Ownership of car

In message , bm writes

Did you buy it? If so, do you have any proof of purchase?

Same as any item, keep the receipt or other proof of payment.

Do a HPI check. And hope it comes back in your favour?

That shows you once bought it. It doesn't prove you're still the owner.

If someone disputes it, wouldn't it be for them to prove they'd bought it?

That would need a marriage certificate:-)

If someone steals the paperwork and sends in whatever that form is, doesn't that transfer ownership to them and are you then not buggered?

You can't, just like any other item (with perhaps the exception of land/property).

All you've really got is the fact that you are (presumably) in possession of the car and thus have the advantage implied by the aphorism 'possession is 9/10ths of the law'. Obviously there is far more to it than that, but it's about all it boils down to.

Mathew

It may be owned by a Lease company, a Finance company, an offshore Company (Barbados), the wife's Company, a relative, an insurance company where it is stolen or a class-X writeoff nicked, the courts where seized and pinched from the pound, an auction house where payment has not been made etc... a lease-leaseback tax job... a trust... a charitable trust.

By proving you originally bought it, and letting someone else prove something else.

You can transfer owner registration - but that does not transfer legal ownership. This catches people out with stolen cars or even stolen engines once the engine number is typed into a computer, the original owner (or insurer if they paid out re theft) is entitled to it back.

Its nothing to do with you owning it or otherwise it is legal speak ensuring that you never own your car and will only ever be the keeper, even if you bought the car outright and paid cash. This ensures that at any time the car can be taken off you for whatever reason, speeding, parking, debts etc. There is a vast subject regarding this and other `legal areas` as they may well be legal but they are not lawful. Its a big subject this. On a slightly different note you will also be aware if stopped by police they ask if you are the driver of the vehicle and then your address, this is to create joinder to make it legal, if you are a traveller in the car they cannot legally prosecute you although you would have a fight on your hands, again its a vast subject. A traveller by way of the magna carte,r which still lawfully stands allows any man to travel the highways etc free of charge so one should not require road tax or insurance, however if you work for a company you will be a driver and not a traveller.

No, that just transfers the registered keeper status.

I wasn't aware they had cars on other planets!

Write your name on it?

You cannot as far as I'm aware, after all if the police find you guilty of some offences they can take it away and crush or sell it. Besides, if you had bought it from a dodgy dealer and its reported stolen say, by a finance company who still has outstanding payments due, its not yours at all it still belongs to the finance company, and you and the dealer would have to seek redress from the original seller who wrongly sold it. Brian

It's an interesting point. The only thing that is likely to be checked on is the V5 or whatever document. Unless the vehicle has been reported as stolen. A prime example is barn find etc old cars. Where it isn't known who the actual owner is.

In message , bm writes

You don't on the registration document.

In message , BartC writes

That's about the nearest you'll get.

In message , Tim Streater writes

What form would that be? Are you thinking of the one which transfers registration?

The registered owner carries responsibilities in law e.g. payment of parking fines, speeding tickets, insurance etc. etc.