Mazda 6 - Novice buying a private car for sell | Motoring discussion | Back Room Forum

Mon 3 Oct 2011 18:53

Mazda 6 - Novice buying a private car for sell - chelt_gas

Hi All, it would be great if I can have some impartial advise on a car I am about to buy.

The seller has stated that the car has no tax and that the transaction is to be done on a cash basis, he will not accept online transfer of payment as he is a taxi driver and doesn't want £4k plopping into his bank account due to tax reasons. Is this a plausible argument?

The car is registered to a company but the seller is a person. They have the car registration documents including the V5 and the transaction will happen at their house and they have shown ID. The scenario is that I will hand over the balance of the payment (mius deposit) in return for the car and registration documents.

I have now insured the car (14 days cancellation) and have the V5 slip to tax it tomorrow. I have also ran an HPI check and other checks to see if the car was registered as stolen. I have also test driven the car and it seems fine to proceed with a sold as seen transaction.

Please can you advise if there is anything else I should check out - what if the number plates have been switched, how do I tell? Any tips would be well received in my hour of need.

Thanks for reading and I look forward to your replies,

Regards

Rich

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Mon 3 Oct 2011 19:26

Mazda 6 - Novice buying a private car for sell - bathtub tom

Have you checked the V5 serial number against the list of stolen V5s, Google's your friend?

Have you jumped through all the hoops HPI require in the small print?

Have you verified the engine number and VIN, not just VIN on the windscreen, but in other places? Again Google's your friend to find where they're hidden.

Is it so cheap, it's too good to be true?

You're obviously suspicious to be asking on here, why?

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Mon 3 Oct 2011 20:36

Mazda 6 - Novice buying a private car for sell - Avant

I do hope it's not a Mazda 6 diesel. If it is, don't touch it: there are too many stories on here and elsewhere about expensive engine failures. The petrol ones however have an excellent reputation.

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Tue 4 Oct 2011 00:32

Mazda 6 - Novice buying a private car for sell - tony g

Hi rich,I buy cars in the way you describe regularly ,to sell on .If the cars not registered to the guy you're buying from ,which is not uncommon .Ask him to provide you with a copy of both parts of his driving license ,and make sure you see the originals.That will give you proof of address and I'd.
They would be something to use if the car turns out to be stolen.

If the guys not willing to do that ,or his driving license as well as the v5 are not at the address you are collecting from .It's probably best to walk away,better to loose your deposit than all your money.
Also before you commit to buying a car do a full HPI check which includes a finance and mileage check.Not all checks cover finance .Auto check is the one I use ,they charge £25 for 5 checks.

Finally make out your own invoice with a copy for the seller.it should show your name and address plus signature and the same thing for the seller .details of the car should be shown including reg number ,vin number ,mileage.
Plus a statement on the invoice with an additional signature by the seller ,that says that .The above described vehicle is my property and I am entitled to sell it.
Having said all that ,buying used cars is a risky business ,if you're not sure of the seller walk away.

Good luck

Tony g

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Tue 4 Oct 2011 10:07

Mazda 6 - Novice buying a private car for sell - madf

Anyone paying £4k for a sold as seen transaction is very "brave"...

There is a nother adjective but I am sure the OP would be offended if I said it.

Run miles...

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Tue 4 Oct 2011 13:45

Mazda 6 - Novice buying a private car for sell - tony g

Hi ,I buy all my cars as seen.it's far to complicated to pursue a private individual for compensation ,particularly for mechanical failure .
In addition cars bought from a dealer although in theory are covered by a warranty and consumer rights ,are subject to the reasonable! test.
It's unreasonable to expect a car with 100'000 miles to be warranted/perform in the same way as a car with 20'000 miles.
In addition most bought/dealer warranties exclude wear and tear .The most common cause of a car breakdown.
In short check out a used car very carefully before you buy it.
If you don't have the know how, employ the rac,aa.to check a car for you.
A cheaper option , pay a mechanic to check the car for you.

Tony g

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Tue 4 Oct 2011 15:03

Mazda 6 - Novice buying a private car for sell - tmjs

The seller has stated that the car has no tax and that the transaction is to be done on a cash basis, he will not accept online transfer of payment as he is a taxi driver and doesn't want £4k plopping into his bank account due to tax reasons. Is this a plausible argument?

If he claims to have sold the car for less than he actually did, then he can probably dodge some tax.

The car is registered to a company but the seller is a person. They have the car registration documents including the V5 and the transaction will happen at their house and they have shown ID. The scenario is that I will hand over the balance of the payment (mius deposit) in return for the car and registration documents.

Do a search for the company on www.companieshouse.gov.uk/

See what comes up.

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Tue 4 Oct 2011 17:21

Mazda 6 - Novice buying a private car for sell - tony g

The first part of the last post is perfectly plausible ,particularly because it's likely that the guy has bought the car, perhaps from an auction , with the intention of selling it on for a profit.

Its probably the reason why the seller has the v5 but the car is not registered to him.

It likely that their is no connection between the registered company shown on the v5 and the seller of the car.

Tony g

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Tue 4 Oct 2011 17:34

Mazda 6 - Novice buying a private car for sell - madf

Yes.

Or he is a crook and wants no audit trail so you can''t claim your money back. Or he is a bankrupt and wants to hide his cash.

Or he is divorcing and want to hide his money from his ex wife.

Or he is a drug smuggler and wants to launder money and will book the sale price at £10k.

All equally plausible.

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Tue 4 Oct 2011 22:17

Mazda 6 - Novice buying a private car for sell - tony g

Equally plausible ?crook,bankrupt,divorce,drug smuggler.
Far more likely, some guy trying to supplement his income as a taxi driver by selling a few cars he buys from auction.
Probably not declaring the money he makes from selling cars as income.

I believe the inland revenue allows a private individual to sell 3 cars a year without declaring tax on any profit earned.
Has anyone ever come across a ruling by the revenue on this.

Tony g

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Wed 5 Oct 2011 20:59

Mazda 6 - Novice buying a private car for sell - injection doc

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