can a family member/friend buy another person a car.

[marksheff]

might seem like a strange question but can family/friend purchase a car using their bank details but have the paperwork in someone else's name.thanks. 

[Ethel Street]

Nothing to stop you doing that but you do need to take some care with the purchase paperwork.

If you buy it from the garage yourself for a friend the garage paperwork will show you as the purchaser and owner.

 

You don't want that so make sure your friend buys it and the garage invoices it to your friend.

Where the money comes from would then be irrelevant to ownership.

 

You can transfer funds from your bank account to pay the garage invoice.

Or, if you are paying for on behalf someone you trust, just give them the money and they can pay for it themself!

The risk there is they run off with the money and don't use it to buy a car.

 

Who owns or pays for it is entirely different to who is the Registered Keeper notified to DVLA and named on the V5C document ('log book'). The Registered Keeper does not have to be the owner, the RK is the person responsible for registering and taxing the car.

[marksheff]

thank you for that, it makes sense, it just sounds a bit dodgy if you say it out loud, there's nothing dodgy.  

[Gick]

What you may not do is buy on credit/hire purchase for someone else, without declaring that fact to the lender. (They are unlikely to advance the money/credit except in exceptional circumstances).

[marksheff]

thankyou.