preregistered cars, one is taxed and one is on SORN

[midnightOK]

I am not sure if anyone knows the difference here. I went to a dealer and decided to buy a pre-registered car. Two colors are available, red and grey. Red one is 200£ cheaper than grey one. Though I prefer grey one, I chose the red one eventually, because of the price. In the afternoon, I got a phonecall from the salesman and asked me if I would like to swap my car to the grey one, because they have reduced the grey one to the same price as the red one. The two cars are the same specification. The grey one is claimed having 50 miles on it, but actually when we were inside the car, it show 12 miles there. And when we checked the status of these two cars, the red one is on SORN but the grey one is taxed. Is it possible that the grey one is actually used by the dealer themselves and then the milage was changed by them? Really like the grey color but not sure if we should go for it. Please help me

I wouldn't worry about it. Modern digital odometers are much harder to clock than old-fashioned analogue ones but this discrepancy is so small as to be insignificant, not to mention that it would be pointless knocking 38 miles off. I suspect that someone's simply advertised it as having 50 miles in order to allow a few miles here and there on test drives.

As for SORN/taxed, this is neither here nor there. Tax isn't transferable to new owners any more so it will make no practical difference to you.

it was registered in June last year. I Keep thinking what's the reason that the car was not sold in one year time. worries

If it was registered in June last year don't touch it with a bargepole. Engines and oily bits need to be turned over every so often so that they stay healthy and lubricated. If this has been sitting in a lot for a whole year not being driven then it's got all manner of problems potentially stored up.

Hello there, Thanks for your reply. do you think We should give up the car? it Is a honda civic for 15295, which Is the upper limit of our budget. I already paid 500 deposit.

What Car? magazine reckons you could get a brand new Honda Civic for £17,014 (discounted from the list price of £19,305.) Of course it depends on what model/engine combination this particular one is but it doesn't seem like a fantastic bargain for a car that is a year old, and therefore has a year's less warranty on it.

In any case, I would never buy a car that has been sitting unused for twelve months. I know cars come out of the factory and often sit in fields for months before they get delivered, but they are properly prepared for this and undergo fairly rigorous checks before being presented to the buyer.

There's just far too many question marks over this one. The brake discs will have rusted. Anything that's lubricated with oil will have seen that oil slide down to the lowest point. The tyre will have monstrous flat spots on them. There may well be condensation in the fuel tank. The aircon will need checking over. Just far too risky for me, for a car that is widely available brand new for a couple of grand more.

@Otherpeoplesteens Thanks a lot for your advice. Without the deposit, I would go.away immediately. It Is just because of this 500 quid, I am still hesitating. Will discuss it with the family. Thanks one more time