AIBU to feel upset that a family member profited from me?

[RainbowStars27]

Bit of a long winded one but bear with.

A few years ago I bought a car off a close family member. We negotiated a price and finally landed on a figure. All fine no issues.

This week, I have found the receipt of when the family member bought the car. (It was in the glove box). She paid less for it than I paid her. Baring in mind, she bought the car 2 years earlier, added many miles and obviously the car aged 2 years.

I feel because it is family, they should have been honest with what they paid and not made a profit out of me. They have argued that that’s what they thought it was worth at the time. (It definitely wasn’t).

yabu: I should have checked what they paid for it and accept my losses.

yanbu: you shouldn’t treat family members like that, they should have been honest and not made a profit from me.

You obviously thought the car was worth it at the time if you agreed to the price, so it seems daft to be annoyed years later.

I'm mostly just impressed in all the years of owning it you didn't clean the glove compartment.

They have argued that that’s what they thought it was worth at the time. (It definitely wasn’t)

You must have thought it was worth it since you negotiated a price and landed at a figure, agreed to it and paid.

The second hand market is booming now so she probably could have gotten that from another seller.

If you wanted mates rates you should have made that clear otherwise current market value is fair.

Why did you pay more than you thought it's worth then? Secondhand cars are expensive right now.

Cars are so much more to buy than 2 years ago. Wouldn’t bother falling out with them over this, but wouldn’t be quick to do them any favours.

@RainbowStars27

It’s actually none of your business what they paid for it. Current market value is always fair.

it depends when they bought it and when they sold it. There was a while a few years ago when second hand cars were dearer than new ones because they didn't have parts for new ones so you ordered one but didnt get them on time!

Because of this second hand ones values went up so much it could be that the car was worth more a year or whatever after it was bought.

So the other side of the question is “is it fair that my relative loses out in the true value of the car if she drops the price for me by 25% as it’s older/increased mileage and would i be content for that to happen when shes get more from ‘we buy any car’?”

so there are two sides here.

Honestly if you paid no more than she would have got as a trade in i think thats fair. it still saved you money compared to a dealer selling at a forecourt price.

what she paid is nothing to do with you. The receipt may not mention a deposit or trade in so it may not be the full picture anyway.

You relative might’ve got it cheaper because it was in need of certain parts they then subsequently replaced.

Tip: always do your research before you commit

The prices of second hand cars are increasing all the time. Some more than others. She isn't a charity.

I’m just impressed that you thought shaming her about cleaning the glovebox was a relevant response.

I’m finding it wild you haven’t cleared out the glove box for a few years!!!

But yes, they were mean.

Is it possibly they did work to it that improved its value? Or did they get a discount from a friend?

I can see why you'd feel that way but you must have thought the vet was worth it

It wasn't intended as shaming. Surely at some point in years of owning a vehicle it would be quite normal to clean out a glove box.

I gave a relevant response to the actual subject of the post.

Yes, what was the actual £ difference, and what work did she have done to it?

Oh, apologies. I just couldn’t think of a good reason to mention it.

Lol, shes obviously kept it well that you was willing to pay a higher price.

YABU, just because she got a bargain doesn't mean you shouldn't pay a fair price years later.

If the value of the car had dropped since she bought it (as normally happens), would you have paid the higher price, lower price, or something in between?

If they could have got what you asked elsewhere, selling it to you at the price they bought it is a loss for them.
If they couldn't have got that amount elsewhere and did it because they knew you'd be too naive to check you're not being ripped off, they were in the wrong and it's a lesson for you.

You’re both right. I would be surprised in your shoes, but not many people can afford to give money away. If the car was actually worth what you paid, that’s probably because second hand car prices had risen (as seen during Covid), so they would probably want the money they would get selling elsewhere. Especially if buying something else.

That said, the onus was on you to verify its value.

To be fair used cars shot up in value.

If you were sold market value, what’s the problem. If she can sell it for that price to someone else why should she miss out just because you are family.

If you weren’t sold at market value - well aren’t you foolish for not checking🤷‍♀️

during covid the 2nd hand resale value of my swift was actually more than when I bought it new in 2019

YANBU that’s a proper shitty thing to do to a family member or friend.

At the most, she could have sold it for what she bought it for but to sell it for more is a complete piss take.

It's not though is it if she now needs to use the money to buy another car. OP didn't have to buy it!