V5
Author
Discussion

jqh

Original Poster:

2 posts

89 months

Monday 16th July 2018
quotequote all
Hi,
Am new to this forum so please be gentle with me!

For all of the used cars I've ever bought from dealerships I've ALWAYS asked to see the V5 registration document. This is both to follow the recommendations provided by the DVLA, but especially to allow me to give the previous owner a quick call to find out about their history with the car... i.e. was it ever bumped, was it only used for school runs etc. The nice thing about this is that they don't own the car anymore, so are more likely to give an honest response!

The Government Website actually states "Ask to see the V5C vehicle registration certificate ('log book'). This document contains the name and address of the last registered keeper of the vehicle.

My question is, are dealerships still obliged to show you the V5 when you're looking to buy a used car (and thus the previous keepers name and address) or not?

Joe

datum77

470 posts

141 months

Monday 16th July 2018
quotequote all
Dealerships are not "obliged" to do anything. They are required to carry out their business within the law. Sadly, that gets broken on many occasions, as, similar to speeding etc., it's unlikely that they will get caught.

Treat every dealer as slightly less than honest. (NOT all car dealers/dealerships are crooks, but too many are). Caveat Emptor, (Buyer Beware), should be applied in EVERY case. You may well be regarded as a pain in the arse - but it's YOUR money they want to get their sticky fingers on.

There are but 3 rules to abide by in every case:-

(1) Research
(2) Research
(3) Research

Lee540

1,586 posts

164 months

Monday 16th July 2018
quotequote all
How do you telephone the previous owner?

Not sure I'd want to chat to some weirdo asking me how often my son ate biscuits on the back seat.

Buy as seen..

Mandat

4,357 posts

258 months

Monday 16th July 2018
quotequote all
V5's now apparently don't show the previous keeper's details anymore. They just state the number of former keepers.