Not sure where to put this thread - motoring

skittles86

Hello, I have just signed up to this website although i have been viewing for a couple of weeks.

I will try to explain my problem as quick as possible, but please bare with me

It all started with my boyfriends uncle not having the money to pay for his car to have an MOT, and to pay for the parts to get it through its MOT.
My boyfriend suggested that if we pay for his car to have an MOT and the work that needs doing, then his uncle can let us have his spare car that he bought off ebay.

So his uncle said yes, infact he was more than happy at the fact that my boyfriend was prepared to offer this.

My boyfriend is a mechanic, so he paid for his uncles car to be MOT'D, which cost about 30 pounds, plus the car needed work doing, which cost just under 100 pounds.
There was no charge for labour, as my boyfriend fitted the parts.

Everything was going great, his uncle had a car with the problems fixed, and a new 12month MOT, and we had a cheap runaround (worth only about 300pounds) as its a rusty fiesta.

But then a few weeks later his uncle decided to sell his own car (not the one we have from him) with a full 12months MOT on it and bought another car with the money from ebay, but this car turned out to have major problems and the parts would have cost a fortune.

So, we said that his uncle could borrow the fiesta because im off university for 2 weeks (im a student nurse so i dont get the long summer holidays off).

But, i have a child, and my partner works approx 20miles away, so last week i needed the car back to take my son to school as his school is a special school which is about 5miles away,so we couldnt walk, especially in the pouring rain, and my son has Autism so its nearly impossible to take him on a bus.

Then my boyfriends uncle started being 'funny' with us, because we couldnt let him use the car.

Now his uncle has been saying nasty things about us, and got his friend to leave us a message saying that I should take the car back to my boyfriends uncles house tonight because he has bought the car off him.

Where do i stand?

should i just use this as an experience, and give the car back?

although last month i spent approx 300pounds to insure the car as a deposit, and i pay over 100pounds per month on insurance, and i dont want to have paid all of that and give the car back.
Plus i paid just under 150pounds for his own car to be put through its MOT, and i paid this using my student bursary, so im not exactly well off.

can i have some honest answers please?

thanks very much

bigjl

You have no legal right over the car really, the car belongs to somebody else. Tricky as the Uncle sounds like he is a bit of an, erm, sounds like anchor.

Though if your boyfriend has reciepts for the parts he bought, and for the MOT test then it isn't unreasonable to take the uncle to small claims court, keep a note of everything that happens.

Not sure of the tax implications, but you could make out an invoice and send it to him, say £300 made up of £100 parts, £30 MOT, £170 Labour. Bill by the hour including all the time it took to do the work, then drive to the MOT station, then time to drive back.

Try to ask your boyfriends boss if he will do an invoice for a percentage of the total, worth a try. You might get something back.

You will probably have to chalk this one up to experience, but try the small claims court that will only cost a fraction of the money owned to you.

sarahg1969

I'd say you do have a right. In exchange for a car, your boyfriend carried out repairs to his other car. Have you send the docs off to the DVLA? Not that the DVLA doc prove ownership, or anything - it just might be useful if it's been done. It's another angle to show that a deal has taken place.

mikey72

Is it your name on the V5?
If not, did you insure it with the uncle as the owner?
If he only lent it you, I would bill him for what you have spent, and call it a day.
Just remember never to help him out again.

skittles86

Hello, thankyou for your prompt and honest replies.

The car is in my name, and i also insured it in my name and with me being the legal owner, because that is what my boyfriends uncle said, that i am the legal owner because we paid for his other car to be fixed and put through its MOT.

Can i just make it clear that he did not just lend it to me, he GAVE it to me in exchange for getting his car through its MOT and getting it fixed.

If he went to a garage he would have had to pay at least 300pounds for parts plus labour, and then an extra 30 pounds for the MOT.

So this is why he gave me the car and got my boyfriend to fix it ( and i paid for it to be done, out of MY student bursary)

So now i have to give the car back, even though i paid for HIS car to be fixed and put through its MOT??

its a joke!

mikey72

I'd keep it.
(it is your name on the V5 isn't it?)

skittles86

thanks Mikey72, that was my intension, but i just wanted to get some honest advice before i did.

thanks to you all.

Nicola

skittles86

yes my name is on the V5.

mikey72 wrote: »

I'd keep it.
(it is your name on the V5 isn't it?)

colino

Your name is on the V5c and you exchanged the car for your boyfriends skill and expertise - he didn't "give" it to you. It's yours, keep it, drive it and enjoy it and ignore the stupid uncle.

Wig

Can't b/f's mother or father which ever is the related of the uncle, have a chat with the uncle and tell him he's being an idiot as he no longer owns the fiesta he has no say what so ever in what you do with it.

Hammyman

mikey72 wrote: »

I'd keep it.
(it is your name on the V5 isn't it?)

Being the registered keeper doesn't imply or prove ownership. Too many people seem to think it does.