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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

To think it's their fault for buying the car

45 replies

carwoes · 29/07/2017 14:31

Possible a WWYD too.

I bought a car as I needed one for a uni placement. I only needed it for 3 months, so I didn't spend a lot (under 1k) but it was nice enough, low mileage, few months MOT and a warranty. It had the tracking repaired under the warranty and I've had no other issues with it. I've had it 5 months now and MOT was coming up, placement was over so no longer needed the car and didn't want to keep paying tax and insurance so decided to sell.
A fortnight before MOT was due a guy came to view the car. He was Italian but spoke perfectly fluent English. He said he didn't want to drive the car himself just asked me to drive him round the block. Had a cursory glance under the bonnet but admitted he didn't know really what to look for, then said the car looked great compared to similar second hand cars in his home town of Naples. I stressed both in the advert and when I saw him that the MOT was imminent and that I didn't know if it would need any work or not. It was well priced due to the short MOT. He decided to take it there and then, filled in the paperwork, paid cash and drove home in it.

Fast forward a couple of weeks and I get a nasty email that I must be very pleased with myself selling a shit car that only lasted a fortnight before failing it's MOT. That the brakes were "falling apart" making it dangerous and I had endangered the lives of their children. I got the sense it was perhaps written by the man's partner as it wasn't written how I'd imagine him to write given English was his second language.

I replied that I had made it clear the MOT was due and I had no idea if it needed work and that frankly it was nothing to do with me if they chose to buy a car without checking it properly and then drive their children in it. I also find it hard to believe the brakes were that awful as I had my mechanic, a long time family friend, check it out for me when I bought it. They have replied saying "How dare you bring my children into this" when it was them who brought them up in the first place! I have not responded but it's really stressed me out as obviously they know where I live etc.

Am I in the wrong here?

OP posts:

JustDontGetItAtAll · 29/07/2017 17:17

I'm probably going to get roasted for this, but I find it hard to believe that you Op as the owner & regular driver of this vehicle for some time, didn't notice that the brakes were failing....

No legally, you did nothing wrong. Morally however.........

ZefStar · 29/07/2017 17:26

Maybe the brakes weren't failing, you've only got their word for that anyway.

You've done nothing wrong op,
If you buy a car for £500, you're taking the risk its a massive pile of crap. You made no promises as to condition

PenguinOfDoom · 29/07/2017 18:05

There is nothing 'morally wrong' about it. The OP was upfront with the buyer about the car, the buyer chose to pay a low price and didn't bother to inspect the car. There's no ambiguity here whatsoever.

OlennasWimple · 29/07/2017 18:07

Even a garage selling the car for £500 would only give a warranty for a couple of weeks

YANBU

specialsubject · 29/07/2017 18:09

You can buy a five grand car from a main dealer and still get a lemon. That's why you check them.

Stuff can fail at any time. Buying without a test drive is stupid. Op says brakes OK, so who knows. But anyone who starts the ' think of the children' line clearly doesn't have a lot of credibility.

GhoulWithADragonTattoo · 29/07/2017 18:10

Buyer beware. He should have checked it out more fully if he was concerned. Also it might be the mechanic pulling a fast one on him. Tell him it's none of your concern.

backwardpossom · 29/07/2017 19:53

It could be that there's actually nothing wrong with the car and the buyer is trying to get money back from the OP, no?

BritInUS1 · 29/07/2017 19:58

I would ignore him you haven't done anything wrong x

Cakeorchocolate · 29/07/2017 20:07

YANBU and have done nothing wrong.

As for the brakes it is quite easy if you're driving a car day in day out to not realise how much they've deteriorated. You might realise it's taking more effort to brake but you don't really realise how much until your discs and/or pads are changed and your brakes are sharp again in my experience.

araiwa · 29/07/2017 20:24

He is probably lying about the brakes

Original poster

carwoes · 29/07/2017 21:39

As far as I knew the brakes were fine. It could be that I didn't notice from driving all the time but I hadn't had an issue at all. I was surprised they were apparently so bad. My first thought was maybe the MOT garage is doing them over or something something.

I offered for him to test drive it. I also think he'd have come back before 2 weeks if the brakes didn't work but obviously they drove it for that fortnight without a problem.

Haven't heard anything else so fingers crossed they leave me alone.

OP posts:

Original poster

carwoes · 29/07/2017 21:41

Also thanks for the support. I'm having a pretty crap time and just split up with OH so living alone and it's all made me a bit anxious being here. I'm sure no one will turn up. They'd have done that rather than emailed? Still it's nice to know others agree at least.

OP posts:

sonjadog · 29/07/2017 21:48

Not your problem. And they've learnt an important lesson about buying cars for the future.

PenguinOfDoom · 29/07/2017 21:52

It's highly unlikely they will turn up. They are taking the piss and hoping that you will either offer to take the car back or pay towards their repairs.

It's a common scam and if you ignore it, they will most likely go away. Don't engage with them, block and ignore.

Tiredtomybones · 29/07/2017 21:55

Sold as seen with no guarantee offered or implied. Block and ignore.

Percephone · 29/07/2017 22:45

It's a 500 quid car. What did he expect?

Starlight2345 · 29/07/2017 22:56

In my extensive legal experience watching Judge Rinder as you are not a trader you are not expected to have a mechanical knowledge as you are not a trader.

safariboot · 29/07/2017 23:02

OP here's an idea. Look up your former vehicle on the government's website. Because I wouldn't count out the possibility that it passed its MOT and the buyer is just trying to scam you anyway!

vehicleenquiry.service.gov.uk

DrawingLife · 29/07/2017 23:03

Maybe the guy didn't have a lot of experience with used cars. We always buy our cars second hand, often for under a grand. I always expect the MOT to find something that needs fixing, that's just part of the deal. Compared to buying new we still save thousands over the lifetime of the car.

You were upfront and honest. Don't worry about it.

DailyMailReadersAreThick · 29/07/2017 23:43

Yep. I used to do the same and always expected problems at MOT. The whole point of this strategy is that if the repair bill is high, you scrap the car and buy another one.

And it's perfectly possible that the OP didn't realise the brakes were failing. I was also surprised with this information at MOT, and the mechanic was a friend and not trying to rip me off.

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