Vehicle purchase, did I get scammed big time?

UK007BullDog

Not sure if this is the right place to post this question here in this motoring thread, but I thought I just go for it.

I bought a used van last year for my business which I started last year. This is the first time I have ever bought a vehicle. And yes I am a female.

Anyway I visited the used car dealer twice to look at the van and to do a test drive. he deals with mostly cars, but this van caught my eye because of the low milage and a particular feature I needed because of my partial disability.

I do not want to give too much away but I would like to know if I can go against the dealer or the finance company:

The vehicle seems to be 4 years older than I thought. When I asked for finance the finance company had trouble finding the vehicle with the number plate details I had for it. They put me on hold but then came back stating they found it. I asked if there was a problem, but the young man on the phone said no. I asked if they do all the checks to ensure I do not buy a dud, and he said yes, all is OK. This should have triggered an alarm in my head but it was my first purchase and I just wanted to get it as my first contract had come in and I needed to work as I had not worked for nearly a year.

So just now I was looking when the next MOT is due and I see on the Gov website that the registration number had been changed. I looked up the old reg number and it states that that number was first registered in 2004, but cannot see what type of vehicle it was associated to at that time. So been digging around the pieces of paper I got with the van and see that it did have the 2004 reg.

I paid over the odds for the van believing it to be an 2008 reg if it truly is an 2004 reg.

So far it drives OK, but I did need to replace the complete brakes on the van for £450 a month after I bought it. Also it did not come with a spare wheel which I also had to buy for £120. But otherwise its a good runner and works well. It has many extras other van drivers would like to have too. I was searching months to get the right van. I know that because of the special feature it costs a good £1K to £1.5K more than standard vans. But if it is 4 years older I could have paid £2K - £3K less, nearly a third less.

But now I am worried that the MOT from the dealer is a mates MOT and not worth the paper its printed on. When I had the brakes done the guy from QuickFit said it looks ok from underneath.
Also I do not think the mileage is correct as the clear plastic around the dashboard has cracks and one can see that someone tried to glue it back up, but one can only see this in bright light looking closely. Its not the original packaging so to speak.

I also had to register the vehicle in my name as they did not send off the logbook to DVLA. I asked for the copy but no reply from the dealer. The new DVLA docs I got state that the vehicle had 3 owners before me, going by the present number plate. I was told it had just one.

Anyway my question is would I have a chance of suing the dealer or to get the finance company to refund me the overpaid amount? In effect my finance may be void? They believe the vehicle at the time was 7 years old when in fact it may have been 11 years old.

Looking at the documents closer I can see where the vehicle was bought from in 2008 (at first this document made me think this was the original date of the vehicle first registration). A major van dealer, they would have known the van is not a 2008 but a 2004. I cannot believe the van sat on a sales lot for 4 years and then got sold for the first time with the reg number changed to the representative year 2008 some time later. The plot thickens.

Or is there anything else I can do to see if I really got scammed? I work very hard for my money and this really irks me. Is there any point in getting all worked up if I stand no chance of recouping my money? Will it cost a lot to get the difference back? I really dont know. I do not have any plans to sell it ever as I plan to hand it down to my son once he starts his own business (unless it gets so bad with the emissions restrictions that the only place for it to sell it to Africa or some other 3rd world country who will take it and drive on the left).

Any pointers very welcome please. Thanks.

verityboo

A reg number cannot be changed to a newer one. Only a plate the same age or older can be fitted

What date of first registration does the V% give?

nidO

What, exactly, does the DVLA's vehicle check say for the vehicle (with its current registration)? This is at:

https://www.vehicleenquiry.service.gov.uk/

This page should show you the year of manufacture as well as the date of first registration for the vehicle.

UK007BullDog

It gives the date of 2008.
Also the service book entry had the first one for 2008.

The original reg was XX04XXX (replace X with varios letters)
I dont want to put the reg here.

I just had a thought, could be the reg with the 04 be potentially a special plate one has to pay for to get it and when the van got sold the owner wanted to keep that plate and they put a new reg on it to represent the 2008 year? This is because the reg was changed in 2011 according to the MOT doc.

UK007BullDog

Nothing comes up when I search for the 04 reg.

maybe I see something that is just not there and driving me crazy. But the first reg the van has in the service booklet is not the reg it has now. but all the other numbers (chassie etc.) fit.

Herzlos

Do an HPI check on it, it should tell you what previous plates it's had. It sounds like it came with a 2008 plate and was changed to a 2004 later, so it's still a 2008.

You could also contact the van dealer that sold it in 2008, they might be able to tell you if it was new, if you've got the VIN and the 2008 registration details.

At what point does the paperwork change from 2008 to 2004?

kev25v6

The log book should say date of first registration on it and how many former keepers.

UK007BullDog

The doc I have is the service booklet. It states the reg with the 04 and the MOT doc found online stating that the reg was changed in 2011 to the 2008 reg.

Thats why I thought the van is a 2004 originally and was upgraded to the 2008 reg later.

The van sales doc is from 2012 and it shows the 2008 reg and states it was first sold/registered in 2008.

Maybe the 04 reg plate was some sort of special plate. but it means nothing to me looking at it. Maybe the original owners company initials, not his name according to the service booklet.

Oh well. Probably nothing and I am just driving myself nuts about nothing. LOL

UK007BullDog

kev25v6 wrote: »

The log book should say date of first registration on it and how many former keepers.

It states 2008.

But it does not mention the other reg number.

Its so irritating that the 04 reg is on the service booklet and the 2010/2011 MOT certificate.

forgotmyname

Its a 2008 van with a 2004 plate. That doesnt make the van older.

But when buying it you can clearly see the 2004 plate didnt you ask what year it was?

Someone changed the plate to match their intials or something. Happens every day. Nothing wrong with that if they are daft enough to spend £80+ to swap it.

So what does the V5C state as year of manufacture?

nidO

I'm really not understanding what problem you're having here.

You bought a 2008 van that briefly had an 04 vanity plate registered to it.
The DVLA website, the vehicle's V5, and the service book all confirm the van was built in 2008.

What exactly are you wanting to sue the dealer that sold you the van for?