Done by a rogue trader? HELP!

A question about : Done by a rogue trader? HELP!

Hi guys,

please bare with me, i will try and fit as much detail in as possible and I would love it if you could give me some help to try and resolve my situation i feel i have walked into quite by mistake.

Yesterday i purchased a car i saw advertised on autotrader by a company (CM trading) based in wigan, the car in question an Astra 1.9 CDTI with 76,000 miles, 1 owner and priced at Ј3290 i thought was reasonably priced.

On inspecting the vehicle the trader told me i could not test drive the vehicle due to insurance purposes (i thought fair at the time) drove me up and down the street at 30-40 miles an hour, i thought it seemed ok, looked clean enough he told me had part service history and advertised it as this but he said he didn't know when the most recent service was and i bought it.

Drove it home to Shrewsbury around a 60 mile journey, on the journey home i noticed that the steering wheel shook at around 70 miles an hour and also part way home a light came on dashboard (traction control), as i was concerned i took it into a garage the next day to look over and the engineer returned a report to me explaining a long list of faults including: 2 illegal tyres (1 bald, 1 with wire coming out of the inside). the one tyre with wiring poking out had a new wheel bearing suggesting that had been resolved knowing the wire was there. ABS wiring to the new bearing was in a poor state with bare wires and uncoupled wires, noise from rear wheel bearing, inlet manifold flaps fallen apart, offside drive shaft inner gaiter leaking grease, traction control light on display, clutch worked but when changing gear quickly it does not release properly advised was potentially a clutch slave cylinder issue and the mechanic could see that there was strong evidence the gearbox had been out recently. The car also has very worn rear brakes although this was listed as an advisory on the recent MOT in January at around the same mileage the car is at now.

I contacted the seller to explain issues to no avail he explained to me he sold the car as seen and the faults weren't there when he sold it, after 15 minutes of going nowhere on phone call i advised id contact trading standards and be back in touch.

spoke to trading standards and they advised me to write to the trader including the engineer report and seeing if he would resolve my issue within 7 days, if not to write again, and finally to write another final letter.

Since then the seller has contacted me again and said he would offer me Ј200 towards repairs but i only had until weekend to decide after that he would withdraw offer and i would have to pursue in small claims courts, he also offered if i returned the car to repair it to a roadworthy state but i cannot return the car as it has illegal tyres.

Could anybody offer any advice on what the best course of action would be, i get the feeling the dealer has done this sort of thing before and is standing on with me and has no interest in completing a competent repair, he also said the message in such a way that it made me feel like he wouldn't resolve the issues with the clutch and manifold etc.

I've written a letter but would be great if somebody could proof to make sure not to over the top and was relevant.

Any help appreciated!

Sorry about any grammar mistakes, I've been up all day and this has been having me worrying like crazy as i commute around 110 miles a day and bought the car for commuting to work.

Please feel free to ask any questions that may help me!!

Best answers:

• Oh dear, Trader seller with only a mobile, currently only 3 cars listed, Clicking visit website on the autotrader site shows a road but no other details.
  Google shows a small road with lots of yards, but none seem to be a cars sales.
  All that and a car with a part service history. Not letting you drive it was dodgy right away. Does he have trade insurance? That should cover a car trader giving customers test drives.
  One i would have run away from.
  You really should have spotted the dodgy tyres. Get it delivered back to him and see what he will fix. But i really do have a bad feeling on this one.
  I will PM you about something i spotted on google maps/streetview that maybe a link. But i wont mention it publicly just in case its not.
• https://www.honestjohn.co.uk/faq/consumer-rights/
  read this and reject the car. IIRC it is an offence to sell an unroadworthy car too.
• Lots of things in your post would have made me "Walk Away". Before you discuss any car in any garage showroom, you ALWAYS look over the car visual as best you can and to the best of your knowledge.
  Spotting Bald tyres with wire sticking out should be within the capability of EVERY car buyer be it an first car buying 18 year old male/female or an OAP buying his/her 90th car!
  Never buy a car with little no paperwork?
  Hey, you have learnt some lessons if nothing else, but for advice you would would be best reading the HonestJohn linky thing in the previous post. it offers some really good advice on what to do next.
  personally....... If i bought that car it he would have had it back 2 hours after reading the Garage report. (Or as long as it took you to drive to wigan?
  Why are you buying a cheap car so far away in Wigan? Was it a "Special/Rare Model" only available in this location? For the price you paid i would have thought there where 1000's within 10-25 miles of your home town?? Strange it is? I get travelling long distances for "That Special Car" or "That Special Deal", but buying run of the mill everyday cars, stick to local garages where you can easily get to if there is a problem!!
• Time and time again we have people coming onto this forum with a problem, having purchased a car from a dealer many miles away from where they live, and suffering from the consequences of the long distances between home and dealer.
  Were there no Vauxhall Astra's with the specification you wanted in Shropshire? I find it difficult to understand why someone would travel from Shrewsbury to Wigan to buy a run of the mill car from someone who is, from the brief description given, either a cowboy or a part-time trader with nothing behind him but three cars to sell.
  You have been a member of this forum for more than two years. Did it not occur to you to check about buying a car from a long way off before parting with your money? You were quick enough to come on here when you have a problem.
  It well and truly sounds as though you have been trussed up like a kipper. You need to take the car back today and refuse to leave the dealer until you have the cash back in your hands. If he refuses, leave the car outside his premises with posters all over it outlining the problems. Call the local newspaper and ask them to cover the event. Also tell the dealer you work for Revenue and Customs and will be looking into his background.
• Return car for all of your money (car is unroadworthy = illegal sale).
  Do homework before buying cars.
  Avoid driveway dealers with many names, no fixed premises or landline.
  Avoid CAB and TS who will blow hot air and do SFA.
• Make sure that you print out a copy of the advert:
  https://webcache.googleusercontent.co...&hl=en&ct=clnk
  as this will be proof of some of the dealer's claims:
  "Drives superb", and "Traction control" in particular.
• Don't buy from a trader who either uses only a mobile or Autotraders hidden number service. If it's the first, they are clearly going to be difficult to pin down, if its the second, like many things AT, it works the first few times then simply doesn't.
  If you're selling private, use a cheap mobile sim that you can throw away after the car is sold.
• Very sad to hear but a common problem i;ve seen on this forum in my short time here.
  No other advice I can give that not already been posted.
  I do find it strange how you're buying an old vehicle when you have such a long commute - i'd splash out on a motor if I was driving that far everyday!
  Hope it works out
• What was the "insurance issue" that meant you coudlnt drive it..?
  I would have waled away there and then.
  It's an Astra SRi diesel, so hardly rare. Surprised you drove from Shrew to Wiguuurn.
• The gearbox in those cars fall apart in a heartbeat. We had one two years ago, gearbox failed spectacularly on the motorway taking flywheel etc with it and leaving us with a bill just shy of 2k.
  Traded it in to a garage not long after that. Lovely car but not worth the hassle. The Astra owners network has dozens of owners in the same boat.
  Good luck, hope you can get rid.