How to buy a car on sorn?

the problem with taxing online is that the disc will be posted to the old keepers address. Sure, he could post it on to you, but would you trust them to and would they remember to, and would they do it quickly, or leave the envelope on the mantlepiece for a week before sending it?
Also, taxing online requires it to be on the MID database - if you take out the policy that day, it may not show up on the list for a day or two.

Most police are concerned with insurance more than anything else. Make sure you have your insurance policy number with you and collect it during office hours if possible so they can contact the motor insurance bureau if need be.

If stopped on the road you would be issued with a cle2/5 or 6. It's basically a notice that reports you to the dvla for not having road tax at which point you have to explain yourself to the DVLA. They usually back charge the tax to the date you were found driving it.

The important thing is to be reasonable in explaining yourself and ensuring you are insured and have a valid MOT. Unless you happen to cross the path of a traffic officer or you get out of the car swearing you should be able to explain the situation. Just remember coppers are human and some are car nuts too.

Can't condone you driving without tax but at least you hopefully understand the process if being reported.

Just take your insurance with you, have the MOT, and a letter stating the date and time you bought it!

they will report you, but by then it will already be taxed, won't it!

Can the seller not tax it for you? I guess if its on sorn they don't have it insured?

If its in a unit - are they a trader? if they are taxing it should be easy with trade insurance

If you've got MOT and insurance then you're unlikely to have a problem in my experience.
I actually spoke to the Doovla last week about a similar thing and they seemed completely non-fussed about the whole back taxing to begining of current month.
Get a receipt from seller to prove date of sale and if you do get tugged then you can show reasonable cause for driving untaxed.
I've been pulled a number of times in the past (before their purge on insurance) and everytime I just got told"we're putting in a report to DVLA". I taxed the vehicle to the begining of the month and heard nothing else from them

when you buy a sorned car the sorn automatically becomes invalid if you buy it with the intention of it staying off the road for a while you have to re sorn it anyway so buying it would be the same as buying any other car you have to tax starting from the begining of the month you got it if you can't do it on the day you get it then you do run the risk of being reported to not displaying but most police will be fine if you had just got it as long as its MOT'd and insured

Somerset has a border with Yorkshire?

Brain said Wiltshire, fingers didn't get the message.

I did something similar. Car was MOT'd but SORNed. Deposit paid on Monday night, took New Keeper slip and MOT doc with me. Insured on Tuesday, printed the certificate and taxed at the Post Office that afternoon. That cancelled the SORN and I displayed the disc and drove my newly insured and taxed motor home.