Buying privately vs insurance

jase1

This is probably a really stupid question but I've never actually bought a car privately before other than through family/friends.

When you buy a car through a dealer, you put down a deposit, the dealer usually preps the car for sale at this point (new MOT and the like), and you come back a couple of days later to pick it up. This gives you chance to contact the insurance company and transfer the cover to the new car etc.

With private sales it doesn't really work that way -- you hand over the money then the car is your problem. So how do folk deal with the insurance?

Is there a temporary "any car" cover people take up, is it just a question of phoning the insurance company as you hand over the cash or do folk just wing it?

Rolandtheroadie

I'd normally use day insurance to get it home, but I've also had a quote waiting on my emails, and take it out if I buy the vehicle.

Fat_Walt

Can you not just phone the insurance company before you drive home or do it online?

BeenThroughItAll

When I buy privately, I arrange with the seller to leave a small deposit, normally £50 or so, and go back to pick up the car the next day.


Or if it's a long distance (100+ miles) I will get a quote from my insurer and then I just call them or accept the quote online if I decide to buy the car.

Quentin

jase1 wrote: »

...., is it just a question of phoning the insurance company as you hand over the cash or do folk just wing it?

If you already have a policy, then (assuming you still own your car) contact your insurer prior to purchase and see if they will let you add on the new car on to the policy, and cover both cars till you dispose of the old one)


If they are happy with this, then make sure they will be open to accept your telephone instructions to put the new car on cover when you are at the sellers premises.


If you have already disposed of your car and still have a policy running then check that your proposed purchase is acceptable to your insurer before you purchase, and again that you will be able to telephone in with the change of car from the sellers premises


Otherwise if this will be a brand new policy, then check with your chosen insurer during what hours they will be able to give you immediate cover if you do decide to buy it

JP08

These days it is easy - get your quote lined up, take your mobile with you, ring insurance company to start policy with immediate effect. Job done.

Go back not that many years and it was far more of a pain to be legal - especially on a car at the cheaper end of the market where the vendor had sent the tax disc back for a refund. No internet, no mobiles.

Then the legal process was :

Go see car. By car. Take documentation away with you.

Go to insurance brokers - find they shut at midday on Saturdays.

Wait until following Saturday or take a day off work. Go to brokers, purchase insurance, get a cover note until the insurance certificate arrives in the post.

Go to Post Office.
If you're really unlucky at this point and had to wait for the Saturday to get to the brokers, the Post Office has shut at midday. So you have to take a day off work or wait another week !

Stand in a very long queue. Produce your cover note and a valid MoT certificate and purchase your tax disc.

THEN go back and collect your car.


Alternatively, stick a beer mat in the window, drive home by the back roads avoiding the local plod !

BeenThroughItAll

JP08 wrote: »

These days it is easy - get your quote lined up, take your mobile with you, ring insurance company to start policy with immediate effect. Job done.

Go back not that many years and it was far more of a pain to be legal - especially on a car at the cheaper end of the market where the vendor had sent the tax disc back for a refund. No internet, no mobiles.

Then the legal process was :

Go see car. By car. Take documentation away with you.

Go to insurance brokers - find they shut at midday on Saturdays.

Wait until following Saturday or take a day off work. Go to brokers, purchase insurance, get a cover note until the insurance certificate arrives in the post.

Go to Post Office.
If you're really unlucky at this point and had to wait for the Saturday to get to the brokers, the Post Office has shut at midday. So you have to take a day off work or wait another week !

Stand in a very long queue. Produce your cover note and a valid MoT certificate and purchase your tax disc.

THEN go back and collect your car.


Alternatively, stick a beer mat in the window, drive home by the back roads avoiding the local plod !

Was it really that difficult? Did your insurance broker really not have a telephone, necessitating a personal visit? I know mine did, otherwise they'd have found it very time consuming to contact any underwriters.

JP08

They probably had a phone. But you still had to get into the brokers or wait for the post to get the physical cover note to get the tax disc. We're talking 1988 here ...

EdGasket

JP08 wrote: »

These days it is easy - get your quote lined up, take your mobile with you, ring insurance company to start policy with immediate effect. Job done.

Not always so easy. Possible problems ringing insurer:

1) Stuck for hours listening to 'waiting' music
2) Can't understand the Indian call centre and/or they don't understand me
3) Tell them what I want but they don't act on it
4) With no paperwork, you cannot prove you are insured and could get your car impounded.

Relatively recently it took me 5 calls to my insurer over two days simply to get a cover note so I could get my car taxed!

Best bet is to leave a deposit and pick the car up when you have everything sorted. You just have to trust the seller to look after your car and interests for a couple of days.

Much simpler is to ask the seller to drive it back for you and buy it when you both get home!

facade

EdGasket wrote: »

Much simpler is to ask the seller to drive it back for you and buy it when you both get home!

Best solution :T

In The Olden Days (when everything was better )

You simply got the seller to write you a receipt, putting the time of sale/transfer of title 1 hour from now, and drove it home on the "drive any car not belonging to the insured" part of your own policy.

Nowadays this cover depends on the vehicle having its own insurance cover, and the seller not having SORN'd it, and the possible penalties are much steeper.

(However, as there are far fewer Police about, you are less likely to get stopped nowadays)

EdGasket

facade wrote: »

Best solution :T
(However, as there are far fewer Police about, you are less likely to get stopped nowadays)

But unfortunately there is ANPR which I got caught on driving a newly purchased car home. They were chasing the previous owner for tax and hence i had to tax it pronto to avoid one of us getting a fine.