Advice please (inherited car)

fricatus

Our mother left us a 171 Toyota Yaris 1.5 hybrid when she died back in March. The car is unused at the moment because neither of my brothers has a driver's licence, although one of them is planning to learn, but being continually pushed back by Covid restrictions and waiting lists.

My wife and I live about 6km away and both have cars, so we don't need it, however we're trying to figure out the best (i.e. cheapest and most convenient) way forward until my brother can get driving for himself.

These are the options as we see them:

1. Leave the car off the road, potentially suffering damage the longer it sits there. The 12v battery did go a while ago, and I'd also have worries about the HSD traction battery in this scenario.

2. Tax it and get open drive insurance for the next 6-12 months. Then my wife or I can drive it every other week, to keep it going. I reckon this would be expensive.

3. Sell my wife's Toyota Auris Touring (142 reg, 1.8 hybrid) privately. She would be happy to drive the Yaris until it's needed by my brother, at which point, we just go and buy whatever she fancies within our budget.

4. Sell the Yaris altogether, and buy something else with the money once my brother is up and driving.

Appreciate your thoughts...

Henry Ford III

Who owns the Yaris? Your Mum's estate?

Cleanest thing is just to sell it.

fricatus

Henry Ford III wrote: »

Who owns the Yaris? Your Mum's estate?

Yes, that's correct.

Del2005

fricatus wrote: »

Our mother left us a 171 Toyota Yaris 1.5 hybrid when she died back in March. The car is unused at the moment because neither of my brothers has a driver's licence, although one of them is planning to learn, but being continually pushed back by Covid restrictions and waiting lists.

My wife and I live about 6km away and both have cars, so we don't need it, however we're trying to figure out the best (i.e. cheapest and most convenient) way forward until my brother can get driving for himself.

These are the options as we see them:

1. Leave the car off the road, potentially suffering damage the longer it sits there. The 12v battery did go a while ago, and I'd also have worries about the HSD traction battery in this scenario.

2. Tax it and get open drive insurance for the next 6-12 months. Then my wife or I can drive it every other week, to keep it going. I reckon this would be expensive.

3. Sell my wife's Toyota Auris Touring (142 reg, 1.8 hybrid) privately. She would be happy to drive the Yaris until it's needed by my brother, at which point, we just go and buy whatever she fancies within our budget.

4. Sell the Yaris altogether, and buy something else with the money once my brother is up and driving.

Appreciate your thoughts...

Check your insurance policies to see if you can drive an uninsured car with your 3rd party extension. If you have it then just pay the tax and drive it every week for over 30 minutes.

If you don't check the manual to see if you can trickle charge it and over inflate the tyres, put a note on the steering wheel. No harm in moving it a few feet every few weeks.

https://www.honestjohn.co.uk/news/coronavirus/2020-03/how-can-i-store-a-hybrid-car-for-a-long-period/#:~:text=Trickle%20chargers%20will%20work%20with,hybrids%20can%20be%20jump-started.

Atlantic Dawn

If it was me I would just sell it, every year it sits there is losing €2-3k, that amount alone would buy a good cheap runabout to learn to drive in especially if you need a manual car to learn in.

Additionally what you should look at is when it was last serviced if you want to maintain the hybrid battery warranty, will make it a good selling point.

Toyotafanboi

Agree, just sell it and buy your brother something with the proceeds when the time comes. Leaving it parked up will no doubt be unhealthy for it and all the other plans are a bit of a hassle.

KevRossi

fricatus wrote: »

3. Sell my wife's Toyota Auris Touring (142 reg, 1.8 hybrid) privately. She would be happy to drive the Yaris until it's needed by my brother, at which point, we just go and buy whatever she fancies within our budget.

4. Sell the Yaris altogether, and buy something else with the money once my brother is up and driving.

Appreciate your thoughts...

3 or 4.
4 by far the best option.

I don't know your family, but if it was my family and you did 3. then when it came to hand the car over there would be recrimminations about the condition of the car, loss of value, you used it for x amount of time 'free of cost', etc etc etc.

4. is the best option by far. Sell the car, divide the money. They buy what they want when they are ready.

Job done.

bazz26

Yep, I'd go with no. 4 too.

johndaman66

I'd go for option 4 too for the reason being its the cleanest option more than anything. Wills invariably lead to bickering, he shouldn't have got that, they had no right to have the use of that etc. Sell it and let the proceeds go to the estate to be divided out in line with your mothers wishes.

CoBo55

Was the car specifically mentioned in her will? Are you executor? Not trying to be all legal eagle here but it could get messy later on if you do something you weren't supposed to.

Cee-Jay-Cee

Is the Yaris an automatic or manual? If its auto (like the Auris hybrids) then your brother is going to be restricted to an automatic licence if he learns and does his test in it.

I personally would sell the car and when the time comes get your brother a similar size manual car and possibly not as new to learn in. Theres no point in it lying up for another year or however long which is doing the batteries harm.

The pigeon man

Sell it and put the cash in the estate. Every day a new car is sitting there it's depreciating rapidly.

Pawwed Rig

3. Looks messy as your wife is now deriving benefits from an estate she is (presumably) not named in.

4 would seem line the best option however this can only be done by the executor/administrator of the estate.

fricatus

Cee-Jay-Cee wrote: »

Is the Yaris an automatic or manual? If its auto (like the Auris hybrids) then your brother is going to be restricted to an automatic licence if he learns and does his test in it.

