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I purchased a Mercedes S50p from "we buy cars" 2 weeks ago and i was told the only problem it had were breaks. In good faith i bought the car, after a day of driving it, it started making weird sounds from the engine.. As a lady with little to no knowledge of cars i went straight to the mechanics only to be told i was **********. According to their analysis the engine was just messed up to the extent that its beyond repair..It has old oil leaks and is just a mess. I'm highly disappointed in their business, especially considering that they make you sign some documents so that you don't return. However according to the CPA ..Second hand car dealers and the CPA

What happens if the second-hand car that I just bought turns out to be defective?

You need to distinguish between a private sale (where you buy from someone who does not sell cars every day) and a motor dealer who sells cars in the ordinary course of business.

If you buy a car from a private seller, only the common law will assist and you can’t rely on the Consumer Protection Act (CPA) for help. The protection that you enjoy under the common law is the subject of another article. In short, when you buy something, there is an imp**** warrantee that the thing sold is free from any defects. It is, however, possible that one can contract out of this imp**** warranty by inserting a term into the contract that says that the sale is voetstoots (that you buy the goods “as is” [warts and all] and cannot rely on the imp**** right to defect-free goods and complain later if you find certain defects in the goods).

In the context of buying a second-hand car: The CPA applies to consumers and suppliers of goods; A consumer, is a person who has entered into a transaction with a supplier in the ordinary course of the supplier’s business, to buy a second-hand car; A supplier is a person who supplies second-hand cars in the ordinary course of his business; The CPA contains certain prohibited provisions that prevent a motor dealer from entering into a sale agreement with a consumer that contains provisions that: defeats the purposes and policy of the CPA; directly or indirectly waives or deprives a consumer of a right entrenched in the CPA; avoids a supplier’s duty in terms of the CPA; sets aside or overrides the effect of any provision contained in the CPA; limits or exempts a supplier of goods or services from liability for any loss attributable to the supplier’s gross negligence.

The regulations to the CPA provides that a term that that excludes or restricts the consumer’s rights or remedies against the supplier, or limits the supplier’s obligation to honour his or her obligations, shall be presumed to be unfair and unreasonable;

The CPA contains an Imp**** Warrantee of Quality that in any transaction or agreement pertaining to the supply of goods to a consumer: There is an imp**** provision that the producer or importer, the distributor and the retailer each warrant that the car is safe and of good quality; The imp**** warranty is in addition to any other imp**** warranty imposed by the common law or any other public regulation as well as any express warranty or condition that the consumer has in respect of the goods; This warranty is valid for a period of six months. The six-month period is calculated from the date of delivery of the car to the consumer. During this period, the consumer may return the defective car without penalty and at the supplier’s risk and expense.

When a consumer relies upon the imp**** warranty of quality when returning the car, the consumer has the election as to whether the supplier must repair or replace the car, or whether the supplier should merely refund the consumer the price paid for the car. If the consumer elects that the dealer must repair the car, if within three months of repair the failure or defect is not remedied or another failure or defect arises, the supplier must replace the car or refund the consumer the price paid by the consumer for the car. The imp**** warranty entrenched in the CPA is in addition to any other imp**** warranty or condition imposed by the common law or any other public regulation, and, is in addition to any express warranty or condition given by the producer or importer, distributor or retailer. Car dealers think that they can get out of their obligations under the CPA merely by getting the buyer to sign a contract containing a voetstoots clause. This is wrong. The only way that dealers can get past the imp**** warranty is by advising the consumer that the car is being offered in a certain condition. The consumer must then agree to accept the goods in that particular condition