'Dodgy' used Corvette's

[Roscobbc]

A week or so ago we saw a late model Corvette presumably withdrawn from sale on Ebay by a respected seller........it was being sold as having minor (and therefore presumably no structural) damage and came with a new passenger door - so nothing 'hidden' there.......presumably seller was unaware of the car being on the 'hit list'?. And if the car is repaired correctly no issue.........untill you decide to sell, where it'll most likely take 'knock' in value........
Anyway the 'dodgy' car story for today is about a 2005 C6 posted on Ebay and featured over on our Facebook page. It shows you perhaps how important it is to buy your Vette from someone reputable or do some in-depth homework before setting-out to view. This buyer has 'wasted' £50 of fuel and a ULEZ 'hit' to go and see what in the photo's looked a really tidy car - but in reality was a bit of a 'turd' it seemed. Not so sure that a journey like that wasn't worth a 'knuckle sandwich' for the seller myself.........

Classic Corvette Club UK Group​

Felix Page · 54 mins ·
Just wanted to share that I spent 9hr round trip look at this car and it has obviously been in a frontal collision. Right side inner fender patched up, left side chassis rail cut and weld. No front splitter was the first clue and a cheap water logged Chinese made headlight. Air con wasn't working either and it's on winter tyres for some reason. Lost a day, £50 diesel and a ULEZ charge but could have been worse. Seller said he didn't know but googling the vin lead me to the import address being his own. Go figure

2005 CHEVROLET CORVETTE C6 LS2 6 SPEED MANUAL TARGA TOP BBK LOW MILEAGE EXAMPLE | eBay

Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for 2005 CHEVROLET CORVETTE C6 LS2 6 SPEED MANUAL TARGA TOP BBK LOW MILEAGE EXAMPLE at the best online prices at eBay! Free delivery for many products!

www.ebay.co.uk

 

[richie500]

That's Scary, saw the car the other day on ebay and thought nice car good price.
I think most of us, me included would have done a quick check to see if had been cated then a quick once over then good test drive.
I certainly wouldn't have been that thorough , good on Felix and I think we should all learn from this. Thanks Ross, I don't do FB so thanks for bringing this to the forum.

 

[teamzr1]

Have to wonder seeing the car came from all the way from Japan, what was the deal getting to the UK ?

 

[James Vette]

Thanks for warning.

 

[Chuffer]

Thanks for warning.

James , I hope you did a background check on your car as it was an Ebay car . I know your car is now MOT exempt but DVLA records show no current MOT and the last one in 2015 shows a long list of failure points . Personally I think the MOT exemption is a noncense and I keep my C3 MOT`d each year even though I maintain the car myself . An extra pair of eyes at a Test is always a good thing and it keeps the cars history up to scratch and will help at re sale time .

 

[mickn]

James , I hope you did a background check on your car as it was an Ebay car . I know your car is now MOT exempt but DVLA records show no current MOT and the last one in 2015 shows a long list of failure points . Personally I think the MOT exemption is a noncense and I keep my C3 MOT`d each year even though I maintain the car myself . An extra pair of eyes at a Test is always a good thing and it keeps the cars history up to scratch and will help at re sale time .

Totally agree about the mot exemption, I get mine tested even though both are exempt

 

[CaptainK]

I don't get my 68 Vette MOT'd every year.... (hold on, don't shoot me yet) .... but I do get it "MOT equivalent checked". Aka the same checks as an MOT, but not actually MOT'd. The reason being is if it fails an MOT, then I can't legally drive the car home, and may mean leaving the car at the garage, often outside, for a long period - or buy expensive parts to get it done ASAP. But with my "MOT equivalent" I can always drive the car back home, park it in my garage, and spend a while looking for bargain parts etc and then get it fixed later on. I don't use the Vette that often, so it bothers me not if it is laid up - as long as it is indoors. And before anyone is shocked by that - my MOT stations (3 to choose from) are all about half a mile away - one to the west, one south, and one east.

I agree with you all though - we should get someone else to look at our cars to give it a check over, especially if you're a mechanical numpty like me. I know I would feel quite concerned if I didn't get it checked often.

