Sold car for scrap - now see it driving around

adocholiday

Hi all,

Following the thread about 'documentation needed when scrapping car', I wanted to clear something up. I sold an old car to a local mechanic for parts, or so I was lead to believe. To me, the car was a financial write off. The timing belt is on the way out for sure, power steering pump is gone, brakes are shot, tyres as good as gone and plus its been sitting up for well over a year at this stage. NCT and Tax are also well gone. Don't worry, I wasn't driving it in that condition.

Anyway to get it fixed would have cost way more than I'd have ever sold it for. I asked this lad would he take it and he gave me a few bob, I signed the logbook and handed it over. This was about 10 days ago.

Yesterday I see the same car go past me on the road! It was definitely the car no question about it. I didn't see the driver so I don't know if he took it out himself or if he has sold it on. In any case there is no pending transaction registered on motortax.ie and as far as I know the car is still in my name. At this stage it has to have no NCT, Tax, or Insurance, and is being driven on public roads.

What should I do? Call Shannon? Gardaí? Really would appreciate some advice

discodavie

What car was it ?

renofan

I wouldn't worry about it. It's no longer yours. To a mechanic the "problems" you say it has are nothing. You have no idea if it's not insured/covered under the mechanic's business.

Your only mistake was not sending off the log book yourself. You really should have done this.

whomitconcerns

you sold it and handed over the logbook? Why didnt you send it off to Shannon? What would you call the gardai for, its your car, your reporting with someone you gave/sold it to driving it. I would get on to the person you sold it to re the logbook only.

If you sold it for destruction you should have asked for a cert.

have you got a receipt for the sale?

adocholiday

renofan wrote: »

I wouldn't worry about it. It's no longer yours. To a mechanic the "problems" you say it has are nothing. You have no idea if it's not insured/covered under the mechanic's business.

Officially it is still mine. Shannon has no record of a change of ownership for this car so technically it is still in my name. And surely a car cannot be insured by someone who is not the legal owner of said vehicle?

djimi

adocholiday wrote: »

Officially it is still mine. Shannon has no record of a change of ownership for this car so technically it is still in my name. And surely a car cannot be insured by someone who is not the legal owner of said vehicle?

It could be insured on a trade policy perhaps.

Do you know this mechanic? If so, you might be as well paying him a visit and asking why the logbook was not sent to Shannon, and that you would like it back so that you can post it yourself.

adocholiday

whomitconcerns wrote: »

you sold it and handed over the logbook? Why didnt you send it off to Shannon? What would you call the gardai for, its your car, your reporting with someone you gave/sold it to driving it. I would get on to the person you sold it to re the logbook only.

If you sold it for destruction you should have asked for a cert.

have you got a receipt for the sale?

No I have no documentation for the sale of the car. This man's business is a few hundred yards down the road from my family home. He has done a lot of work on cars for my family members and always did a good job at a fair price so I considered him trustworthy. I assumed (I know, I know) that he would just send off the logbook and dismantle the car in his yard as he said he would. If I thought that he was going to sell it on I would have taken a different approach

Yawns

From reading your OP you sold the car privately and not to be scrapped. All of the issues you had with the car can be fixed easily and it could be in great condition atm. The log book issue is not uncommon as many people sell cars and give the log book to the buyer. This should not be done but it happens often enough. Guards won't be interested. Get onto the guy to send the log book because if he drives through tolls such as the M50 you will get the bill if it's not paid.

Yawns

adocholiday wrote: »

dismantle the car in his yard as he said he would.

He could say mass if he liked. Once he owns the car he can do as he likes with it basically. The problems you listed are not that big a deal so he could easily rectify them and he could have it insured under trade policy.

Drummerboy08

He could have only sold the car in the last few days, in which case Shannon wouldn't have any record of a change of ownership yet.

It could easily be another week before a transaction appears online.

adocholiday

I don't really care if he sold it on or not, all I'm worried about is that as far as I'm aware the car is still in my name and any offences will be formally against my name. Once it is signed over to him/someone else I don't care what happens the car! I know that it's my own fault for not sending the logbook off myself. Kicking myself over it now.

So basically, aside from going to him about the logbook, I have no other way to resolve the issue?

Drummerboy08

If he has sold it, the ownership will be back dated to when the car was sold.

I'd call to him and ask him whats going on, but I wouldnt be too worried about it.

Del2005

renofan wrote: »

Your only mistake was not sending off the log book yourself. You really should have done this.

You don't send off the log book when selling to a garage

If you sell your vehicle to a motor dealer, you have to complete a Form RF105 (pdf) (Notes), which is available from the motor dealer. The completed form should be returned to the Driver and Vehicle Computer Services Division, while the Vehicle Licensing Certificate and Vehicle Registration Certificates (Vehicle Registration Certificate for post-April 2004 vehicles) are given to the motor dealer.

corktina

Yeah, I get the impression he isn't a "garage".

OP , you didn't scrap the car, you sold it to a new owner. To scrap it, you would have to take it to an authorised scrap yard and receive a cert of destruction.

cjmcork

OP - are you in Cork (I started the thread re documentation)

ford jedi

he may be driving it on trade plates ,

wendell borton

All the things mentioned except the pump are consumables it wouldn't be a big job to get it roadworthy.

unichall

Some people worry to much. He could have sent the log book off and it just hasn't been re registered yet, takes up to 3 weeks. Even if he hasn't and for some unknown reason the Gardai call at your door once you explain that you sold it to Mr. A who lives/ works at 123 main street that will be the end of that for you the Gardai will take up their issue with him.

As for it not being insured, of course he could have insured it himself even if the log book is in your name for now bit most likely he has a garage policy for his business so therefore he is covered. Chill out a bit, you are stressing over stuff that doesn't require to miss a nights sleep

adocholiday

Thanks for the replies everyone. Really appreciate it. Just to address some of the points:

I misused the term 'for scrap'. He told me that he was just buying it for parts, that's what I meant by that
He's not a garage/dealer, just a backyard indy mechanic so that's why I treated it like a normal sale

I'm going to call into him on Saturday and see what the story is. I'm a lot less worried about it now in any case. Hopefully all will be resolved amicably.

djimi

There is a fair chance that he bought it for parts and then realised that it was more fixable than he had initially thought and decided to do it up for sale instead.

corktina

adocholiday wrote: »

Thanks for the replies everyone. Really appreciate it. Just to address some of the points:

I misused the term 'for scrap'. He told me that he was just buying it for parts, that's what I meant by that
He's not a garage/dealer, just a backyard indy mechanic so that's why I treated it like a normal sale

I'm going to call into him on Saturday and see what the story is. I'm a lot less worried about it now in any case. Hopefully all will be resolved amicably.

Just remind him gently to send off the cert if he hasn't already