advice on goods purchased second hand

mr c

Hello I was looking for some advice if at all possible

a friend off mine bought some car parts

A mutual friend sourced them for him
he bought one item 4 months ago for a few thousand
and in the last 8 weeks another thousand (2 items)

he has since found out that the parts are not fit for purpose

our mutual friend said he would help him get the parts and told him the price
we have since found out that the first purchase was actually bought a considerably cheaper price than he told him it was
and the person who the mutual friend bought it off told the mutual friend it was sold as seen

my friend was never told that or aware that the mutual friend was making money on the transaction

we also suspect the second purchases he also added his own money on

he paid for the first item to the mutual friend via bank transfer but on the basis he was giving that amount to the person who the parts where coming from

and the second purchases (2 transactions ) he paid via pay-pal marked as a gift to the mutual friend

he now may be caught for a couple off thousand (more than small claims court limit )
and he doesn't know what to do
he is the nicest person you would ever meet and it is horrible and I thought maybe somebody on here could give some advice on what he can do

he has not informed the mutual friend yet that he knows the truth

sorry if it is a confusing post but if anyone could give me some advice i would greatly appreciate it

many thanks in advance if somebody can Help me
thank you

chops018

He needs to seek the advice of a Solicitor.

mr c

Thank you for your reply
He thinks he doesn't have a leg to stand on and is afraid that he will just be throwing more money down the drain
But I think its not a simple buying second hand goods from a person case
as the person he gave the money to never identified them self as the seller
is it theft ?