Advice please! - bought a car registered as scrapped

[Alfamale]

A couple of weeks ago I bought a FIAT Panda 4x4 which I had bid on via ebay but from which the highest bidder had withdrawn. I was offered the car and a deal was struck. No V5 was available so I sent off my £25 and the appropriate paperwork to Swansea.

 

This morning a letter has arrived to say the a certificate of destruction was issued in August 2014. It just so happens that after a bit of internet research that the seller is related to a scrap yard owner.

 

Question is, will the seller be desperate to get this car back as the DVLA will be interested to know why it's not baked bean cans or will they think 'meh' and I'm left with a pile of scrap.

 

I know I should have done a check before cash changed hands but I'm curious as to what the state of play is as the seller is not getting back to me at the minute.

 

All advice, even if it's just to tell me I'm a knobhead gratefully recieved!

[Pillock]

Trader, private seller, or trader pretending to be private seller?

What's his ebay history like re selling cars?

 

Sadly, all I can think of is a load of mild-mannered threats such as getting the taxman on him if he's trading, or going to trading standards who will do the cube root of fuck all if you actually involve them.

 

So my standard AS response remains: Drive it into his living room wall and set fire to it.

[Cavcraft]

I would imagine he won't be too desperate to get it back, as a yard owner you'd think he'd know before he sold it what the script was. I'd ring them and give them the chance to rectify it. If he's not forthcoming then report it.

How much did you pay for it and is it the 'classic' Panda or the newer one? I only ask because if it was cheap enough it'd be worth more in parts (hopefully) then you can just tow the remains off somewhere and dump them on double yellow lines with the reg number still on it.

[Timewaster]

You are a knobhead.

 

 

 

 

Sorry

[scaryoldcortina]

I've rescued a car from a CoD but I had help from the yard that scrapped it.

 

Basically it got scrapped by accident - the V5 was in the wrong pile and got put through the computer with the scrappers so I got a letter when I sent off for a book. Sorted it out with some photos of the car, vin plate and stamped vin and a letter from the scrapyard saying sorry we effed up.

[Alfamale]

It's a classic panda 4x4 bought privately for £350 from the daughter of a breakers yards owner. The receipt I got was from the email address of the breakers company. It's possible the parts would be worth more than paid but I don't have the time or space to do it really.

 

You are a knobhead.

Sorry

You are quite correct!

[Cavcraft]

This one?

 

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/1988-FIAT-PANDA-4X4-WHITE-/111902849722?

 

Original listing

 

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/1988-FIAT-PANDA-4X4-WHITE-/111883851785

[DSdriver]

Park it outside her house and report an untaxed vehicle.

[Alfamale]

That's the one cavcraft

[eddyramrod]

I see no mention in that listing of the car having been scrapped.  It seems reasonable to me ("man in the street") that the seller could, should and would have known such a thing and therefore should have announced it.

Trading Standards, HMRC, DVLA and plod, stat.

[Cavcraft]

Bit suspicious how it was relisted twice, had lots of bids yet they still managed to second chance you. If you put the phone number into Google you get this (and possibly some other things too) by the way:

 

http://skegness-stadium.info/mybb/archive/index.php?thread-80.html

 

 

I note the advert says it's ideal for spares or for off-road, I wonder if they knew it'd been scrapped hence saying that? I'd hazard a guess they got it to use on the fields themselves or some sort of project.

[DSdriver]

Alternatively, as I have no idea what your legal position is in this instance, find out about said legal position and then have a friendly chat. I would imagine that as you bought it after the ebay sale was closed you are not covered by their terms and conditions or even by how the vehicle was advertised. You came to a private agreement about the sale which will only be your word against theirs as to whether they said it was for spares only.

No point steaming in all guns blazing, use tact and diplomacy.

[Alfamale]

Before cash changed hands I was asked if it was for off reading or a resto project and. Made it clear the intension was to get it back on the road. It's solid underneath and just needs a tidy and a few cosmetic parts really.