 

[Chuffer]

I don't get my 68 Vette MOT'd every year.... (hold on, don't shoot me yet) .... but I do get it "MOT equivalent checked". Aka the same checks as an MOT, but not actually MOT'd. The reason being is if it fails an MOT, then I can't legally drive the car home, and may mean leaving the car at the garage, often outside, for a long period - or buy expensive parts to get it done ASAP. But with my "MOT equivalent" I can always drive the car back home, park it in my garage, and spend a while looking for bargain parts etc and then get it fixed later on. I don't use the Vette that often, so it bothers me not if it is laid up - as long as it is indoors. And before anyone is shocked by that - my MOT stations (3 to choose from) are all about half a mile away - one to the west, one south, and one east.

I agree with you all though - we should get someone else to look at our cars to give it a check over, especially if you're a mechanical numpty like me. I know I would feel quite concerned if I didn't get it checked often.

The BIG question is , do you have a written inspection report to confirm the car is the equivalent of MOT compliant ? This may not bother you if you are not interested in keeping up a continuos service / maintenance record but that would certainly help at re sale time . Also I guess you must pay a competent mechanic for his time to inspect the car so why why not pay for an MOT then it`s official ? I go to a nearby Testing Station I have used for years and get one for £40 . Hardly a bank breaker !!
As for worrying about not being able to drive your car home if it fails , you have a months grace period whereby you can get a vehicle tested a month before the expiring date and still keep the MOT anniversay date . That gives you time to get it sorted . The only time you couldn`t drive it home is if it was inherantly unsafe and not road worthy .

 

[Chuffer]

Thanks for warning.

Another point for you James , did you go through the Classic Vehicle Exemption with the DVLA yourself or did the vendor claim to have done this ? Your Vette comes up on DVLA website as not Taxed or MOT`d . If a car is certified as Tax Exempt it still shows up as taxed on the DVLA records so it is officially recognised as such . Stongly advise you check all this out , don`t want you getting nicked do we ?

 

[Oneball]

Another point for you James , did you go through the Classic Vehicle Exemption with the DVLA yourself or did the vendor claim to have done this ? Your Vette comes up on DVLA website as not Taxed or MOT`d . If a car is certified as Tax Exempt it still shows up as taxed on the DVLA records so it is officially recognised as such . Stongly advise you check all this out , don`t want you getting nicked do we ?

You still need to go through the procedure for taxing a car even if it is tax exempt, you just don’t pay a fee, if you’ve not done that it’ll show as not taxed.

 

[Nassau65]

“Caveat Emptor “ has always applied to buying a car. Especially a high performance vehicle.

 

[Chuffer]

You still need to go through the procedure for taxing a car even if it is tax exempt, you just don’t pay a fee, if you’ve not done that it’ll show as not taxed.

I think a lot of people are of the opinion that you don`t have to do anything and it miraculously happens on the ` system ` somehow .

 

[Chuffer]

“Caveat Emptor “ has always applied to buying a car. Especially a high performance vehicle.

And a classic performance at that ! The old Romans new a thing or two didn`t they ?

 

[CaptainK]

The BIG question is , do you have a written inspection report to confirm the car is the equivalent of MOT compliant ? This may not bother you if you are not interested in keeping up a continuos service / maintenance record but that would certainly help at re sale time . Also I guess you must pay a competent mechanic for his time to inspect the car so why why not pay for an MOT then it`s official ? I go to a nearby Testing Station I have used for years and get one for £40 . Hardly a bank breaker !!
As for worrying about not being able to drive your car home if it fails , you have a months grace period whereby you can get a vehicle tested a month before the expiring date and still keep the MOT anniversay date . That gives you time to get it sorted . The only time you couldn`t drive it home is if it was inherantly unsafe and not road worthy .

Yes, they give me a checklist of things they found and so forth. So it all goes in my records. As for re-sale time, I'm never selling it - both my missus and I love the car and used it for our wedding, so it's like a member of the family now. So re-sell value is irrelevant to me. I should add that if I owned a car that I was planning on selling, then yes I would get it all properly MOT'd before putting it up for sale. If I was a BUYER then I'd feel happier knowing that it had one, so it makes sense for it to have an MOT on it.