It’s automatic, and yes, this has crossed my mind. Much better to learn in a manual IMO.

CoBo55 wrote: »

Was the car specifically mentioned in her will? Are you executor? Not trying to be all legal eagle here but it could get messy later on if you do something you weren't supposed to.

Not specifically mentioned, but it is part of the estate. I’ll be liaising with the solicitor about that to make sure it’s done right.

Pawwed Rig wrote: »

4 would seem line the best option however this can only be done by the executor/administrator of the estate.

Yep, I reckon you’re right.

Gael23

I’d sell it and give your brother the money. Then he can buy a car when he needs it

CoBo55

Gael23 wrote: »

I’d sell it and give your brother the money. Then he can buy a car when he needs it

He can't do that, if the car is sold the money has to be given to the solicitor as it's part of the estate.

galwaytt

In the Probate process in our house, and #4 is the best option: sell it.

If you use it you'll run into internecine bickering, and it's value for that process will be inflated. Selling it draws a line under it, put the funds in the estate.

A Hybrid Yaris will sell like a hotcake.

mickdw

Brother is not directly entitled to the proceeds unless the car was left to him and if it was, id figure its his call whether to sell it or keep it.

Pawwed Rig

mickdw wrote: »

Brother is not directly entitled to the proceeds unless the car was left to him and if it was, id figure its his call whether to sell it or keep it.

I have never seen a car specifically mentioned in a will. It is usually part if the residue of the estate and is therefore upto the executor to sell.

zilog_jones

fricatus wrote: »

1. Leave the car off the road, potentially suffering damage the longer it sits there. The 12v battery did go a while ago, and I'd also have worries about the HSD traction battery in this scenario.

Not using it for extended periods won't do the traction battery any favours. Even if it was maintained perfectly the battery is going to degrade with age, so it's best off being used, i.e. I think it should be sold.

Del2005 wrote: »

Check your insurance policies to see if you can drive an uninsured car with your 3rd party extension. If you have it then just pay the tax and drive it every week for over 30 minutes.

"Driving other cars" on a policy does not cover uninsured cars - you still need to display a valid insurance disc to drive on public roads and this car won't have one.

colm_mcm

zilog_jones wrote: »

"Driving other cars" on a policy does not cover uninsured cars - you still need to display a valid insurance disc to drive on public roads and this car won't have one.

It does cover them on a lot of policies.

zilog_jones

colm_mcm wrote: »

It does cover them on a lot of policies.

It's not specific on my policy, but it's kinda moot point if the car doesn't have a valid insurance disc, isn't it? Is it worth the risk?

colm_mcm

If you’re pulled over and don’t have a disc, you’ll just have to bring a cert to the station at worst.

johndaman66

Lad's before it happens can we avoid bar stool debates of driving uninsured cars on the driving of other cars extension. It has derailed many a thread on the forum here and like that and everything else everybody is "an expert" on it.

mickdw

Ya but the old advice of car needing to be insured itself is outdated for the most part.
Alot of insurers now cover uninsured cars - i cant say i agree with it but they do it for whatever reason. Re the disc, i guess it would be no worse than someone driving around for a day or 2
while awaiting cert on a new car.

beauf

Be careful about that. Not all insurance policy cover driving another car, and some have a specific clauses excluding a car not insured by someone else. Often its 3rd party only. So your running a risk if the new car gets damaged it might not covered.

They might consider it an issue if you are driving two cars but only insuring one. Someone I know was doing that in a similar situation. Driving a deceased car on their own insurance, and the insurance company warned them about fraud, or reporting them to someone for something. I forget the details.

beauf

johndaman66 wrote: »

Lad's before it happens can we avoid bar stool debates of driving uninsured cars on the driving of other cars extension. It has derailed many a thread on the forum here and like that and everything else everybody is "an expert" on it.

Thats because there are lot of different policies out there. People thing they are all the same but are not.

Its not really the issue. Has three cars, only need two. The car is part of the estate. Even if one of the brothers wants it, unless they are willed it, they will have to buy it off the estate. Even if all the other beneficiaries are happy for him to take it for a nominal amount. Tax man sees it differently, it will form part of the brothers one time only CAT allowance. AFAIK.

mickdw

Pawwed Rig wrote: »

I have never seen a car specifically mentioned in a will. It is usually part if the residue of the estate and is therefore upto the executor to sell.

I have certainly seen cars specifically mentioned in wills. Numerous times.

honda boi

Be careful of that driving other cars extension.
I'm with liberty and they state other vehicle needs insurance,fair enough.
I'm with Carole Nash on the bike and it states nothing about insurance on other bike so I rang to make sure. I was told no, other bike needs insurance and when I said it states this nowhere I was just told other bike has to be insured. I rang at different times and each agent said the same thing.
Now I wouldn't have the balls to drive another bike that wasn't insured, and battle that my policy doesn't state this.
Same could be with cars.

Iodine1

Do not take the car for your wife as others have stated, only hassle later and you'll lose, with no trade in etc. If considering this, buy the car and end of deal.
Why not let your brother tax and insure it and use it to learn to drive, maybe with you as accompanying licence holder? Then he could take the lessons (in manual) as soon as they reopen and go for the test immediately? He could be motoring by year end and car is not sitting around for all that long.

Lurching

Sell it.
I've seen these situations before. Your brother planning to learn to drive drags and before you know it, 2 years have passed and you've lost all the value.