Buying a Car with a tweaked V5 form..

[Beagle86]

Hi everyone,

 

I'm new here so hopefully people are still online at this time.

 

Basically, the story goes: I've found a really good car which I like and is at a reasonable price. From test drive and general inspection, it seems good. The last two MOTs are available as is the service book and a receipt from the last service. The seller has two keys etc and it kind of all seems legit except for one thing.

 

On the V5 form, there are three sides I believe some times. On the third side (http://www.plates4less.co.uk/images/public/forms/large/v5c/v5c.jpg third page on this example), the yellow section is missing and, believe it or not, the green bit (New Keeper Details) has been tippexed out. He's a trader (though, not that I'm trying to draw a bad picture of him, I'm not 100% sure whether he's a registered trader or not) so isn't the last owner on the docs. He says the last owner put his details in the wrong bit of form which, well, may or may not be true.

 

I've done an HPI check and it's come back all perfect.

 

This car was a trade-in apparently which is why he's selling it on. What I'm suspecting is that someone traded it in to another garage for not a lot, they've cleaned it up, put new tyres on it, made it up etc and are now selling it on straight away without waiting the 6 weeks (am I correct in this assumption?) it would take to get them registered as the new owners. That's why they've tippexed the 'New Keeper Details' bit out to then replace them by mine which, I guess, would make it easier for them.

 

My questions are:

 

- If I get this car, am I being conned?

- What is on the yellow section at the top of page 3? I know the seller sends this off to the DVLA but will it have anything on it which I should know about?

 

That's pretty much it. Would really appreciated advice.

 

Cheers,

 

Simon

[mariefab]

What is on the yellow section at the top of page 3?

 

Notification of Sale/Transfer to the Motor Trade/Insurer/Dismantler V5C/3

 

(on the left hand side)

Registration Mark - pre-filled

Date of Sale or Transfer

Present mileage

Name and address of motor trader:

Title or business name, Surname, Address, Postcode, VAT Number

 

(on the right hand side)

Decaration box

Registered keeper signs to declare that they sold/transferred the vehicle to the motor trader named opposite on the date shown.

Motor Trader signs and dates to declare that vehicle was sold/transferred to them on the date shown opposite

Document Ref. No. - pre-filled

Despatch codes - pre-filled

[gwc1000]

Hi, beagle. There shouldn't be any problem. The yellow slip is missing because the registered keeper has sent that to DVLA informing of a sale into the Trade. Has the vehicle recently been taxed? If so that will be the reason for the tippex. Nothing to worry about.

Traders do not have to register vehicles in their own name. BTW as far as I am aware there is no such thing as a registered trader, and I have been a car dealer since the late seventies. Who would a trader register with?

[patdavies]

GWC1000 is correct.

 

The yellow section is missing because the previous keeper quite rightly completed it with the dealer and sent it to DVLA to infirm them that he/she was no longer the registered keeper and had passed the vehicle to a trader.

 

When/if you buy the car, you will get the green section and the trader will send the rest to DVLA after you have both completed and signed it. You get your own, new V5C a few weeks later.

 

Id the car taxed? The reason that I ask is that the Post Office may baulk at a tippexed green section. If you provide an insurance certificate, you can get the dealer to tax it for you.

[gwc1000]

When you think about it, it would be very unusual to buy a vehicle from a trader where the yellow slip is present.

[scousepara]

I've sold many a car with tippex on the green.

Reason for it is,Post Office insist on you filling it in before they'll give you tax to allow yourself to demonstrate the car on the road.Stupid gits!

The way I do it,is go in with only the green with my name on it,tell them the blue is sent,and they'll tax it.Why they bother with the yellow when it makes it harder to shift the car is ridiculous!!!