to think we might have bought a stolen car?

[IceBeing]

We just got the Log book through and the listed previous owner isn't the person we bought it from...

What are you supposed to do in this situation?

Did you not look at the V5 when you were buying the car? The number one rule for buying a car privately is that you buy it from the person named on and at the address named on the V5. If that's not the case then there needs to be a damn good reason why and I would want proof. If it's a spouse I would usually expect to meet them anyway and if executor or some such there will be docs to back that up. Selling it on behalf of my mate Dave simply doesn't cut it.

Also, if you didn't buy it from the registered keeper at the address registered on the V5 then your HPI guarantee is null and void.

why is that toga? Is it about delays in the system?

Many thanks for all the suggestions...following them up.....

Right so I have clarified with DH a bit.

He got the car at the sellers house (went inside etc.) the seller had the log book and DH took the number down and checked that the log book was correct for the car serial number and did the HPI check on that basis.

The seller filled in the slip for sending off the change of keeper and the DVLA have now returned the documents to us saying there was only one previous owner (as the seller said) and that all the numbers matched.

So the only weirdness is that the address is for someone the other end of the country that doesn't match surname of seller.

So he had the car and the correct valid log book....but it isn't his name or address.....

I checked out a random few cars on my estate. Only one had a valid mot, one didn't have a valid MOT and three could not be traced???
How many bloody dodgy cars are really on our roads?

Google the name of the last owner on the log book and do a facebook /pipl or electoral role search and try to contact them.

Google the sellers phone number, and see if you get loads of adverts for selling cars