been done?

Hi chaps,

just after some input on current situation.

Bought my supra froma private seller - we were driving round checking showrooms for supras and happened to find one showroom, asked if they had any in, the guy replied no but he was selling his. Looked to be in good condition etc.

so started getting insurance quotes and getting that arranged so i could go buy it on the monday. Insurance fell through and ended up having to postpone the purchase until wednesday.

When we went to pay for it on weds the guy informed us a truck had gone into the rear wing on the tuesday night however he provided us with a quote, and said he had taken it to a local body shop and assured me that he was a stand up guy and he would take the car in on xx date to get it sorted ( i was to drop it back at the showroom and pick it up afterwards).

since then the work has been delayed three times, and now its set to go ahead this friday but after speaking to the bodyshop no payment has been received from the guy, though he has assured me via text messages he was paying it this friday just gone.. im beginning to think that he hasnt got much of an intention to shell out.

I had handed over the agreed price in cash (I realise i should have deducted the cost reflected in the estimate.. guess im too trusting/stupid)

Basically.. i think ive been done.. but this stuff happens and i guess ill learn from that mistake.

The main thing im now concerned about is the guy provided me with a receipt on headed paper from the showroom detailing a cam belt change in Feb 2009. in light of the above.. im now questioning if this is real or if it has been fabricated.. The receipt is for a total of £137.87. Does this reflect an average cam belt change cost?

Is there any way for the untrained eye to identify if this has been changed recently or not. From what I understand if the cam belt goes its a bit of a big problem afterwards to fix.. Any ideas?

p.s. I know ive been dumb in this whole thing but i geniunely believed the guy and the estimate he provided really made it seem like he was getting it sorted out. and theres still a week left so theres still a possibility..

 

The receipt is for a total of £137.87. Does this reflect an average cam belt change cost?

 

Is there any way for the untrained eye to identify if this has been changed recently or not. From what I understand if the cam belt goes its a bit of a big problem afterwards to fix.. Any ideas?

Cambelt change receipt might be ok, this is around how much it should cost. If old belt will go it's not end of the world as Supra engine is non interference one, so nothing will get bent or smashed, it's just matter to set it up properly again.

Ah right, puts my mind at ease a little - cheers Konio =)

Go see the guy and adjust his nuts with a spanner

:blink:sounds kinky

Sorry to hear about this mate, but if i was in your situation i wouldn't have handed him any cash until the car was fixed. Hope it all gets sorted for you.

on reflection i agree.. shouldnt have handed it over think i was just a bit too trusting and too eager to get hold of me car. ill fix her =)

I have a few more concerns coming out of this..

The guy is still being quite evasive. rang the place he works (a car dealership) and his boss answered and asked for info.. got a text off the guy 5 mins after i put the phone down saying he would pay it lunch time today but still nada.

My concerns are he was trying to get me to drop the car back at the dealership the previous week prior to him changing plans.. were suspicious about this now for the following reasons:

to start with bear in mind this was the first car ive ever bought so i didnt know what i was doing, assumed it was "safe" coming from a guy who worked at a dealership..

1) I have not received the log book yet (got a plan though)

2) I paid in cash.. and stupidly didnt get a receipt - although i do have mot certificates..

having paid in cash (although i did have a witness) in theory if i dropped it off for him to take to the garage to be fixed he could keep it and claim i never paid? at least thats what a friends warned me of.. dont kknow legality of that.. im just speculating.

Only reason im suspicious of this is he has claimed to have paid the amount twice, yet the garage its booked in for doesnt know anything about it and no payment been received etc. I usually wouldnt be this suspicious but hes just been so evasive about the whole keeping his end of the bargain.

My plan for the logbook, and maybe to get him actually replying to my text messages.. was going to send him a message saying i think ive been flashed by a speeding camera, and i dont have the log book, so did he get the ticket.. reckon that would work? its been approx 3 weeks now since i bought it but from what ive read they can take up to 4 weeks?

