Money Moral Dilemma: Should I sell her my car?

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Former_MSE_Penelope
Former_MSE_Penelope Posts: 536 Forumite
edited 21 September 2010 at 8:57PM in MoneySaving polls
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Should I just sell her the car?


I've been wanting to sell my old car that's worth about £650 but never got round to it. My neighbour's an exotic dancer, and has money, but she isn't good with it, nor is she one to follow rules. She offered me £1,500 for the car but I said I'd just take £650. Then she said she wasn't planning on getting insurance nor does she have a licence (it's lost & never been renewed). I said I wouldn't sell until that's sorted, she's saying it's not my problem and is a little upset I won't sell to her. Should I just sell her the car?
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  • TechnoBoy
    TechnoBoy Posts: 64 Forumite
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    Sell the car on the condition that there's a free exotic dance thrown in, then shop her to the authorities. :beer:
  • emidee
    emidee Posts: 71 Forumite
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    How you act upon this matter will largely be determined by how much you want to maintain good relations with your neighbour!

    Her telling you her plans wasn't a smart idea really - I can only presume she thought you wouldn't have a problem with it?

    Legally I don't think you can be held responsible for whether or not she has a licence / insurance - whether you have a moral responsibility is another matter.
  • RuthnJasper
    RuthnJasper Posts: 4,032 Forumite
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    edited 21 September 2010 at 10:06PM
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    Personally, I would not sell her the car if I knew she intended to use it illegally. Were an accident to happen you would be as liable as she was.

    If you give an unlicenced person a gun - and they, knowingly and willingly, shoot another individual - you may as well have pulled the trigger yourself. You may not have been guilty of the actual crime - but you knowingly provided the means (the weapon).

    Steer clear - and keep a clear conscience. If she chooses to break the law that is her business - but don't become a willing accomplice. If she is prepared to bypass the law, then she will incriminate you in a heartbeat if she thinks it'll help her. I can just hear it now: "Oh, but she sold me the car, Your Honour. She knew I wasn't a qualified driver but she MADE me take the car... she needed the money, I was doing HER a favour... she BEGGED me..."

    On a personal level, I could never aid and abet this situation. You have plenty of easy get-outs, e.g. "I'd never sell a car to a friend, in case it broke down...", etc. My advice is to keep well away from this one.

    Hope this helps. x
  • citizenx_2
    citizenx_2 Posts: 14 Forumite
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    The fact you are questioning this suggests you have some moral code. Is it really worth selling for £650?

    I'd say no. Not a chance.

    Frankly, I'd tell her straight and that not everybody condones her behaviour or that of others who think as she does.
  • Celyn
    Celyn Posts: 62 Forumite
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    Heavens, if she has enough money to offer £1500 for a £650 car, what's to stop her buying insurance like a normal driver? Oh yes, the lack of a licence, that's what. I assume road tax doesn't enter her plans either?

    You are sufficiently worried to ask about this. So I'm thinking you sound like a person who would (rightly or wrongly) feel pretty bad if this unlicensed uninsured driver bashes into someone. I can see that it's socially tricky, what with keeping on good terms with your neighbour, but you would be enabling a couple of crimes there and you might not be happy to do that.

    Awkward situation, really. :( If you DO sell her the car, you'll want to make damn sure that all legal transfer of ownership documents are done completely and properly.

    I think it might be one of those occasions where the mere fact that you ask the question indicates that you do, really, know your own answer to this. :)
  • tabbycat2k
    tabbycat2k Posts: 53 Forumite
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    Nope, I wouldn't sell her the car. Uninsured, untaxed drivers are why our insurance premiums are so high.
  • Fiona_T_3
    Fiona_T_3 Posts: 15 Forumite
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    Surely if you know she's not going to insure the car, you shouldn't sell it to her? You're obviously a decent person as you didn't rip her off by charging her what she was willing to pay. Ask her to spend the extra on the insurance and having her licence renewed. If she kills or injures someone in your old car without insurance, she might have to spend the rest of her life dancing round the pole or whatever she does in order to pay them compensation......

    If you didn't know that she wasn't going to be insured, then you wouldn't be morally culpable, but as you do, you will be. It's because so many of us know so many people who do break the law and don't feel able to do anything about it, that so much of it goes on. If you go ahead and sell it to her, I hope it's you she hits in it!
  • Mouseman
    Mouseman Posts: 2,394 Forumite
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    Don't sell to the neighbour - it breaks and you have an unhappy neighbour courtesy of your sale!

    If that doesn't bother you, sell it to her for the £650 you want for it and implore her to sort out her tax/MOT/insurance.

    MAKE SURE YOU SIGN THE FORMS CORRECTLY AND SEND THEM OFF TO DVLA. They ought to work out themselves that the new owner has an expired license or whatever but a friendly prod 2 weeks later will do wonders. Driving without insurance is utterly abhorrent but it's not your problem. Is she calls you a grass, you just explain that the paperwork going to DVLA will have flagged her up.

    No paperwork = no sale. Easy as that!
    If this post wasn't up to your standards, please lower your standards... ;)
  • mandi
    mandi Posts: 11,932 Forumite
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    Call me unscrupulous but I would sell the car to her for the higher price , then make an anonymous call to the police to report her .;)............................


    Wanders off to find my morals :whistle:
  • FelinePrincess
    FelinePrincess Posts: 1,385 Forumite
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    First off, I'd like to say it's girls like this that give lap dancers a bad reputation, not all are not like that!

    I think it's best you don't sell her the car. The fact that she has had her licence taken off her (probably drink driving) and is now planning on driving without licence and insurance shows she is exactly the type of person who shouldn't be on the road. I'd tell her I'll sell her the car once she has her licence back, if it's not already been sold and that your doing this because you don't want either of you to get into any trouble. Let her get upset - she needs to grow up.

    If she really does have plenty of money, she will just go and buy a car from someone else but at least you will know your not responsible for having another unlicenced, uninsured driver on the road.
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