Buying a car that has a VIC

sarahmtly

I am in desperate need of a new car but dont have a lot of money. I have seen a Fiesta Zetec Y reg for £400 which is perfect for me, and starts up and seems to run lovely. The garage owner said they dont know much about the car and they dont have the vehicle registration document. We told them we would be there tomorrow to give them the money and pick it up (we havent paid deposit).

When we got home today we phoned the DVLA to ask them for advice on getting a new log book and they informed us there is a VIC mark against it.

They said it will need a VIC check first before we can get a logbook for it and we would need to book an appointment.

I have been reading a lot about it over the internet and I've learned there are different catagories. I did a check to find out if its stolen and that came back clear but is there any way I can check which catagory this VIC is before I part with the £400 for it tomorrow ?

Also apparently it has just passed a new MOT so surely it should pass a vic test ? But if it does not are we in any way protected because the MOT says it should be roadworthy ?

I really appreciate any help anyone can give me on this. Thanks

Scooby_Doo.

Are we talking Vehicle Identity Check? If so the MOT won't protect you from buying a stolen vehicle and you may lose the £400.

molerat

You need to ask the garage why it needs a vic, they know more than they are telling you. It is probably stolen / recovered or a write off. The only real way to find out the truth is to get an HPI check which will cost you.

vaio

VIC are for cat c, cat d doesn't need one and cat a & b aren't worth repairing if it's a £400 car.

The test is for identity only, nothing to do with safety or repairs.

As you've discovered you can't get a new V5 until you have done the VIC and similarly you can't tax it so unless it already has tax you can't use it.

VIC checks can have a waiting list so phone your local one and find out. if you are desperate for a car and the VIC hs a six week waiting list then I guess that kills the deal. You can take it to any VIC station so if another one within travelling distance has a shorter wait you could go there

also, I'm pretty sure that dealers are obliged to tell you if a car is a cat c.

rev_henry

What this means is its previously been written off. I'd find another car for £400 that doesn't have all that hassle attached to it.

sarahmtly

Thanks for advice all. I did an extensive HPI check as molerat advised and it seems it is a Cat C Write Off. It said its not been stolen and as it has a MOT it should be pretty safe to buy then right ? Its very very hard to get a half decent car for £400 in my area. I dont really understand why it needs a VIC check if its been written off as apposed to being stolen. Does it need any other test to prove its road worthy or is that covered by the MOT too ? Thanks again for all your advice

vaio

Needs MOT to be legal and also must be roadworthy just like any other car.

VIC were brought in because allegedly people were buying crashed cars then stealing a similar one and swapping the identities

in_the_Cotswolds

VIC check is to make sure that it has been repaired correctly and that it is roadworthy enough to have a V5 issued. I think VIC checks are carried at either VOSA sites or Council Testing Stations.

vaio

mechanic wrote: »

VIC check is to make sure that it has been repaired correctly and that it is roadworthy enough to have a V5 issued. I think VIC checks are carried at either VOSA sites or Council Testing Stations.

if that was true they would call it a "make sure that it has been repaired correctly and that it is roadworthy enough to have a V5 issued" check rather than a Vehicle Identity Check which, as you might guess from the name, is to do with identity only and nothing at all to do with repairs or safety

molerat

Tell the garage owner you will buy it when it has a V5. As for him "not knowing much about it", load of !!!!!!!! !!

rev_henry

molerat wrote: »

Tell the garage owner you will buy it when it has a V5. As for him "not knowing much about it", load of !!!!!!!! !!

Indeed.

A year or so ago I almost had my heart set on an old corsa automatic (no idea why lol) until I got home and HPI'd it to find it was cat c and needing a VIC. I didn't go back...