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Un-owned car
I am purchasing a vehicle for cash from an independent motor agent. After I placed the order he told me that the vehicle would be pre-registered in the finance company’s name. I have been told that they will retain the vehicle documents for nine months. Please can you tell me if this vehicle will be legally mine if I do not hold the documents. I would be very grateful for your advice.
Asked on 15 August 2009 by
Answered by
Honest John
It won’t be yours, if the dealer doesn’t pay the finance company the full amount it could be repossessed, and you may have great difficulty finding an insurer who will insure it on this basis. They have done this to get a fleet discount on the car and whether you are getting a good deal or not depends on how much of that discount they have passed on to you and how much they have kept as profit. If the car is at a 25% - 40% discount then it may be worth the risk. If it’s at a 10% - 15% discount then it isn’t. The straight legal way for them to handle this would be for them to lease the car to you for a year, with a balloon payment at the end of the year to keep the car. (It could all be done with one payment.) That might be more acceptable to an insurer because then the car would be leased.
Dear Honest John,
Please help me choose my next car. I would like it to have:
Please help me choose my next car. I would like it to have:
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