Buying a car: any help to avoid a con ?

[Anonymous]

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?

Apparently they can't...I can use plates from another here in Belgium but to travel from UK I need transit plates and they couldn't help me to get these plates.

[mrzwei]

Try phoning the DVLA (the vehicle licencing authority here, they sort the V5's and import / export etc.)  +44 300 790 6802 tomorrow and see what they say. They will either be helpful or they won't.


































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[m0jo]

or just buy mine lol   s:lol: :lol: s:lol:  

i'm selling up   s:bounce: :bounce: s:bounce:

[phillywilly69]

etienne...must be a daft question because no one else on here asked it but....why dont you buy a mr2 in your country ?
it,ll save different plates and sterling and also you,ll get a left hand version   s:crazyeyes: :crazyeyes: s:crazyeyes:

[Ilogik]

They don't make them in Belgium as far as im aware.

[phillywilly69]

oh cheers ilogik. mind you they must sell them france which i would have thought would be better than to get one here and then have the expense of converting it to a left hooker or living with it as a right hand drive in europe   s:? :? s:?

[Anonymous]

etienne...must be a daft question because no one else on here asked it but....why dont you buy a mr2 in your country ?
it,ll save different plates and sterling and also you,ll get a left hand version   s:crazyeyes: :crazyeyes: s:crazyeyes:

Good question indeed ! Because in UK it costs a lot less then in Belgium, first of all, and the choice  is here very limited : no post 2003 with SMT gearbox. A few in Germany but even more expensive ! So I chose to buy in UK and will try to drive on the right...

[mrzwei]

Just a last ditch thought but you could buy temporary insurance here and drive it over on the UK plates and then import it (I think you have a year, or that's the case here). You would need to register it at a UK address and fill in I think section 10 of the V5, so you need a relative or friend over here. Also, be prepared to be pulled over at Dover or wherever driving a UK registered car with a Belgium passport (not illegal of course, I used to drive a German registered car back to the UK regularly with a UK passport, but did get pulled over on occasion). PLEASE CHECK THIS OUT YOUR END BEFORE YOU ARE TEMPTED TO TRY IT.

[Anonymous]

Just a last ditch thought but you could buy temporary insurance here and drive it over on the UK plates and then import it (I think you have a year, or that's the case here). You would need to register it at a UK address and fill in I think section 10 of the V5, so you need a relative or friend over here. Also, be prepared to be pulled over at Dover or wherever driving a UK registered car with a Belgium passport (not illegal of course, I used to drive a German registered car back to the UK regularly with a UK passport, but did get pulled over on occasion). PLEASE CHECK THIS OUT YOUR END BEFORE YOU ARE TEMPTED TO TRY IT.

Thanks for the tip. I asked eurotunnel about my case and I expect an answer.

[Ilogik]

So did you buy it mate?

[Anonymous]

So did you buy it mate?

No...Not yet. I'm going there on Saturday morning. Still have to resolve some problems:

she said she sent a copy of the V5 by fax but I didn't receive it...and she doesn't want to resend it because it's 5 £ from a public library...
she mentioned she can't find the second key anymore

Good news:  with the number plate I checked at the DVLA and the car seems to be OK (taxed, registered...) if it's that car of course.

I asked at least for the chassis number to check with the importer here in Belgium if it's a Japan import or a UK version. For a Japan version I'd have to pay a lot more...But I'm still waiting

So this is not finished...I hope I come back on Saturday with the car or the money...

Big Thanks for the help

[Ilogik]

Im sure you will be ok mate. If she on the net tell her to take a digital photo of it and email it you.

[Anonymous]

Im sure you will be ok mate. If she on the net tell her to take a digital photo of it and email it you.

It's done ! I've been there and collected the car, it wasn't a con...

The car is at home now, superb ! The only problem I got only the part 10 of the V5, She told me she couldn't give it to me. As a result she sent it back to DVLA and now I'm waiting for this original document to take the road.

Well, it was difficult but big thanks to all the members who helped through it !

[StuM]

Excellent news - and thanks for letting us know how it ended.  Enjoy!

