Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Child-safe in minutes.

Meet the Other Phone.
Child-safe in minutes.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To rant about the bastard who sold us this car

31 replies

DextersMistress · 20/09/2015 13:26

Bought a car on eBay last week. Dp and I went to collect it, looked it over, paid cash, all good. Drove it to the nearest garage to get petrol and realised one of the back doors wouldn't open.

Called the guy back straight away, he apologised and said it's probably the child lock stuck in the middle. Said either take it back to him the following day and he'll fix it, or take it to a garage and he'll pay. Dp said he'll try a garage that afternoon and phone him back.

Now the fucker seems to have changed his number, and isn't at the unit we picked the car up from. I'm now wondering what else might be wrong with the car Angry

Have messaged him on eBay but no reply, will have to open a case although I'm not sure we'll get anywhere as we happily paid and drove off. Grrr.

OP posts:
DameMargaretOfChalfont · 20/09/2015 13:31

Sorry but buying a car off Ebay without getting a thorough mechanical and bodywork check is never a good idea.

You won't get any sort of resolution with Ebay as you paid cash.

All you can do is get it booked into a garage for a safety check - God only knows what else might be wrong with it.

MakeItACider · 20/09/2015 13:34

Wow, I think you've been scammed. You need to check whether the car is stolen... Sad

wowfudge · 20/09/2015 13:34

It's caveat emptor for these kinds of things I'm afraid.

Original poster
DextersMistress · 20/09/2015 13:36

Thanks dame I suspected as much Sad

make shitting hell I didn't think of that! I do have the log book though.

OP posts:
AlpacaLypse · 20/09/2015 13:36

yanbu to have a rant on here about it!

But buying used cars privately for cash is always a buyer beware situation.

Don't want to say I told you so, but I'd have smelt a rat if I was asked to meet and make the deal anywhere other than the seller's own home.

Original poster
DextersMistress · 20/09/2015 13:39

alpaca he is apparently a dealer, had other cars on eBay which we saw when we picked ours up. I'll have to book it into a garage won't I Sad

OP posts:
DrHarleenFrancesQuinzel · 20/09/2015 13:43

but I'd have smelt a rat if I was asked to meet and make the deal anywhere other than the seller's own home.

Ive bought cars and sold (never again) one car on Ebay. One I bought and the one I sold, both exchanges were done at the train station. Nothing wrong with any car Ive bought (or the one I sold) on Ebay.

Unfortunately in this case I do think there is something dodgy going on. Doubt its stolen as you have the log book (although the seller should be the one sending that off), but there is probably more wrong with it.

BelindaBagwash · 20/09/2015 13:45

That's why I would never buy a car from a private buyer. I'm sure there are some genuine ones out there but also a lot of people like this guy. As I never use eBay, I'm not sure how much comeback you have.

Guiltypleasures001 · 20/09/2015 13:45

When I buy a car no matter where it's come from I always take it for an MOT regardless of if it has a new one, it's peace of mind for little money. Make sure it's not a cut and shut as well, there's a website I think you can check this with. Make sure it's not a write off that's been repaired but not legally rd worthy.

Original poster
DextersMistress · 20/09/2015 13:48

I bought my last two cars off eBay and they were fine, I think we've just been unlucky.

Dr the seller sends off a proportion of the log book and gives they buyer the rest I think. I also have a recipt but I suspect it's not worth the paper it's written on.

OP posts:
PigletJohn · 20/09/2015 13:48

Bells rang when you mentioned picking it up from a "unit"

if you inspected it and paid cash, I think you're doomed. Sorry. If it's very bad and the price was substantial you might get somewhere with legal action.

Is the vendor a trader, or is their name and address on the registration document, and is it the same address where you viewed the car? You have more legal rights against a trader, I think, but enforcing them may be hard.

