OT - Importing a Northern Irish car into England

[ARW]

I have no paperwork at all. All I have is a car with an NI number plate and the keys.

Any ideas?

All the DVLA website says is "contact the DVLA"

[Bill Wright]

Have you nicked it or has someone given it you to settle a debt or what? Or should I mind my own business?

Bill

[polygonum]

All I know is that they have a very different way of handling MoTs there.

[ARW]

I found it.

[ARW]

I am assuming that it does not have an MOT of any sort.

[Adrian]

Park it somewhere WELL away from your house for a few days.

Then contact

in the first instance.

[Alexander Lamaison]

I don't know if there is anything special about cars, but I'd imagine the DVLA would refuse to register it in your name unless you have legal ownershop. Things that can be traced back to a previous owner aren't immediately yours even if you find them [1]. Of course, the previous owner may no longer exist or even want the item in which case I think the police have to formally assign you ownership.

[1]

[ARW]

It's been parked up in a disused warehouse for at least the last two years (at a guess). It's still there. And it did start with the help of some jump leads.

[GB]

At a guess, you are Woody Allen, and the car is a VW Beetle?

[Adrian]

And how do you propose to prove that?

The nearest I can think of for anything other than a house (with Land Registry registration being proof) is for...

cars...

where a logbook (which specifically breaks the link to "ownership") would normally count.

[ARW]

The sad news is that it is a VW Golf and not a VW Beetle. The new warehouse owner says I can have the Golf.

[Jim K]

IIUC it may no longer technically be a NI "registered" car ?

for some chavvy reason lots of NI numbers end up here transferred onto "mainland" cars

e.g. BAZ1234 YAZ699 DAZ6666 etc

has it got a tax disc of any sort or age?

Jim K

[Dave Plowman (News)]

Think you'll find they will change the registration to your name quite easily. Their main purpose appears to be collecting the VED.

[Alexander Lamaison]

You get the police involved. They look up the owner. He's dead or no longer wants the vehicle. The police assign ownership to you.

Alex

[polygonum]

What happens re uncollected tax if no-one did a SORN?

[Jim K]

oh dear.. could be a dead ender then....

Jim K

[Jim K]

,

ISTR the notification of change of owner will be the 'trigger' to commence "SORN or tax" notifications

Jim K

[Andy Burns]

Buyer beware?

I seem to remember something along the lines that a quick export to/re-import from NI is claimed to be a way to "cleanse" a car's history from the DVLA computers, maybe ask in the bikers group which is I think is where I heard this?

[Adrian]

With whom?

[Fredxx]

If he puts that in writing, then that would be good enough for me.

As another poster has intimated. A common ploy is to say to their insurance company their car has been stolen, but in reality store it away for a few years.

I'm not sure if an HPI check would provide any help in this instance.