[Mad Matt]

Bit late now I know, but perhaps for the future:

The MR2 Mk III was sold in Belgium (I've got one), but they are rarer than the UK and much more expensive. I've only seen two others in the last 20 months or so. I have seen a newer SMT one for sale on autoscount24.be but it isn't there now.

I've driven UK cars with a Belgian license and visa versa without problem going across the channel (even a French car on a UK license!). I've been stopped twice that I can think of over the last 15 years. Once in a Belgian hire van, the security guy asked me to open the bonnet. When I couldn't immediately find the release he asked me if the car was mine, despite the words "hire van" being written, three foot high, in English down the side of the van! Another time I was in a two seater soft top with the Mrs and the roof down. The English passport guy asked me if there was anyone else in the car. Where he thought they'd be, I've no idea  :-) :-) :-)

Anyway, back to the main topic: While I can see that with the pound in the toilet a UK car makes financial sense I wouldn't do it. Why? Well I found it a pain in the back-side to drive a UK spec car round Brussels. You get stuck trying to pull round a lorry making deliveries, for example and you'll see what I mean. For a short time I put up with it and it's alright on the motorways or in the country but I found city driving an irritation. Secondly, it's also a pain to sell. You'll probably find it hard to sell in Belgium and also in the UK.

Just my opinion as regards buying a UK car, I hope to here from Etienne that he's not found these problems and is enjoying his car. I'd be interested to know how he solved the insurance problems and how he coped with importing it as some of the documents we have in Belgium just don't exist in the UK (conformance to Original Manufacturers Specifications, for example).


Also worth noting if you're from Belgium:
1. In the UK the number plate is generally tied to the car and not the person like it is here.
2. Insurance is generally for you on that car, unlike here where in general anyone can drive my car on my insurance.
3. Car modifications are a lot less restricted in terms of the Control Technique (MOT) in the UK. So if you buy a UK car you might find it's been modified and the seller hasn't got all the certificates you'd need in Belgium. In fact I've seen cars in the UK that have been modified and the current owner isn't even aware of it.
4. See the earlier, very helpful post, about the V5 document which is more or less equivalent to the pink slip you get here in Belgium.
5. Don't forget to get the drivers to sign your Belgium insurance certificate if your driving on that in the UK. The UK seems to be the only country in Europe where that's necessary.

[Anonymous]

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.

This ain't Europe mate, that's miles away over the sea  s:D s:D

[mrzwei]

So I guess you will clearly vote UKIP then   s:D s:D

And by the way, well done Etienne (sorry if I spelt that wrong)

[Anonymous]

Buying a car privately could save you money - but it's riskier than buying from a car dealer. You will not have as much legal protection, and it may be more difficult to make sure that everything is above board. You can find out more at  w www.consumerdirect.gov.uk/cars w

Buying privately should be cheaper than buying from a dealer. It is also riskier as the car may be stolen, or it may have been used as security for a loan or hire agreement and actually belong to a finance company. It's always a good idea to complete a vehicle history check on a car as this might show any outstanding finance or insurance claims made on the vehicle in the past and whether it is recorded as stolen. A number of commercial companies offer vehicle history checks for a fee.

You have fewer legal rights if you buy privately. For example, there is no legal requirement for the car to be of satisfactory quality or fit for purpose. However, the following rights do apply:

the seller must have the right to sell the car,

the car must be as described and must be roadworthy so if a private seller misleads you about the condition of a car, you can sue for your losses - that is if you can find the private seller after the sale.

The Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations 2008 prohibit car dealers from pretending to be a private seller. However, some do so to avoid their legal obligations and to dispose of faulty or over-priced cars.

Warning signs to look out for include:

adverts which give a mobile phone number or specify a time to call (it may be a public phone box, not the seller's home).
cars  advertised for sale in car parks, roadsides or other public spaces as well as in local newspapers and shop windows, and the same phone number appears in several adverts.
when you phone about the car, the seller asks "Which one?"
the seller wants to bring the car to you or meet you somewhere, rather than you going to the seller's home.
when you get to the sellers home and there seem to be a lot of cars for sale on the street
the seller's name does not appear on the logbook as the last registered keeper

If the private seller is really a dealer, then your full legal rights apply.

[SimonC_Here]

Well than you for that but you are a little out of date!
Unless you are just a spam bot and then you will get banned forthwith.