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Insider dealing

I bought a 02 plate Rover 25 for £1,700 on 19-05-2009 from a trader. My car which he took in part exchange is still on his website for sale. The Rover I bought from him broke down on 19-09-2009 (4 months) and I'm having to replace the engine. A hydraulic tappet managed to break and fragment, which destroyed the cylinder head, one of the cams and the cam carrier. It worked out cheaper for me to buy a second hand complete engine rather than buy a cylinder head with cams and followers and then pay to have it skimmed and fitted with new gaskets, etc., etc. So this is what I'm having to do now. The big issue with this is that the trader I bought the car from has been locked up for 3 years for tax evasion. Where do I stand with this?

Asked on 5 December 2009 by

Answered by Honest John
The law says you have to give whoever sold you the car a chance to fix it first. However, this was a cheap 7-year-old car, so your rights are not the same as for a 4-year-old £6,000 car. I don't see how you're going to get anything out of this guy. The taxman has first call on any assets he may still possess.
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