Ok, so some of you may or may not know but I purchased a Rover 218vvc coupe a few weeks ago. Seemed ok at first but then became harder to start. I replaced the battery which seemed to help and then just recently replaced the sparks which also helped. I asked for advice on here and the rover-coupe.co.uk forum and the conclusion was that it could be all manor of things from damp, to sparks, to leads, to coil packs, to fuel, to low compression, to head gasket etc. So i really didnt have a definitive answer to what was up with the starting (although it never actually failed to start and would always start within a few goes of trying).
Now I sold the car via ebay listed as with a starting problem (to which the cause I dont know).
I also listed the car as being sold as seen
Now the guy that bought it decided to use the buy now function without so much as an email to ask about the car. He did not view the car beforehand or did not get an independant vehical inspection. He paid the £200 non refundable deposit (as requested in the description) via paypal and then came to collect a few days later. He had a look around the car, had a listen to the engine (which started first time on the key) and happily drove away 10 mins later having paid the full remaining amount in cash.
Today I come online to find this in my ebay inbox
To which I have replied
In my opinion this seems quite fair. I am not willing to offer a full refund on the car as I had no definitive answer to what was wrong with it and so sold it as seen with a starting fault. This is in no way lying to cover up a major fault as I had no real reason to suspect that the head gasket had gone (having been told it could be numerous other "common" faults with these cars and not having done a compression test myself).
It is also possible that the damage could have been done once the car had left my property. There is no evidence to suggest that he didnt rag it all the way home on the limiter and kill the engine.
So really, where do I stand on this? He says he will get his solicitor envolved but surly this being a private sale and being sold as seen without actually viewing the car, happily accepting it on collection and driving away, he has no legal stand point?
Any help appreciated
Now I sold the car via ebay listed as with a starting problem (to which the cause I dont know).
The only mechanical problem I can see with the car is that occasionally it will need use of the throttle to start it. Only seems to be on damp cold mornings so it might just be condensation on the electrics etc. However, like I say, its only occasionally and usualy starts on the first turn of the key!
I also listed the car as being sold as seen
Remember, the car is sold as seen. You bid to buy, not to have a look.
Now the guy that bought it decided to use the buy now function without so much as an email to ask about the car. He did not view the car beforehand or did not get an independant vehical inspection. He paid the £200 non refundable deposit (as requested in the description) via paypal and then came to collect a few days later. He had a look around the car, had a listen to the engine (which started first time on the key) and happily drove away 10 mins later having paid the full remaining amount in cash.
Today I come online to find this in my ebay inbox
hi there, you told me that nothing major was wrong with the car.
i have been outside for 2 hours because, i could not start the car, i contacted the rac which when they came out to me, stated that their is excessive compression problem.
i understand sold as seen, however you legally lied. i would like to sort this out peacefully, and you giving me a full refund, if this is not the case you will leave me with no option but to take you to the courts, via my solicitor.
regards mr w. gibson.
p.s i will print a copy of this letter to which i will show to my solicitor.
To which I have replied
Im sorry to hear the car has caused you problems but I did put in the auction that the car had starting problems which were intermittent. I am not a mechanic (I do know about compression testing but do not have the tools) and having not owned the car for long myself I felt no need to get a mechanic to look at the car and so had no idea why it wasnt starting correctly. Also as I told you when you collected, I had replaced the spark plugs that day (as advice from another coupe owner) and this seemed to solve the starting problem. Obviously this wasnt the main cause.
As you saw the car started fine when you came to collect it and it had never failed to start since I have owned it. Had I have know that there were any major problems with the car, i would have put them in the description. Having said that, I can only assume that the drive home from collecting may have done the damage the RAC have found? Or atleast contributed to it.
As far as I am concerned, the car started ok when you collected it (and had done since owning it apart from the odd occasion when it would require one or two tried to get it going as described in the description) and to my knowledge, had no major mechanical faults (as I am sure you found, the car drove home from collecting fine?).
At the end of the day you purchaced the car sold as seen, without viewing or getting an independant inspection and seemed quite happy to drive the car away after paying the full ammount in cash and as I have already said, there is a possiblity that the damage may have been done on the way home from collecting.
In my opinion this seems quite fair. I am not willing to offer a full refund on the car as I had no definitive answer to what was wrong with it and so sold it as seen with a starting fault. This is in no way lying to cover up a major fault as I had no real reason to suspect that the head gasket had gone (having been told it could be numerous other "common" faults with these cars and not having done a compression test myself).
It is also possible that the damage could have been done once the car had left my property. There is no evidence to suggest that he didnt rag it all the way home on the limiter and kill the engine.
So really, where do I stand on this? He says he will get his solicitor envolved but surly this being a private sale and being sold as seen without actually viewing the car, happily accepting it on collection and driving away, he has no legal stand point?
Any help appreciated