Transport Nightmare

In September 2022, I purchased a car from a dealership for €20,900, and after less than 3-months of having the car, the car broke down due to a severe mechanical failure. The bill to repair the car came at a staggering €19.245.64.

I asked the dealership for help but I received no repair, no replacement vehicle or refund. The vehicle had a 12 month warranty, but only repaired vehicles up to €2,500.

I sought advice from several independent mechanics and assessors, all of which agreed this car should not have been sold to me as it was not roadworthy and the mechanical fault was present at the time of sale.

I had no choice but to seek legal help and subsequently the dealer closed down their business, and partnered elsewhere, exploiting a legal loophole that relinquished all their responsibility to help me.

EDIT - In November 2023, 14 months after the issue arose with the vehicle, the warranty and dealer offered €4k, (made up of €1.5k from the dealer and €2.5k from the warranty) to repair the vehicle. This was rejected on the basis of it being unsustainable and impractical. The car had already went to the warranty garage initially, and the garage were unable to repair the vehicle and suggested for it to go to the manufacturer's garage. The dealer had closed their business 3 months prior to this offer.

The solicitors fees amount to over €5,500. I currently have a loan from purchasing the vehicle for €15,000, and I am accruing interest of over €2,100. I paid for an independent assessor, and other legal letters €1,000. I am at a loss of ~€30,000.

I have tried all avenues to rectify the situation in anyway that I could and I am now turning to fundraise to get my life back.

I don't know how to recover. I live in an area without public transportation, having a car is a necessity and my life is on hold. I feel my life is on hold, I feel trapped. I'm raising €15,000 to try to get out of debt so I can move on with my life. I will be taking a loss no matter what.

A little about myself: I'm Yeliz (Ellie), I'm from Ireland, and I work hard. I never usually ask for help. I do my best to give back, and volunteer. I rarely spend money on myself, this car was the first time I had treated myself in this way, only for it to backfire drastically. Your contribution, no matter how small, will be deeply appreciated.

Thank you so much for taking your time to read my story and thank you so much for your help.

EDIT - This post is a concise overview of events. It is merely to share my experience and hopefully regain some financial independence after this situation. Everything in this post is true to the best of my knowledge, and I am happy to update this post if I am provided with disputing evidence.