Logistics of selling a car on elderly relative's behalf

Advocate

Hi all

I'd really appreciate any advice on the following.

An elderly relative has asked me to sell his car. He gave up driving it about 6 months ago through ill health and old age.

It's just been MOT'd and passed with no faults. However, I now need to tax it (it was SORN'd a few months ago), but I understand that I need a current insurance certificate to do this. The insurance was cancelled a few months ago, so I thought I could just insure it in my own name for a week or two then cancel the policy.

But as I understand it, the main insurance has to be in the registered keeper's name. Is this correct? That would be difficult as my relative would now struggle to get insurance in his name and I don't want to put him through all that hassle.

Is the only way around this to tell the DVLA I am the new keeper and then insure in my name? I'm not keen on doing that as the car has only had one keeper since new, and my making myself the second keeper I am afraid of diminishing the car's value.

GRRR... :mad: the DVLA have made these procedures so bureaucratic that it's now such a hassle to sell a car legally!

I suppose it all boils down to the following: How important is it to tax the car if I want to sell it (privately by newspaper ad)? Will it increase the car's value by more than the value of the tax disc itself?

My final question (I'm afraid I know very little about cars): The car is 10 years old but only has 12,000 miles on the clock, has been kept in a garage all its life and is absolutely immaculate. It even has that 'showroom' smell inside! Given all this, is it likely to fetch significantly more than an average 10 year old model?

Many thanks.

hartcjhart

As long as the new insurance document has the cars reg number it doesnt have to have your name in the logbook,so yes you can tax it,

the car will be worth more with tax but only by the cost of the tax,

to sell easily you would need to have the car taxed and insured to be able to offer test drives etc

as to value it depends on make model etc

flutterbyuk25

Officially to tax it you will need to have the registered keeper's name shown on the insurance certificate. In this case if you were to take out the temporary policy then you could have them shown as "the registered keeper" or as a named driver.

However it all depends on how observant the clerk at the Post Office is when you come to tax the vehicle. They may not even check the name on the insurance, just the reg mark.

There isn't much point in adding you as a new keeper as it would devalue the car especially as it's had only one owner.

If you sell it untaxed then the new keeper would have to either leave it where it is until they have received their insurance cert or arrange it to be transported and kept off road til taxed. This may put some buyers off, but you never know

Hope that helps

Advocate

Iamthesmartestmanalive wrote: »

Is the car properly serviced?

What kind is it? what spec is it

All these are far more relevent

a low mileage 10 year old car is still 10 years old

Many thanks for the advice everyone. It's a 1997 Ford Escort 1.6 LX, and yes it has a full Ford service history.

Wig

The questions I want to know as a prospective buyer are

Service history.. that's ok
MOT When does the MOT run out?

I'm not worried about no of keepers especially on such an old car. And I will see the logic when explained by you that the keeper was transferred recently in order to tax the car to better facilitate the sale.

The P.O. will not tax the car unless the registered keepers name is on the certificate. I don't know if insurers will put a registered keepers name on the certificate without classing them as a driver, you could phone a few insurers up and ask them if this is possible. I suppose one way around this might be to use the Online tax disc application but that would mean probably holding valid insurance for a few days to maybe a few weeks, before it shows on the computer system.

How about using an online insurance application, just name yourself as policy holder, for additional driver name your relative. Enter the correct DOB at first and see if it processes, you will then get your certificate, tax the car.

If it does not let your driver on because they are too old, just change the DOB so that they are not quite so old. The computers don't know how old he really is,
the post office is happy,
the dvla are happy
Your insurers are happy, because you have an named additional driver called Bob Jones

Everyones happy. Now you do realise you can then cancel your insurance within 14 days for a full refund (with certain insurance companies - others will charge a small admin fee - read the policy wording).

So now you have your taxed car in your uncles name with no insurance, but you can now apply for insurance in your own name (with no additional driver) if that is what you wish to do.

Alternatively prospective buyers can show you their comprehensive policy that allows driving someone elses car, then you can let them drive. But only if it does not say the other car has to have it's own insurance.

Up to you if you let prospective buyers drive the car, but they will only be covered third party, and they may not be covered at all.

How you deal with the idea of people test driving uninsured is not what you asked, you asked how to get it taxed, I have shown you a way to get it taxed, slightly devious, but who cares, they (govt) are the idiots that have tightened the rules so much it becomes impossible to do simple things with vehicles now because of all the red tape.

Value....??? If it is immaculate in appearance, then you might get an extra 700 - 1000 on top of book price. But if it has any problems relating to the low mileage, then it will be devalued. - as long as it runs well you should sell it for a good price.

anewman

Try advertising it on ford enthusiast websites, there is also some magazines in WH Smiths dedicated to Fords. There may be an Escort nutter who'll pay big bucks for a genuine low miles example. I would say let them sort out the road tax and insurance as if they're buying it it's up to them anyway.

hartcjhart

advocate where are you located?do you know anyone in the trade if so you can ask them to tax it for you without alteration to the logbook