Purchasing 2nd Hand Car

[AmithS]

Hello All,

I am looking at purchasing a 2nd hand car and wanted to know about the actual legal side.

Are the reports that you would purchase from example autotrader worth it in terms of is the car stolen or something?

and how would you actually know if a car has been settled and has no loan on it? Does the fact that the owner has the original logbook\certificate of ownership mean that it has been paid up and has no loan on it?

Any advise would be welcome.

Thanks,

[AmithS]

Found this on wesbanks website.

Is it true? Can anyone that purchased a car by loan confirm this for me please?

What is a NaTIS document and why is it required?
A NaTIS document is a vehicle registration certificate or log-book, which is produced when a vehicle is registered with the licensing authorities. (NaTIS stands for National Traffic Information System.) All vehicles have to be registered with the licencing authorities. About 20 years ago, a vehicle`s registration document (or, in some provinces, log-book) was simply handed to the vehicle owner or purchaser when the vehicle was registered - it didn`t matter whether the vehicle was being financed or not. Due to an increase in criminal activities like fraud, however, South Africa decided to create a new licensing system and to implement it in stages throughout the country. Gauteng went onto the new system in 1996. Now, if a vehicle is financed, the registration document is handed to the financial institution providing the finance. In the new system, the registration document reflects not only the vehicle-owner`s name, it includes the name of the finance house or bank that is financing the vehicle, and refers to this institution as the vehicle`s titleholder. The NaTIS or registration document remains in the titleholder`s safekeeping while the vehicle is being financed. Without the document, no further change of ownership would be possible.

[Justloadit]

I noticed this twice now on my company van. After paying the HP, the bank sent me the original papers via registered mail.

[flaker]

Hello A

Are the reports that you would purchase from example autotrader worth it in terms of is the car stolen or something?

and how would you actually know if a car has been settled and has no loan on it? Does the fact that the owner has the original logbook\certificate of ownership mean that it has been paid up and has no loan on it?



Thanks,

I would say that look at the website of transunion where you can purchase a vehicle report http://verifications.transunionauto.co.za/

[KristiKat]

the law firm usually asks for the MOTOR VEHICLE REGISTRATION certificate.

on the motor vehicle registration certificate you would see WHO IS THE OWNER and WHO IS THE TITLE HOLDER.

if the LOAN is not paid off it would be shown on the motor vehicle registration certificate that the TITLE HOLDER is still the one who the money is owed to to pay it off.

it is worth it,

if you can get a motor vehicle registration certificate of the vehicle giving these details.

you can however ask the OWNER who you want to buy it from to FIRST SHOW YOU THE PAPERS of the car to see if everything is in order,

before you promise on giving any type of money for the purchase.

[KristiKat]

Hello All,

I am looking at purchasing a 2nd hand car and wanted to know about the actual legal side.

Are the reports that you would purchase from example autotrader worth it in terms of is the car stolen or something?



Thanks,

if the car is STOLEN it must be deregistered....only if it is recovered is clearance needed to put it back on the owner's name.

about motordealers, they would have to act in accordance with the consumer protection act and have to be registered themselves with certain bodies, so it would be unlikely for them to give you a stolen car.

autotrader? getting it from junkmail/yellow pages?

no one can give you a car without valid papers for it.

if it is stolen the car must be deregistered by the owner, so no one can put it on his or her name.

also unlikely for someone to just go and ask for duplicate of registration

looks like at the license department the authorities would pick it up when someone is trying to rip you off.

Can you believe this, there is game for kids on how to steal cars? wth?

[Hermes14]

If you are buying the vehicle from a private person I would suggest paying them with a bank guaranteed check.
That way you have 15 days to check to see if everything is in order, if not go to your bank, have the check reversed & give him the car back.
Check the registration papers to see if it is a code 2 or 3.
If the car is a code 3 it means the car has been scrapped before & the value of it drops.
Depending on the value of the car, you could also take it to Dekra http://www.dekraauto.co.za/ to check if you are buying a dud or not.

[AmithS]

Thanks for all the replies appreciated. So if I get this correctly. If the car's registration papers are in order it is most likely not a stolen vehicle?

can the police station do clearance certificates to verify the car is not stolen?

[KristiKat]

sorry my links don't work......

maybe this one will work

[KristiKat]

if it is stolen IT WON'T BE ABLE to be clearanced....

but you will know then that it is illegal motorvehicle.

[AmithS]

@KristiKat, from what I read on the website link you posted last, a police clearance certificate can only be obtained for cars with DataDot. If you dont have DataDot they will not clear the car!

[SilverNodashi]

The seller should have the original car's papers "in-hand" if it's paid off.
And you should insist on a road worthy certificate, not more than a few weeks old. They expire every 6 weeks, I think. Make sure it was done at the AA of SA, or Dekra. You can request a recent NATIS document from the department of transport to see what's going on.
Police NATIS docs are quite often upto 6 months old, don't trust it. Rather get it from your local licensing department, or Dekra.

[KristiKat]

@KristiKat, from what I read on the website link you posted last, a police clearance certificate can only be obtained for cars with DataDot. If you dont have DataDot they will not clear the car!

oh really,

sjoe,

that's insane,

this "governmental" rabbit hole is going too far...............

[KristiKat]

read post

Data Dot is only necessary on new cars at the moment - all new cars have had them for the last 18 months or so.

You DO NOT need it for Police Clearance unless it's a car that had it in the first place.

[KristiKat]

further reading it pretty amazing...data dots....

it is practically impossible to BUY A STOLEN car or to get conned when "data dots" are in play...it sounds pretty sci fi.....