Second hand car horror story

dannyluvsu · 24-10-2015 7:15pm #1

So, I bought a car off a local Longford resident. Five days after purchase (2 days ago) I was on the N4 doing roughly 70mph. All of a sudden, the car jumped to 90mph by itself. Then 100mph.

I applied the breaks and changed down gears in an effort to slow down. At this point the car was full of smoke and I could not see where I was going. After finally wrestling the car to a stop, pulling in on the hard shoulder and removing the keys, the car was still revving and smoking uncontrollably causing me to leap from the car and run for dear life.

I'm a mature student, just took out a loan to buy the car to get me to and from college (I commute from Longford). So I have to pay the loan back (€500) as well as the €120 to get the car taken off the N4 and the price of scrap is so low atm it's worth nothing to me.

Let my mistake be a lesson to everyone - these are dark, recessionary days and every c**t is out to make a few quid. Beware.

Del2005 · 24-10-2015 7:19pm

What checks did you do before purchasing it? Have you good knowledge of cars or if not did you bring someone who does with you?

alane20 · 24-10-2015 7:25pm

What type of car was it? Would your insurance not cover the towing cost? Might take the sting out of it a bit, scary experience but at least no one was hurt

dannyluvsu · 24-10-2015 7:25pm

Checked the oil, radiator and the usual bits. Started it from cold (it is, or it was a diesel Vectra) and took it for a lengthy test run. At the end of the day, I'm no mechanic but it seemed all good at the time of purchase.

C.K Dexter Haven · 24-10-2015 7:25pm

Del2005 wrote: »

What checks did you do before purchasing it? Have you good knowledge of cars or if not did you bring someone who does with you?

^^^^this.
If you purchased off a dealer, then you have recourse. If private sale, then it's always buyer beware.

L1011 · 24-10-2015 7:27pm

dannyluvsu wrote: »

Let my mistake be a lesson to everyone - these are dark, recessionary days and every c**t is out to make a few quid. Beware.

Three issues:

1: we haven't been in a recession for some years
2: there may have been nothing wrong (that would cause that, but see point 3) with the car when you bought it
3: a 500 euro car is likely a wreck to begin with

Del2005 · 24-10-2015 7:28pm

dannyluvsu wrote: »

Checked the oil, radiator and the usual bits. Started it from cold (it is, or it was a diesel Vectra) and took it for a lengthy test run. At the end of the day, I'm no mechanic but it seemed all good at the time of purchase.

Maybe someone with more knowledge would of spotted an issue and it's also a good idea to have a second set of eyes looking just in case you miss something obvious. But sometimes cars just go bang.

C.K Dexter Haven · 24-10-2015 7:29pm

dannyluvsu wrote: »

Checked the oil, radiator and the usual bits. Started it from cold (it is, or it was a diesel Vectra) and took it for a lengthy test run. At the end of the day, I'm no mechanic but it seemed all good at the time of purchase.

It's lesson learned so. The seller may or may not have known it had a problem- it's quite possible a mechanic may have advised against buying- but really, dud cars have been sold for years, it's nothing new and not really something to shout about in consumer issues, especially talking about some random dude in Longford:P

pablo128 · 24-10-2015 7:31pm

What happened was the seals on the turbo failed, sending hot oil spraying into the engine. This acts like fuel, causing the engine to rev uncontrollably. Stopping it in gear is the only way to save the engine, but is very difficult to do from that speed.

Did the engine blow?

Del2005 · 24-10-2015 7:32pm

C.K Dexter Haven wrote: »

If you purchased off a dealer, then you have recourse. If private sale, then it's always buyer beware.

The dealers who knowingly sell dodgy motors know that in the end there is no recourse, they just change the company name.

dannyluvsu · 24-10-2015 7:33pm

pablo128 wrote: »

Did the engine blow?

Yup. There was a considerable amount of engine under the car when it was towed away.

TheChizler · 24-10-2015 7:36pm

Diesel runaway I believe it's called. Can happen anyone. There are some interesting videos on YouTube showing the effects. How did you get it stopped in the end? Clutch? I'm presuming you didn't cut off the air supply.

Edit: Oh I see!

GardeningGirl · 24-10-2015 7:39pm

Sounds like out of a movie. Thank God you are okay! Better luck next time

dannyluvsu · 24-10-2015 7:39pm

L1011 wrote: »

Three issues:

1: we haven't been in a recession for some years
2: there may have been nothing wrong (that would cause that, but see point 3) with the car when you bought it
3: a 500 euro car is likely a wreck to begin with

1: Yeah.. The papers say that alright and while I'm sure on paper we're not in a recession the sting certainly lingers on.
2: Fair point.
3: Also true.. but we're back to point numbero uno on that one, aren't we?

