I'd like to buy a Toyota Auris - should I be concerned about buying a pre-reg vehicle? | Ask Honest John

What is life like with your car? Let us know and win £500 in John Lewis vouchers | No thanks

I'd like to buy a Toyota Auris - should I be concerned about buying a pre-reg vehicle?

I might buy a 2013 1.6 Valvematic Toyota Auris. I feel ready to swap the excitement and uncertainty of Volkswagen Golf ownership for a more dependable, better warrantied and hopefully enduring relationship. A Toyota agent elsewhere in Scotland has two such vehicles. Both have registration numbers and 500 miles or so the clock. I understand that problems may arise for purchasers of pre-registered vehicles, but am not sure whether any such complications arise in a case like this. Can you enlighten me?

Asked on 8 June 2013 by CS, Aberdeen

Answered by Honest John

The new Auris seems to be everywhere and is selling at five times the rate of the old one. The pre-reg problem is only when the buyer is not immediately registered as the keeper of the car. It is quite common for traders to register cars to fleets in order to get fleet discounts, but the car then has to be registered to the fleet for up to 12 months, so the buyer is not the registered keeper. That means any camera tickets go first to the fleet owner, not to him. It also has insurance implications.

Tags: ex-fleet buying a new car pre-registered cars

Similar questions

How can my local Ford dealer afford to sell pre-reg Fiestas at such a big discount?

My local Ford dealer has sent me a letter saying it has a limited number of pre-registered Ford Fiesta cars with delivery mileage. The dealer said they are a one-off batch and the prices are extraordinarily...

Are Motorpoint's new cars too good to be true?

As a regular reader of Telegraph Motoring I often see Motorpoint advertising new cars with sometimes £3000 off, such as a new Peugeot 207CC at £13,899 when the full price would be approx £16,500. It looks...