Car Disaster

[Littlebluedot]

So i am still learning to drive, bought a little renault clio from a private dealer for £900, its been to the garage for a health check and its going to cost 2k to have all the issues fixed! Arghh! I don't want to pay it because its more than the thing is worth.

Do we just sell it ? What are webuyanycar like?

Get a second opinion from another garage, preferably one that friends/family have used and can recommend in terms of being reasonable + trustworthy

If it ends up really needing ££££ of work done to it then you’re better off selling it to be scrapped in all honesty. Nobody is going to want to buy it

No point throwing good money after bad. You'll have to scrap it or see if you can get someone to take it as part exchange (probably for scrap value).

Dont use we buy any car. They don't pay as well as some other less well know car dealers. We rang around for companies that bought old cars and got at least £100 more than they offered.

Can you return it to the place you bought it from with a copy of your garage’s report and ask for your money back? How long ago did you buy it?

In all likelihood, it was sold as seen so the OP probably won't get anywhere with that.

All depends what “private dealer” means
of it’s their business and they sold as that business (did you get a receipt?) then the consumer rights act applies and you can return within 30 days for a full refund. I’d expect them to play silly buggers though so you may have to go via money claim (small claims) to get it back.

if it’s more than 30 days but less than 6 months you are entitled to a repair if the fault was “pre existing “ that would have to prove its not. Again though, expect them to not play ball and/or claim they’re a private seller

Renaults are notoriously expensive to repair. Something like a new cam belt will cost. Was the service history up to date?

I'd be inclined to fix it. £2900 for a working car is not a bad price.

The idea that you would get a car in any sort of decent condition for £900 is laughable.

So a bit of work on it and it's done. Cars do need maintaining. They are machines and parts wear out. I don't understand the mentality of "more than it's worth": my car is 20 years old and "worth" £600 according to my insurance. But to purchase an equivalent car in the same condition would be over £10k at least because it all works and is looked after and maintained well.

@BoxFoxSocks The idea that you would get a car in any sort of decent condition for £900 is laughable

I disagree. I've not paid more than £900 on a car in 20yrs. My current car is an '09 with a genuine 43k on the clock, fsh and hasn't let me down in the 3yrs I've had it. Passed every MOT. The drivers windows doesn't work, but that's it.

Take it to a local one-man-band type mechanic. We had one garage quote us about £2k to fix a car, but what they meant was making it good as new(ish). Our normal mechanic fixed the mystery noise and confirmed nothing else was dangerous, for about £80.

It depends if the seller was a dealer or a genuine private individual. Who was registered as the last keeper can be a good clue - did you buy the car from the person named on the V5? If it was a private sale, so long as the seller made no knowingly false representations to induce you to buy the car you have very little comeback. I'd suggest you contact these people: https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/consumer/get-more-help/if-you-need-more-help-about-a-consumer-issue/

After buying 2 Renault clios on auto trader in recent years and both very quickly needing a fuck ton of money to fix, I now a) won’t touch shit little French cars with a barge pole- they don’t age well and
b) will only use second hand car garages who will give a guarantee and won’t sell you a broken car

If the garage will give you an honest opinion on whether you’ll get a couple of years out of it, it might be worth getting the repairs.
Some garages offer 0 % interest repayment plans so you can pay in instalments.

If it’s not drivable right now, WBAC will give you little more than scrap value.

The price of second hand cars has shot up considerably in the last few years!
Anyone wanting a car that’ll last a couple of years and doesn’t need immediate repairs is looking at nearer 2k

This won't help you now, but always try and buy a secondhand car with a long MOT.

I agree @MrsWombat

As a rule of thumb (after learning the hard way!) I go for cars with

• over 6 months MOT
• a low number of previous owners
• log book and full service history
• low mileage (for age)
• pref. both car keys
• -Ford and Volvo are reliable makes that age fairly well (ime)
• and use an established second hand dealer who will offer a guarantee

Youre looking at between 2-5 k minimum for anything that meets those criteria.

Depending on when you bought it go back to the dealer. They have sold you a car they knew was problematic. They should pat for the work to be done.

”Private dealer” generally means there’s no comeback if there are issues after the sale. It’s just a random person flogging a car on Auto trader or similar?

It’s “sold as seen” and I would fully expect a £900 car to need some work, particularly with no service or MOT.

All agreed apart from the milage
Low milage isn't always better

Cars need to run.
A car that has been driven around town will have more wear than a car that has done lots of long journeys

I bought dd an hyundai i10 17 plate with nearly 73000 miles on the clock. Apart from needing a new battery (£45) it's a sound little car
Lots of motorway driving with the previous owner
It was about £1500 cheaper than a same age car with low milage

Good point @Zizzagaaaaah

What actually came back from this 'health check' and what garage was it? For £900 you would need to accept there will be things worn or not working. Doesn't necessarily mean car is unsafe or unroadworthy though. If you took it to a Renault dealer or Kwikfit type place they will come up with a big list of jobs, but that's more their business model and outlook.

I have cheap cars too. Some good advice given already, but I'd only be aiming to get 1/2 years out of a £900 Clio with prices now. With a dealer remember they are turning a profit on it, so your £900 will owe them a few hundred quid less which can count for a lot at this end of the market. Is time consuming but a lot of trawling Facebook etc. is worth it. Consider the person selling and why very carefully. Private sellers will get you better value and more knowns generally.

Yeah, good point.

Might be worth asking the garage how much of the work is MOT failure worthy. As well as making sure this is a decent garage and not a Halfords who saw you coming.

Sell it privately on Facebook - you'll be surprised how quick cars of that value sell - faults and all!

Re-advertise it for what you paid for it. Caveat emptor (buyer beware). Make sure you get your buyer to ‘signed as tried and tested’. This assuming you have no redress from the seller? Hard lesson learned 🙄

But what’s actually wrong with it, OP? If it’s safe to drive but just not perfect, then what’s the problem? For that price you’re not going to get a perfect car. We always buy bargain cars.

Has it got an MOT, what needs fixing, some things might be nice to have rather than need.