Cheers guys. when i get myself in a mess i make sure i do it proper =/

You should write a sticky. "How *NOT* to buy a car" I'd have the repair inspected by someone who knows what they are looking at. I'd want to see a log book like *NOW* or paperwork showing he was entitled to sell it and nothing is owed on HP et cetera. I don't know what your day job is, but I'd stick to it Good luck, hope it works out OK for you, sounds like a steep learning curve coming up

dvla dvla

Very steep learning curve indeed my enthusiasm got the better of me.

Im searching the DVLA website for info. Log books take 2 - 4 weeks according to this and im roughly in week 3..

I am thinking now perhaps go down to the showroom he works at, try to get some sort of receipt? and check he sent off the log book stuff.. this is going to be tricky considering hes avoiding me cuz he seemingly doesnt want to pay for the bodywork.

Ty for the advice so far guys - any additional advice is appreciated

How much is the body work going to cost?

Do you have legal expense insurance with a home or motor policy? - if so ring their help line... It sounds like you need legal advice.

Technically you paid a bloke cash for a car you do not know he owns. It might be stolen or a write off for all you know... What were you thinking?

From experence of dealing with similar issues for past clients I would advise that you speak to this person face to face and ask them straight out what the situation is. I suspect they are just broke but sent the log book off etc.

On one case I know of the situation was resolved when the customer went into the garage and kicked off to the boss. Technically if a employee is trading through their employers premises the employer might be held to be liable on occassuons and hence the employer might give his employee a smack in the right direction just to distance himself from it.

you know where he works. If he keeps being avasive i'd go down in a different car. Means he doesnt have the option of hiding in the back when he see's the old one. Just hang around out of sight till you see him then doddle in.

Nothing like a face to face chat

ill check up on the legal side tomorrow.

your question "what were you thinking" is what i keep asking myself. Ill know for next time at least - I assumed (already kicked myself) that as the guy worked at the car dealership it was all legit etc - plus he came across as a genuine guy. but yeah technically ive paid cash for a car with no receipt and i aint got a log book.. all i got at the moment is some MOT certificates including the most recent, a cam belt change receipt (conveniently with this guys address on it..) and a DVLA letter from the previous owner regarding a number plate change.

I will be calling the dealership tomorrow maybe I can get hold of his boss again and use that part about the deal taking place on his premisis to get leverage.

the quote for the body work is £201, its for a rear wing repair, repaint, wax & polish.

He had the quote for the repairs already when we had gone to buy the car, which made me think he was being genuine.

ill see if theres a process with the DVLA where I can check the status of this log book - it may be stuck in their system.

i honestly wouldnt bother with the phonecall. If you can go down there and see if you can find him, if not ask for him then kick up a fuss.

His boss wont be too happy with him if your kicking up a stink anoying the rest of the customers

It looks increasingly like ill be taking a road trip. im not back at work till monday so i can cause a bit of a fuss.

Thanks for the replies so far guys, really do appreciate it.

I remembered I had carried out a vehicle check on it from "mycarcheck.com"

The following was revealed which did match up with what he said about the plate:

Vehicle Checks

Colour changes There is no record of this registration being subject to a colour change.

Plate Transfer This registration has been involved in a plate change, to view the transfer history please upgrade to our Gold Check.

Scrapped There is no record of this registration being scrapped.

Exported There is no record of this registration being exported.

Stolen There is no record of this registration being stolen. Stolen & Recovered There is no record of this registration being stolen & recovered.

Insurance Write-off There is no record of this registration being written-off.

Vehicle I.D. Check There is no record of this registration being subject to a Vehicle Identification Check.

The VIN checks out too.

Think thats put my mind at rest a bit..

well done for the hpi check (at least!!)

if i were u i would go down there in person and front him up about the log book and ask its whereabouts.

I also would not leave the car with him for a second (dont even give him the keys while you're there) until you have that log book in your hands with your name all over it.

hope u get it sorted. If it were me i'd take it away from the garage (obviosuly connected to the seller) and get it somewhere u know and trust