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AIBU?

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Original poster

Sold my car and buyer isn't happy

209 replies

monotonousmum · 09/05/2022 11:24

I sold my car at the weekend, and the buyer has messaged today to say she isn't happy.

Car is 13 years old. Only known issue is that the boot needs to be opened via remote button on the key. It's been like this for three years - and I showed her this before she took the car.

This morning I've had a text to say she's taken it to a garage and they've valued it at £900 under what she paid for it. Brakes need doing, wiper needs replacing, and apparently an electrical problem causes the boot issue.

She hasn't asked me for anything yet. Just told me she's not happy.

I've sent a polite response back to say its a good car, and she should maybe get another opinion. A dealer offered me £200 under what she paid for it last week, and it's a 13 year old car so not going to be perfect.

I offered her to test drive it, she didn't want to. She asked for a reduced price, which was agreed (slightly more than she offered, but £300 less than my asking price). The price was in line with the autotrader valuation, and similar cars for sale.

I feel bad for her if she's not happy, but I have no intention of giving her a refund or anything. AIBU?

OP posts:
SamphirethePogoingStickerist · 09/05/2022 11:47

Discovereads · 09/05/2022 11:38

To take a car you just bought to a garage and find out you paid £900 over its value for a 13yr old car would be a shock. Most 13yr old cars are under £5k, so that’s a massive difference.

Why did you price the car at £500 over what a dealer offered you for it? How much % of an increase was this? You showed her the boot issue, and she could have seen the wipers, but why did you not mention the brakes?

Yes the law says caveat emptor (buyer beware) but part of me thinks you’ve been a bit greedy and taken advantage of a less well off person by deliberately charging them too high a price for your 13 yr old car and not disclosing expensive brake maintenance you knew was due.

It's called selling, getting the best price you can. That's how selling works. OP isn't the world's philanthropist or nanny.

The woman buyer is at best naive at worst trying to scare/scam OP into giving her half her money back.

And how have you drawn that conclusion that OP was aware of other faults, like the brakes, when she states quite clearly that the only known fault was the boot, which was disclosed to the buyer?

DeanStockwelllsBunny · 09/05/2022 11:49

Did she try the wipers ? have you had any issues with them or the brakes ?

Why did she not want to take it for a test drive ? that seems very odd to me almost like she was setting it up so she could complain about things she did not test

DazedandConcerned · 09/05/2022 11:50

Caveat Emptor.

Not your issue. Block and forget her.

gothereagain · 09/05/2022 11:50

If she wanted to quibble about condition she should have had it checked over before buying - AA used to do that sort of thing for a small fee, don't know if they still do.

Don't engage further.

And next time, sell to a dealer! It may be less money, but it is also considerably less hassle.

Agrudge · 09/05/2022 11:52

The dealer would of offered trade price not what they would of sold it for.

Unless you've lied about something when you sold it. There will be no come back legally.

Backtomyoldname · 09/05/2022 11:52

Take a car to kwik fit etc and they’ll always find something ‘dangerous’ that needs urgent attention.

New wiper - £10-20?

Boot lid - you told her.

Priced in line with similar cars.

The garages quotation? Quotations aren’t an exact science. There’s what you pay to buy it and there’s what its trade in value is and everything else between.

If you’d sold it to a garage she’d have had to pay a deal more than what she paid you - and it still might need the brakes sorting ( if that’t really true) It might have come with a guarantee - but you’ve paid for it in with the increased purchase price.

Discovereads · 09/05/2022 11:53

RedWingBoots · 09/05/2022 11:44

No the OP hasn't been greedy.

If you don't know about cars you don't just go and buy one on your own. You go with someone who knows about cars.

Show quote history

It can be both. OP priced the car £500 over the price a dealer offered last week. If this is a price jump from say £2000 to £2500, as could be with a car that old then sorry that is greed. Used cars don’t increase in value by that much in a week.

The brakes would have been an advisory at least on last MOT, so why did the OP not mention them when selling and say “only known issue is the boot” Everyone knows you can’t examine brakes visually, you’d have to take it to a garage. Was the boot really the only known issue? I have my doubts.

And yes, if you don’t know about cars it’s wise to take someone with you who does but what if you don’t have a person like that in your life? And why is it wise for a buyer to take a car expert with them? To protect them from sellers trying to flog an overpriced car or offload a lemon on you.

I know the OP is legally in the right, but that doesn’t make an ethical sale.

ifonly4 · 09/05/2022 11:54

If she wanted to get the car checked, why didn't share pay for a mechanic to check car over first? When I sold my late father's car, this is something the buyer asked if he could arrange.

Songoftheseas · 09/05/2022 11:55

Absolutely ignore her - it was sold as seen!

User643626363 · 09/05/2022 11:57

Sold as seen. It's a 13 year old car, not going to perfect and is always going to be a risk buying a second hand car. She was aware of the boot, it sounds like that's no an essential fix anyway if it opens with key. Wiper should be a cheap fix and the brakes are now her issue. Garage is probably over Charging her or she's having you on.

block her and forget it.

