safely exchanging a car cash sale with a stranger

Someone is poised to buy privately a secondhand car off an internet web site (gumtree).

They dont fancy turning up to somewhere they dont know and dealing with someone they dont know, with a rucksack stuffed with cash.

We've heard the best plan is to go to the sellars bank/building society and transfer your money from an account you have into their account and exchange of reg documents and ignition keys there.

But if your bank is *not* he same as the sellars, is there anyway a transaction from an account you have; can be completed at that time that you both visit a bank?

Reply to
john brook
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Rule number 1. Is the sellers name and address on the V5. If not walk away.

Reply to
James

Heard of a few people getting robbed doing that. Exactly how much are we talking about? What car is it?

I would want to go to the sellers home address which should be on the V5, if not then as mentioned previously walk away - at speed.

Any suggestion of meeting at services or an industrial estate etc... decline the sale.

MattF

Reply to
MattF

Meet in your bank, get the V5 and the keys, check all the details are right, hand them the cash, then it's their problem. They can deposit cash into their account at any branch of any bank, though it might take a few days to clear.

Banks also offer an immediate in-branch electronic funds transfer for a fee.

Before that, though, make sure that the person you meet is either the person named on the V5 or the owner, which isn't necessarily the same thing, preferably by meeting them at the address given on the documents, and checking their identity.

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Lets you check who's the registered keeper, and there are services that let you check whether there is finance outstanding, or the car's been stolen or scrapped.

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Is one of the places offering the service.

Do all these checks, and if there's the slightest hint of a problem,just walk away.

Reply to
John Williamson

On Fri, 08 Apr 2011 14:02:58 +0100, John Williamson wibbled:

No it doesn't.

Reply to
Mike P

Mike P gurgled happily, sounding much like they were saying:

Maybe it does, and we've just not spotted the link.

John... SSL858 is registered in my name. Give as much keeper info as you can from that site.

Reply to
Adrian

John Williamson gurgled happily, sounding much like they were saying:

You can get the manufacturer easily from a variety of other sites.

Reply to
Adrian

dvla says it can't retrieve the details of its tax status, so presumably it has not been taxed for a long time. rac tells what it is.

Reply to
Mrcheerful

"Mrcheerful" gurgled happily, sounding much like they were saying:

That's odd. It shows me the correct tax status - and the correct first registration date, not quite a decade ago.

Reply to
Adrian

I still get the same thing: "Vehicle details could not be found As it has not been possible to locate the vehicle details, your enquiry cannot proceed and has been cancelled."

(which is what you get if reg and make do not match)

That is looking it up as a velosolex (which is what RAC say it is) MiD show it as not on the insured list . Curiouser and curiouser.

Reply to
Mrcheerful

"Mrcheerful" gurgled happily, sounding much like they were saying:

If that's _precisely_ what the RAC site came up with, then the RAC's wrong and VehicleLicence absolutely right. I suspect the error is one of assumption in transcription.

No, not really.

Reply to
Adrian

the two word bit explains it. RAC show it as 2 words: velo solex, dvla have one in the drop down list: velosolex. If I manually type in the two word version it comes up correctly. so a minor dvla drop off.

Reply to
Mrcheerful

"Mrcheerful" gurgled happily, sounding much like they were saying:

Indeed. Numptiness by the person entering it to the system, I suspect.

Anyway, what was the point of this subthread? I forget... Oh, yes - all the details about me & the vehicle that are apparently accessible from the VehicleLicence site.

Ah, yes...

Apart from when the tax/SORN expires/d, there's nada. Or is there, John...?

Reply to
Adrian

So, when you were rummaging upthread, you obviously missed my previous post where I apologised for my error about being able to get the current keeper's details.

Still, it's a black, petrol powered, 49cc moped, built in 1962, first registered here in June 2001, so presumably imported shortly before then from France. Looking at the tax due date and the age, it's probably currently taxed as a historic vehicle. It's not currently SORN'd, so it is, presumably, insured, or at least, it was insured on the 1st of January this year. It had on the 1st of January this year at least, a valid MOT.

I would guess it looks rather like this:-

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Is that enough to keep you happy?

Given the V5C reference number, I could get the current MOT status. ICBA to pay the £3.50 to check whether it's insured or not.

Reply to
John Williamson

John Williamson gurgled happily, sounding much like they were saying:

I obviously didn't, because that's the post that quote was taken from.

It's a VeloSolex. That kinda goes without saying.

The one piece of information you CAN easily get, and you get it 100% wrong...

Nope.

But not without it, eh?

With a little white lie, you can do that for free. As MrCheerful did. But not from the vehiclelicence site.

Reply to
Adrian

Just to help you:-

"My mistake.

They won't tell you the registered keeper from that page.

If I knew the make or when the last V5C was issued I could get all the other info they keep, though.

Although, various ways have been mentioned in various places on how to use their paid for service, which will tell you the keeper's details if you tell them have a specific, legal reason to know them. It's how shops know who you are so they can claim parking fees off you, among other reasons."

There you go.....

Reply to
John Williamson

John Williamson gurgled happily, sounding much like they were saying:

Since you snipped my quoting all of that in the post you've just replied to, it's not the greatest help in the world.

Reply to
Adrian

There was a case around here less than a year ago involving exactly the same thing and exactly the same site (Gumtree).

What persuaded a lone female to meet the prospective seller in a country lane (as it happened, two blokes got out of the vehicle "for sale") anyone will know but certainly adds fuel to the phrase "a fool and his money are soon parted".

As indeed she was - two grand I believe.

Reply to
Rasta Pickles

I think that nobody has mentioned checking that the VIN number matches what it says on the V5.

Robert

Reply to
RobertL

Maybe I'm too trusting, but I can't remember when I last did this.

I generally go on 'gut feeling' about the vehicle and seller.

Reply to
SteveH

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