......more. For the lazy people.
Your rights if you buy second hand cars from a dealer
When you buy a second hand car from a dealer, you have a right, under the Sale of Goods Act 1979, to expect the car to:
* Be of satisfactory quality (taking into account its age and mileage)
* Meet any description given to you when you were buying it, and
* Be fit for the purpose (for example, to get you from A to B safely)
If the second hand car does not meet these requirements you have a right to claim against the dealer for breach of contract.
Your right to reject a second hand car
If there's a problem with a second hand car soon after you’ve bought it, for example, the car develops a problem you wouldn’t expect for the car’s age and mileage, or it turns out to be not what you’d been lead to expect, you may have the right to ‘reject’ the car and get your money back.
However, you have only a ‘reasonable’ time to reject a second hand car. There’s no clear definition of what a reasonable time is – you probably need to do it within three or four weeks of buying it. And if the fault is very obvious you may have less time.
If you reject a second hand car you must stop using it.
Your right to claim for the cost of repairs
If it’s too late to reject the second hand car (or you don’t want to) you can ask the dealer for a repair or replacement. If the dealer refuses, you could:
* claim from it the cost of getting the second hand car repaired elsewhere
* claim for a reduction in the purchase price, or
* return the car and get the money you paid back, less a deduction for the use you’ve had (called ‘recision’)
However, if your claim is worth more than the small claims limit where you live (£5,000 in England and Wales, £3,000 in Scotland or Northern Ireland) you may need to take advice before you act, because you may risk facing time-consuming and expensive court action.
If you get a warranty or guarantee with a second hand car, you may be able to claim on that to get any problems fixed. However, this doesn’t affect your legal rights, and you could still either reject the car, or claim against the dealer.