Dixiechickonhols · 09/05/2022 11:59

I wouldn’t engage. The car was sold as seen. It has a valid mot. It was a private sale. I’m not engaging further.
This is why people sell to dealers or we buy any car etc - Op has hassle and worry now (woman knows her address) for a few hundred pounds more.

SamphirethePogoingStickerist · 09/05/2022 11:59

I have my doubts.

Based on what? Pure conjecture! Why?

Discovereads · 09/05/2022 11:59

The woman buyer is at best naive at worst trying to scare/scam OP into giving her half her money back.

If the buyer is trying a scam. It’s simple. You tell them they can return the car for a refund and that you won’t entertain a £900 price reduction as you have a better offer (which is true the dealers offer is there). They’ve had the car less than 3 days. What they paid the garage is their loss. But everyone’s back where they were before the sale.

HoppingPavlova · 09/05/2022 12:00

OP priced the car £500 over the price a dealer offered last week. If this is a price jump from say £2000 to £2500, as could be with a car that old then sorry that is greed. Used cars don’t increase in value by that much in a week.

?? You always get more from private sales than you will from a dealer. It’s a trade off of less $$ but an easy sale to a dealer or the hassle of having to place an ad, deal with prospective buyers, have people jerk you around etc for more $$. The dealer doesn’t want to pay as much as a private buyer as that would mean low to no margin for them when they sell it.

Fidodidit · 09/05/2022 12:00

If the dealer was planning on selling for only £500, unless the car was extremely cheap, that would be a very small mark up. It doesn’t sound like the OP was being greedy at all.

BobHadBitchTits · 09/05/2022 12:01

Tell her to stick on some Judge Rinder and block her.

catscatscatseverywhere · 09/05/2022 12:01

You are not a business, so don't have to do anything. She made her decision and bought it from the private person. Should have gone to dealership. By the way, was she really expecting fully serviced car? Nobody does it. You always take into account the extra cost for replacing brakes, wiper blades and so on.

Fidodidit · 09/05/2022 12:01

Only £500 MORE

RedRobin100 · 09/05/2022 12:02

Sold as seen

if she wants a warranty should
have bought a more £££ car from a dealer..

starfishmummy · 09/05/2022 12:02

Private sale. She has no "come back".

AchatAVendre · 09/05/2022 12:02

Discovereads · 09/05/2022 11:53

It can be both. OP priced the car £500 over the price a dealer offered last week. If this is a price jump from say £2000 to £2500, as could be with a car that old then sorry that is greed. Used cars don’t increase in value by that much in a week.

The brakes would have been an advisory at least on last MOT, so why did the OP not mention them when selling and say “only known issue is the boot” Everyone knows you can’t examine brakes visually, you’d have to take it to a garage. Was the boot really the only known issue? I have my doubts.

And yes, if you don’t know about cars it’s wise to take someone with you who does but what if you don’t have a person like that in your life? And why is it wise for a buyer to take a car expert with them? To protect them from sellers trying to flog an overpriced car or offload a lemon on you.

I know the OP is legally in the right, but that doesn’t make an ethical sale.

Show quote history

Its always amusing when someone comes onto a thread on mumsnet and tries to waffle a lot of non-convincing nonsense for whatever purpose they have.

I'd say thats pretty unethical.

I'd say the buyer has been pretty lucky to buy a 13 year old car with only 3 issues, and if expecting not to maintain brakes in any car then is in for a shock. After all, she could have bought exactly the same car with exactly the same issues a week later from a dealer and then had to chase around trying to get him to comply with their warranty on a 13 year old car Grin

HoppingPavlova · 09/05/2022 12:02

People will also pay more when buying from a dealer as they get the warranty they don’t get with the private sale. So if confident car savvy buyer, better to buy privately and save money as opposed to getting from a dealer. If not car aware better to pay more $$ and have the security of a warranty.

The difference in selling price is not OP being greedy, it’s standard practice.

BuanoKubiamVej · 09/05/2022 12:05

She could have arranged the valuation before she bought it. She didn't. It's her problem. If you are buying a used car you either go to a dealership and have a small amount of peace of mind if they are a reputable business that what they sell you should be worth the asking price, more or less. You do pay a premium for that peace of mind though. If you buy from a private seller you have pretty much no come-back - she saw the item before she bought it and decided to go ahead. Whether she is now happy or not is none of your concern.

BigSandyBalls2015 · 09/05/2022 12:06

We sold a car and the buyer messaged me a year later to tell me it had failed it’s MOT 🙄😂

starfishmummy · 09/05/2022 12:06

OP priced the car £500 over the price a dealer offered last week. If this is a price jump from say £2000 to £2500, as could be with a car that old then sorry that is greed. Used cars don’t increase in value by that much in a week.

But a dealer would add his profit on. So if he bought for £2000, he's going to be selling for a lot more. Probably pricing it at £3000 with room to negotiate.