Getting a better motoring deal
Love them or hate them, car ownership is a fact of modern life. Unless you live in the middle of a town or city you will need a car to get to work or school, do the shopping or just visit friends.
Adobe PDF
Car Insurance
Giles Chapman
- Top 10 forecourt tips
- Buying privately
- Buying at auction
- Your rights as a car buyer
- Timing
- Buying a new car
- Buying second-hand
- Buying Insurance
- Car Loans
- Useful links
Need Car Insurance?
or call 0845 092 0617
and quote Getting A Better Deal
Your rights as a car buyer
If you know your shopping rights you will be able to get a better deal on your car – and know what to do if your racing car turns out to be a three wheeler.
If you buy from a dealer – for both new and second hand cars - the car must be:
Get a description of the vehicle’s condition from the dealer. Remember that if you don’t inspect the car or have it inspected for you, the dealer may not be liable for any faults which might subsequently come to light.
Buying at auction gives you very few rights as the term ‘sold as seen’ can cancel out the protection you get when buying from a dealer. You need to read the auctioneer’s terms and conditions carefully to find out the exact situation.
Private sales also carry risks as the car must be ‘as described’, but the other rules don't apply. If a private seller lies about the condition of a car, and won’t make amends, your only route is to sue for your losses and this could be expensive. Remember that your legal rights are limited and that unscrupulous dealers often masquerade as private sellers – so it really is a case of ‘buyer beware’.
Buying a car online can give you an added layer of protection under the Distance Selling Regulations which give you a minimum seven working days cooling off period to change your mind (and up to three months if you haven’t received all the relevant paperwork). But be warned, online auctions are exempt from these and do not have to take responsibility for the descriptions of items on their website.
If you buy from a dealer – for both new and second hand cars - the car must be:
- Of satisfactory quality - ‘satisfactory’ meaning ‘merchantable’ in law. It must meet the standard a reasonable person would regard as acceptable, bearing in mind the way it was described, how much it cost, the age and the mileage on the vehicle. The car must be free from defects, except when they were pointed out to you by the seller.
It’s a good idea to get an AA Vehicle Inspection before pressing ahead with a deal – this may highlight faults that you can either walk away from or negotiate a price reduction to get the repair done.
- As described. If the advert says it has a CD player, then that is what it should come with, and in full working order.
- Reasonably fit for any normal purpose. It should get you from A to B.
- The car must be roadsworthy. A recent MoT test certificate will confirm this.
Get a description of the vehicle’s condition from the dealer. Remember that if you don’t inspect the car or have it inspected for you, the dealer may not be liable for any faults which might subsequently come to light.
Buying at auction gives you very few rights as the term ‘sold as seen’ can cancel out the protection you get when buying from a dealer. You need to read the auctioneer’s terms and conditions carefully to find out the exact situation.
Private sales also carry risks as the car must be ‘as described’, but the other rules don't apply. If a private seller lies about the condition of a car, and won’t make amends, your only route is to sue for your losses and this could be expensive. Remember that your legal rights are limited and that unscrupulous dealers often masquerade as private sellers – so it really is a case of ‘buyer beware’.
Buying a car online can give you an added layer of protection under the Distance Selling Regulations which give you a minimum seven working days cooling off period to change your mind (and up to three months if you haven’t received all the relevant paperwork). But be warned, online auctions are exempt from these and do not have to take responsibility for the descriptions of items on their website.