Car Dealers

Bettyboop

does a car dealer have to tell you if a car you are buying was in a crash?
Even if it wasn't recorded?
Many thanks:)

Rebeller

Bettyboop wrote:

does a car dealer have to tell you if a car you are buying was in a crash?
Even if it wasn't recorded?
Many thanks:)

Difficult to give a simple yes or no answer.

If you specifically ask "was this car ever in a crash?" and he answers "no (knowing that it was in fact involved in a collision) you would have some recourse in the event that you later discover collision damage. However, a dealer is under no legal obligation to inform you of any defects, problems.

The general rule is "buyer beware"; ask every question (no matter how stupid it may seem!) and always get a third party mechanic to give the car the once over.

Bettyboop

Rebeller wrote:

Difficult to give a simple yes or no answer.

If you specifically ask "was this car ever in a crash?" and he answers "no (knowing that it was in fact involved in a collision) you would have some recourse in the event that you later discover collision damage. However, a dealer is under no legal obligation to inform you of any defects, problems.

The general rule is "buyer beware"; ask every question (no matter how stupid it may seem!) and always get a third party mechanic to give the car the once over.

Thanks for the reply but unfortunately the car was bought only to discover it was in a crash:(

cork_ie

Bettyboop wrote:

Thanks for the reply but unfortunately the car was bought only to discover it was in a crash:(

Depends a lot in the severity of the crash and the quality of the repair.
The basic principal with any sale of goods is they must be "fit for purpose" i.e. they must do the job they were expected to do or perform as well as a similar item at a similar price.
If the car had a minor accident like wing or bumper damage that was well repaired and it drives correctly and dosen't wear tyres etc. then the car is "fit for purpose" and to be honest minor damage like that is no worse than a broken window in your house once repaired it is as good as if it never happened.
However any kind of serious accident damage not disclosed to you - especially if the car was "written off" by an insurance company is generally grounds for getting your money back unless it was bought "as is " or as a trade sale.
Try and find out the extent of the accident damage and have a chat with the dealer who sold you the car.In 99 cases out of a 100 they will try and settle with you as garages nearly always lose in court in these kind of cases.

cork_ie

Rebeller wrote:

Difficult to give a simple yes or no answer.


The general rule is "buyer beware"; ask every question (no matter how stupid it may seem!) and always get a third party mechanic to give the car the once over.

Not so. Consumers have much better protection when buying from someone who sells things as part of a trade or business, "buyer beware" would not apply in this case. That is why it is always better to buy a car from a garage or dealer.Private sales are a different matter and you need to be much more careful. Getting your mechanic to check a car in a private sale is a must but could actually work against you in buying from a garage or dealer as you will then be deemed to have had the vehicle checked by "your own expert" and if he says it is OK you are on much shakier ground if you later have a complaint.

Bettyboop

thanks all for your replies.You see my problem is that this car passed an NCT 2
weeks ago and I paid the dealer extra to get it ready for the NCT providing it passed I would pay him the balance.However the car passed and was handed back in the same condition.Nothing was done to it at all,I have since had 2 independant reports done on the car and it turns out it was crashed at the front. I did do a check with cartell.ie before we purchased it and it never mentioned any crash! The NCT centre investigated after I emailed them and sent on photos.Though they agree it was a tall order for the dealer to put the car right in less than 24hrs.Here is a few photos of the car.I have emailed and tried to phone the dealer but he changed his email address and wont answer the phone.And when I 1st contacted him he said he would give me a grill for the car and post it to me.I had to purchase 4 new tyres the same day when I got it home as the 4 that were on it were bald.

brian_rbk

cork_ie wrote:

Not so. Consumers have much better protection when buying from someone who sells things as part of a trade or business, "buyer beware" would not apply in this case. That is why it is always better to buy a car from a garage or dealer.Private sales are a different matter and you need to be much more careful. Getting your mechanic to check a car in a private sale is a must but could actually work against you in buying from a garage or dealer as you will then be deemed to have had the vehicle checked by "your own expert" and if he says it is OK you are on much shakier ground if you later have a complaint.

'Buyer Beware' should apply in all sales, if you are purchasing in a private sale, or from a retailer. Always ask the important questions... consumer law will not always protect the customer completely, and in some cases the law is very vague!