Question about buying a car before selling your current one

Cyrus · 25-02-2010 2:10pm #1

Just wondering about the mechanics of this, my missus is looking for an alfa gt at the moment, they are relatively scarce on the ground, so she may well have to consider buying privately.

The problem is that she has a car that she will need to sell.

What im wondering is, if she were to buy a car privately, and then sell her own would her insurer continue the insurance on the car to be sold for a few weeks?

Its a 01 1.1 pug 206 with low mileage, they seem to go for between 1,750 and 2250 on carzone so i would just price it at 1k for a quick sale, i assume they are popular with learner drivers etc.

any advice on how best to approach this appreciated, she drives to work every day so she cant sell and then buy unfortunately.

R.O.R · 25-02-2010 2:12pm

Cyrus wrote: »

Just wondering about the mechanics of this, my missus is looking for an alfa gt at the moment, they are relatively scarce on the ground, so she may well have to consider buying privately.

The problem is that she has a car that she will need to sell.

What im wondering is, if she were to buy a car privately, and then sell her own would her insurer continue the insurance on the car to be sold for a few weeks?

Its a 01 1.1 pug 206 with low mileage, they seem to go for between 1,750 and 2250 on carzone so i would just price it at 1k for a quick sale, i assume they are popular with learner drivers etc.

any advice on how best to approach this appreciated, she drives to work every day so she cant sell and then buy unfortunately.

I doubt they'll cover the 2 cars without taking out a second policy.

Does the Pug need to be insured, or can you park it securely?

Cyrus · 25-02-2010 2:14pm

it can be parked securely alright, but surely then there is an issue if someone wants to test drive it?

R.O.R · 25-02-2010 2:19pm

Cyrus wrote: »

it can be parked securely alright, but surely then there is an issue if someone wants to test drive it?

I never thought about that!

Would your insurer do a temporary transfer to the Pug if someone is coming to test drive?

Eoin · 25-02-2010 2:20pm

Cyrus wrote: »

it can be parked securely alright, but surely then there is an issue if someone wants to test drive it?

You could insist that the potential buyer transfers their policy on to it for the test drive. Which could be an issue, especially if it's a first time driver who doesn't yet have a policy.

Cyrus · 25-02-2010 2:27pm

eoin wrote: »

You could insist that the potential buyer transfers their policy on to it for the test drive. Which could be an issue, especially if it's a first time driver who doesn't yet have a policy.

yeah i dunno if anyone would goto that bother for a cheap car like that, also like you say a lot of potential buyers could be learners

25-02-2010 2:42pm

If the potential buyer cannot drive the car third party on their own insurance nor bring a friend / relative with them who can then don't offer a testdrive. That's the only way to go really. I'd sooner have the Pug sitting on the drive uninsured then the new Alfa. You won't be able to insure both on the one policy.

voxpop · 25-02-2010 2:43pm

you should be able to temp insure your other car if you want. I bought a new car - moved the insurance to it and have temp cover on my old car. Costs about 40 quid a week or so.

Gitb1 · 25-02-2010 2:49pm

Have you more info on the 206?

My other half is interested in buying one

Cyrus · 25-02-2010 2:49pm

RoverJames wrote: »

If the potential buyer cannot drive the car third party on their own insurance nor bring a friend / relative with them who can then don't offer a testdrive. That's the only way to go really. I'd sooner have the Pug sitting on the drive uninsured then the new Alfa. You won't be able to insure both on the one policy.

but im not sure if your own policy can cover you 3rd party on another uninsured car?

I always thought that the car itself had to be insured

Eoin · 25-02-2010 2:52pm

Cyrus wrote: »

but im not sure if your own policy can cover you 3rd party on another uninsured car?

I always thought that the car itself had to be insured

It seems to depends from policy to policy. I always thought that was the case too, but a good few people here say that their policy doesn't require the other car be insured. Don't know if the car needs to be registered to someone else though.

Cyrus · 25-02-2010 2:54pm

Gitb1 wrote: »

Have you more info on the 206?

My other half is interested in buying one

YHPM

25-02-2010 2:58pm

eoin wrote: »

It seems to depends from policy to policy. I always thought that was the case too, but a good few people here say that their policy doesn't require the other car be insured. Don't know if the car needs to be registered to someone else though.

On my policy it needs to be a private car registered in someones name, insured or not doesn't matter. Can't be a spouses either I believe.

Eoin · 25-02-2010 3:05pm

RoverJames wrote: »

On my policy it needs to be a private car registered in someones name, insured or not doesn't matter. Can't be a spouses either I believe.

That's pretty handy. I'll have to double check my policy, though I know my wife had to specifically name me on her car as I couldn't use my policy to drive it 3rd party.

25-02-2010 3:11pm

eoin wrote: »

That's pretty handy. I'll have to double check my policy, though I know my wife had to specifically name me on her car as I couldn't use my policy to drive it 3rd party.

Can't be your spouse.

unkel · 25-02-2010 3:11pm

She can "swap" between cars. You just ring your insurance company and tell them to change for the day, for an hour or whatever. I've done it regularly and there was never a charge for it. That said, iirc people here have reported paying some kind of admin fee - that might have been with Quinn direct or the like...

Eoin · 25-02-2010 3:17pm

RoverJames wrote: »

Can't be your spouse.

Yep, I saw that in your post - was just really confirming that my policy is similar in that regard.

Henry Ford III · 25-02-2010 3:19pm

Sell the Pug first?

Cyrus · 25-02-2010 3:21pm

Henry Ford III wrote: »

Sell the Pug first?

as i stated in the OP she needs the car every day,

and she aint driving mine

Henry Ford III · 25-02-2010 3:22pm

Cyrus wrote: »

as i stated in the OP she needs the car every day,

and she aint driving mine

Rent a car for a few days? Costs peanuts.

Cyrus · 25-02-2010 3:29pm

Henry Ford III wrote: »

Rent a car for a few days? Costs peanuts.

dunno what mrs henry ford is like, mrs cyrus would stop listening about 2 word into that conversation, she just wouldnt want the hassle

challengemaster · 25-02-2010 3:42pm

Cyrus wrote: »

as i stated in the OP she needs the car every day,

and she aint driving mine

Find someone to buy the car, and find a car to buy (maybe put a deposit on it?). Organise it so that you can do both deals on a weekend, sell the car and go buy the other one.. get it all done in the one day

25-02-2010 5:14pm

unkel wrote: »

That said, iirc people here have reported paying some kind of admin fee - that might have been with Quinn direct or the like...

Indeed, I swapped cover from my daily driver to a Prelude I had bought for a week in 2009, no probs with Quinn, there was an admin charge of a few euro paid by credit card, nothing unreasonable. 6 months later I bought a car here in Galway and rang them to swap over my insurance for a weekend to get it down to Cork. They said they couldn't as my current car would not be covered, I said I knew that and didn't care as it was parked off the road on a private property. Eventually after heated debate they conceded to do it (free of charge) but they couldn't fathom how it had been done 6 months previously.

Question about buying a car before selling your current one

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