Car Ownership

brothers_in_arms

I bought a brand new car through a Car Fleet Dealer who sourced it from a main dealer. I am the first registered keeper on the DVLA Log Book. Any clearer?

Hintza

I haven't a clue about this, but I'm fascinated that this sort of thing can happen.

Please keep us up to speed on how this pans out.

Good luck.

DealDrivers_company_representative

The term 'dealer' being used here needs clarifying for anyone else looking at a route to purchase like this - as it is often used (incorrectly) for a car re-seller. My post now is to help others avoid similar situations.

Anyone paying money to a re-seller is not buying direct from (nor is protected by) an authorised manuf'rs franchised dealership.

A re-seller is anyone other than a main new-car franchised dealership taking your money to purchase a brand new car. Your contract-to-purchase is with the re-seller, not the manuf'rs dealership. Good advice is to always get written assurance from the re-seller about how (and when) monies will change hands to the actual supplying dealer, to protect yourself. You should always ensure you can have direct dialogue with the supplying dealer to check all is being done properly to safeguard your purchase.

When you say a 'car fleet dealer' (a term I'm unfamiliar with) do you mean a contract hire & leasing company perhaps?

I'm emphasising the terminology here as so many people get caught out if they paid a re-seller. There was a very long thread recently on another forum resulting from a re-seller disappearing off the scene and a queue of their customers not even understanding they'd paid their lost cash to a third party, instead of a main dealer, as they'd imagined.

I think 'standupguy' has probably got the right handle on this, and if the people you paid have disappeared (and gave you zero indication at any stage in your order and transaction that they had borrowed money against this car when they sold it to you) then you do really need professional legal counsel from an expert at this stage. Well worth £50 of proper time with a solicitor showing them your purchase paperwork to formulate a plan of action to protect yourself.

standupguy

This is pasted from trading standards site: -


The Hire Purchase Act (now incorporated into the Consumer Credit Act) states that the first 'innocent private purchaser' of the vehicle gets 'good title' or ownership. Innocent purchaser means someone who did not and could not reasonably have been expected to know about the outstanding hire purchase/conditional sale agreement. The finance company would not be able to repossess the car from you and should pursue the person who took out the agreement.


- (What this means in effect is that a car can go through several dealers hands but as soon as a private individual becomes involved and buys the car then title passes at that stage to the individual. This is regardless of who had title beforehand)