 

[Chuffer]

Yes, they give me a checklist of things they found and so forth. So it all goes in my records. As for re-sale time, I'm never selling it - both my missus and I love the car and used it for our wedding, so it's like a member of the family now. So re-sell value is irrelevant to me. I should add that if I owned a car that I was planning on selling, then yes I would get it all properly MOT'd before putting it up for sale. If I was a BUYER then I'd feel happier knowing that it had one, so it makes sense for it to have an MOT on it.

Some ones gonna have to sell it one day , or are you going to be buried in it like a Viking chieftain in his longship ?

 

[Stingray]

why why not pay for an MOT then it`s official ?
As for worrying about not being able to drive your car home if it fails , you have a months grace period whereby you can get a vehicle tested a month before the expiring date and still keep the MOT anniversay date . That gives you time to get it sorted . The only time you couldn`t drive it home is if it was inherantly unsafe and not road worthy .

As you say an "MOT fail" on a car that's MOT exempt has no impact at all. An exempt car is simply exempt from the legal requirement to have an MOT pass that's less than 12 months old. Having a "fail" makes no difference in itself.

Similarly, as you say, a car must be "roadworthy" at all times when it's used on the road. Having a recent MOT pass may be evidence of the roadworthiness of the car at that time but it's no assurance that the car will still be "roadworthy" at some future date.

And you still see people on other forums complaining about e.g. brake pad replacement a few weeks after an MOT pass...

 

[Oneball]

As you say an "MOT fail" on a car that's MOT exempt has no impact at all. An exempt car is simply exempt from the legal requirement to have an MOT pass that's less than 12 months old. Having a "fail" makes no difference in itself.

Similarly, as you say, a car must be "roadworthy" at all times when it's used on the road. Having a recent MOT pass may be evidence of the roadworthiness of the car at that time but it's no assurance that the car will still be "roadworthy" at some future date.

And you still see people on other forums complaining about e.g. brake pad replacement a few weeks after an MOT pass...

Thats not correct. If any car even an MOT exempt car fails an MOT with a dangerous fail it’s illegal to drive that car on the road.

 

[Chuffer]

Thats not correct. If any car even an MOT exempt car fails an MOT with a dangerous fail it’s illegal to drive that car on the road.

I agree Oneball , as that is my understanding . If vehicle has been inspected and declared unfit for the road then that`s it , irrespective of age and vehicle exemption . Also keeping a classic car MOT`d is proof of road worthiness in any given year which will help support any insurance claim no end if unfortunate enough to need to make a claim .

 

[Roscobbc]

That's Scary, saw the car the other day on ebay and thought nice car good price.
I think most of us, me included would have done a quick check to see if had been cated then a quick once over then good test drive.
I certainly wouldn't have been that thorough , good on Felix and I think we should all learn from this. Thanks Ross, I don't do FB so thanks for bringing this to the forum.

It wasn't the first 'dodgy' Vette that's been up for sale - very much doubt if it'll be the last. Perhaps one needs to inspect the seller as much as the car?

Thanks for warning.

I

I agree Oneball , as that is my understanding . If vehicle has been inspected and declared unfit for the road then that`s it , irrespective of age and vehicle exemption . Also keeping a classic car MOT`d is proof of road worthiness in any given year which will help support any insurance claim no end if unfortunate enough to need to make a claim .

An MOT 'pass' has only ever been indicative of the car actually passing the precribed test and being 'legal' on the specific day of the test - yes, I guess it will show any interested party a record of care from the current owner (especially if the owner is not mechanically minded and doesn't do any vehicular maintenance themselves) - but as a legal document, yes you obviously require it for a car less than 40 years old but I'm sure in the event of a serious accident and whether the vehicle is exempt or otherwise the insurer (not perhaps wanting to pay out on the liability of hefty claim) will be temped to get an engineers report on the vehicle condition.........event the police are likely to do this in the event of serious injury or death. The point I'm making is that MOT or no MOT required you are ultimately still responsible for the condition of your car - being unaware of a problem is no excuse in law.

 

[Chuffer]

Agree that an MOT is only good on the day it is inspected , a bit like a visit to the dentist , but at least it demonstrates due diligence .