The Student Room Group

Buying a car without a logbook

I don't know much about cars but I'm supposed to be buying a car tomorrow morning. I'm buying it from my ex-boyfriends friend who owns his own garage. He told me the car doesn't have a log book but his friend will sign it over to me and then I can send of for change of ownership form. The reason he doesn't have a logbook is because the people he got the car off lost it. However on the internet it says that it takes 3 weeks for a new registration to come through and i can't pay for tax without an ownership form, which means i can't drive the car without tax. :frown:

I really don't want to wait 3 weeks or more to drive the car, plus another friend of mine advised me not to buy it because it sounds dodgy that they don't have the logbook as any fines on the car will come back to me and i can't drive without tax. However when i spoke to my ex boyfriend about this he said that I will be able to drive and if i get stopped i can just tell them that i'm waiting for the new logbook to arrive so i can pay for tax. Plus when i apply for change of ownership i can put the date that i brought it and therefore no fines on the car before i brought it will come back to me.

I don't know what to do. i really want to get this car tomorrow as it's perfect for me but I don't know if i'm taking a risk or not. Please help!! :frown:
Reply 1
forgive me if im wrong but dont you need the logbook to change owners?
Reply 2
I actually did this once, and I certainly won't be doing it again in a rush.

Basic thing is that you fill in form with the chassis and engine codes and send it off to the DVLA. They then write to the registered owner (showing on there database) to confirm they have indeed sold the car. They allow 4 weeks for the registered owner to reply and if after this time they here nothing, then you should get the log book through. When I did it, it took 9weeks from the date of sending the first letter until I got the log book in my hands, if I was relying on the car to use everyday then I would have been pretty screwed.

As for the no tax issue, it is not an acceptable excuse to say you will buy it when you get the log book. If your driving without displaying a tax disc then you are breaking the law I'm afriad.

My advice would be to steer clear, or ask the current owner to sort it out before you purchase it. If this is not possible and you still really want the car then I would suggest trying to get the price knocked right down to compensate for the inconvenience it WILL cause you.
As said, I would ask the garage to sort it. Saves your own back. There could be any number of legit reasons why the logbook is missing, but there's always a risk.
Reply 4
I would steer clear tbh, missing logbook is the first sign of a stolen car/lemon...
gbduo
I would steer clear tbh, missing logbook is the first sign of a stolen car/lemon...

Exactly.

If you really do want the car tho make sure the current owner gets a V5 for it and not you. More hastle and risk than it's worth.
It begs the question why the garage didn't get a V5
Reply 7
Lolly-88
The reason he doesn't have a logbook is because the people he got the car off lost it.


Just think, if they can lose the piece of paper giving the details of the registered keeper, how well do you think the car was serviced or maintained?

:wink:

I'd be very wary.

My first car had no logbook when I bought it, so the previous owner sent off for the book in his own name. I only paid for (and recieved) the car when the logbook came in his name.
Reply 8
you can't drive the car on a public road without tax, unless you are taking it to a pre arranged MoT or you are driving it on company trade plates.

as for the log book, i personally wouldn't buy a car without one, because you will have no service history. who knows when it was last serviced, or if it's ever been manufacturely serviced ever? you could drive the car 2 miles down the road and it may seize or something.

i wouldn't buy a car with no log book. you can if you want, but i wouldn't expect it to last very long. as someone said, who knows how it's been looked after, and it could be stolen.
Reply 9
I'm selling a car without the log book at the moment. I do however have the little slip (which at least proves that the log book is in the DVLA's slow system!) I bought the car seeing teh log book which was then sent off but have now got a different car. On the plus side, i do have proof that the car was serviced 3 weeks ago (i took it to be serviced and have the full receipt) and various MOT documents etc.
i bought a motorbike without a log book off someone who i had never met (ebay).

He said his friend would sign the form the DVLA (i think) would send him.

All worked fine and i think i got a bargain as no log book put a lot of people off.

