[Tambohamilton]

So, a friend has ended up buying a Skoda Octavia from an acquaintance's colleague's friend or something daft like that. Long story short, the engine was toast on arrival (boost leaks, zip ties, silicone and oil everywhere...a lot of metal in the oil, and scoring on the bores). Skipping past the part where it was really daft of them to get into this situation, does anyone have any wisdom on how best to get their money back? They're good, honest people who didn't deserve this; they just don't have a clue about cars.

The seller was someone who had also sold the buyer's sister a car a while back with no issues (apparently), so they trusted them too much. The seller seems to be very familiar with selling cars, but doesn't have a business. They paid by bank transfer. They have a trail of texts and WhatsApp messages from the seller, but of course nothing since they found out the condition of the car they'd just bought. They have a report on the condition of the engine from an independent garage, and waiting from an assessment from a Skoda dealer in a couple of weeks. They've had advice from a solicitor, and will be taking the seller to court for misrepresentation once they've gathered the evidence.

Anyone got any further suggestions?

Thanks!