Money Moral Dilemma: Should I sell her my car?

Sooler

worried_jim wrote: »

sell the car and have a nice holiday with the extra, by the time you return from your fortnight away the police will have pulled her when she drives through an anpr check.

or she'll have killed or injured someone as an uninsured driver! , but as long as you enjoyed your holiday ...

tabaira

Just sell her the car. Make sure you complete the tear-off strip at the bottom of the log book/registration document to say you have sold the car. You are not "your brother's keeper" or the exotic dancer's keeper. It sounds nasty to then go and report your neighbour: she would know it was you. She is NOT your responsability.

Badger_Lady

Now, the OP sounds exactly as though the exotic dancer in question could be my sister. In fact, not knowing the location it very well could be! So my answer is going to be on the basis that it is her.

1. No licence - in my sister's case this would be irrelevant. She's still licensed to drive but has failed to update the address, lost the physical licence and never got round to doing anything about it. She's prone to exaggerating for comedic effect / boasting to anyone who'll listen, but you have to take almost everything she says with a pinch of salt. Assuming this is the case, not a worry.

2. No insurance - well this is more difficult. In my sister's case, she can't get insurance because of her occupation combined with the fact that she currently has two outstanding claims from a previous policy. I know this because I planned to lend her my van for a few weeks but was unable to add her as a named driver on my policy (so I refused to lend her the van).

While the easy answer to that is, "then she shouldn't drive", well that's fine but the club she dances at is a good distance away and of course she finishes at 3am - try getting any kind of safe or reliable public transport at that time of day. Because she's effectively self-employed, if she doesn't drive, she doesn't work, she doesn't get any income, her rent doesn't get paid... you get the picture.

She's always been happy to bend the rules a bit and will take the risk on driving uninsured for a while. After all, last time the police caught her doing anything naughty, they made an admin error and failed to prosecute her. So what's the danger really? (from her point of view)

Bearing in mind all the above, would any of you sell? She's clearly going to drive no matter what. She won't drink-drive, she won't be reckless, she'll just go to work. And consider insurance once she's insurable again!

housesitter

Sooler wrote: »

or she'll have killed or injured someone as an uninsured driver! , but as long as you enjoyed your holiday ...

She could have killed or injured someone as an INSURED driver.
What do you think the difference is?

Compensation?:rotfl:

desthemoaner

As someone else said, if you sell her the car youre contributing to the number of uninsured drivers on the road, and adding to the effect that their irresponsibility has on the premiums of the law abiding. You'll hardly be in a position to complain if an uninsured driver writes off your own vehicle, will you?
Sounds to me like the most appropriate transport in her case would be a bike.

Sooler

housesitter wrote: »

She could have killed or injured someone as an INSURED driver.
What do you think the difference is?

Compensation?:rotfl:

ask the victims

pennypinchUK

At some point, as a responsible citizen, you have to do what is right. Not just what's going to give you a quick buck. She's told you she's going to take your car and use it to break the law. You have a clear responsibility to, 1) point out that what she's proposing is wrong; 2) not take any actions to assist her in breaking the law; and 3) report her to the authorities if she continues with her actions. The law is there for a reason and you as a citizen have a clear moral duty to ensure you do your bit to maintain the rule of law.

housesitter

Sooler wrote: »

ask the victims

You made the point.
I'm asking you.
What do YOU think the difference is?

Pee

Obviously don't let her have a test drive, but otherwise why would you check the license and insurance of anyone who you sold a car to? Apart from anything else I don't suppose you could tell a fake license from a real one any better than I could.

As her neighbour, I would advise her to go through the proper channels as if she gets caught without insurance and a licence, she might be looking at prison. Of course if she is involved in a bad accident, there is an insurance fund subsidised by our insurance which will pay out.

kimon

You're not a policeman/woman, or an officer of the DVLA, I presume. Sell the car, do the paperwork all quickly and legally, informing the DVLA who you sold the car to, and your insurance that you no longer own the car (I recall from somewhere this is important). Their computer should flag up the insurance state if this is an issue, and perhaps even her license state. If you have strong reason to really believe she is driving unlicensed or uninsured then anonymously shop her; in general, though, she has a right to own a car even if she's not allowed to use it. Maybe her friend will drive her? As someone else said, you're not responsible for the use things you legally sell are put to.