Advice re letter from DVLA (kinda...)

[Tartan58]

I know what the answer to this should be but it's got me thinking:

 

Received a letter from the DVLA the other day saying that someone had applied for the V5 of a car that I was still the registered keeper of, however I sold this car 12 years ago! Now in all honesty I know I have no legal claim to this car (although I'd be surprised if any receipt of sale still existed, I can't even recall if there was one) but I would give my right leg and more to have it back.

 

The chap who bought it off me had plans to fully restore it, and if he has spent the last 12 years doing so and is now putting it back on the road then all well and good. However part of me keeps thinking what if it's been sold on to someone else or even nicked, is there any way I could legitimately get it back?

Unfortunately I've no details of the guy I sold it to so no idea where the car is actually located now. At the very least I'd like to see it again, even if it's just photos to see what's happened to it - maybe even offer to buy it back.

 

Any suggestions or should I just pretend it never happened and let the new owner get on with it?

[Rocket88]

I think that trying to re-claim ownership may open up a very unpleasant Pandora's box, especially if the car turns out to have been involved in any nefarious activety since you had it!

[messerschmitt owner]

I'm sorry but what you're saying is you want to nick a car back that you once sold in good faith!

 

You sold it - it is no longer yours!

[Tartan58]

I'm sorry but what you're saying is you want to nick a car back that you once sold in good faith!

 

You sold it - it is no longer yours!

 

Not really, as I said in the original post I know that it's no longer mine and have no chance of legally getting it back, it was more of a hypothetical question borne out of sentimentality for a car I dearly miss.

[CortinaDave]

You've no chance of getting the car back. I'd be worried that if he's only applying for the log book now that a lovely 12 years worth of SORN fines are about to hit your doorstep. I'd get onto DVLA sharpish and let them know that you sold the car many, many moons ago so they don't pull that one on you.

[Tartan58]

You've no chance of getting the car back. I'd be worried that if he's only applying for the log book now that a lovely 12 years worth of SORN fines are about to hit your doorstep. I'd get onto DVLA sharpish and let them know that you sold the car many, many moons ago so they don't pull that one on you.

 

Excellent point - I didn't think of that. I'm guessing that SORN fines will still apply to cars which are tax exempt?

Will write back to them pronto.

[Volksy]

I really don't think you will have a SORN fine in the post. If the vehicle was off the road before SORN came in I don't think they can do anything.

[CortinaDave]

SORN applies to any car that has been on the road since 1998 - Only cars that have been off the road since 1997 or before are exempt. so 12 years ago (assuming you had the car on the road when you sold it?) means it should have been SORN'ed. If the new keeper's not applied for the log book - he's also no been SORNing - They might not chase it, but I woudn't chance it personally.

 

No idea what the ins and outs of it would be on a tax exempt car though!

[Tartan58]

I suppose the best thing to do then is just write back tot he DVLA and explain all (so much for dreaming!). Though if a SORN had been due before now then I should have got a letter from the DVLA years ago asking for renewal seeing as it's my name still on the V5. The DVLA website states licence expires 01/01/02 - it was taxed when I sold it.

[barefoot]

No idea what the ins and outs of it would be on a tax exempt car though!

 

They still (used to) chase you for £200 if you forget to renew

[AnthonyG]

Tax exempt cars still need to be SORNed, just as they need to display the disc when used on the road.

[FredTransit]

I would be ready with a 'reciept' and tell them you posted off the V5 to them and thought no more about it.

Some years ago (pre SORN) we sold a van up North. About a year later we had a letter from a council in Barnsley informing us it was dumped on a housing estate and it was to be towed away and destroyed at our expense. I sent the V5 and keys to a mate and he fetched her. An MOT later we sold her again!!

[Pillock]

A V5 tells you who is the keeper, not the owner.

If you sold the car fair and square, it's no longer yours - even if you had a V5 in your name.

[OwdChina]

This happened to me a couple of years ago when i had a garage clearout (ebay) in England. I sold a Honda mtorbike that i'd had for years intending to restore, but never got round to it. As far as i knew at the time i didn't think i'd ever had any paperwork for the bike, but DVLA wrote saying the log book had been applied for by the chap. Failure to fill out the transfer of ownership document or inform them of the sale is a 30 quid fine they informed me.

I went straight to DVLA preston and told them i'd never been the registered keeper, they said i'd been the registered keeper since 2002, which was when i bought it. Slightly confused, it seemed they had me cornered, so i paid up.

A few days later while still clearing the garage i came acoss a shoebox in the garage roof storage area, and sure enough in amongst other old paperwork was the registration document for the Honda.........fuck.

[FredTransit]

A V5 tells you who is the keeper, not the owner.

If you sold the car fair and square, it's no longer yours - even if you had a V5 in your name.

 

true, but arent the legalities like SORN the resposibility of the keeper, even if the keeper and owner arent the same?

[Tartan58]

Well the letter I got from the DVLA mentioned nothing about overdue SORN or anything like that - if they had all my details surely they would have chased me up for that by now? Anyway, a letter is off to them today saying I sold the car in 2001 and hopefully no more will come of it. Will need to raid the loft to see if I can find any receipt of sale or anything like that just in case they do come looking for fines to be paid.

 

Would still like to trace the new owner though to know what's become of the car - maybe if I'm lucky he's registering it so he can sell it, although the way prices for Mk1 Minis are these days it will no doubt be "worth" 10 times what I sold it for now.

 

As an aside it does seem a rather odd system where there is no official record of who actually legally owns a car - if there are no receipts of sale how does anyone go about proving that they are the legal owner of a vehicle?

 

PS Can I just stress here lest my motives be misinterpreted that I've no intention of trying to get the car back without the owners permission!

[nigel bickle]

If you intend to reply to Swansea, enclose a letter to the new owner in an unsealed prepaid envelope -explaining what you want. Explain & ask Doovla (nicely) to pass it on -seems they do in most circs. You never know , you may get a response (I have in about 50% of my tries).

 

If they do come at you for SORN, PM me. There is a route through- but not for open discussion

[Tartan58]

If you intend to reply to Swansea, enclose a letter to the new owner in an unsealed prepaid envelope -explaining what you want. Explain & ask Doovla (nicely) to pass it on -seems they do in most circs. You never know , you may get a response (I have in about 50% of my tries).

 

If they do come at you for SORN, PM me. There is a route through- but not for open discussion

 

Now there's an idea, I'd have thought the DVLA would be reluctant to give out the new keepers details but a pre-paid envelope for them to stick the address on would be a great idea!

Thanks as well for the offer on SORN assistance - hopefully I'll not need it but will be in touch if it comes to it.

[OwdChina]

2001 is pre-sorn, so sorn is not applicable in this example.

Edit. I'm wrong, it has been around since Jan 1998. Christ, we've had 15 years of this crap.