Would you buy a Sorn car?

[Mak93]

HI I have seen a car I like on the internet from a private seller this would be my first car. The car is a good price and everything looks good on the hpi.

The seller says he is selling it for an elderly family member who no longer uses the car and needs the money. The car is classed as sorn and the mot runs out next month so it has been standing a bit. , I was wondering what are the risks of buying a car thats sorn .

I did enquire about the car a week ago but becaues the car is located at the other end of the country his original offer was not sensible for me considering how much it would cost to tax , travel and insure the car. He messaged back a week later dropping the price to something that would work for me and asked if i was still interested.


I know that buying any used car is a risk but im trying to calculate the risk and see if its worth going for., The car is approximately £500 under market value which is considerable when the car is aroubd 3 thousand.

Also because of the distance and the money cost to get the car if idid travel for it the id pretty much need to buy it so i would need to get at least a basic inspection carried out on the car prior to viewing. THE car has just came out off kia warranty and has a very good mot history and full kia service history.

I am suprised the car has not been sold yet as it was a good price , not a to good to ve true price tho but still , maybe this could be due to being sorn?

[davek_964]

I don't understand why you think SORN makes any difference - it simply means it's not taxed. And since you can't transfer tax to the new owner these days, it really makes very little difference.

I guess you're more concerned that it's been standing? If it's just come off Kia warranty, I assume it's about 7-8 years old? The MOT is about to run out, therefore at most it's been standing a year. I think I'd check the MOT history to see the mileage at the MOT, then compare to the current mileage. As long as it shows some signs of use over the past year, then it's probably fine. In fact - for such a modern car, it's almost certainly fine for not being used for a few months anyway.

On the other hand - do be careful. Selling cars below market price "for a relative" has all the warnings of a scam. Make absolutely sure the car is genuine and DO NOT transfer any money until you have seen the car, and are able to drive it away.

[bigandclever]

Presumably SORN precludes any test drive on the road?

[steveo3002]

inspect it and check its service records like any other car

if its a dog dont buy...if its a well looked after gem buy it!

[Auto810graphy]

Offer to pay for an MOT, seller can then legally use it on the road I o get the the test station assuming he has 3rd party cover.

[magnum555]

steveo3002 said:

inspect it and check its service records like any other car

if its a dog dont buy...if its a well looked after gem buy it!

Exactly this, if you are genuinely interested and have the intention of buying, go and have a look.

[JQ]

Irrespective of the sorn element I don't think I'd travel to the other end of the country for a £500 saving, when presumably your travel costs could be quite high, especially if you do get there and it's a dog.

[Pericoloso]

Especially for a Kia.

[dave_s13]

bigandclever said:

Presumably SORN precludes any test drive on the road?

Depends on your attitude to risk. Quick run round the block might not kill anyone.

I recently bought a car that was sorn. You just tax it online, using your phone, and off you go.

[IanCress]

I wouldn't travel to the other end of the country for a £3k car. As you said, the cost of the travel means you'll feel obliged to buy the car when you get there.

There will be plenty closer to where you live. You can then take someone along with you for a 2nd opinion, and you'll be able to walk away if the car isn't as good as you'd hoped.

[CAPP0]

IanCress said:

I wouldn't travel to the other end of the country for a £3k car. As you said, the cost of the travel means you'll feel obliged to buy the car when you get there.

There will be plenty closer to where you live. You can then take someone along with you for a 2nd opinion, and you'll be able to walk away if the car isn't as good as you'd hoped.

I wouldn't travel to the other end of the country for a run-of-the-mill car which the seller hasn't been able to sell and which he has voluntarily dropped the price on to try and get you interested.

But this is PH so we all know that you'll ignore what's been said here and go and buy it anyway!

[Green1man]

JQ said:

Irrespective of the sorn element I don't think I'd travel to the other end of the country for a £500 saving, when presumably your travel costs could be quite high, especially if you do get there and it's a dog.

This

I’d travel to the other end of the country for something rare and sought after, but not an 8 year old £2k Kia! Once you factor in the hassle and travel costs the amount you will save is negligible and the risk factor too high for me. In you shoes limit your search to local that you can easily visit and inspect and test drive.

• Seems Cappoand Ian have said about exactly the same whilst I was typing

Edited by Green1man on Friday 20th April 12:29