Bought van on ebay - realised problem as soon as we got home. Seller wont give refund

[hongkongphooey40]

We won a bid on ebay for a second hand van from a private seller. We took it for a short test drive (as fuel tank was on empty) - my husband isn't a mechanic but has generally a good knowledge of cars/vans. All seemed OK and we paid via paypal. However, as soon as we got home we realised there were more problems with it than the seller described - We were unable to put it into reverse. We phoned the seller who explained that it was really tricky and told us 'the knack'. A mechanic has advised us that the gear box has been tampered with and basically the van needs a new one. After 2 days we contacted the seller and asked for a refund. The seller had put on ebay that he wouldn't accept any returns - but we feel that he had been misleading in his decsription and not mentioning that the van needed a new gear box. Smaller faults we could accept but a gear box is very costly. We still can't put it into reverse!
Buying vans aren't covered by ebay and paypal protection - have we got a leg to stand on?

 

[hongkongphooey40]

Re: Bought van on ebay - realised problem as soon as we got home. Seller wont give re

I should add that we have spoken to CAB and know that we can take this to a small claims court. However, what are the chances of being successful given it was a private sale? If there's very little chance - it won't be worth all the hassle. Any ideas?

 

[Witch consumer]

Re: Bought van on ebay - realised problem as soon as we got home. Seller wont give re

If you think he's misdescribed it or conned you into a sale you probably have a good case, make sure you print off the description off ebay before it disappears, tbh I don't use ebay or paypal for this very reason, they will only act when it suits them.

If the condition of the van is as expected for its age and the price you paid, you may not get anywhere, I.e. if you paid a grand less than the book price and the repairs would cost £700, you would not have a case.