Cat D Car with no logbook

balsingh

I have looked at a car which the owner tells me was Cat D damaged. The repairs look fine based on where he showes me the damage was. The car has a full MOT but no logbook or tax. The owner says I can apply for the logbook at a cost of £19 and get the tax from the local DVLA office.

Is this true?
Shoudl I buy a car without a logbook? What are the pitfalls? The car is great and a real bargain due to it being a Cat D repair but the missing logbook put me off. I'll be doing a HPI check regardless.

iwanttosave_2

I wounld buy a car without a log book, you never know what has happened to it, I would definatly do a Hpi check if you decide to go through with it though.

westie666

If this was me I would have a couple of concerns.

If the guy selling the car knows that the logbook needs replaced, why hasn't he done it. It would make sense as a lot of folk would walk away without the logbook.

No tax, and no logbook. Does this guy actually own the car??
If the cars ID is not correcy (i.e VIN and plate etc ) the police can call the car in if they suspect that there is anything 'dodgy' about the identity. And have the car crushed at your loss.

Also the big hooter alarm for me.... you said....'The car is great and a real bargain' why is it such a bargin..

These are questions you need to answer carefully and take great thought beforehand.

westie666

thinking about this thread....

if it is a good deal, and the guy seems to be genuine, get him to do the donkey work. Ask him to get the logbook, and get it taxed. Also you run a HPI check on the car. Costs a few pounds, but can save you thousands if the car still has finance outstanding...

If it is genuine then this should all come back clear...

Also see if you can get the last owners details and see what they have to say

westie666

The reason he has not applied for the logbook, and made the car so much more desirable for the sake of spending £19, is that this would require use of a postal address.

Well thought out Ian...

roswell

RUN away ...... find something else.

david29dpo

never never buy a car without the log book.

balsingh

i spoke to the guy ... he says the reason that he didnt register it is to prevent another owner being added to the logbook. He bought it as salvage and got it repaired hence it not bieng taxed. I think I'm gonna walk away anyway. Plenty other bargains out there if you look hard enough.

rdwarr

david29dpo wrote:

never never buy a car without the log book.

I have done this in the past but ONLY from a reputable car auction where you are fully covered by insurance should there be something amiss.
Otherwise I'd either run away or get the logbook sorted before parting with any cash.

The_Saving_Man

You can pick up a bargain with a Cat D car, but you have to be aware that you might have problems selling it on. I owned one once, which had been repaired to DVLA standards and to honest it was a real beauty and I really couldn't fault it. The trouble began when I tried selling it on. People on the whole are not that willing to buy a car 'with the stigma of a 'write off'. In your case here, I would ask the 'owner' to get you the log book before you buy it. If they don't want to do that, take my advice and walk away.

balsingh

The_Saving_Man wrote:

You can pick up a bargain with a Cat D car, but you have to be aware that you might have problems selling it on. I owned one once, which had been repaired to DVLA standards and to honest it was a real beauty and I really couldn't fault it. The trouble began when I tried selling it on. People on the whole are not that willing to buy a car 'with the stigma of a 'write off'. In your case here, I would ask the 'owner' to get you the log book before you buy it. If they don't want to do that, take my advice and walk away.

I agree about the stigma attached to Cat D cars but my intention is to run it into the ground. I do 100 miles a day. By the time I sell the car, it will be worth £500 or so and at that price nobody cares about Cat D.