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I was sold a car that turned out to be an ex-rental car - can I seek damages?

I bought a 2018 Land Rover Discovery Sport for over £34K from a main Land Rover. We discovered that the whole of the nearside had been repainted . We complained to the dealer which bought the car back for £28k. Subsequently, although the car was sold as having one owner it turned out the car had a number of keepers and the owner listed was a car hire firm. They confirmed to me the car was a hire vehicle for over six months. The dealer is selling hire cars as one owner at a premium price but not disclosing the history. I have issued a complaint to the dealer seeking damages for the financial loss. This treatment by main dealers surely is not acceptable?

Asked on 1 August 2019 by Marguerite Haddrell

Answered by Honest John
I have no qualms about ex-rental cars. But there is prejudice against them which is why dealers hide the truth. However, under the 2008 Consumer Protection regulations, "misleading omissions" are an offence, and these include not telling a buyer of previous repaired accident damage. Scroll down this FAQ: www.honestjohn.co.uk/faq/consumer-rights/ to CONSUMER PROTECTION FROM UNFAIR TRADING REGULATIONS MAY 2008 CASE LAW. But note that the words "One Previous Owner", literally means one owner previous to the last one.
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