TheChizler · 24-10-2015 7:41pm

dannyluvsu wrote: »

3: Also true.. but we're back to point numbero uno on that one, aren't we?

But cheap buy twice unfortunately.

dannyluvsu · 24-10-2015 7:41pm

GardeningGirl wrote: »

Sounds like out of a movie. Thank God you are okay! Better luck next time

I appreciate the sentiment

All things considered I'm just glad there was no one else involved and that my 7 year old daughter was not present on this particular trip. The smoke was extremely bad and may have been harmful to her.

C.K Dexter Haven · 24-10-2015 7:41pm

dannyluvsu wrote: »

1: Yeah.. The papers say that alright and while I'm sure on paper we're not in a recession the sting certainly lingers on.
2: Fair point.
3: Also true.. but we're back to point numbero uno on that one, aren't we?

Recessions might affect how a car is treated, but buying decisions are within YOUR control.

dannyluvsu · 24-10-2015 7:44pm

TheChizler wrote: »

But cheap buy twice unfortunately.

Certainly seems to be the case alright! Unfortunately in my circumstance a second buy is not an option.

Thought I'd be lucky again, bought a second hand Vectra 4 years ago for feck all and it only gave up a few weeks ago. Now THAT was a car

dannyluvsu · 24-10-2015 7:46pm

C.K Dexter Haven wrote: »

Recessions might affect how a car is treated, but buying decisions are within YOUR control.

That is certainly true but I was referring to the amount or availability of money I would have to buy a car more so than the previous owners treatment of said car.

TheChizler · 24-10-2015 7:49pm

dannyluvsu wrote: »

Thought I'd be lucky again, bought a second hand Vectra 4 years ago for feck all and it only gave up a few weeks ago. Now THAT was a car

Unfortunately these things happen I'm sorry to say, if it was a dealer they might have some sympathy and do you a deal on an engine, I doubt it would be economical though. Bought a (petrol) Vectra a year ago for probably too much, hopefully I have better luck

If you're in Cork I'll buy your now-spare jack off you

dannyluvsu · 24-10-2015 7:53pm

TheChizler wrote: »

If you're in Cork I'll buy your now-spare jack off you

Unfortunately I'm stuck in the back-arse of Longford myself.. but if you're ever up this way you're welcome to it :rolleyes:

C.K Dexter Haven · 24-10-2015 7:54pm

dannyluvsu wrote: »

That is certainly true but I was referring to the amount or availability of money I would have to buy a car more so than the previous owners treatment of said car.

You can't rely on ANYONE, but yourself if you have the knowledge or a good mechanic, if you don't, when buying a car- least of all, the person selling it. In addition, not all faults will be apparent when buying, and as other posters have said, cars are priced low for a reason, usually because they require work.

You had a very bad experience with a car- great that you and your loved ones are OK, but really, if you don't know about cars, then don't go buying ones that aren't assessed properly and putting your life and those of others, at risk.

dannyluvsu · 24-10-2015 8:01pm

C.K Dexter Haven wrote: »

You can't rely on ANYONE, but yourself if you have the knowledge or a good mechanic, if you don't, when buying a car- least of all, the person selling it. In addition, not all faults will be apparent when buying, and as other posters have said, cars are priced low for a reason, usually because they require work.

You had a very bad experience with a car- great that you and your loved ones are OK, but really, if you don't know about cars, then don't go buying ones that aren't assessed properly and putting your life and those of others, at risk.

Eh.. thanks?

C.K Dexter Haven · 24-10-2015 8:05pm

dannyluvsu wrote: »

Eh.. thanks?

Look, you had a bad experience and we're all suitably empathetic with your plight in terms of what happened on the day, but it's not a consumer issue. If you think you've been dreadfully wronged, then take legal advice, but trying to prove that the seller knew how bad the car was going to be is nigh on impossible- I really can't see your point of posting in this forum?

dannyluvsu · 24-10-2015 8:11pm

C.K Dexter Haven wrote: »

Look, you had a bad experience and we're all suitably empathetic with your plight in terms of what happened on the day, but it's not a consumer issue. If you think you've been dreadfully wronged, then take legal advice, but trying to prove that the seller knew how bad the car was going to be is nigh on impossible- I really can't see your point of posting in this forum?

What are you, the Boards-Police?

I'm simply spreading awareness that there are a lot of dodgy deals out there masquerading as sure things that will not necessarily end in your car simply not starting in the driveway.

If you think this should be moved, Mr Boards-Police, by all means move it but don't act like this post is taking up space in your garage. Thanks.

