If the chassis has been straightened out and if it hasn't been done well, you would notice a steering judder at any speed above a crawl as well as uneven tyre wear. Both could not be put right be a ballance or alignment if the problem is a twisted chassis.

Have a look at completed listings on eBay. My guess is that someone who particularly wants the engine will pay £100 or so. Otherwise you can phone up a local scrap yard but they usually only pay about £30. If you dismantle the car yourself or get an MOT, you'll get more. Remember that, if the front of the car has indeed been rebuilt, it may not have the original engine.

Well i probably couldnt tell the difference if I am honest.

If something was wrong, would anyone know how much the engine would go for?

Its a 1.8 Mk2 Golf Driver and apparently done just under 50K

It's odd to get message like this and it may mean nothing.

If you open the bonnet and look at the sides, you may see signs of the front of the car being straightened out as part of an accident repair.

not what I had hoped for as you can imagine.

on a side note

what damage could he have meant:

"Is that the one you got from e-bay paying £980 for ? from tom ? if so good luck as the car is twisted have a look on the inner arch inside the engine bay passenger side"

It's too late now to think about any claim. Depending how the car was described, it may have been possible to do something a day or two after the sale. If you can get an MOT for the car, you might be able to get a few hundred for it, otherwise you'll get £30 - £100 or so from a scrapyard. I'm assuming the car is not anything unusual.

Buying a car involves kicking the tyres, having a test drive and checking the documents. It is always worth looking under the car for signs of accident repair as well as other checks. There are lots of sites giving advice on how to inspect a car.

If you buy from a dealer, the car has to be fit for purpose. This is open to different interpretations but a message from a friend after 8 months is not grounds for legal action. In my opinion, you need to decide if it's worth getting an MOT or if you will have to scrap the car. It's too late now to go back to the dealer. A poor dealer would just fob you off with a botched up fix anyway.

There are decent cars to be had for a few hundred pounds but anything that has been on the roads for a long period needs to be inspected as thouroughly as you can before money is even discussed.

On the plus side, you did end up with a vehicle. Many people who bid and pay for cars on eBay without seeing them end up with a story about the owner being overseas and no vehicle.

I am in a bit of a worrying position.

I am a young driver, and foolishly bought a car in Feb, not too long ago I put an advert up on Facebook to sell the car because the insurance is too high for my liking. Stupidly I bought a car with my heart and not my head.

Here is how the sale went, I bought the car on ebay, but it had been previously confirmed I could pay in two or three installments.

I was the winning bidder but stupidly I hadn't even been to view the car.

A few days after winning the car the seller, who claimed to be a dealer; came to my house, we sat down and chatted, along with my nan (whom I live with). My nan asked about the car saying that she is worried and doesnt want me buying a bad car. The dealer assured us both that the car was in fantastic condition, having only done just under 50K (not bad for a 18 year old car) and that it was in brilliant condition, nothing was wrong with it, and it had x,y,z parts on it.

Upon the final payment the car was brought to my home with some MOT still left on it, and 6 months tax which I had to pay for.

It sat outside for 5 months, just before the tax went it was moved into the garage.

I finally gave up on the insurance front and said "this car will cost too much to insure, I should sell it"

and so, like I said the car went up on the facebook marketplace.

not long after i recieved a message from a friend of the dealer, or perhaps the previous owner of the car the dealer was selling. the message said

"Is that the one you got from e-bay paying £980 for ? from tom ? if so good luck as the car is twisted have a look on the inner arch inside the engine bay passenger side"

this obviously had me worried, i still dont know if the car is 'twisted' or if that is a write off?

i have been too embarrassed to tell anyone frankly.

now then, is there anyway for me to claim money back from this 'dealer' ?

i have been sold a car that is possibly unroadworthy, a car that certainly wasnt "fine, perfect, in great condition"

and at the moment, i am reaping the losses.

no matter what happens this will serve as a learning curve, but is there anyway i could make this lesson a little cheaper?

thanksin advance for any advice