Buying a car: any help to avoid a con ?

[Anonymous]

Hi,

I posted already this topic  "Buying an MR 2: how to look the car over ?" ( l viewtopic.php?f=9&t=28832 l )

I saw a car on auto trader and come from Belgium to see it on Saturday 27th March. I don't really trust the seller:

The woman didn't give her adress, wants only cash money and will pick me up at the station.  I heard about cons like that where people attack you and steal your money...

Have any idea how to avoid this ?

Thanks

[uktotty]

Dont meet her at the station

[Anonymous]

I would only buy from the address on the log book,avoid I would say.

[loadswine]

If it were me,I would always try and buy from someone like a trusted member on here ( I don't mean the join up and put an ad up the next moment sort of people!), at least you know the person has been around on here, you might get to confirm the car's history and you could always ask other members what they know of the car in some cases.

[mrzwei]

A couple of SMT's on sale on here which would probably be a better bet. Don't part with any cash 'til you've checked all the paperwork, have got the keys and are ready to drive away. It could just be that the seller is worried that you come from a foreign country (when is this island  ever going to wake up and really be part of the EU?) and so is asking for cash. I'm not sure but better if you could pay by a more secure method so there is a record of any transaction. Bottom line, buy from someone on here.

[Anonymous]

If I were to sell my car I would ask for cash but do the hand over of cash and paperwork in my bank then I know the cash is not counterfeit and its a nice safe environment to conclude the deal.

[Mike68]

If you're doing something like this then at least go with someone else, the other person carries the money while you meet the person seperately, after you've seen the car and paperwork and want to buy then get in touch with the second person.

They can give you the reference number from the regsitration document or the latest mot certificate number, this with the registered number plate on the car can be matched with the mot history on  m http://www.motinfo.gov.uk/internet/jsp/ ... equest.jsp m   this will also give mot history of the car which so useful too.

The seller may not want to give exact address until the day before as some people get the details then try to nick the car maybe with force. You have to sympathise with the seller too.

Do an HPi check, best to do it through autotrader in my opinion. I did one with one of these text car checks and when it came back with a problem they were not help at all. Autotrader got to the bottom of it, couldn't give exact details but they did clarify the situation. Ended up being a cat c but not recorded on the registration document. They got a chasis check done, all ok but then upped the price by £500   s:shock: :shock: s:shock:   to cover the cost, not lowering the price because it was a recorded cat c.

If they don't give their address and phone number, registration document ref number and last mot certificate number, confirm the registration number of the car and willing to conclude the deal at the registered address of the car then there seems to be a problem, if in doubt, leave it out.

[Ilogik]

I reckon they are probably worried your a scam artist if your foreign and vice versa for you. Do you have the autotrader link? I can ring up for you and say ill possibly go view the car.

[Anonymous]

I reckon they are probably worried your a scam artist if your foreign and vice versa for you. Do you have the autotrader link? I can ring up for you and say ill possibly go view the car.

Then change my mind.

[Anonymous]

I reckon they are probably worried your a scam artist if your foreign and vice versa for you. Do you have the autotrader link? I can ring up for you and say ill possibly go view the car.

Hi, Yes it's a good idea if you can check it there

 m http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/ ... ?logcode=p m  

This the link (toy MR2 / semi-auto / grey one at 6,200). Her name is Victoria Jones, she lives in Stevenage 28 miles from London city. I told her before that someone could possibly come and see the car (previous topic see here my first message) but actually I didn't get any volunteer.

I intend to go next Saturday (27 th) with cash but not on me an ask for a meeting not in the station. I asked a copy of the original papers by fax (not home so I couldn't check them yet and then I can do a research)

ETienne

[Ilogik]

She sound very genuine, spoke to her on the phone, she did mention you were thinking of heading over next weekend. I said id ring her then if she still had it. Got her post code. She mentioned as its under warranty she doesn't have all paper work from toyota for various pieces they done under warranty though. Hpi clear.

Hopefully that has been of some help to you bud.

[Ilogik]

not sure if she is just being helpful or friendly but she seems eager to sell the car, after i spoke to her i got two messages saying she would meet me if i wanted to see the car as she was closer to me.

[mrzwei]

I could be way, way out of order here but that ad has a dealer feel to it. Quite prepared to retract that statement.

