I put my kit car for sale on ebay about a week ago and have been contacted by a number of people from Italy and Germany. They all say they are interested in the car and request that I e-mail them a copy of my V5 before the sale. I am a bit reluctant to do this. I realise there is a genuine reason for them to do this so they can arrange insurance, but as this is a kit car I'm a bit worried that the info could be used to clone the identity. What if they are in the UK and have built a kit car but can'tdon't want to be bothered with an IVA test? Could they not use my info to clone my car's identity?

I suppose I would tend to beleive them more that they need insurance if they weren't telling me they were prepared to fly to N. Ireland and drive a car with no windows, no doors and no heater over 1000 miles home in the potential pouring rain!

Why would they need insurance before purchasing?

Once you've got a deposit, I would leave it to personal judgement on the buyer....prior to purchase, no...

I've been told they need it for insurance and also to "make sure" they can import it to their country. I'd prefer to keep it than end up risking my car being cloned, not that desperate to sell.

they will need to confirm certain registration details. They could just ask you for them but they probably dont know exactly what they are asking for having never seen a UK V5. Personally I would scan it with the V5C identifying numbers and VIN blanked out so they get the info they need but in terms of the cars identity have nothing more than the registration number.

I wouldn't get too paranoid: I've sold several kit cars to Europe in the past. This sort of stuff seems absolutely normal and just related to the way they need to find loopholes around their bureaucracy.

All my dealings with European buyers have been perfectly trouble-free, to the extent that they haven't even haggled over price: they all just turned up, paid the full asking price and took the car away with them on the day.

I sold mine to Italy via a guy on here. No problem.

Cheers guys, I suppose I am kind of in 2 minds to sell or not anyway. If it means an awkward sale with any risk involved I'd prefer not to. Problem is there's sometimes so many crooks out there it's hard to know who to trust and you end up putting off the good guys, but maybe better that than being stung!

Just curious, if details from the v5 are used to make a clone, how will it affect. the original owner?

Gunman - problem is, you then get so fed up with the endless communication with the non-serious/devious/criminals/whatever type that the default is not to sell, it simply isn't worth the hassle and risk.

You then end up unable to move as the car fleet grows......!

Last car I sold (a long time ago, after a lot of 'issues' with the natives), went to a guy in Northern Ireland. He simply paid in full, and sent a courier over who drove the car away!

I sold my Westfield to a dealer from Germany, via ebay, he did not request a copy of the V5.

I would take a photo and edit the pic to putting a watermark or something, preventing copying.

If its on ebay, they may be just as worried about scammers as you.

I bought my Fury 3 year ago from a member of the forum, so I have the esperience from "the other side", as Italian.

I saw a general reluctancy to sell abroad from british and I understand that keep the contacts and negotiation by mail instead of face to face doesn't help. In my case the first contact with the seller was by mail on Pistonheads site and then still by mail on this forum but no replay by the seller at all for one and half month despite several messages on the forum and by U2U. Then the replay with some excuse for the time passed. I deducted the seller first tried to sell in UK, even dropping the price and failing doing in the expected time he considered me as alternative.

After a long call from me I suppose he was convinced of my good will to buy the Fury. Then some other difficoulties: I arranged to transport the Fury in Italy with a lorry, so no need to insure it (I know of only one Italian that drove stright from UK to Italy his Fury, but he race in UK MX5 championship and optanied to service the Fury by his team before the long travel http://youtu.be/0H08RJZRCtM ) but I needed the confirmation I could import the Fury once received in Italy and be sure the VIN on the chassis corresponded to the VIN indicated on V05. And it wasn't: the IRS has became 1RS. That was a hard job to fix it with the Italian beurocrazy.

Then the payment done by international Bank Transfer with the limitation of the amount for single transation that obliged me to arrange 3 payments and the nervous seller not able to understand that it was necessary to wait a couple of days between the payments I proved him I did and the availability of the money on his account.

Before shipping the Fury in Italy he still had the car and the whole money paid but still reluctant to send me copy of his passport necessary to me as part of importation documents I needed: copy of MOT not expired, original of V05 and copy of passport or driving licence (as we did) and an invoice to prove the identity of the seller and mileage and age of the car (to avoid to pay VAT as allowed on used car), technical specifications of the car written by an English technician and a declaration of the commercial chamber that he was entitled to do it, translation of all the documents by an entitled translator by an italian tribunal.

Then after 3 weeks from importation The Fury was registered and I received the plates. So be patient with the requests of documents from Italians genuinely interested to buy your kitcar.

After one month I first drove the Fury I starter the job to fix the issues found that brought me in the last 3 years to completely stripp down the Fury and rebuild it. I hope to finish during the summer.

PS: my Fury is insured as "Fisker model Fisher Fury", because my insurance company doesn't have the Fury in its file, so it is important for us Italian to check the V05 before to buy the car to be sure also about these aspects of the purchase.

Thanks for that info. If that is the case I can't sell to anyone from Italy as I don't have a passport!

i sold a kit car to a dealer in holland and he didnt ask for any documents prior to sale.

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Originally posted by gunman
Thanks for that info. If that is the case I can't sell to anyone from Italy as I don't have a passport!

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