Buying a car with no tax - Private seller - Advice please

Woody._2

Foxy-Stoat wrote: »

The insurer may not pay out in the first place and if they do and seek re-embursement from you then I am sure they would inform police confirming that the insurance was void at the time.

If they pay out you have been covered by the insurance, end of, so the police couldn't do a thing.

Foxy-Stoat_3

Ok so the advice you are giving the OP to view his untaxed car, test drive it and you are a-ok!

Woody._2

Foxy-Stoat wrote: »

Ok so the advice you are giving the OP to view his untaxed car, test drive it and you are a-ok!

It's a matter for the OP if they want to drive it untaxed.

societys_child

Too many armchair experts on here .. some talk a load of tosh . . or is that dross?

George_Michael

If your policy t&c's say that the vehicle must be road legal (as most do), then you wouldn't be covered if you drove it illegally.

So will insurers refuse to pay out for victims of speeding, victims of drunk drivers, victims of dangerous drivers etc?
No, of course they won't. (the MIB will only pay for these if there is no insurance in place).
The insurers will refuse to pay for the policyholders car, but they will still provide 3rd party cover.

Hammyman

shaun_from_Africa wrote: »

If your own insurance will cover you to drive the car and after viewing it you are seriously considering buying, why not book it in for an MOT so you can get an independent opinion of the condition.

Oh. Dear.

An MOT does nothing more than tell you a small set of things meet minimum criteria for safety and emissions. It doesn't tell you the clutch is on its last legs, the gearbox is duff, the engine is duff, the cambelt is 50,000 miles overdue and its possible to pass an MOT test with brake pads virtually worn to the metal.

shaun_from_Africa

An MOT does nothing more than tell you a small set of things meet minimum criteria for safety and emissions. It doesn't tell you the clutch is on its last legs, the gearbox is duff, the engine is duff,

I realise that, but as you yourself state, at least it should advise a potential buyer if the car is roadworthy on the day they are buying it, something which a lot of people would not be able to ascertain themselves.
In your opinion, which is better?
Getting an MOT carried out which may pick up some faults or safety issues and being able to test drive the car at the same time, which might give some indication of the state of the clutch, gearbox, engine etc, or relying on the sellers description and not driving the car at all?

the cambelt is 50,000 miles overdue

Which can easily be checked by looking at the paperwork for the vehicle.

and its possible to pass an MOT test with brake pads virtually worn to the metal.

There is a 1.5mm limit for pads, so provided they are above this, there is still a reasonable amount of life in them, and if it's very close to the failure limit then this should be noted on the advisory.

Hermione_Granger

Hammyman wrote: »

Oh. Dear.

An MOT does nothing more than tell you a small set of things meet minimum criteria for safety and emissions. It doesn't tell you the clutch is on its last legs, the gearbox is duff, the engine is duff, the cambelt is 50,000 miles overdue and its possible to pass an MOT test with brake pads virtually worn to the metal.

So someone suggests taking a car for an MOT test before purchasing it which will check if it is roadworthy and also making sure that they give it a road test, and all you can offer is criticism and no practical advice.
Oh Dear indeed.

How else would you suggest that a potential buyer can legally test drive the car on the road to see if they like how if feels and if it might be suitable for them?

Foxy-Stoat_3

[QUOTE=_How_else_would_you_suggest_that_a_potential_buyer_can_legally_test_drive_the_car_on_the_road_to_see_if_they_like_how_if_feels_and_if_it_might_be_suitable_for_them?[/QUOTE]


Thats the point, I dont think private sellers of cars with no MOT (SORN'd) appreciate the fact that test drives will not be possible, unless they have large private land and therefore the price will have to be reduced to take this into account, down to spares/repairs price.

shaun_from_Africa

That was one of the main reasons I suggested getting an MOT.

Provided the potential buyer has an insurance policy that would cover them for another vehicle that has no insurance of its own in place, and provided the car is being driven to a prebooked MOT, then the lack of tax wouldn't be a problem.

This will enable the car to be test driven on the road and will have the added bonus of having the roadworthiness of it checked before parting with any money.