Have You Bought A Dodgy Car
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It is very easy to get caught out when buying a car, especially when you buy from a private seller. This is because they have no reason to be honest with you. As long as the car looks OK, drives OK and has something resembling legitimate documents when you pick it up, you can easily be duped. <br/><br/> So you've just driven back from buying the car and you start to get a funny smell from the engine, the steering feels all loose and one of the wheels turns out to be made of cardboard. What do you do? <br/><br/> Call the Police <br/><br/> Seriously, if you have been sold a car that is dangerous and clearly designed to defraud you then you should call the police and say that you have been put in danger. Though they may just say that it's your fault for not checking the car was safe before getting in. It also becomes your responsibility to make it roadworthy enough to pass its MOT otherwise you will get in trouble with the cops. <br/><br/> If however you bought it from a dealer you have a bit more clout. Specifically the Sales of Goods Act 1979 and the Sale and Supply of Goods Act 1994 protect you from being completely screwed over. You can contact trading standards and ask them to investigate. They will look at the circumstances and tell you if you have a legitimate case, at which point you can take the dealer to court and hopefully get your money back. <br/><br/> It May Just Be Old <br/><br/> Before you jump to conclusions it is best to take your car to a garage and get it checked out. When you buy an older car you have to accept that it may have some faults that you won't have expected. Things like clutches, gearboxes, head gaskets, exhausts and suspension bushes can go at pretty much any moment when a car gets beyond a certain age. This is just due to the natural degradation of machinery through use and you may just have bought the car at an unfortunate moment. <br/><br/> How Can You Avoid This? <br/><br/> The best way to avoid buying a dodgy car is to make absolutely sure that the car has a valid MOT, and that it has been serviced regularly by a proper mechanic. This way you will know that the car has been looked after and is at least road legal. Ask someone you know who knows about cars, can you check my car? This way you can be sure that the seller isn't trying to sell a car to you that's dodgy. <br/><br/>
About the Author
Sam Qam is a car dealer. Before buying a car he always asks his mechanics to check my car for faults and does the same before he goes to sell a car
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