Husband has just bough a heap of crap and I'm raging

[swinglycat]

DH bought a 15 year old car on Wednesday. He did all the relevant checks and apparently the car has had all the proper BMW servicing done and just passed the MOT last month. The very night he drove home ( 20 mins) the lights at the back had gone off . Woke up the next morning and there is an oil leak now too.

I could cry. We don't have the money to be faffing around with cars.

I'm just so upset that we have been potentially sold a car that's gonna cost money to fix before it's even made it into our driveway.

The lights could be as simple as a fuse.

We have never been in the position to buy from dealers, always had to buy cars at auction, off eBay, privately etc...so we are well used to quite old cars that are not perfect and can cope with quite a lot. Things have always been ok except for once about 10 years ago when my children were little and we were really broke. I saved up for a year and bought a car off a bloke privately for about £1500. It all looked ok on paper and the test drive but within a week it developed a very major problem (can't remember what now) and it was a write off. So incredibly upsetting and I still curse his house when I drive past it. He must have known he was selling a shady car to a woman with two little children. We were left really stuck for a while as we needed a car because of where we live.

Life with very little money can be so difficult and when things like this happen it is so stressful. I hope that you can get your lights and oil leak sorted. I know this is no use to you now but I would never buy an old BMW/Audi/Merc, they just seem to have so many problems.

A 15 year old car will already have done most of its best years.
Thr engine will last years, but it's at this age that a lot of the ancillary parts need replacing. (Hoses, pumps, sensors etc.)

And BMW parts are expensive.

Why was it essential to get a BMW? Could a less prestige brand been a consideration?

Although it depends on their owners, a lot of BMWs have a history of being abused...speed, long journeys, neglect due to cost of parts & labour etc.

Hopefully I have my fingers crossed for you and it will be an easy fix.

It was a private seller. He did all he could in regards of checks but he's not a mechanic so was limited.

🤦🏼‍♀️ MOT means it’s safe to drive, it can still be a heap of shit.

Buying privately is a huge risk if you’ve not a scooby what you’re doing.

As I read through the first posts, I was thinking about the FM's stated "take it back!
I thought, WTH, you don't even know if was a dealer buy or private and rules are different

Then the "MOT" bit, too many times people wrongly assume that means its engine is 100 fine, its is NOT.

If the private seller sold after the car was "as seen and or tested/driven" and the seller did not lie - put it down to experience.

A 15 year old car is bound to have problems - op states its a "BMW" could be one on those very little things or it could be one of those flash bigger 7 series and they have eletrics and engines that are as complex as you can imagine.

Older cars and some even newer ones - you sell in good faith but as soon as they new driver, poss their driving style, the cars do come up with a problem to 2

Often a leak looks worrying but at times it may just be a loose bolt,

So if you are buy a car that is over three years old and you see the words "MOTd" - that means the day/time car was tested it was road legal as the law stands and nothing else.

When buying privately, if you know little about cars, take a mechanic, you can buy these services as well from AA/RAC etc

EDIT:
Sorry OP, it does cause worry. But you talk about not having the money to repair it etc. What would you guys done if you had a puncture or two that could not be repaired as decent tyres for cars cost easily upwards of 150 pounds each

Did your OH check the insurance ie costs?

Did your OH check the amount of road tax?

What will happen if the LED headlight fails they cost hundreds

Looks like you OH went out and got a car that looked and ran good but did not think about the, what-ifs

Have you considered selling it?

Hello

Its too late for OP but anyone else reading this. Never try to run before you can walk, IE buy a car where you have researched how much insurance is to cost, road tax, a tyre, battery, servicing, what often goes wrong with the car, and if you are very limited on budget, but small newer car that is the very basic model as less to go wrong.

Importantly, buying a car is not the end of it, looking after it and unexpected breakdowns can cost loads of money

Finally, please don't do the hand-to-mouth thing on an older car by buying via HP. What would you do if car broke down a couple of times and big bills, would you be paying your bills/rent/travel/food or the HP

I do feel for the OP and IMO, the OH should have told the wife his plans as it gives time to think more easily re goods and bads rather than see a nice, flashy car.

Wow, that’s some car snobbery right there 🤣

God forbid us lowly peasants keep our cars past the 5 year mark, eh? 🙄

Isn't the MOT a legal and safety test ?
nothing else.

I guess the car has not come with any warranty / guarantee ?

Yes, the MOT is a check to see if the car meets a basic roadworthy condition.....tyres, brakes, headlights, emissions, windscreen, horn, suspension etc etc.

It doesn't check every potential defect. For instance, It won't fail on an oil leak, because an oil leak could have many causes, and an oil leak doesn't make a car not roadworthy.

Buying a 15 year old car from a private seller is a recipe for trouble. There's not a lot you can do but learn from it unfortunately.

15 years old is a big issue with buying these sorts of cars. Even with newer ones expensive things can go wrong at any time and are far more likely to on an old car.

Even with buying newer cars you really need to budget for many thousands in repairs for cars like BMW, Audi, Mercs etc just in case something goes wrong.

When you buy a car like this you should be budgeting a good few K just in case it needs repairs in the near future.

If you want something more easy to repair/cheaper it is far better to get something simple like a ford.

OP, how much did your husband pay for this car?

You realise some people can't afford new cars right and 15 yea4s old would 2008/9.so not really classic

@x2boys , a 15 year old BMW will cost about £3k and will have a high mileage. You could by a car with a lower mileage that would be less expensive to repair for that money. Something like a Fiesta with half the number of miles on the clock.

I buy second hand cars and run them to the ground, but I wouldn't go near a BMW or Audi.

Read the thread its a private buyer.

You don't get a
a warranty from a private seller.