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Anon
By AA | Moderator | 844 Posts | 28 January 2011 at 1:31pm

We are selling a vehicle for our son. The WOF expired 2 weeks ago and the car has panel damage and requires work before a new WOF can be obtained.

We are selling the car 'as is, where is' and advertised it as being suitable for parts or to repair.

Does the buyer have the right to have a WOF check done and then send us the bill for repairs.

Someone told me that selling a vehicle 'as is, where is' does not protect you from this anymore.

Lynette

From the "Ask Jack" archives - 14 December 2009

jbiddle
By jbiddle | Community Member | 1657 Posts | 28 January 2011 at 2:28pm

You can sell the vehicle in a 'as-is' 'where-is' condition but you need to be careful and ensure all the boxes are ticked.

Assume nothing and ensure any potential buyers are fully aware of what they are purchasing. Often these things turn sour because the potential buyer thinks they are buying a bargain and do not realise the cost of the work involved to bring the vehicle back to a legal standard.

Your protection comes from having a document drawn up saying the vehicle has been sighted by the buyer (enter their full name) and they are agreeing to purchase the car without a current WoF and needing repairs to the body work. You need to be specific on the areas of concern.

You should also add you cannot guarantee the car will automatically pass a WoF inspection after the body repairs have been completed due to the unknown condition of normal wear and tear mechanical items.

If structural areas of the vehicle need repairs, the new owner will need to have the repairs signed off by a repair certifier and the correct process would need to be followed. They need to understand this process as the vehicle will need to be inspected before the repairs are started, possibly mid way through the repair and definitely before any repainting is carried out. All these inspections add to the total repair costs.

The buyer and seller must sign this document and you need to keep a copy. Having a witness to the transaction is also wise.

Gets a bit difficult but as I say don't sell the vehicle without the new owner fully understanding what they are getting themselves into. And make sure the ownership is changed into the new owners name otherwise you may find any future issues will come back to haunt you.

If the car has extensive damage simply hand in the number plates to an authorised agency such as an AA centre and sell the car for parts only is my best advice.