I spotted a 2009 Honda Jazz EX on Autotrader in a rare (But not to everyone's taste) colour, and at a great price.

It was in Luton and I live in Manchester, but it had a clear HPi report, which prompted my decision to travel by train to buy the car (£42).

The car was as described, drove well, and had a lengthy balance of warranty and tax.

When I went inside the sellers home to check the paperwork I was not happy to hear that he had mislaid the service book - "must have been taken away by a potential buyer the previous day."

And the V5 was in the name of Allianz Insurance, not the seller.

He explained that he had bought the car at auction and his wife hated the colour, so he decided to not add his own name to the V5 to keep the numbers of previous owners low.

I updated my HPi report with the vin number of the car, and the V5 serial number, still all clear.

I was obviously uncomfortable with the paperwork situation, so decided to ring the original owner (number supplied from internet search by my seller!

The original owner was emotional and her husband told me that the car was a CAT C write off.

I walked away, purchased the cheapest ticket at £60.60, and put it down to experience.

But I wonder if I am able to seek recompense from either HPi or the insurance company re my travel expenses, and time wasted, due to an inaccurate HPI report?

Who is responsible for providing the information re insurance write offs?

Asked on 27 January 2012 by daz2cv4

Answered by Honest John