When to tax new car?

Richard53

Bear with me, this is the simplest of questions, but I am confused. It is the first time I have bought a car from a private seller since the new tax rules came in.

I am due to pick the car up on Sunday. Because of the distance, the seller has kindly agreed to deliver the car by trailer to a half-way point. The agreed changeover spot is in the Welsh mountains and is unlikely to be somewhere with a phone signal. When I have the keys in my hand, I will try to tax the car by phone. If I can't, I will drive on and get the tax when I reach some kind of civilisation and a phone signal. (Note: the car is tested, inspected and paid for; this is just the handover.)

However, at that stage the seller will not have informed DVLA about the sale - it's going to take him 3 hrs to get home. When he does, the existing tax on the vehicle will be refunded to him, right? I seem to remember reading on this forum of cases where the new owner's tax has been refunded to the seller because the buyer bought the new tax before the seller cancelled the old, leaving the vehicle untaxed and the buyer out of pocket. The more I think about this, the more confused I get. It can't be a unique situation, so what's the best thing to do? Tax the car immediately (and be legal) or wait until I get home (3 hrs drive) and do it then, on the basis that the previous owner will not have informed DVLA and therefore the vehicle will show up as taxed on any database, i.e. will not get any unwanted attention?

I am not planning to evade anything, and will pay in full - it's just a question of when would be the best time. I'm getting brain fog over this - anyone have a simple answer?

Tilt

Get the seller to email you the completed v5c to include the 'new keeper details' bit (V5C/2). Use that to tax the car on line before you leave home to pick the car up. The seller should simply complete part 6 of the V5C and hand you the actual V5C/2 part when you meet. You hang onto that until your new V5C arrives. The seller (or you) then posts the rest of the completed V5C off to the DVLA. Job Done.

caprikid1

"I am due to pick the car up on Sunday. Because of the distance, the seller has kindly agreed to deliver the car by trailer to a half-way point. "


I do hope this was not an absolute bargain and paid for by a sensible secure means.

Herzlos

Richard53 wrote: »

on the basis that the previous owner will not have informed DVLA and therefore the vehicle will show up as taxed on any database, i.e. will not get any unwanted attention?

Is it coming from a dealer, because it won't be taxed if it's been sitting on a forecourt (and potentially why they are trailering it to you instead of driving it).

AdrianC

Herzlos wrote: »

Is it coming from a dealer...?

The OP said...

It is the first time I have bought a car from a private seller since the new tax rules came in.

OP - I wouldn't sweat it. Just drive it home, then do it once you're back. Even if he beats you back, it won't filter through anywhere official that quickly.

Bigphil1474

It makes sense to bring it on a trailer, as the seller will need to get home, as long as the buyer is avoiding the usual pitfalls of not buying from some unknown person at an unknown address and potentially being lumbered.
Op, have you checked it is currently taxed - if it is, you shouldn't really have a problem. Technically the new owner has to tax it straight away, but I can't see how you'd get caught in the few hours it takes to get home. A risk, but not much of one.
If it isn't taxed, I'd do as Tilt says. Bear in mind that even if you tax it straight away on the Sunday, it won't show up on any database straight away. When I bought my current car, it wasn't taxed, so I bought the tax online at the garage on the Saturday, and drove home. On the Monday, I found a 'Warning Untaxed Vehicle' notice on my windscreen. Nothing came of it fortunately.
The down side is that if you get there and the car isn't as described and you decide not to accept it, you'd lose a months worth of tax - have you already bought it or is it cash?

Herzlos

AdrianC wrote: »

The OP said...

My bad, thanks.

Tilt

Bigphil1474 wrote: »

It makes sense to bring it on a trailer, as the seller will need to get home, as long as the buyer is avoiding the usual pitfalls of not buying from some unknown person at an unknown address and potentially being lumbered.
Op, have you checked it is currently taxed - if it is, you shouldn't really have a problem. Technically the new owner has to tax it straight away, but I can't see how you'd get caught in the few hours it takes to get home. A risk, but not much of one.
If it isn't taxed, I'd do as Tilt says. Bear in mind that even if you tax it straight away on the Sunday, it won't show up on any database straight away. When I bought my current car, it wasn't taxed, so I bought the tax online at the garage on the Saturday, and drove home. On the Monday, I found a 'Warning Untaxed Vehicle' notice on my windscreen. Nothing came of it fortunately.
The down side is that if you get there and the car isn't as described and you decide not to accept it, you'd lose a months worth of tax - have you already bought it or is it cash?

OP says "the car is tested, inspected and paid for; this is just the handover".

Richard53

Thanks for all the replies, very helpful.

This isn't some dodgy deal. I saw the car last weekend and gave it a thorough test, so I know what I am getting. I've met him, and his parents and fiancee, and played with his dogs. The seller is an enthusiast and a thoroughly nice guy. When we were discussing the handover and couldn't make the train times work (and my wife was making noises about not driving all that way back by herself), he offered to put it on his trailer and meet me half way. I thought that was a decent gesture, and was happy to accept (I am giving him a contribution for his fuel). I will be paying the balance by BACS before the weekend. No reason not to.

I can see how 'handover in remote location' rings alarm bells, though

I'll go with Tilt's suggestion and get him to email me the 12-digit reference number from the green slip, and then tax it online the night before. If that doesn't work, I know it is currently taxed and I will risk the journey and tax it at home.

I've been over-thinking this, I know. But before I have bought from a trader, car untaxed, and just drove straight to the Post Office to tax it. This is already taxed, and there isn't a PO for miles where I am collecting it. I didn't know how the current tax and new tax worked.

Very helpful responses, thank you all.

AdrianC

More to the point, what is it? Something interesting?

motorguy

Richard53 wrote: »

I've been over-thinking this, I know. But before I have bought from a trader, car untaxed, and just drove straight to the Post Office to tax it. This is already taxed, and there isn't a PO for miles where I am collecting it. I didn't know how the current tax and new tax worked.

If you tax it at your first opportunity there wont be an issue.

Its the people who try to make it to the end of the month and drive about in it in the meantime hit the problems.