Selling a second hard car and buyer coming back - AIBU?

[Zipfer]

We just sold a car to an acquaintance (which I think in hindsight was a mistake). We're not in the UK for context. This is a AIBU/WWYD.

We used a website like autotrader to put an advert online. Since we sold the car, the person has come back with a few problems.

1. The number plates belong to the person, not the car where we live. The new owner's number plates are smaller than ours, and replacing the frame to fix their number plates leaves some unsightly holes.
2. The website we used to sell the car filled out a few details automatically which we're not sure if the car has (a system for connecting to android, and an auto-stop function).

From a legal stand point, we sold the car in good faith. However, we said we have offered to go half on the cost to fill the holes at the front.

AIBU to offer this and say no more? WWYD?

If I’m honest I don’t know if I’d offer half, would they not have known their plate was smaller before buying so should have took that into consideration?
It’s the payment a lot?

1. Not your problem - sold as seen, how are you to know his number plates are smaller, he should have known
2. Irrelevant if he's going to accept money from you to fill the holes from 1.

I wouldn't be offering him any money

This is something they should have checked out before buying. It's not your responsibility to check their plate fits, it's theirs.

Filling the holes could be the equivalent of few hundred pounds, depending how much work is done.

I would say the number plate thing is just one of those things, the buyer should deal with it.

Number 2 is unfortunately your fault- you should have checked the description before posting the advert. The buyer also bought in the good faith that it had those functions.

It’s a case of caveat emptor. The risk is with the purchaser. It’s not your problem about the holes.

You have two issues. What the advert detailed as items the car had (connecting an adroit, auto stop) and then the holes

With the first, what was discussed when you sold the car? Did you point out the errors in the advert? What is the person asking in relation to this?

The holes from the licence plate - that is totally on them. Why could they not have simply chosen the same size? This is an alteration they have done after purchase so not your issue.

I wouldn't pay anything. The buyer should have been aware of both those issues when they looked at the car before buying. If they didn't look properly, that's their problem.

Can't they just stick some screws or plastic plugs in the holes, or get their number put on a bigger plate?

If it doesn't connect to their phone, you can get a very cheap bluetooth adaptor from Amazon, or similar.

Some people just go looking for problems. I can see why you think selling the car to this person was a mistake. Imagine if it had broke down since they bought it, they'd be after you for the cost of repairs.

In the UK they would be able to get a new number plate made up in the correct size....can they do that? Surely a cheaper option. But it isn't your responsibility they should have checked.

As for the mis-information that is your fault and you should have checked. You might get away with it....maybe not....

For the advert, we simply didn't realise. That's our mistake. The buyer took a car for a test drive, inspected the car, etc.

For the holes, unfortunately, the size of plates are a different size, and they're fixed by law.

What if they came back and said their child seat didn't fit and expected you to buy a new one? They are chancers op...
Tell them to do one.

I don't see why the holes for the number plate are your problem. Depending on where you are would it not be cheaper to get a plate printed that would fit? In the uk it's not expensive to get replacement number plates.

However, if you have advertised the car as having features it doesn't have I think the buyer could rightly be annoyed about that as basically you have advertised it incorrectly and as a buyer I would potentially expect a discount on that basis.

The number plates are not your problem. They should have checked first and I would not be offering any money.

The wrong things advertised is completely your fault and I would be annoyed if I were the buyer. Not sure the protocol here but if they are unhappy something does need to be sorted. If I bought a car that said it connected to my phone and then it didn't I would want to return the car as that's pretty important to me.

As a buyer, you'd be pretty daft to rely on what the advert says for a second hand car. Many have mistakes in because sellers don't know, don't notice, use pre-filled information that's often wrong, model variations, etc etc. And that's before you get to sellers that deliberately try to deceive buyers.

If you don't independently verify the details, you don't really have much come back if things aren't as you want them to be.

Surely the sensible thing would be to get new larger plates made, but even so totally on the buyer to sort. The only time you could possibly argue that you bear some responsibility is if the buyers are legal and your plates were not sized in line with regulations.

The other two things I'm not so sure about, by auto stop do you mean stop start so the engine turns off when in neutral at lights or similar? I think this is potentially misdescribed if you've said it has it and it doesn't

@BarbaraofSeville

As a buyer, you'd be pretty daft to rely on what the advert says for a second hand car. Many have mistakes in because sellers don't know, don't notice, use pre-filled information that's often wrong, model variations, etc etc. And that's before you get to sellers that deliberately try to deceive buyers.

If you don't independently verify the details, you don't really have much come back if things aren't as you want them to be.

Well, no, as a buyer you expect the description of the thing you are buying to be accurate. Things can be retro-fitted to cars or added as optional extras so it's not often possible to completely verify all the features of a car. The value of a car is tied into the features of that car - if you say you have feature x and it doesn't, it's not worth as much.

a system for connecting to android, and an auto-stop function

Honestly these are things that I would be interested in but wouldn't confirm during a test drive if they were in the car advert so I do think they've got a point there

The plates, definitely no!!

I am inclined to offer some money in total for the two items because of the potential mis-selling. We're not even sure the car has these features because we had iphones.

Hard to know how it works where you are but in The UK they would have no redress at all

I don't think there is much point asking about a legal situation in an unknown county. UK law doesn't apply outside the UK.

Depends on local law and practise.

I don't think there is much point asking about a legal situation in an unknown county. UK law doesn't apply outside the UK.

While I agree, I think the main question is what is the "ethical" thing to do.

I wouldn't be offering money for the number plate issue as that isn't your fault. The false advertising is absolutely your fault and I would offer a discount on that basis.

Number plates - having a laugh. Bit of filler and a touch up pen. A tenner at most and five minutes work whatever country you are in.

The Android feature - Bit trickier. Have a look at the difference in price between cars that have the system fitted and ones that don't. In UK law the best they could hope for would be that difference and I'd assume that would be similar in most countries.

Number plates isn’t your thing. And with regard to the Android I’d say since you’ve never had to use it you wouldn’t know because it’s not a feature you’d use so would presume the webpage was right. Auto stop you should know though.