[dbrown]

not sure if she is just being helpful or friendly but she seems eager to sell the car, after i spoke to her i got two messages saying she would meet me if i wanted to see the car as she was closer to me.

how close are you to her?
seems odd if she's offering to meet you rather than first asking if you want to go for a look
especially if you have her postcode anyway

[Ilogik]

not sure if she is just being helpful or friendly but she seems eager to sell the car, after i spoke to her i got two messages saying she would meet me if i wanted to see the car as she was closer to me.

how close are you to her?
seems odd if she's offering to meet you rather than first asking if you want to go for a look
especially if you have her postcode anyway

she is 2 1/2 hours away, she said she was passing down to Milton Keynes if i wanted to meet there. No thanks lol. She was happy for me to go to her house next week though so maybe she is being helfup.

[mrzwei]

If the deal is done on the address on the V5 then I guess there is no problem.

[dbrown]

yeah sounds ligit at that sort of distance
i'd never carry that much cash alone and meet a stranger who knows i have it anyway

[Anonymous]

She sound very genuine, spoke to her on the phone, she did mention you were thinking of heading over next weekend. I said id ring her then if she still had it. Got her post code. She mentioned as its under warranty she doesn't have all paper work from toyota for various pieces they done under warranty though. Hpi clear.

Hopefully that has been of some help to you bud.

Thank you, I'm a bit more confident about her now. Strange though that she says she doesn't have the documents about 'repaired under warranty'...She said the gearbox has been replaced last year under warranty, she must have a document to prove that no ?

Can you tell me what papers do I need to check there and to get to buy this car ?

[Ilogik]

You need the V5 the complete booklet.  Read this

 m http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/Motoring/Bu ... DG_4022582 m






Not sure how it works when you take it back to belgium or who she writes too.

[mrzwei]

You must have the V5 which is the vehicle registration document and you should be doing the deal with the person named and at the address on the form and at some point, inside the house. Check that the details on the form match those on the car, ie the number plate is the same as the one on the car. (You could also check the vehicle identification number which is on a plate under the front hood at the back on the left hand side). If the car is over three years old then you need the MOT test certificate and this must be in date (in the UK) and again the details must match those on the car. The tax disc should be on the windscreen and in date. The service history book should be present and stamped. There should be something to say that the gearbox was replaced, if you are worried, the Toyota dealer who did it should have a record so you could ring them.

When you test drive the SMT, there are two ways to operate the gearbox, either using the two sets of buttons on the stearing wheel or the gear lever, just make sure that they all work (this shouldn't be a problem because it is basically a reliable box). Make sure that all of the lights go out on the dials on the dash (they all come on when you turn the key).

[Anonymous]

You must have the V5 which is the vehicle registration document and you should be doing the deal with the person named and at the address on the form and at some point, inside the house. Check that the details on the form match those on the car, ie the number plate is the same as the one on the car. (You could also check the vehicle identification number which is on a plate under the front hood at the back on the left hand side). If the car is over three years old then you need the MOT test certificate and this must be in date (in the UK) and again the details must match those on the car. The tax disc should be on the windscreen and in date. The service history book should be present and stamped. There should be something to say that the gearbox was replaced, if you are worried, the Toyota dealer who did it should have a record so you could ring them.

When you test drive the SMT, there are two ways to operate the gearbox, either using the two sets of buttons on the stearing wheel or the gear lever, just make sure that they all work (this shouldn't be a problem because it is basically a reliable box). Make sure that all of the lights go out on the dials on the dash (they all come on when you turn the key).

THANKS ! You help me a lot with that. I'll ask her to ask her insurance to provide me 'transit plates' for +- 15 days. I'm not sure of the translation, it's specially made to come back here with provisional (temporary) plates and should not cost more than 50 pounds. I don't know any insurance office there so I hope she can do that for me with her insurance company...

[mrzwei]

Forgot to mention that she will need to keep most of the V5 registration form and should only hand you a small part of it, this is because she needs to de-register it in her name, section 11 'Notification of permanent export' is the one I think needs to be completed.

[mrzwei]

Ooops  s:oops: :oops: s:oops:  false post and don't know how to delete it.

[Anonymous]

Ooops  s:oops: :oops: s:oops:

I'm reading the webiste given by 'Ilogik'. The say the 'purple section' section of this document must be filled for 'permanent export'. If you have ane idea or tip to get a transit plate...I'm looking on the web but not easy to find...

[Ilogik]

Can you not do it through your insurance company in Belgium, you would need insurance to drive it back anyways, so would make sense to get insured there and they might be the best ones to advise you as it says from reading that you can't drive it on UK roads?