Legal.?..depends what statements and agreements are/were in place/agreed (if any) when you paid the deposit.

Notwithstanding that I'd say that £200 is a very small price to pay for the work being done.

If I understand your post, you haven't bought the car - you've reserved if with a payment of £200?

And now the price of the car has gone up because it needed a few jobs doing to it?

As far as I'm aware, the seller has the right to sell it at whatever price they see fit, and you have a right to obtain a refund of your £200. Dealers change their prices depending on the market, and unless you have a contract to buy the car at £1995, I can't see how they've done anything wrong. It may not be the most customer friendly way of dealing with you, but I'm not sure they've done anything illegal.

Edited by mcb100 on 14/05/2021 at 15:28

Wow, I was tempted to try and read all that on one breath?. Some comma's and full stops would be helpful!.

Is it legal?, not sure, I wouldn't have thought so. But that depends on the exact wording of the advert and whether or not there was any 'small print'. But an extra £200 for a new clutch, brakes and engine mount seems extremely cheap. Those Smart Roadster/Coupe's are pretty sought after these days, so I guess it depends on how much you want it because I doubt they will have much problems finding someone else to buy it.

Was it a deposit or a reservation fee?

A deposit is legally binding and is subtracted from the price of the car - after paying a £200 deposit, you'd have a balance of £1795 to pay.

A reservation fee is different in that it is refunded when the car is purchased - you would still pay £1995, and you'd get your £200 back.

Edited by mcb100 on 14/05/2021 at 15:51