Car left in garage for 31 years

TerminallyConfused

We've had a classic car in a garage for 31 years and now are in a position to restore it. Trouble is - it's never been SORNED. Last taxed 1984.
What's the position to rectify this? Can anyone advise?

Thanks

HHarry

At the moment you don't need to do anything. Cars last taxed before 1998 don't need a declaration.

http://www.findlaw.co.uk/law/motoring/vehicle_tax/sorn/9940.html

So get your restoration done, MOT, insure, then tax it (assuming you have the V5) and away you go. Once taxed though if you take it off the road again you will need to Sorn.

Gloomendoom

TerminallyConfused wrote: »

We've had a classic car in a garage for 31 years and now are in a position to restore it. Trouble is - it's never been SORNED. Last taxed 1984.
What's the position to rectify this? Can anyone advise?

Thanks

Stop worrying.

There is no trouble and no need to rectify anything. It doesn't need to be SORNed if it was off the road before the SORN rules came in. Restore it and apply for tax like you normally would.

[strike]There is nothing to stop you applying for SORN but if you do, you will have to remember to do it every year from then on.[/strike]

enfield_freddy

umm , continuous sorn came in last year , no need to renew it now , only needs doing if sold to a new owner.


it might be a good time to update the v5 , to (log book in this case) to make taxing (or no tax as the case will be) easier in a few months/years time

molerat

SORN regulations started in 1998 so as the tax expired before then it is not subject to those regs.

To put back on the road https://www.gov.uk/vehicle-registration/overview
Does the vehicle ex ist on DVLA records https://www.vehicleenquiry.service.gov.uk/

Aretnap

Gloomendoom wrote: »

There is nothing to stop you applying for SORN but if you do, you will have to remember to do it every year from then on.

Not any more. The rules changed recently and there's no longer a need to SORN every year - a SORN now remains valid until the car is next taxed (or sold, scrapped etc).

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/dvla-cuts-unnecessary-red-tape-for-motorists

Joe_Horner

molerat wrote: »

Does the vehicle ex ist on DVLA records https://www.vehicleenquiry.service.gov.uk/

That's not 100% reliable, as we found out with our Daf that had been off road since about 1975.

After some seemingly random length of time with no "activity" on a car's record they archive it and it's no longer available to the online enquiry. [iBUT[/i] if you go through all the inconvenience and expense of having the owners' club verify it, digging up supporting evidence and so on then, when you send it to them, the activity will reactivate the original record and they'll send everything back to you and tell you to just apply for a new V5 (at an additional £25)!!!

Te moral is, if it doesn't show on the online enquiry then phone DVLA first before assuming you need to get it re-registered!

Rover_Driver

Joe_Horner wrote: »

That's not 100% reliable, as we found out with our Daf that had been off road since about 1975.

I know the DVLA are not the most efficient organisation, but it may depend on when your DAF was last licensed, the OP's car was on the road much later. I have a car that has been off the road for many years, but it still shows up on their system.


The DVLA (then the DVLC) became operational and took over from the local authorities in 1973/4, as vehicles were re-licensed the details were transferred.
After a few years the DVLC declared that vehicles that were not currently on their system would, as far as they were concerned, cease to exist. Which led to problems with owners of older cars that were unlicensed/off the road, and to them accepting the verification through owners clubs etc.

TerminallyConfused

molerat wrote: »

SORN regulations started in 1998 so as the tax expired before then it is not subject to those regs.

To put back on the road https://www.gov.uk/vehicle-registration/overview
Does the vehicle ex ist on DVLA records https://www.vehicleenquiry.service.gov.uk/

Yes - the vehicle still "exists" as far as the DVLA system quoted here is concerned

Joe_Horner

Rover_Driver wrote: »

I know the DVLA are not the most efficient organisation, but it may depend on when your DAF was last licensed, the OP's car was on the road much later. I have a car that has been off the road for many years, but it still shows up on their system.

It was originally registered to Lancashire Council but had been transferred to DVLA in 1974.

Because the owner died and it was just put in a garage they'd suspended its record after having no keeper change or tax application etc for x years (apparently x varies depending on when they feel like it).

They never actually dispose of a vehicle's details but they do eventually move it to a backup database wich isn't accessible to the public web page.

tight_scotsman

What kind of car is it ? ( just being nosey)