Bloke Cant Make Up His Mind

[reddiesel]

I have been attempting to purchase a Toyota Hilux Invincible X (21-23 Plate) and its been proving surprisingly difficult . Firstly there is the nuisance that is the Toyota UK Used Website where you are unable to input the engine size which means that you have to wade through any number of different Variants
Then when you click on a particular Vehicle and then discount it from your search I am finding I have to go back to the start of the process rather than just picking up from where I left off ( is it just my stupidity) ?
Eventually I came across the ideal vehicle for sale privately and went to the trouble of phoning up the Owner . I had noticed it had been sat unsold at £42500 for a few weeks and without any VAT to pay I wondered why ? Eventually he picks up the phone and after asking the most cursory of questions he seemed to get all defensive and almost argumentative . I explained to him that although he had probably been asked the same questions , I was travelling around the M25 and as it was a private sale there were a few things I would have to see and check . Conveniently for him rather than me he had let the Road Tax lapse which makes a road test without Trade Plates nigh on impossible . He told me it was a great machine and was only for sale as his wife couldn't get on with the vehicle , it has never been off road and he hoped to buy another when the kids were a bit older and his situation changes . I asked when I could come look her over and he said he was out today but likely back early afternoon . He would then call me or if he "forgets" I should call him????? Who forgets they are selling a Car ??
I woke up this morning , did a Finance check on the Car( no known issues ) and arranged some Insurance .
Well I still haven't heard from this Guy and I am beginning to understand why after all this time the vehicle remains unsold . From my point of view the Vendor is proving a complete waste of time . I won't phone him again as I believe for a Buyer , it risks making me appear too keen to an evidently disinterested Seller . As I sit here I am rapidly going off both the Vendor and his Hilux

[SFTWend]

To a degree I judge a car by its owner.

I wouldn't waste any more time on that one.

[reddiesel]

Well 4 o'clock and I just had a phone from the Vendor calling himself Arran and claiming he has been dreadfully busy all day . I said to him it was going to be difficult to get down there today given the lateness of the call . I then told him I had arranged some insurance but was wondering how we were going to proceed on a Test Drive with no Road Tax , it was then he made his mistake by uttering the following . " No problem we can use our Trade Policy " . Immediately I realised that your normal Private Seller wouldn't have access to such a thing and most likely this was a Trader posing as a Private Seller . I told him the vehicle was not for me and most likely realising his earlier mistake a torrent of abuse promptly followed . It just shows you what's out there in when it comes to buying a second hand car . Back to the listings

Edited by reddiesel on Saturday 7th October 16:39

[Auto810graphy]

You need to tread carefully with plate commercials without VAT as I have seen quite a few over the years that are ex rental salvage so not recorded anywhere (including V-Check etc). With a car like this I would want to see the invoice from where the vendor purchased it and go from there.

[reddiesel]

To be honest with you I was all over it from the outset and much aided by the use of MyCarCheck . Initially the Vendor was pitching this Car at me as someone who had simply bought the wrong car new from Toyota , his family couldn't get on with the vehicle and now reluctantly he was making his exit .
Attempting to learn more I tried to draw him further . He told me the Vehicle came from Scotland originally but couldn't or wouldn't volunteer the Dealership
He also told me that the Vehicle was no longer taxed and that he wasn't Vat registered . Through my own checks this morning I found out that the vehicle was first registered on January this year . There was also a change of Ownership that made it impossible for him to have bought the Vehicle brand new . At the very least it had been pre registered by the Dealership . If he had been the sole Owner from new he was looking at a loss by my reckoning of almost £15k when you include the Vat , naturally he wouldn't have mentioned this as not being the original Owner he would have known nothing about this loss .
When a Vehicle is purchased new 12 months road tax is normally applied at the point of sale . The Tax had been surrendered in September by the original Owner not by the vendor as he claimed . As soon as he stupidly mentioned his Traders Policy there was no doubt the vendor was in the Trade . To be fair its been an entertaining afternoon and at least my wallet is intact . I don't want to come across as a smart arse which I am far from but you often pay for your experience and I am thankful that by the use of MyCarCheck and a few questions I've gotten out unscathed . W .hat a minefield buying a car privately off the web can be

Edited by reddiesel on Saturday 7th October 18:18