New car insurance quandry, what would you do?

[AshVanguard]

So your going to buy a car and you plan to travel to go and see it, you decide you want it and its already taxed, what do you do
drive home without insurance then insure it when you get there?
go and find an internet cafe and insure yourself?
insure yourself on the car at home before you've even been to see it and then cancel it if its a dud?
what other options are there?
thanks

[kambites]

Get a firm quote from an insurance company before you leave home (these are usually valid for a month or so, I believe), then if you decide to buy it, phone the insurance company, give them the quote number and you get instant insurance.

[AshVanguard]

bingo!!
also do you carry all that cash with you? or hope he will haggle on a card payment?

[Trevelyan]

Pay a deposit to secure the car, go home and arrange the insurance, then come back and pick up the car when you can legally do so.

Either that or ring your insurance company and arrange cover over the phone if you can't make two trips.

[kambites]

When I bought the Elise (from a private seller) I turned up to look at it to make sure it was as advertised (I'd wont it in an ebay auction), then we went to the local branch of my bank where I took out the cash and he signed the car over to me, then we walked to his bank and he paid it in. I believe you have to arrange this with BOTH banks in advance though, for money laundering reasons.

[over_the_hill]

kambites said:

When I bought the Elise (from a private seller) I turned up to look at it to make sure it was as advertised (I'd wont it in an ebay auction), then we went to the local branch of my bank where I took out the cash and he signed the car over to me, then we walked to his bank and he paid it in. I believe you have to arrange this with BOTH banks in advance though, for money laundering reasons.

When I bought a car I withdrew cash although I did notify the bank in advance that I would be making a cash withdrawal. They guessed it was to buy a car and I confirmed.

When I sold a car (same scenario as above) the buyer came to my bank. We paid in the cash which is a useful check against dud / counterfeit notes because the counting machine detects them. The bank asked where the money was from and I said I had just sold car and waived the V5 at them. I then signed it over to the seller before leaving the bank.

For the OP you could phone a friend who has DOC cover and get him to drive it back for you but he will only be third party.

Edited by over_the_hill on Monday 22 November 15:02

[peter-2006]

arrange a day insurance? only rick loosing a few quid if its no good but allows you to drive it home if its a good one. then arrange proper insurance when you get home.

[chrisispringles]

peter-2006 said:

arrange a day insurance? only rick loosing a few quid if its no good but allows you to drive it home if its a good one. then arrange proper insurance when you get home.

There's no risk in taking out a normal policy because if it is a dud then you can cancel the policy and get your money back, because it the policy is within the 'cooldown' period. IIRC they can't charge any admin fees on this, evenif they do it would probably work out cheaper than day insurance, although I may be wrong.

[HellDiver]

My insurance company will do insurance then and there while you're on the phone, and no waiting in a call queue. I arranged my insurance the last time I bought a car, while the salesman was off getting the keys out of the key safe.

[thinfourth2]

Stick the trailer on the towhitch and go look at car.

If a sale is negotiated load car on trailer and drive home

[ludicrous speed]

All I did was pop into my local branch of a-plan asking them how much extra it would be to swap the new car with the old car onto my current policy, and to keep the details so that I can ring up and give the go ahead.
Went and bought car, rang up to confirm the insurance changes, and then drove off!