About to buy car but no NCT on it

tech77

Hi.
I'm about to buy a car but i've just found out that there is no NCT on it for the past 2 years (It's due for NCT again later this month).
The seller has only had it for the past year but seems not to have bothered getting it done.
Admittedly it was meant to be done before she bought it by the previous seller but still it was never done when she got it

I was wondering if someone could tell me what are the implications of all this this for me if i buy it.
Will i have any problem myself getting an NCT done on it this month if it hadn't been done in 2 years.

Otherwise the car seems to be in good condition. A local mechanic said it was perfect.

I am in 2 minds about it TBH.
I'd appreciate any input.

louie

If the car looks good, get the owner to have the NCT done and if passes you pay the fees and purchase the car, otherwise, good-luck and goodbye.

patpark121

completely agree with louie. It may be perfect & could fail something cheap to repair like light alignment or could completely fail for something a quick under the bonnet look may miss. If the current owner couldn't be bothered NCT'ing it whats the chances it's even seen a simple oil change?

Henry Ford III

Do not buy without a current NCT. Ever.

Mr. Presentable

louie wrote:

If the car looks good, get the owner to have the NCT done and if passes you pay the fees and purchase the car, otherwise, good-luck and goodbye.

QFT

Mr. Larson

I bought my car without a current NCT - it was out by a few months. I got a 12 month warranty from the dealer tho so I didn't care.

On thing you will get stung for when you do go to NCT it is the cancellation fees on the previous due dates. I reckon you might need to cough up for them. I had to - wasn't a pleasant surprise.

Darragh29

Jabberwocky wrote:

I bought my car without a current NCT - it was out by a few months. I got a 12 month warranty from the dealer tho so I didn't care.

On thing you will get stung for when you do go to NCT it is the cancellation fees on the previous due dates. I reckon you might need to cough up for them. I had to - wasn't a pleasant surprise.

Yeah, 27.50 Euro, ouch! ffs.

Mr. Larson

Darragh29 wrote:

Yeah, 27.50 Euro, ouch! ffs.

Granted it's not a lot - but it's worth noting. Unlike your pointless interjection...

bazz26

Why did the current owner not put the car through the NCT when they are selling the car? If there is nothing seriously wrong with the car then surely a valid NCT cert will only make the car more sellable.

If the seller is reluctant to put it through the NCT or making excuses then I would walk away. It only costs around €50 and 30 mins of their time.

There are plently of other cars out that will have an NCT.

iknorr

If the owner wouldnt put it through a test, what chances do u think the car has been serviced or even looked after ? The
NCT is a cheap way to check the majority of the car for any problems. I think the previous owner just didnt give a **** about the car.

DannyBuoy

Jabberwocky wrote:

I bought my car without a current NCT - it was out by a few months. I got a 12 month warranty from the dealer tho so I didn't care.

On thing you will get stung for when you do go to NCT it is the cancellation fees on the previous due dates. I reckon you might need to cough up for them. I had to - wasn't a pleasant surprise.

2 things, NCT cancellations charges do not follow the car from owner to owner, if owner is changed then slate is wiped clean. Also you dont have to be the owner to do the test, if you're well interested in the car but current owner shows little interest in getting NCT then you can go do it. When you ring to book it in you have all the necessary info to give the call centre, ie current owners name and address, I'm not suggesting you impersonate him, just acting for him

kdevitt

If the car checks out, and you get a mechanic to check it out as well, what reason is there not to buy it? The NCT is hardly a thorough check! I had a CRX which passed its NCT, and two days later the backbox dropped off it at the M50 toll bridge - it was absolutely rotten and the inspector never noticed. Likewise, I've had cars failed on items which were not defective.

At the very least it'll give you some bargaining power. The 'do not ever buy a car without NCT' thing is a load of crap imo.

testicle

Jabberwocky wrote:

On thing you will get stung for when you do go to NCT it is the cancellation fees on the previous due dates. I reckon you might need to cough up for them. I had to - wasn't a pleasant surprise.

I told them I didn't own the car on the cancellation dates. Shut them up lively.

cantdecide

iknorr wrote:

If the owner wouldnt put it through a test, what chances do u think the car has been serviced or even looked after ? The
NCT is a cheap way to check the majority of the car for any problems. I think the previous owner just didnt give a **** about the car.

This is very true- recenly went to see a car for a workmate and it had no NCT for 2 years and the quickest date they could get was 4 weeks. Don't forget- that probably means it hadn't been throught a test in FOUR YEARS- seller also said it was perfect but when we arrived, it had 2 warning lights on, no tyre tread left, rattling in the O/S/R, rattling in the N/S/F, exhaust blow.

I've often bought cars without NCT, (obviously the 2 I picked up in the UK) and NCT or MoT means absolutely nothing- common sense must prevail. I always make a priority of getting NCT ASAP but the sheer amount of neglect in long-term non-NCT'd cars is baffling. The owners think usually that because they've never had a breakdown, it's a reliable car.

gyppo

cantdecide wrote:

but the sheer amount of neglect in long-term non-NCT'd cars is baffling. The owners think usually that because they've never had a breakdown, it's a reliable car.

Could'nt agree more. I'm currently working on a car which has not been NCT'd for almost 3 years. The passenger trackrod end had practically disintegrated, and the rear flexible brake pipes were a disaster waiting to happen. The car was been driven until very recently, by a seperated mum carrying 3 young children:eek:

Bluehair

cantdecide wrote:

The owners think usually that because they've never had a breakdown, it's a reliable car.

Some people astonish me. I had a mates neighbour try to interest me in her VW Golf a few months ago. She'd totally neglected it but figured, and this is a quote; "it's been so reliable i haven't had to have it serviced in over three years".... :rolleyes:

colm_mcm

cantdecide wrote:

The owners think usually that because they've never had a breakdown, it's a reliable car.

that sounds like a reliable car to me!

tech77

Thanks for the replies.
Anyway the seller says she will be getting the NCT done imminently and I agreed to buy it on condition it passes the NCT. She sounded confident that it would have no problems passing and seemed to regard it as merely a formality.

As i said the seller has had the car just for the past year so it was the previous owner who never renewed the NCT 2 years ago, not her.
Having said that it's still strange she didn't do anything about it for the past year
Would ye expect her to go looking to get it NCTed if she didn't get a notice though...

Anyway given the mechanic said it was fine and she sounded confident herself of it passing, I've agreed (on condition it passes).

tuxy

Just something to note.
The NCT is back dated.
If the car hasn't been NCT'ed in almost two year then I think the new NCT it gets will only last a few months, until those two years are up.
Someone correct me if I am wrong.

Seth Brundle

tuxy wrote:

Just something to note.
The NCT is back dated.
If the car hasn't been NCT'ed in almost two year then I think the new NCT it gets will only last a few months, until those two years are up.
Someone correct me if I am wrong.

Thats correct!

TychoCaine

Backdated or not, at least the car will be freshly NCT tested. You can be pretty sure it'll pass if you send it back in straight away for the test now due.

Atomic Pineapple

does a dealer have to have nct on a car there selling by law or anything?