Maybe i just got lucky....
recneps
I'm selling a car without the log book at the moment. I do however have the little slip (which at least proves that the log book is in the DVLA's slow system!) I bought the car seeing teh log book which was then sent off but have now got a different car. On the plus side, i do have proof that the car was serviced 3 weeks ago (i took it to be serviced and have the full receipt) and various MOT documents etc.


See, that's OK.

I'd be very suspicious about why the garage have not replaced the log book themselves.

I think your ex is pawning the car off on you because you're a "friend" and they know that they can't sell it without a log book anyway. I think they know something about this car that they're not telling you.

Back out now, before you end up with a cut and shunt or something.
Reply 12
Spotty Dog
See, that's OK.

I'd be very suspicious about why the garage have not replaced the log book themselves.

I think your ex is pawning the car off on you because you're a "friend" and they know that they can't sell it without a log book anyway. I think they know something about this car that they're not telling you.

Back out now, before you end up with a cut and shunt or something.


It's my ex-boyfriends friend who's selling it not my ex and he's not pawning it off on me. I'm not worried about the condition of the car as my ex-boyfriends friend has just done the MOT on it. Plus my ex went to check it out and said it was a pretty good car except the wheels were crap and he got him to put alloy wheels on it.

The only concern I have is the lack of logbook. I've told my ex that i don't want to get the car anymore because of the logbook situation. I don't think the garage got a new logbook because they only got the car a day or two before my ex rang to find out if he had any cars for sale.
Lolly-88
It's my ex-boyfriends friend who's selling it not my ex and he's not pawning it off on me. I'm not worried about the condition of the car as my ex-boyfriends friend has just done the MOT on it. Plus my ex went to check it out and said it was a pretty good car except the wheels were crap and he got him to put alloy wheels on it.

The only concern I have is the lack of logbook. I've told my ex that i don't want to get the car anymore because of the logbook situation. I don't think the garage got a new logbook because they only got the car a day or two before my ex rang to find out if he had any cars for sale.


If its just the logbook you could just ask the garage to fill in the form and send off for a new one b4 you buy it (maybe even give em the £20 as a deposit?).
Lolly-88
It's my ex-boyfriends friend who's selling it not my ex and he's not pawning it off on me. I'm not worried about the condition of the car as my ex-boyfriends friend has just done the MOT on it. Plus my ex went to check it out and said it was a pretty good car except the wheels were crap and he got him to put alloy wheels on it.

The only concern I have is the lack of logbook. I've told my ex that i don't want to get the car anymore because of the logbook situation. I don't think the garage got a new logbook because they only got the car a day or two before my ex rang to find out if he had any cars for sale.


There are so many things that are ringing alarm bells here in so many different ways.

To start off with, I didn't think you could put a car in for MOT if it didn't have a valid logbook. I could be wrong though.

Secondly, I find it very dodgy when cars are put through MOT's by the garage owner/workers mates. It stinks of dodgy dealings, particularly considering most garages won't bother with MOTs at all - If the car they acquire isn't MOT'd they put it through auction, if it is they sell it off lot.

Thirdly, once more I have to repeat, why haven't the garage filed for a logbook? They ought to be keeping records of the cars that come through them with the DVLA, and logbooking is one way of doing this simply. I know very few garages who do not put logbooks onto their cars (giving them registered ownership). In fact (and again I may be wrong, my knowledge of car selling is patchy at best), I was under the impression a garage couldn't use trade plates on a car unless they were the owners of a car? And you can't be the owner without being the registered keeper.
OK. A bit of googling has come up with this.

Why not to buy a car with no V5

1. The car could be stolen. The garage may have little proof of this - If the car has been stolen, then handed to them as part ex, they are none the wiser.
2. The car may not be legally theirs to sell. If a HP agreement is taken out on it and they sell it to you, you become responsible for the payments. Have fun watching your car being towed away. :smile:
3. The car could be illegally on the road. The front end is one car, the back end is another and as soon as you have an accident the whole thing will fall apart. I don't want your brains squashed across the road, kthx.
if it doesnt have a tax disc you wont be (shoudlnt anyway) able to drive aorund for weeks with it - so dont bother

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