I bought my 54 plate Alfa GT 3.2 V6 from a dealer some distance away because there aren't may of these cars for sale. It was bought at the begining of December supposedly in good condition with everything working and 3 month mechanical warrenty, I test drove it and things seemed ok. It was pointed out to me that the front bumper had been resprayed and I am fine with that, however a few days after buying I checked the coolant level and it was down so I topped it up and things seemed ok (I work from home and don't actually use it much). I'll make this shorter by saying that I found it leaked but only really noticable when doing longer journeys, had it pressure tested and radiator was leaking had this replaced but dealer wouldn't pay (offered £80, it cost £250 doing it cheaply buying from ebay and local garage not alfa). The car was still leaking and traced to some o rings perished on the part that connects the radiator pipes to the engine block. Also while looking for the leak I noticed the engine stabiliser bar bushes were completely worn out so I replaced that. The cruise control doen't work, passenger heated seat doesn't work and the rear parking sensors do not work also. An intermittent knock developed from the front suspension area, the stabiliser bar ends and a damper were replaced (£230). I found a hole in the exhaust that had been temporarily been patched up and now the water pump is not working and is being replaced today, all the timing belt and tensioners need doing at the same time, as the belts have to be removed to take the pump off (£550 not alfa dealer). I've currently wasted about 12 hours of my time going to and from garages and in fault tracking which has prevented me from working as well.

The web site of the garage states that all cars are hpi clear, mot'd, serviced where needed, have a 140 point check, are professionally valeted and come with a 3 month/3000 mile warranty for peace of mind.

The garage will not pay for anything (except for the £80) saying that it's just normal wear for a car of that age. The sale of goods act says that purchases should be fit for purpose. Surely when paying £7250 for a car it is reasonable to expect it to last for at least 3 months without breaking down?!

My question is, do you think I have a case/should I take it to the small claims court?

First action is to write to the dealer stating the faults, the sale of goods act and what I want him to do about the faults. I know from our telephone conversations that he won't pay for anything so what are my options? The 3 month warranty (for what it's worth???) runs out on the 1st of March.

Thanks for any oppinions and facts about my rights and course of action to take.

Tony