Picking up a private second hand car, and new tax system?

[Rich196]

Soon I shall be picking up a private sale second hand car. The problem is its a long way away and I only want to make one trip. The issues are:

Its on a private plate, can I pick it up before the old plate it put back onto it?

The new tax system, how do I tax it? I will obviously have to insure it to drive it away, but then how do I tax it? The other alternative I guess that he leaves it insured in his name and I use my drive any car 3rd party to get it home and then sort it out from there?

Any ideas please?

[NWTony]

I'm no expert but you can't drive it on your 3rd party any car cover as you own it. A friend bought a car recently and you can tax it off an ID number on the V5, he did it online. I have nothing to say on private plates , sorry.

[Roo]

As mentioned, highly unlikely your DOC cover will work as you are the owner.

If you tax it online it will be cancelled as soon as the DVLA get the change of owner notification once the private plate has been removed.

The seller should take the plate off first.

[mehball]

You will be the owner of the vehicle so will not be able to drive under DOC.

[annsxman]

Rich196 said:

The other alternative I guess that he leaves it insured in his name and I use my drive any car 3rd party to get it home and then sort it out from there?

Any ideas please?

If the owner's got any sense he will cancel his insurance as soon as you take the car.

http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/scottish-news/sc...

[Alpinestars]

I think you have 2 options;

Tax it as soon as you buy it - as the owner. That way you can insure it. If the tax is "cancelled" when the plate transfer docs go in, just re tax it. At least that way you get it home.

Alternatively, what I did at the weekend was to buy a car which had a cherished plate in it. I left the owner with the v5 and as far as the dvla are concerned it's taxed. Insured it, and drove home. The only issue I can now see is when he gets his v5 back, what date of sale he will put on it. If it's the actual date, then I've no worries, if it's the date he sends off his new v5, I will need to tax the car in the interim.

[Adrian E]

The simplest and least hassle option is to wait until the plate transfer back to the original is finalised before travelling. This takes a week to 10 days. The seller will then have to sort replacement plates to suit, unless he's kept the originals. Sellers are always advised to do this before advertising a car for sale, unless the time delay and lost sales resulting doesn't bother them!

You then complete the v5c as normal with your details, ring/log in and tax, arrange insurance and drive home happy and content.

Any other option involves the risk that the seller loses his plate because his plate transfer and your application to register cross in the post, or you have grief with tax.

[anonymous-user]

annsxman said:

Rich196 said:

The other alternative I guess that he leaves it insured in his name and I use my drive any car 3rd party to get it home and then sort it out from there?

Any ideas please?

If the owner's got any sense he will cancel his insurance as soon as you take the car.

http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/scottish-news/sc...

Thw biker is an idiot if he pays out. He talks nonsense when he says that he is deemed to have permitted the dead scrote to ride the bike. You don't permit someone to ride a bike you no longer own. He should get some sensible advice.

[Rude-boy]

Amazes me that there are so many people who go to sell a car without transferring their private plate onto another, or put it on retention first.

[Rich196]

It wasnt realy up for sale, but we have made a deal.

So the DOC is a no go. Good to know!

So best to get the plates sorted before sale, then I can tax insure and drive away?

Or could I bring it back on his only private plate then he could put it on retention?

[Adrian E]

Rich196 said:

So best to get the plates sorted before sale, then I can tax insure and drive away?

Or could I bring it back on his only private plate then he could put it on retention?

1. Yes

2. If I was the seller I wouldn't want you to do that, as having completed the v5c as the new keeper, you'd be required to declare ownership in order to tax it. He can't put a plate he no longer 'owns' on retention. The paperwork needs to go off now, if it hasn't already, and it'll come back pretty quickly.

[singlecoil]

Rude-boy said:

Amazes me that there are so many people who go to sell a car without transferring their private plate onto another, or put it on retention first.

Me too. I can only imagine they don't want their neighbours to know how old it really is.

[HereBeMonsters]

singlecoil said:

Rude-boy said:

Amazes me that there are so many people who go to sell a car without transferring their private plate onto another, or put it on retention first.

Me too. I can only imagine they don't want their neighbours to know how old it really is.

I did, but only because it took 8 weeks for the transfer to happen. Selling to a dealer though, so he was fine with it as it was getting a respray and engine out service.