FWIW if I ever buy a used vehicle, I insist on inspecting the registration document and service book before offering to buy. When I phone I ask how long they have owned it. The registration doc shows if they were telling the truth. You can also look up MoT history online, which can be very informative as it shows you reasons for failure and any advisory notes.

annielouise · 20/09/2015 13:51

Find one of the other cars he sells on eBay, pretend to be a new buyer and arrange to meet him. Turn up in the car he sold you and say "phew, I thought we'd lost you". Sort it out from there.

Notasinglefuckwasgiven · 20/09/2015 13:52

Don't be hard on yourself. Can be stung anywhere. I got a Nova back in the day ( teenager ) that turned out to be a cut n shut from a forecourt dealer! Stupidly didn't realise until weeks later in heavy rain when I noticed the rear wiper had absolutely no button or switch of any kind in the car. Two different spec novas welded together Angry

DameMargaretOfChalfont · 20/09/2015 13:55

Also OP if the previous owner had finance/loans on the car which are still outstanding the car can be seized by debt collectors at any time.

There are websites where, for a fee, you can see if any finance is attached to your vehicle.

Original poster
DextersMistress · 20/09/2015 13:57

He has another 5 cars currently on eBay which all end tonight. I'm very tempted to bid on them.

OP posts:
Original poster
DextersMistress · 20/09/2015 14:00

Fwiw, the car is ten years old and cost under £1500 (which is an awful lot for us) so legal action wouldn't be worth it. I think dp is going to go back to where we picked it up and ask around, in the meantime I'll just continue calling him profanities in my head Grin

OP posts:
PUGaLUGS · 20/09/2015 14:00

Sorry, but I think you have been "done".

I would sell it in as quickly as you can and buy something else and make sure you get it looked at by a garage before you buy.

Oysterbabe · 20/09/2015 14:02

Can you leave feedback to warn others?

Original poster
DextersMistress · 20/09/2015 14:04

Yes, will definitely be leaving negative feedback.

OP posts:
Puzzledandpissedoff · 20/09/2015 14:11

I wouldn't bother bidding on any more, even just to wind him up; he'll almost certainly be arranging for friends to bid to drive the price up (I think they call it shill bidding?) It's against ebay rules of course, but that's not likely to worry someone like this - and anyway ebay only really care about the commission they get from such traders; those in a position to put a lot of money their way get away with a heck of a lot

Maybe an idea to track him down by messaging him to "view" a different car, but you'd obviously need to do it from a different ebay ID so he doesn't know it's you. Good luck anyway, but frankly I think you'll have to chalk this one up to experience

SiencynArsecandle · 20/09/2015 14:17

DD bought her first car on Ebay a couple of years ago - just a cheap runaround to learn to drive in. Drove it home for her, 100 miles plus and seemingly no problems. Needed two new tyres though, when we took the front tyres off they were only held on by 3 bolts instead of 4 - and very loosely. I still shudder to think of what might have happened. I will never buy a car from ebay again, I'd rather spend an extra hundred to buy from a garage but to at least have some comeback when things go wrong.

Sorry OP, I would bid on the other cars just to piss him off and stop someone else from receiving the same treatment.

Original poster
DextersMistress · 20/09/2015 14:24

I'm actually tempted to bid high and win them all so he has to relist. Twat.

OP posts:
specialsubject · 20/09/2015 14:31

there are some basic precautions to take when buying second-hand cars, ebay, gumtree, autotrader or little old lady. They include:

HPI/stolen/write off check -costs a tenner
viewing it outside the address on the V5, and checking the person actually lives there (ask for a drink of water)
mechanical check and inspect; there are loads of lists on the internet about what to look for.
MoT history check online

etc etc etc.

don't drive this thing until it has been checked. Cut and shut? Illegal write-off? Stolen so no insurance?

specialsubject · 20/09/2015 14:32

oh, and with five cars up he is a trader. Does he describe himself as such?

DisappointedOne · 20/09/2015 14:35

Report him to HMRC. He's a trader.

Swipe left for the next trending thread