Buying a car with no nct?

sarah2222

Hey,
I'm interested in buying a car but the nct has just expired. Its a Ford focus freedom, 1.4 petrol 86000 miles, 2003. Two owners. Girl selling just got a new job with company car. Asking for €1900. Full serv history. Am I crazy??

Drummerboy08

Should be plenty of similar foci around without having to take the risk on that one...

dgt

No if the car checks out

biko

The thing with "NCT just expired" if you can't be 100% they didn't put it through already and it failed on something and they're trying to flog it off.
You should at least give it to a mechanic for inspection before committing to anything.

And do a mywheels, cartell or motorcheck on it.

sarah2222

Is there any way of checking if it has failed?

wonski

Only way to find out is to ask the seller for fail sheet.
I know some sellers are too lazy to test car, but most will test, as it improves chances of selling, not to mention peace of mind when going through checkpoint, or buying insurance - some insurers ask for nct.
Could be decent car, could be a lemon. Regardless whether it is tested or not, it is still good idea to have mechanic friend look at the car with you.

Del2005

biko wrote: »

The thing with "NCT just expired" if you can't be 100% they didn't put it through already and it failed on something and they're trying to flog it off.
You should at least give it to a mechanic for inspection before committing to anything.

And do a mywheels, cartell or motorcheck on it.

You should be getting a mechanic to check it out regardless of it having an NCT or not.

Del2005

sarah2222 wrote: »

Hey,
I'm interested in buying a car but the nct has just expired. Its a Ford focus freedom, 1.4 petrol 86000 miles, 2003. Two owners. Girl selling just got a new job with company car. Asking for €1900. Full serv history. Am I crazy??

Get her to NCT it, offer to pay for it. If she won't entertain it then walk away. It hardly as if there won't be other Focus for sale.

Click here, click Create new booking, Pay online and tye in the reg of the car. See if it says Periodic inspection or Re-inspection. Periodic means it hasn't been tested recently and Re-inspection means its due a re-test after a recent fail.

wonski

shaaane wrote: »

Click here, click Create new booking, Pay online and tye in the reg of the car. See if it says Periodic inspection or Re-inspection. Periodic means it hasn't been tested recently and Re-inspection means its due a re-test after a recent fail.

Re-inspection is available only for 30 days, so if it failed 33 days before, you won't see it.
No fail sheet available online anyway, so no need to do this.

johnnydeep

putting a car through the nct is the easiest way to get rid of a bucket of ****e

johndaman66

Just to add my voice to the thread

An NCT is not an absolute guarntee that a car is 100% sound. Not all aspects of the car are tested. It will provide a certain level of comfort that certain aspects such as shocks, suspension components, brakes etc are in order. However, if head gasket failure is imminent for example there is a very strong probability that the NCT will not detect this.

A good mechanic or somebody who knows plenty about cars (not somebody who thinks they do as there are plenty of them going too) should broadly speaking be able to advise you on the general condition of the car and if there are any serious issues with.

Irrespective of the car having an NCT or not I would get somebody in to know to check it over before I buy. It may well turn out to be money very well spent.

If you are intending to put the car on the road immediately after buying you might find yourself in a bit of a predicament. Many insurers will not provide you with cover on a car until it has NCT now.Around here the wait time for an NCT is about 6 weeks so if you need the car immediately that focus might be a non runner...

Cee-Jay-Cee

johndaman66 wrote: »

Many insurers will not provide you with cover on a car until it has NCT now..

I change insurance company every year as does my wife. We have never been asked if the car has NCT or to provide an NCT cert. it's not even a tick option when applying for a quote online with any company that I have ever got a quote from.

somefeen

For a focus I wouldn't bother.
Should be plenty about for that price with a the least a couple of months NCT left on them.

wonski

CJC999 wrote: »

I change insurance company every year as does my wife. We have never been asked if the car has NCT or to provide an NCT cert. it's not even a tick option when applying for a quote online with any company that I have ever got a quote from.

It's been discussed here before - some insurers ask for cert before sending out insurance disc. If you don't send it back in a week your policy is cancelled. Some have condition on policy that your car must have valid nct certificate...
They don't ask you to tick this option, because there is an assumption (wrong one) that every car on the road has valid nct.
And - apart from insurers, Gardai may be interested why your nct is out of date.
For me NCT is basic requirement for a car - not that hard to pass, and if seller doesn't bother, why should i give him a call?
Could be some minor job- suspension/brakes/tires, could be something dodgy with emissions, or maybe full suspension rebuild/airbags lights...

johndaman66

CJC999 wrote: »

I change insurance company every year as does my wife. We have never been asked if the car has NCT or to provide an NCT cert. it's not even a tick option when applying for a quote online with any company that I have ever got a quote from.

Ok fair enough. Not all companies/ brokers ask if you have a NCT/ request a NCT cert to copy but quite a few do also all the same.

Now believe me I'm not a fan of the NCT and I won't swear by it either but I believe that if you have an accident in which you are at fault and you do not have a current NCT you will not be covered.