I privately purchased a 2005 Porsche 911 Carrera S with 38,000 miles on the clock in March 2012 for £26,375. The vendor specifically denied any insurance loss on the vehicle and I performed a vehicle history check. This reported the vehicle to be clear of any concerns and I duly proceeded with the purchase. Contingent on the history report and purchase I then spent, amongst other items, £2300 on a Warranty Direct three-year warranty, £1400 on new tyres all round and £300 on a minor service. I commute 90 miles a day and the car has just passed 50,000 miles.

In September, I tried to replace a lost key, ordering one through the Porsche OPC network. This request was rejected by Porsche GmBH as they have the chassis number recorded as a total loss. At this point I performed another history check with a different company, that showed a Category D loss on 11 January 2007. I immediately filed a claim with the original history checking company and they have responded with an offer of £13,187, i.e. 50 per cent of my purchase price, claiming that the loss was not showing at the time of my check.

I am very reluctant to keep hold of a car where I cannot obtain a spare key and where I can envisage great future difficulty in selling a Cat D loss when this model is so widely available on the secondhand market. My preferred outcome would be a complete refund of the original purchase price plus a substantial if not complete consideration to my subsequent expenditure. Please would you advise me if my wishes are enforceable or unrealistic and how I might best proceed?