bought a car saturday afternoon no tax supplyed are you able to drive it around?

[leroist]

when i bought my car from a dealer they said they do not tax vechicles they sell. this was on a saturday afternoon so i could only tax it on monday, i had the rest of my particulars, insurance etc was i still legal to drive? i have been unable to find out any were else.

[barracad]

No.

You can't put a car on the public highway unless it is taxed.

[make them aktiv runners]

As far as I know, dealers are not allowed to release the car without all the legal documentation. I bought one several years ago and the dealer took me to the PO for a tax disc for the reason stated.

[MilkTrayMan]

NOT having your car taxed, when on a public highway, also invalidates your insurance...

Was there NO P.O. open in Brum on a Sat afternoon??...

[leicesterlad]

not having car tax is NOT a criminal offence it is a civil offence. afaik no post office opens past 12.30 on a saturday and it is the customers responsibility to make sure all the documentation is in order before the vehicle is used on the public highway un less it is a brand new vehicle

[10110001]

Originally Posted by leicesterlad

not having car tax is NOT a criminal offence it is a civil offence.

The police say they don't get involved in civil matters.

[patdavies]

Originally Posted by leicesterlad

not having car tax is NOT a criminal offence it is a civil offence.

There are two distinct offences

No VED is a civil offence and is pursued by DVLA.

Failure to display VED (regardless of whether you have a disk or not) is a criminal offence and is dealt with by the Police - usually £30 non-endorsement FPN.

[patdavies]

Originally Posted by MilkTrayMan

NOT having your car taxed, when on a public highway, also invalidates your insurance...

Urban myth. Insurance is not invalidated by not having VED or MoT.

[leroist]

Originally Posted by MilkTrayMan

NOT having your car taxed, when on a public highway, also invalidates your insurance...

Was there NO P.O. open in Brum on a Sat afternoon??...

i had to collect the car from wednesbury at bout 4pm by the time back in brum all is closed

[leroist]

Originally Posted by leicesterlad

not having car tax is NOT a criminal offence it is a civil offence. afaik no post office opens past 12.30 on a saturday and it is the customers responsibility to make sure all the documentation is in order before the vehicle is used on the public highway un less it is a brand new vehicle

2001 car so obviously not brand new, i was'nt coverd then

[leroist]

Originally Posted by make them aktiv runners

As far as I know, dealers are not allowed to release the car without all the legal documentation. I bought one several years ago and the dealer took me to the PO for a tax disc for the reason stated.

can any body be sure about this because i might use this in my defence in a on going issue i have with them, need to be sure though

[rogerebaker]

Ive bought a number of cars from dealers and they sometimes dont have tax.

The reality of the situiation is you run the risk of a FPN for No VEL but thats the risk you take. It certainly doesnt invalidate your insurance.

[gwc1000]

Originally Posted by leroist

can any body be sure about this because i might use this in my defence in a on going issue i have with them, need to be sure though

I have been a second hand car dealer for nearly thirty years now and I have never heard anything like that before. As soon as you, the customer hand the money over the vehicle becomes your property and your responsibility. Liability for a RFL lies with you. In fact I always put the time of day by the date on the invoice so I get no nasty surprises in the post. What I sometimes do if the customer has off road parking at home is to run the vehicle home for them on trade plates and the rest is up to them. There are some post offices that are open Saturday afternoons for road tax, we have one locally that is open till 6pm Monday to Saturday. You should have left the car at the dealers and returned for it when you had the road tax. Many dealers will not tax a car for customers simply because more often than not the customer hasn't changed his insurance and they want the dealer to use his trade policy, but then we never can be sure that the customer will actually insure the car. Every vehicle I send to auction has no road tax (any outstanding I always apply for a refund) some have no MoT some have no logbook some might have no paperwork at all, so to say dealers cannot sell a car without all it's documentation I would suggest is ridiculous.

[advisee]

Originally Posted by barracad

No.

You can't put a car on the public highway unless it is taxed.

Unless travelling to/from a pre-arranged MOT appointment or for repair work after failing an MOT, or to comply with the instruction of a police officer (if I recall correctly).

[advisee]

Originally Posted by gwc1000

I have been a second hand car dealer for nearly thirty years now and I have never heard anything like that before. As soon as you, the customer hand the money over the vehicle becomes your property and your responsibility. Liability for a RFL lies with you. In fact I always put the time of day by the date on the invoice so I get no nasty surprises in the post. What I sometimes do if the customer has off road parking at home is to run the vehicle home for them on trade plates and the rest is up to them. There are some post offices that are open Saturday afternoons for road tax, we have one locally that is open till 6pm Monday to Saturday. You should have left the car at the dealers and returned for it when you had the road tax. Many dealers will not tax a car for customers simply because more often than not the customer hasn't changed his insurance and they want the dealer to use his trade policy, but then we never can be sure that the customer will actually insure the car. Every vehicle I send to auction has no road tax (any outstanding I always apply for a refund) some have no MoT some have no logbook some might have no paperwork at all, so to say dealers cannot sell a car without all it's documentation I would suggest is ridiculous.

Indeed, well said. One question though - dealers taxing cars (using their trade policy) is commonplace. Your bit about "can never be sure the customer will insure the car" - do you say that purely from a sense of community, or is there some kind of obligation upon you?

With the advent of ASKMID it is quite easy to put insurance in place and then be able to tax the vehicle (online if necessary) - though the system can take a little while to be updated.

[gwc1000]

Hi, myself and many dealers that I know are reluctant to tax cars using the trade policy because we take road insurance very seriously. It is as you say due to a sense of community, not obligation. I have read of too many horror stories involving uninsured motorists. Personally I feel that the punishment for such offences makes it sometimes more attractive for the car owner to take a chance and have no insurance.