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Hi Chaps
I'm intending buying a car that has no tax/MOT. It will be insured and of course cannot buy the tax without MOT. I know its legal do drive a car without tax/MOT straight to the MOT station right? So how about buying this car (about 20 miles from me) from the chaps house to a local MOT station or back to my local one then home?
Doable?
Or would it be legal to tow the car home? (Car and rope) along an A road?
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Current retro - 1996 Alfa Romeo GTV / Daily - 2016 Nissan Qashqai Previous retros - Prelude, Integra, XR2s, XR3s, Orions, CRXs, Sylvia S12, S13, Pulsar, ZX 16v, 205 Gti, MX5, MR2 etc
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There is no set distance, I beleive it is quoted as 'reasonable'.
I would think that 20 miles falls within 'reasonable', I know of people that have done hundreds of miles on the MOT-test 'clause'
Towing a car by rope is no different to driving it on the road, it still required MOT, tax and insurance. Only trailered and 'A' framed cars - where there is no necessity for someone to 'control' the car being towed - are legally permitted on the highway without the necessary docs.
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Last Edit: Oct 29, 2009 9:50:09 GMT by jettadeluxe
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Oct 29, 2009 10:13:34 GMT
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I guess it depends on if you get pulled driving it to MOT, and if so what kind of mood the police officer's in.
I might be wrong, but I think even A framed cars strictly need to have all the right paperwork, due to having all four wheels on the road.
Saying that I know A-Frames can be a grey area, and again if you get a reasonable traffic cop you'd most likely get away with it.
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Last Edit: Oct 29, 2009 10:14:13 GMT by whitbytom
1967 Morris Traveller 1971 Series IIA Land Rover 1991 Golf GL 4+e 1992 Corrado G60 1986 E28 BMW 528i
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IDY
Part of things
Posts: 893
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Oct 29, 2009 11:26:08 GMT
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Towing a car by rope is no different to driving it on the road, it still required MOT, tax and insurance. Only trailered and 'A' framed cars - where there is no necessity for someone to 'control' the car being towed - are legally permitted on the highway without the necessary docs. AFAIK if the wheels of a car are on the public highway it needs insurance, tax and MOT (unless it is less than 3 years old or in one of the exempt categories). The A frames are supposed to be for emergency use only, I am given to understand that technically an A framed car is both a car and a trailer, and it is very difficult to make a car comply with trailer regs. Do remember to book your MOT in advance so you can prove that you are taking to an MOT if an officer stops you
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I will get round to finishing it at some point
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andyf
South West
Posts: 415
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Oct 29, 2009 11:45:47 GMT
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I think I am right in saying that the MOT must be pre booked anyway.
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1980 Triumph TR7.
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Oct 29, 2009 13:10:59 GMT
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Always pre-book the MOT. I've had my BMW tested at a station 45 miles away and drove it there without MOT or tax for both the MOT and 2 re-tests. The main reason for doing this was that i trust the MOT station that i took it to to give a fair test.
There must be a reasonable limit to which you can do this though. I suppose that a lot of it could come down to the appearence of the car. If it looks dodgy in the first place then you must be far less likely to get away with it.
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Hitch
Part of things
Posts: 427
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Oct 29, 2009 14:13:21 GMT
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I'm sure towing a car wth no mot/tax at least the front wheels need to be off the ground. As for driving to the mot station its probably down to the police officers discretion if you get pulled, I would say as long as you have the mot pre-booked (which as has been said is a legal requirement anyway) you will be fine.
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Oct 29, 2009 14:15:47 GMT
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certainly don't use a tow rope, they're only for moving a broken down car out of harms way.
I don't think 20 miles is too far IMO, But then it's upto the plod i spose
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Oct 29, 2009 14:19:01 GMT
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you might find they get narky if there is a closer MOT station than the the one your heading for, i have had them express the opinion that if the car is expected to pass then use the closest one, and if its not expected to pass and your heading for a specialist one to do the work as well then you must know its not road worthy and therefore should not be driving it.
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Volvo back as my main squeeze, more boost and some interior goodies on the way.
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Oct 29, 2009 14:23:31 GMT
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I asked on the police forum. NO maximum distance. You must pre-book, and you must drive straight there. If you can't drive the distance in one day then its too far.
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1941 Wolseley Not Rod - 1956 Humber Hawk - 1957 Daimler Conquest - 1966 Buick LeSabre - 1968 Plymouth Sport Fury - 1968 Ford Galaxie - 1969 Ford Country Squire - 1969 Mercury Marquis - 1970 Morris Minor - 1970 Buick Skylark - 1970 Ford Galaxie - 1971 Ford Galaxie - 1976 Continental Mark IV - 1976 Ford Capri - 1994 Ford Fiesta
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Oct 29, 2009 14:39:03 GMT
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^^^ WHS
bear in mind though - MOT situation is no problem, but you are still responsible for the roadworthiness of the vehicle. Obvious faults will still land you in trouble if you get pulled, so make sure all the basics are covered - tyres, lights, sharp edges, etc... You can still get ticketed! Also, remember that if you pass a traffic car their ANPR will flag your vehicle - best taking your docs with you and a contact number for your MOT station.
