Thread: Trade registration - how long ?

hello
im thinking to buy a car off the internet, and they say in order to get their Fleet discounts, they have to keep the V5 for 6 months to prevent immediate Trade sell-on. i dont mind that concept so much, but am wondering if any problems can arise from me not having the v5 ? (i will have the paid Invoice of course).
are they Legally allowed to do that ? doesnt the dvla require previous owners to send in the New keepers details immediately ?

i said i want them to write across the pre-reg v5 that i am the new owner, and that it will be sent to me in 6 months, and then give me a photocopy. but then he said he wouldnt have the actual v5 so quickly, since they only apply for registration a couple of days before. so how come they can otherwise quickly get the 12 month tax disk that goes with the car then ?

thanks for any advice.

They register in their names to get a massive discount from the manufacturer which some of it is passed onto you. They don't have the V5 quickly because they don't send it off until after 6 months is up to put you as the new owner. Thats because the manufacturer may call for the V5 to check at anytime up to 6 months and if they can't present it then they don't get the discount.

What are you going to tell your insurance company? They ask that you are the registered keeper - and you won't be. Making a false claim can invalidate your insurance. What will you present if vehicle is written off in less than 6 months? How you going to explain it when you cannot produce a V5.

Just some of the things I would be thinking about.

insurance - good point, thanks.

if they only register it (to themselves) 3 days before delivery (to me), how did they get the tax disk (part of the deal) so quickly then ?

They either register and get a tax disc at a Local Office or some dealers can register at their premises and have a stock of tax discs.

You can get good deals on pre reg cars at the moment where a dealer will send off the V5 in your name immediately - all legal and above board

ah, so you say the process of "registering" can be done in their office - they dont have to send off and wait weeks ? and they have stack of disks, sot the whole job is only half hours work ?

There are 2 ways to register new vehicles in UK. Either at a Local Office of DVLA with the papers or at dealership who have an online facility to set up the information and issue the tax disc. My sister bought a new car beginning of the year and the Ford dealership let her choose her registration mark and did everything electronically. Its called Automated First Registration and Licensing (AFRL).

The fleet companies as I understand it have links into dealerships all over the country. So this may be how they will do it.

I would speak to your insurance company before going further to make sure you will be covered. Its not like your fleet leasing a vehicle, your buying it as a pre reg and the vehicle will not be registered to you for another 6 months.

many thanks Lifesontheup ! this all interesting, and advice about insurance most important.

so the dealer does the Online registration a couple of days before delivery,

but what about the Actual v5 document,
does it take a few weeks for the Dealer to get that himself ?

ive said to them i want a photocopy at minimum, so am wondering how many weeks before id get that.

If its done online at a dealership or at a Local Office of the DVLA, its the DVLA who will issue the V5C. The V5C will be issued to the name and address that the vehicle has been registered too.

In the case of what you are talking about then the fleet company will get it as they register themselves and like I said originally they hold onto the V5C until 6 months in order to get a discount from the manufacturer. Once the 6 months is over, they send the V5C off to the DVLA in order to register in your name.

You can ask them for a copy of the V5C but it won't be any good for you as its not in your name. What will it prove?

IMHO these schemes sound too good to be true but like with the V5C there is always a catch. I would check with your insurance before you do anything.

ok, many thanks for all your advices ! ill let you know in couple of months what happens