Sold car, buyer phoning me about problems

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Fri 11 May 2012 17:59
Sold car, buyer phoning me about problems - GavoTheSane

So I sold my focus, wrote a geniune ad, now the buyer has rung me twice regarding problems he's now found with the car. He came today with his mechanic to pick it up, money is safe in my bank account, and the mechanic took it for a drive, he said there was an issue with the wheel bearings, so while on the drive we took it to two garages who test drove it and stated there were no wheel bearing problems. He's now rang me to say the brakes were juddery on the way home. He's not asking for any compensation for it, but he's just ringing me to tell me the problems. I have a feeling he's going to ask for compensation for the issues.

What legal recourse does he have over this? I thought buying privately was basically caveat emptor, since both he and his mechanic had test drives.

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Fri 11 May 2012 18:37
Sold car, buyer phoning me about problems - focussed

Ignore the whingeing-he came-he saw-he bought it-end of. Unless you misrepresented the car in your advert you are totally in the clear and the buyer has no legal comeback.

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Sat 12 May 2012 15:07
Sold car, buyer phoning me about problems - sb10

You get them like that sometimes,take no notice and he will go away,even if it had minor faults theres no such thing as a perfect second hand car and he must know that,if not he should buy new

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Sat 12 May 2012 15:12
Sold car, buyer phoning me about problems - Bobbin Threadbare

If you sent off the V5 form to the DVLA informing them that you are no longer the owner, then, as has been said above, you're ok.

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Sun 13 May 2012 16:01
Sold car, buyer phoning me about problems - Roly93

Ignore the whingeing-he came-he saw-he bought it-end of. Unless you misrepresented the car in your advert you are totally in the clear and the buyer has no legal comeback.

Absolutely right, if he test drove it then its tuff ! This is perhaps one of the reasons some people are retiscent to sell cars privately, myself I always get them to sign a receipt with words including 'sold as seen' on it.

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Sun 13 May 2012 22:50
Sold car, buyer phoning me about problems - GavoTheSane

I used the What Car? reciept PDF file, so 'sold as seen' was on there.

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Sat 12 May 2012 18:09
Sold car, buyer phoning me about problems - Avant

The legal reason that you're OK is that under the Sale of Goods Act a private seller implies that (s)he has title to the goods and that they are as described in any advertisement, but no more than that. With trade sales more is implied, particularly that the goods are of 'satisfactory quality'.

The buyer is trying it on. He would have a case only if you were selling the car as from your business.

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Sun 13 May 2012 16:27
Sold car, buyer phoning me about problems - Bobbin Threadbare

OP, I've re-read your post and it seems to me like the chap who bought the car just isn't used to driving a Focus. It can take time to get used to an unfamiliar car - when I bought my current car, I was convinced the clutch was dodgy on the way home! It wasn't of course, but I just wasn't used to it so I had to learn its behaviour.

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Mon 14 May 2012 09:49
Sold car, buyer phoning me about problems - oldtoffee

He's just chancing it. Send him a link to this thread and block his number ;-)

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Mon 14 May 2012 11:52
Sold car, buyer phoning me about problems - Hamsafar

As long as the advert didn't lie or mislead, such as by saying "mechanically perfect" or "mint condition" then there is no recourse. What is more, if he inspected/tested it and especially if he had a professional inspect it, then he has even fewer legs to stand on with respect to claims about things which would have been apparent in the inspection if they existsed at the time of sale.

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