voicemail. Basically, the message was quite arrogant and they stated that because it was sold as seen and at trade price that this sale is exempt from Consumers Act 2015 and that I am wrong and they are correct (they mention they have checked trading standards and had a reference number and that they also checked with a solicitor...). I don't believe this is factually correct and they said that I could return the car but they would be looking to charge me the cost of 'hiring' the car since I have had it. Luckily I saved the message from my phone.
They have also told me that I would need to return the car to them. They did give me the option however to give them the car for them to resolve the faults at their expense. What should I do next?
My friend, you're on a hiding to nothing trying to reject the car I can assure you of that.After sending the letter to them they rang me this morning which I missed but they left a lengthy voicemail. Basically, the message was quite arrogant and they stated that because it was sold as seen and at trade price that this sale is exempt from Consumers Act 2015 and that I am wrong and they are correct (they mention they have checked trading standards and had a reference number and that they also checked with a solicitor...). I don't believe this is factually correct and they said that I could return the car but they would be looking to charge me the cost of 'hiring' the car since I have had it. Luckily I saved the message from my phone.
They have also told me that I would need to return the car to them. They did give me the option however to give them the car for them to resolve the faults at their expense. What should I do next?
Give them the opportunity to fix it and move on with your life. Your post reads more like buyers remorse as you no longer want the car and are using the faults as an excuse.
Are you a Trader ? No ? then it makes no difference, unless you are a business or a dealer then they cannot escape there legal responsibilities.
Personally I would let them fix it - after all you said it was a great car, but they fix it on the proviso that its repaired in full within 2 weeks and that if either fault or it cannot be fixed in the 2 week period that they refund you in full for the car. No exceptions, ask for it on letter headed paper and posted to you. Once you have that in your hand drop the car off to them and see how it goes.
Personally I would let them fix it - after all you said it was a great car, but they fix it on the proviso that its repaired in full within 2 weeks and that if either fault or it cannot be fixed in the 2 week period that they refund you in full for the car. No exceptions, ask for it on letter headed paper and posted to you. Once you have that in your hand drop the car off to them and see how it goes.
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