Joe
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Hirst
Posted a lot
This avatar is inaccurate, I've never shaved that closely
Posts: 3,930
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Oct 29, 2009 15:18:03 GMT
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NO maximum distance. You must pre-book, and you must drive straight there. Quoted for additional emphasis - despite some confusion from the odd police officer, there's no such thing as "reasonable distance", you certainly don't have to go to the closest station and there's no restrictions on the sorts of road you can use, but it has to be pre-booked and you have to go straight there. I doubt they'd mind if you stopped for petrol, but you can't pop over to see your gran or anything like that - common sense applies. Bear in mind that it isn't a free ticket to moving untested vehicles around the country though - you can still be done for the vehicle being unroadworthy (bald tyres, busted lights, that sort of thing) irrelevant of whether you've got a test or not.
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Oct 29, 2009 16:24:01 GMT
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:)I get Skodas come to me from all over the country for MOT because I'm fairly well known for understanding them.
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Oct 29, 2009 16:57:17 GMT
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Cheers guys for the input!
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Current retro - 1996 Alfa Romeo GTV / Daily - 2016 Nissan Qashqai Previous retros - Prelude, Integra, XR2s, XR3s, Orions, CRXs, Sylvia S12, S13, Pulsar, ZX 16v, 205 Gti, MX5, MR2 etc
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John
Part of things
Posts: 347
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Oct 29, 2009 16:59:11 GMT
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I thought that towing by rope was now illegal??
If any of the vehicles wheels are on the road when being towed then it needs to be legal, as far as I am aware.
My Dad once was coming back from an MOT, which it passed, and he went past the Post Office. He stopped outside to get the tax and a traffic warden was all set to do him. Technically my Dad was breaking the law. Fortunately it was 20 years ago when a bit of common sense still came into play.
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Oct 29, 2009 17:12:46 GMT
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20 miles is around the limit of what I'd call reasonable, but I'd do this without a worry. Just make 100% sure the car has no major faults and could conceivably pass an MOT (IE no bald tyres or rediculously dodgy looking stuff).
Make sure the test is prebooked, and that the garage know what you are doing so they make a proper note of what's coming in, in case they just put down "MOT at 3pm"
A copper calling to verify will be much happier with "yes, we have an MOT booking at 3pm for Mr Jenkins with his Beige Hindustan Ambassador"
Ensure you have a printed copy of your insurance documents and the number to call your insurers, as if the car is new to you it will likely flag up and not on the NIB database, which can cause some officers to want to confiscate the car (despite them not actually really being allowed to rely on the NIB)
While it's arguable either way, I wouldn't want to be stood trying to defend 300 miles (passing 275 MOT stations on the way) as being "reasonable"
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Last Edit: Oct 29, 2009 17:15:33 GMT by cobblers
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Hirst
Posted a lot
This avatar is inaccurate, I've never shaved that closely
Posts: 3,930
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Oct 29, 2009 17:34:42 GMT
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It isn't arguable either way though, you're perfectly within the law to drive to a pre-booked MOT at any centre in the country - see above posts.
As said above by a few folks, there's no such thing as a reasonable distance. It's a complete myth!
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Oct 29, 2009 18:21:06 GMT
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The way I saw it explained, if a "reasonable man" would think it was ok, then no problems... One example would be taking it 30 miles (and past nearer MOT places) so you could drop it off at the garage next to where you work. I often used to take untaxed bikes for MOT to the "classic friendly" garage rather than on of the nearer "new stuff only" places. Anything's possible, but I wouldn't want to try and explain taking it 300 miles for an MOT ;D Often wondered about the static ANPR cameras - do they send you a ticket for driving with no tax and you explain, or what?
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Oct 29, 2009 19:51:33 GMT
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It isn't arguable either way though, you're perfectly within the law to drive to a pre-booked MOT at any centre in the country - see above posts. As said above by a few folks, there's no such thing as a reasonable distance. It's a complete myth! It wont stop you being booked though! We have this coversation regularly at work, one of the guys spoke to a traffic cop about it and he said hed nick anyone who was stretching the rules and driving over 30 miles or so.
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1987 Maestro 1.6 HL perkins diesel conversion 1986 Audi 100 Avant 1800cc on LPG 1979 Allegro Series 2 special 4 door 1500cc with vynil roof. IN BITS. HERITAGE ISSUES.
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Hitch
Part of things
Posts: 427
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Oct 29, 2009 19:56:30 GMT
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It isn't arguable either way though, you're perfectly within the law to drive to a pre-booked MOT at any centre in the country - see above posts. As said above by a few folks, there's no such thing as a reasonable distance. It's a complete myth! It wont stop you being booked though! We have this coversation regularly at work, one of the guys spoke to a traffic cop about it and he said hed nick anyone who was stretching the rules and driving over 30 miles or so. You're right there. As has been said the law states "reasonable distance" so it all comes down to how reasonable the copper is at the end of the day.
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