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Seen a potential car but query on taking off its private number plate

Y

Yoghurt

Member
Bristol
Hello

I have seen an E89 I am keen interested in. It has private number plates which the seller wishes to retain.
Can I ask peoples experience of this please?
I can see from the DVLA that this can be done on line by the seller but I am not clear if you do this on line what happens to the V5 document?
Does this need to be sent off and then wait for it (how long?) to be returned, updated? Or can we both fill in the current V5 with the new details and I get an updated one from DVLA in due course?

Thank you
 
Its up to the seller to retain the plate number, when they do this, the the original registration it was given will be allocated back to the car, so when its sold to you, it will should have the original plates on it, and when you receive the V5 that will be the registration shown
 
Thanks RustyZ4. When you say receive the V5 you mean from the seller or the DVLA? I am not clear if the seller has to send the V5 off and do not want to purchase the car without one (or an incorrect one). Apologies for my lack of knowledge, never been in this situation before!
 
Although it can be transferred online its way better to have the plate switched at least a week / 10 days before you intend driving it away , otherwise there can be hassle Re taxing it & you would either leave with no logbook in new reg or with the car still on its private number
 
Mr Wilks is spot on, if the seller does it online, he will receive a new V5 document with the correct registration to sell it to you, when I did this I got it back in about 4 days, but maybe I was just lucky,
If you don't mind hanging on till your seller gets their new V5 document, everything will be just as it should be for a smooth transition to you, fill in all your details etc, they give you a section of it as the new keeper, then you can tax it etc, plus you need the registration to insure it
 
Update. I asked the seller if the car had any finance and he explained he has a bank laon, not car finance and this will be repaid with the proceeds. This is making me a bit uneasy, should I be worried?
A quick google says 'All that’s required is that the vendor gets the settlement figure from the finance company and either you or the seller pays it off. Whatever you do, don’t pay the asking price and agree with the vendor that they settle the finance; they’ll probably ‘forget’ to do so and it’ll be you who has to sort things out.'
Is this normal procedure. I get that some people need to sell the car first to then repay a loan.

This is the car https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201902024536575?fromSavedAds=true

Thank you

Thank you
 
Nice looking car!

I would say if it was a bank loan then it would not be secured against the car, so in theory there would be no come back on you if he failed to repay it.

You could always get an HPI check to give you peace of mind: URL Check Website

I'm no expert though, this is just my gut feeling.
 
Not an issue - if he has used a bank loan to purchase a car, the car is his and he can sell as he pleases. How he settles what he owes the bank is his problem, and the bank have no financial interest in the car itself. If he has used a finance company, then they own the car until he pays the final payment - hence the need to settle before he can sell the car.
 
Thanks Z4sparky. I have done an HPI check, which calls it a hire purchase agreement with a well known bank. Managed to speak to the HP company who confirmed he has to pay the loan off before he can sell it.
 
Yoghurt said:
Thanks Z4sparky. I have done an HPI check, which calls it a hire purchase agreement with a well known bank. Managed to speak to the HP company who confirmed he has to pay the loan off before he can sell it.
Click to expand...

Glad you got a definitive answer on it.

At least you know where you stand now.
 
Contacted the seller who has agree to settle the balance first so the car will be HP clear.

If anyone has any comments on what to look out for in the car advertised I would be very grateful and help me take one more step towards my first Z4 ownership! I have asked about the tyres and he confirmed they are a bit scuffed. They are Run flats so they may need changing!
 
looks to have all the right bits at sensible price.
open and close the roof a couple of times, get shot of the runflats asap especially if there are lots of potholes in your area.
just give it a good look over, preferably when its clean.
look closely at all the alloys, especially on the inner rims to check for any cracks if hes been on runflats.
rears are especially prone to cracking.
good luck :)
 
Here are my thoughts:

  • Check the roof works (obviously)
  • Check any comfort access works (e.g. roof from key, doors etc)
  • Check folding mirrors work
  • Check all lights work - look out for moisture in the rear light units - especially the indicators as it kills them and the whole unit needs to be replaced (not expensive but a pain)
  • Check headlamp washers work (MOT requirement for Xenons)
  • With the bonnet open look down the back of the engine (take a torch or use torch on phone) and see if there is any oil dripping on to exhaust - If you stand by the drivers side front wheel you can see down past the heat shielding - if there is oil could be a valve cover gasket leak
  • Do your best to check the alloys for cracks on the inner rim - again, if you shine your torch through the "spokes" you can see a little bit back there - these are the same style as mine and apparently are prone to cracking on the run flats - do a search online and you will get loads of results to get a better idea of what to look for
  • Using the onboard computer with the car running you can cycle through and check the upcoming service intervals - again, find a video or something online of how to do this before you go if you are not sure - I got a bit stung on mine and about two weeks after I bought it it was due an interim service so had to take it back in
  • Check the parking sensors work - both front and rear if it has them
  • Check both heated seats warm up

Thanks all I can think of for now
 
Or if the finance company will let you know exactly how much he still owes on it, you deduct that from the agreed price and pay them yourself, that way you know its been paid off.

Nice car btw :thumbsup:
 
Brilliant-thank you both.

He did point out the alloys needed some attention (think his wife had scraped them) but was reflected in the price. I will look out for any cracks but not sure if this comes under 'needs some attention'! Also sent me some screen grabs of the onboard computer which were all green except for the Statutory vehicle inspection. However I have seen the invoice for the last service dated 8/18 and the MOT was done 18/11/18.
 
Sounds like he is being quite upfront, which is good, if you love the car, I would at this point, get him to swap the registrations over and agree you will settle with the finance/bank,

With regard to the alloys, obviously check they do not have cracks, but if its got run flat tyres on it, you need to really budget to change them to non run flat tyres as soon as you can,,,, I am speaking from experience, as someone who dallied to long :cry:
 
I also changed to non run flats pretty quick....much better ride now.

Cracks in the alloys definitely does not come under the heading "needs some attention"!

As Rusty says, seems like he is being quite upfront, so I expect he is just referring to the scuffs on the face (fairly easy on these alloys as the spokes stick out a bit - mine are the same)
 
Thanks. He has already notified the DVLA to swap the licence plates over and is going to let me know once the HP is clear.
I will ask about any cracks in the alloys.
What sort of budget would I need for non run flats do you think, for best value for money tyres? They are 19' alloys.

Its quite a lot to think about, this car buying business! I do not normally enjoy the experience although the Z4 is giving me a buzz!
 
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