The Bad & The Ugly

The Bad

When looking to buy pre-registered cars there is a risk that the dealer is trying to sell a car for a price which they don’t necessarily have permission to do. This happens when the dealer pre-registers the car without the manufacturers backing for his own reasons, this is not in itself breaking any rules but through the terms and conditions in the contract the dealer has with the manufacturer, they should not be able to sell that pre-registered car straight away (as they would if they had the manufacturers backing). This is because the manufacturers feel that it would sell too cheaply, too early and in turn devalues the brand. Therefore to sell the car without being found out by the manufacturer the dealers use some naughty methods which not only risk themselves, but also put you the customer in a pretty precarious place.

The best way of sussing out whether or not anything dodgy is going on is by finding out whether or not the dealer is going to give you the V5C certificate with your name ready to go on the log book as soon as you purchase the car. If the dealer tries to tell you he needs to keep hold of the V5C documents for any period of time (especially 3-6 months) turn around and walk away as the dealer is operating illegally and you need your V5C for insurance purposes, residential parking permits or exporting purposes amongst other reasons.

The Ugly

In looking at pre-registered vehicles, you may run the risk of buying an ugly car, as pre-registered vehicles don’t sell for their original price for a reason and it is often because they are not quite up to scratch.