DVLA in pandemic - 10 weeks for a new V5 at time of sale - getting it off my chest

[sausage]

My current car is being traded in, hopefully today. At some point in the last five years it was "in the trade" and not taxed for six months. As a result I cannot retain my personal number plate online and have to do it by post. There is currently a ten week turn around time. I'm niffed because my plate is my initials and my job title.

This begs the questions:
What kind of person thinks, "I want to sell me car in ten weeks time, I had better sort out the reg plate"? In my experience lots of people make a decision to change a car, then shop for a car, find the one they want and expect to have it within a week. Not many people go from "I have commited to a deal" to owning the new car in a ten week period. The ten week process just does not work in the real world.

Is DVLA fit for purpose any longer?

So I have almost zero chance of keeping my plate, unless the trader is willing to hang on to my vehicle until a new V5 turns up (10 weeks) and then does the paper work to transfer my plate back to me.

Hopefully this post will help anyone else considering a change. Hopefully someone will come along with a magic solution and tell me that there is a way to do this.

 

[Blobcat]

I’ve moved a few plates around recently from cars that weren’t taxed for 4 years. No issues with V5’s from the DVLA. I also sold one and put it on retention then had it as the first registration of a new one. DVLA have been very good (for me)

 

[keefysher]

Is it BO55MSC ie Boss, Mr Sausages Car?

Or something more pretentious like MD15MEE, or you could be a bog cleaner WC15WEE

I did get the law changed when I had my plate on a SORNd car for 5 years where DVLA said it wasn't my plate and it could only be SORN for 1 year. It's now 5 years.

 

[mark.s]

Got back my V5 back the other day for my 190E project car. Took a total of 3.5 weeks from the DVLA.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[sausage]

I got the V5C for my new car back in 3 days, processed online. The one for my old car is going to take longer because I had to do the old V5C and V317 by post. DVLA said likely it will be about 3 weeks, and that new car registrations, or imports are what is generally taking up to 10 weeks.
DVLA also advised me that that trader might be willing to take my car as trade in and wait for the V5C with the old plate. I thought this was a long shot, but the trader immediately suggested as soon as I explained about my old plate.
So, I got both good service from DVLA, and good advice.

 

[Mr Greedy]

Result!
Sounds like the trader is really trying to be helpful then, despite the small number of poor reviews and your initial concerns. Maybe they've been burnt in the past with the odd troublesome customer and that has coloured their risk attitude pre-sale. Looking forward to pictures

 

[sausage]

Result!
Sounds like the trader is really trying to be helpful then, despite the small number of poor reviews and your initial concerns. Maybe they've been burnt in the past with the odd troublesome customer and that has coloured their risk attitude pre-sale. Looking forward to pictures

Yes. So far so good, when I collected the car, the owner apologised to me for previously being curt. So far I am happy, a couple of niggles to sort, but the dealer is arranging for MB to look at them for me, one is the seat module, which is on order with MB so I would like to think that will be resolved. If all goes well over the honeymoon period then I will be very happy that I stuck it through with this car and dealer.