Stheno · 24-10-2015 8:14pm

dannyluvsu wrote: »

What are you, the Boards-Police?

I'm simply spreading awareness that there are a lot of dodgy deals out there masquerading as sure things that will not necessarily end in your car simply not starting in the driveway.

If you think this should be moved, Mr Boards-Police, by all means move it but don't act like this post is taking up space in your garage. Thanks.

What happened as described by other posters doesn't sound like something that you'd know about, sounds like a sudden failure tbh, so blaming the buyer is kinda pointless if that is the case.

dmc17 · 24-10-2015 8:17pm

I also have sympathy for your situation, but as is the case here, if you buy a car for €500 quid there are no guarantees that it won't explode. The fact that it exploded within a week of purchase doesn't automatically mean that the seller could foresee the explosion and decided to sell it on for a quick buck. Thus, I don't think that you should be automatically presuming that they are a c**t.
On the rare occasion, one can buy a €500 car and it may run for years but this will be the exception. At the end of the day, a €500 car is a gamble and when gambling, you can't win them all. Thanks for sharing your experience and hopefully it will ensure people will carry out more thorough checks when buying, but in some situations there are some things you just can't predict.

liam7831 · 24-10-2015 8:19pm

For 500 quid you got a bargain that it lasted as long as it did.

C.K Dexter Haven · 24-10-2015 8:20pm

dannyluvsu wrote: »

What are you, the Boards-Police?

I'm simply spreading awareness that there are a lot of dodgy deals out there masquerading as sure things that will not necessarily end in your car simply not starting in the driveway.

If you think this should be moved, Mr Boards-Police, by all means move it but don't act like this post is taking up space in your garage. Thanks.

The purpose of this forum is to highlight consumer issues. All I see in your original post is that you purchased a cheap car that you didn't get properly assessed- hence, "buyer beware" comment from me.
And just one car, from a dude in Longford, not many,-so where your "lot of dodgy cars" claim is coming from is going over my head. Do explain.

You made a bad purchasing choice and you're now trying to blame everyone but yourself.

Atlantic Dawn · 24-10-2015 8:21pm

Did you buy from the actual owner of the car as on the logbook or just some randomer who was buying and selling cars? This is usually where the problem is.

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1 · 24-10-2015 8:27pm

Atlantic Dawn wrote: »

Did you buy from the actual owner of the car as on the logbook or just some randomer who was buying and selling cars? This is usually where the problem is.

What problem? He bought a car for €500 without having it checked over. It doesn't matter who sold it other than it was not from a business so he has no recourse and, as it happens, no proof that the sale was intended to be anything but genuine.

dannyluvsu · 24-10-2015 8:29pm

C.K Dexter Haven wrote: »

The purpose of this forum is to highlight consumer issues. All I see in your original post is that you purchased a cheap car that you didn't get properly assessed- hence, "buyer beware" comment from me.
And just one car, from a dude in Longford, not many,-so where your "lot of dodgy cars" claim is coming from is going over my head. Do explain.

You made a bad purchasing choice and you're now trying to blame everyone but yourself.

Seems to me like you've had a pretty bad day yourself? Perhaps there are more constructive ways to deal with it than picking fights with people on the internet?

I honestly don't see what's wrong with me potentially making someone reconsidering the cheap option based on my own personal experience.. and yes, I would consider this a consumer issue.

For the record, I'm a dude from Longford and I'm not blaming anyone other than myself.

slimjimmc · 24-10-2015 8:33pm

@C.K Dexter Haven : stop backseat modding please. You're here long enough to report a thread if you think it doesn't fit in a particular forum.
@dannyluvsu: Likewise for you, report posts and don't retaliate with name calling.

dannyluvsu · 24-10-2015 8:36pm

slimjimmc wrote: »

@C.K Dexter Haven : stop backseat modding please. You're here long enough to report a thread if you think it doesn't fit in a particular forum.
@dannyluvsu: Likewise for you, report posts and don't retaliate with name calling.

Sure thing.

jimmycrackcorm · 24-10-2015 8:39pm

Jessie Odd Fireman wrote:

What problem? He bought a car for â‚¬500 without having it checked over. It doesn't matter who sold it other than it was not from a business so he has no recourse and, as it happens, no proof that the sale was intended to be anything but genuine.

Just out of interest, what possible checks could have found that this issue would occur.

slimjimmc · 24-10-2015 8:42pm

Mod: I don't see any merit in keeping this open, OP has highlighted the importance of checking what you're buying in any situation and especially when buying privately as there is little legal recourse. Mission accomplished.

Second hand car horror story

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