Buying untaxed car from dealer

StrangelyBrown

Hi,

I'm about to buy a secondhand car from a dealer. It has a current MOT to Jan 2013.

At present it doesn't have any (valid) road tax. Also, the owner prior to the dealership was disabled and so it was previously taxed in the disabled class, which will no longer be valid when I own it.

So I have some questions:

• If it's untaxed, can I legally take it for a test drive on public roads before I buy it?
• Could the dealer tax it before selling it to me without adding an extra owner (himself) to the log book?
• Although I'll be the one literally buying it, my other half will be the registered keeper and main driver - do they need to be present?
• Will I be able to get it taxed and insured on the day I buy it?

Cheers!

StrangelyBrown

Also, I believe I need to insure it before I can tax it, but don't want to buy insurance before I've bought the car and don't want to buy the car before I've driven it - which I can't do before it's taxed!

So it seems like a bit of a paradox - hopefully there's an exemption somewhere that someone can explain!

wantonnoodle

With regard to the test drive, if it is being sold by a dealer, they should have trade plates for this purpose. If so, then they will put them in the front and back windows while you take it out, and so you will be legal. No worries there!

When it comes to buying it, I would expect that they will want the person to be the registered keeper to be present, to ensure that they have all the correct details to be included on the V5C to be sent to Swansea.

As far as taxing it goes, I am not an expert, but the last 2 cars I've had from dealers have been taxed by them without adding extra owners onto the logbook. So I would expect any dealer worth his/her salt to be able to arrange this for you.

So that just leaves insurance. As long as you know full details, I don't see why you can't do that in advance of buying the vehicle.

Wayne3765

I had this situation 6 months ago.

Dealer used trade plates for the test drive and I had to go to my local DVLA office to get the disabled tax sorted out.

StrangelyBrown

Wayne3765 wrote: »

I had to go to my local DVLA office to get the disabled tax sorted out.

Thanks - did you have to buy the car, then sort the tax at the DVLA in person, then collect the car?

blacksta

If you definitely buying the car. Then you will need insurance and mot to convert the disable car tax to private car tax - This is can done at any local dvla office. Dvla will complete a form , sell you a valid tax and you will recevie a v5 document in the post. Any other route will added another registered user to the car's history.

StrangelyBrown

blacksta wrote: »

Any other route will added another registered user to the car's history.

So because of the previous disabled tax class, there's no way the dealer can tax it before selling it to me (without adding himself as another registered keeper)?

blacksta

StrangelyBrown wrote: »

So because of the previous disabled tax class, there's no way the dealer can tax it before selling it to me (without adding himself as another registered keeper)?

I suspect because it is has a different class group and only dvla can convert this which automatically generates a new log book. Had the same issue last year as i bought an ex disable car.

madjay

when I bought my last car I got 7 days free insurance cover, I then got the dealer to tax the car and change the TAX group. so it was already for me to pick up the keys and drive

StrangelyBrown

Oh well, looks like I'll have to use the inconvenience of taxing it to haggle a bit more off the price then!

blacksta

madjay wrote: »

when I bought my last car I got 7 days free insurance cover, I then got the dealer to tax the car and change the TAX group. so it was already for me to pick up the keys and drive

but it was done in your name and not the dealers name?