Note: Images are for illustrative purposes as they do not depict the car mentioned in the article. Buying a car without seeing it beforehand is like gambling. Sometimes you win but sometimes you end up in the red. Tim Linington learned his lesson the hard way by buying an M3 F80 sight unseen, only to discover it had issues. The sports sedan was acquired through Auto Trader from Nottingham dealership Performance Club for £28,000. That works out to about $37,000 or €33,800 at current exchange rates.
He took delivery on February 7, just five days after the Austin Yellow M3 F80 had passed its MOT inspection. The buyer – who manages a car parts business – was disappointed to find out the car had a number of issues. These included a chipped windscreen, a damaged rear bumper, an illegal tire, and a loose rear bench. He told Nottinghamshire Live the listing’s description mentioned the BMW “was in good condition.”
When he confronted the dealership, Tim Linington was told by the manager that he “knew what he was paying for.” Sam Moustafa mentioned in an interview with the British magazine the client was “clearly [aware] that the car is part-exchange [trade-in], that was the reason it was cheaper. I told him clearly to come and see the car but he said it was too far away.”
The Story Has A Somewhat Happy Ending
The disgruntled buyer only saw the car in photos and through a video call. Seeing it in person would’ve taken a three-hour drive, which Tim Linington refused to do. He usually travels across the country to buy cars but didn’t do it this time around. He initially wanted to refuse the M3 F80 before asking the dealer to pay £1,400 for the repairs. The two eventually settled for £1,000. He actually wanted to take legal action against the dealer, but ultimately changed his mind.
If there’s a lesson to be learned in all of this, it’s that you should never buy a car without seeing it up close. It’s a (relatively) happy ending in this particular case, but it could’ve gone a lot worse for the buyer.
[Source: Nottinghamshire Live]
