Buying a car without the V5 present?

[bozmandb9]

D1bram said:

I don't think they're useless, just not an absolute failsafe.

With this car I did a HPI check, obviously checked the V5 over and saw the previous owners receipt from when they bought it.

I suppose there always remains some risk though, but at least with using HPI I now have a guarantee against that.

Fantastic, congratulations!

[bozmandb9]

S3K04 said:

So what is proof of ownership of a car if a V5 is "useless"

What is the point of a V5

Possession is part of it, then you need to show good title (i.e. a receipt from somebody entitled to sell it). It's not particularly straightforward evidently, since you can have V5, receipt etc, and still not own the car when you suddenly realise it's got finance against it!

The point of a V5 is to show a 'registered keeper' for a vehicle, somebody responsible for parking fines, speeding tickets etc. It's of very limited use in establishing ownership, which is not it's purpose.

The new V5 has a specific disclaimer on the front page saying that it does not relate to ownership.

[D1bram]

Cheers

The wife is over the moon with it.