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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

WIBU to drive my car 40 miles without tax?

45 replies

nokidshere · 15/08/2013 16:37

Bought a new car. Was supposed to be at the location by 5:30 in order to buy tax (cant buy online for new keeper) DH stuck in meeting (its registered to him so he has to be there) and not home and we now cant get there in time for the Post Office hours.

Would you risk picking it up tonight and driving home with no tax? The journey would be just under an hour on A roads.

OP posts:
littlewhitebag · 15/08/2013 16:43

No I would wait. Why risk being caught?

londonrach · 15/08/2013 16:45

No. Sorry. I think car is crushed and you get fined as well. We didn't even drive my husbands car which is on a Sorn across to the next streets when his parents moved house. We towed it. No tax shouldn't be on the road.

littlemog · 15/08/2013 16:45

Why on earth bother? You could get done by an ANPR car/camera. I think that your insurance would become invalid if you crashed too.

Why would you do such a dumb thing?

GoingUpInTheWorld · 15/08/2013 16:46

I think getting caught would be quite a low percentage. I would drive it home, but go and get the tax first thing tomorrow

Sirzy · 15/08/2013 16:47

No, not worth the risk. You can't insure a car without valid tax can you?

BuskersCat · 15/08/2013 16:47

Buy the tax from the post office before you pick it up?

Sirzy · 15/08/2013 16:47

or is it you can't take without insurance? either way I wouldn't risk it as I would imagine it will invaidate insurance

MumnGran · 15/08/2013 16:47

No.

GoingUpInTheWorld · 15/08/2013 16:48

When did the last tax disc run out? I think you have so many days to tax it anyway once the last tax runs out

Fakebook · 15/08/2013 16:49

No. It's breaking the law...

Wonderstuff · 15/08/2013 16:51

You get a couple of weeks grace. It's no tax without insurance rather than no insurance without tax. I would.

Madamecastafiore · 15/08/2013 16:52

No grace anymore.

Original poster
nokidshere · 15/08/2013 16:55

sigh

no problem with insurance, can just tell them what time I want new cover to start on the phone. Just looked up the car and the tax ran out in June so that's no good!

Dealer wont go and do it for us so will just have to wait. I am grrrrrr at DH who absolutely knew we were doing this today and we have waited home all day for him to get back in time. We cant do it at this end because we need the documents for the PO.

just peed off at wasting my day!

ah well - wine instead then!

OP posts:
Sirzy · 15/08/2013 16:57

I doubt a dealer would let it go without tax anyway. None I have purchased from have allowed it.

ZombiesAteMyBigToe · 15/08/2013 16:59

"We accept that it is not always possible to tax your vehicle on time, for example when getting an MoT or insurance for your vehicle. By law, you as the registered keeper will not be committing an offence if you tax the vehicle or make a SORN within 14 days of the date your current tax disc or SORN runs out. You must keep your vehicle off the road during this time as you will be committing an offence if it is used or kept on the public road."

From tax disk reminder letter.

Furball · 15/08/2013 17:03

Is it from a garage? - anyone can buy the tax, so the garage can tax your car you just need to send them a copy of your insurance cover note.

Why won't the dealer do it?

Alot of places seem to offer their own insurance for the 1st week, to get around this problem.

I wouldn't risk driving it without.

mycatlikestwiglets · 15/08/2013 17:03

The dealer shouldn't let you take the car without tax so it's probably not an option, irrespective of the fact that you'd be breaking the law by driving it. The insurer might also have told you that you can get cover starting whenever you like but it's likely to be condition of cover that tax is in place (so basically the insurance is worthless until the car is taxed).

littlewhitebag · 15/08/2013 17:04

I bought a new car recently and it took an age to get things sorted out. The dealer had a tick list of things we had to have before he gave me the keys. I think a tax disc was one of those things.

Furball · 15/08/2013 17:05

Is it a big franchise dealer? - thats really bad service if they won't tax the car for you.

HarrietSchulenberg · 15/08/2013 17:06

I once bought a car, changed my insurance to cover it and drove it 30 miles home across London. Took dp out for a spin later that evening. It was only when he said, "Where's your tax disc?" that I realised it didn't have any. Quickly drove it home and parked it overnight (public street) then practically sprinted to the PO at 9am next morning. I genuinely hafn't noticed and the dealer said nothing as he wanted his sale. I've always been very careful to check since then and I wouldn't advise doing it,.

Fakebook · 15/08/2013 17:07

It's not been taxed since June? Surely it has SORN though? Is that even legal? Confused.

HarrietSchulenberg · 15/08/2013 17:08

The car dealership was very much like one that's on TV in a series at the moment. Same location-ish too. I'm not entirely it's not the same one.

TiggyD · 15/08/2013 17:09

It'll mean you're not insured, so if you hit a Ferrari doing £150,000 worth of damage you will lose you house and baliffs will take away your children's toys and you'll have to live in a bedsit in a hostel next to drug dealers and recently released murders and have to make your children sleep in a bucket.

Fruitnut · 15/08/2013 17:09

Do it online? Once purchased online if you get pulled over they can check that you bought it. That's what my friend just told me anyway.

DameDeepRedBetty · 15/08/2013 17:10

If the seller is a dealer he sounds well dodgy to me.

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