I purchased a second hand prado on the 17th of April, the…

In South Africa, there is a standard Voetstoots clause which states that the buyer is buying the property "as it stands", in other words with defects and all. 

Many disputes have arisen from the fact that buyers and sellers don't necessarily understand what the Voetstoots clause actually means.

If you purchase a vehicle and there are obvious (patent) defects, which would have been revealed by a reasonable inspection of the vehicle, then you, as the buyer, have no claim against the seller. This could be anything from visible damage to broken windows to a damaged engine.

Where there is some defect in the vehicle which is not apparent on a careful inspection, the seller is liable for those defects, but only if he or she knew about them.

So, if there was some sort of damage to the engine, which the seller never knew about, and you bought the vehicle and didn't know about the damage, and then a month later the engine broke, that unfortunately is covered by the vootstoets clause and that means that you are liable to repair the car yourself - without any recourse to the seller.

If however the seller knew that there was something not right with the engine, and they didn't tell you, then you can hold the seller liable for the costs of the repairs!

In relation to the accident damage, you could get a discount on the purchase price of the car, but ONLY if you specifically asked the seller if it the vehicle had been involved in an accident and the dealer lied to you. If you never asked, then there is no obligation on the seller to voluntarily tell you.

Thank you very much for chatting to me. If you have any additional questions or concerns regarding your question, please let me know. I am happy to assist you further!