 

Thanks for your comments so far. I'll wait to see if I hear back today and start making enquiries with the authorities on Monday if not. I imagine the DVLA isn't keen on vehicles which are supposed to have been squished being sold on, in the wrong hands it could be used for many different nefarious uses I imagine!

[Alfamale]

Alternatively, as I have no idea what your legal position is in this instance, find out about said legal position and then have a friendly chat. I would imagine that as you bought it after the ebay sale was closed you are not covered by their terms and conditions or even by how the vehicle was advertised. You came to a private agreement about the sale which will only be your word against theirs as to whether they said it was for spares only.

No point steaming in all guns blazing, use tact and diplomacy.

I agree. They were quite nice people to deal with and seemed pissed off the buyers on ebay had not completed the purchases. Could be a legit mistake but we'll see.

[scaryoldcortina]

The other problem here is that a CoD makes a car into controlled waste. Yards are not allowed to sell "destroyed" cars except to a licenced waste carrier so they could be in the shit with this one. As I mentioned though, mistakes do happen and can be rectified.

[For Fiats Sake]

This whole thing stinks, an internet savvy dealer knows that a decent 4x4 panda is worth 500-1000 even without an MOT,  an d if you've been looking long enough you'd know it too.  

 

If it looks to good to be true....

[Alfamale]

This whole thing stinks, an internet savvy dealer knows that a decent 4x4 panda is worth 500-1000 even without an MOT,  an d if you've been looking long enough you'd know it too.  

 

If it looks to good to be true....

As noted I know I'm a Knob head! Took the deal on the basis that it needed a lot of cleaning up and the seller was supposedly fed up if being let down on ebay.

[For Fiats Sake]

As noted I know I'm a Knob head! Took the deal on the basis that it needed a lot of cleaning up and the seller was supposedly fed up if being let down on ebay.

 

Well I hope you can get the seller to take the car back or get the marker removed.  If you're stuck with it I'm sure you'll find a buyer, if it is solid then someone will buy it to re-shell theirs, or as a parts car if not.

I'm a bit of a pessimist with 4x4 pandas as the first one I bought for 800 needed 1200 of work and I sold it for 1000.  I am also a Knobhead!

[Kiltox]

A £3 text check has never seemed more appealing

[sierraman]

Strip it for parts then cut the rest up and chuck it in a skip.

[plasticvandan]

Did you not do a free check on the redg on the dvla website?

[AlabamaShrimp]

I don't really get most of this.

 

So it's been listed as scrap, can't it be unscrapped?

 

If it can't why not? It's still a car and it can still go for an inspection or something so what's the problem?

 

If it definitely can't be then accidentally change it into another car

[strangeangel]

A £3 text check has never seemed more appealing

 

You don't even need to pay £3, it doesn't show up on the DVLA website.

[Cavcraft]

Did you complete the sale through ebay??? Please say you did! (if you didn't you've been a spoon) if the final sale was with PayPal and or ebay you can complain to them and get your money back ...

 

 

Not on vehicles you can't eBay don't refund them.

 

I understand people saying use the £3 text message thing, but for a car of the condition/purchase price like this, how many people would bother?

[Christine]

Ring it up to another logbook , simple 

[JayW]

I'd have a word with the DVLA, playing the poor victim.

 

 

Looking at it's MOT history, it looks pretty good.

 

P.s. You cannot claim from PayPal for motor sales.

[chaseracer]

Strip it for parts then cut the rest up and chuck it through his back doors.

 

You're welcome!

 

[strangeangel]

I understand people saying use the £3 text message thing, but for a car of the condition/purchase price like this, how many people would bother?

 

Just looking it up on GOV.UK for nowt shows that it's been scrapped. I would definitely do that with any old shitter I was buying that had no documents.

[tooSavvy]

You are a knobhead.

Sorry

I only 'liked' this cos no one has actually accused me in a post.....

 

I feel robbed

 

 

TS

[purplebargeken]

You're a knobhead too. 

 

Always happy to oblige