No V5

joannaber

We put a deposit down at the dealers for a used car. Today they said it is ready for collection but when we asked about the V5 he said they do not have it. Is it a problem, please?
We are not very knowledgable but apparently you cannot tax a car without it? please advise, thank you.

joannaber

Just to add, the price agreed was just short of £12, 000 (the most I have ever paid for a car) so I would expect everything to be correct, but i am now worried the lack of V5 may hide potential issues. For my peace of mind I feel uneasy.

molerat

Without the V5 they cannot transfer ownership to you and you will not be able to tax it.  How old is the car ?

joannaber

5 years old MPV. He said he can take me to a post office and tax it through a V62?

JamoLew

walk away untill he does have the V5 and can complete correctly would be my advice

molerat

The current keeper, not you, can tax it with a V62 plus a £25 fee and they will receive a new V5 within up to 5 to 6 weeks (if they process it at all at the moment - the DVLA site states they are only dealing with priority customer applications at the moment).  They will then need to transfer it to you and the tax will then be refunded to the person listed on the V5 (not you), you will then need to tax it using the new keeper slip.  IF THEY HAVE NO V5 WALK AWAY as it will likely turn into a total nightmare for you, not being the registered keeper could also cause you insurance problems. DVLA say you should not buy a car without a V5.

treeroy

If you want peace of mind, you need to walk away and look at another car instead.
There is absolutely no reason why a dealer or owner of vehicle should not have the V5. 

joannaber

Thank you, Molerat, you sound quite definite. I will walk away, as it sounds too much hassle. I was not thinking straight not to ask them about it after the test drive. I hope they will return the deposit as they said it was refundable, but I only have their word for it.

AdrianC

treeroy said:

There is absolutely no reason why a dealer or owner of vehicle should not have the V5. 

There are many reasons, of varying quality.

If the person he bought the car from didn't have the V5C, then he cannot apply for one without registering it in his name, which adds another keeper to the total.

V62 is the DVLA form to get a replacement, and allows you to tax the car in your name at the same time as applying. If he's willing to pay the £25, then I don't see a great show-stopping issue, if you're comfortable with the deal in every other way.

molerat

It seems it should be possible to tax it and register it in your name with a V62 if the vehicle is currently "in trade".  Check the reg here https://vehicleenquiry.service.gov.uk/ and if there is this statement "You may be able to tax this vehicle at a Post Office Branch that deals with vehicle tax without the V5C registration certificate" they should be able to do it providing the member of staff at the PO is sufficiently trained.

joannaber

"You may be able to tax this vehicle at a Post Office Branch that deals with vehicle tax without the V5C registration certificate"
I looked on this link but I could not find this statement anywhere, I am not sure what in trade" means?
We are going to ask for our deposit back.