Hi
Am a newbie with no idea what problems I need to look for when buying a buggy.
I know it's a big ask but is anybody available to maybe help me look over one I am interested in buying
It is in the gosport area
Any help would be very much appreciated
Meeting the guy at 8 o'clock ish Saturday (11th) morning
Regards
Paul

Paul,

Are you the guy that just rang me?
If so (or even if not) have a long and careful read of this a couple of times

http://www.beachbuggy.info/index.php/topic,429.0.html

Hopefully somebody in that area can help you with an inspection 

And for clarification -
A Short Wheel Base Buggy with SALOON on the V5 will NOT be classed as MOT exempt irrespective of how old it is. 
I have never heard of a Shortened chassis snapping in half as you go over potholes.
Yes, they can be repainted, even the metal flake gel coat ones.
SALOON on the V5 would not put me off but its a good haggling point if the car is suitable
Check that both chassis and engine numbers match the V5, and the V5 also matches the seller and their address.
Get a detailed written receipt from the seller of what you are purchasing
Good luck, and keep us posted

Yep that was me
I have read this a few times and still very confused lol
Hopefully someone will help me out
Cheers again
Paul

[RULES:]

Please let me know any aspect which is unclear from my description, because if it cannot be understood, then I may need to reword things to help ?

I`m suspecting the MOT stuff, so more than happy to go through it with you if that helps?



RULES:     These will Differ from Classic Cars as our Vehicles have been Radically Altered in their Visual Appearance


The AGE of your Chassis DOES NOT entitle you to MOT Exemption Status

The Registration date on your V5c DOES NOT entitle you to MOT Exemption Status

Tax Exemption DOES NOT entitle you to MOT Exemption Status

MOT Exemption is awarded upon the DATE THE BUGGY WAS BUILT and NOT the age of the Donor Chassis

If your Buggy was built less than 30 years ago then you DO NOT QUALIFY for MOT Exemption Status

If DVLA/DVSA were NOTIFIED of Change from Beetle to a Buggy less than 30 years ago then you DO NOT QUALIFY for MOT Exemption Status

If your Buggy was built over 30 years ago AND DVLA WERE NOTIFIED of such - Then you "MAY" Qualify as MOT exempt
(Subject to other other rules and regulations that may apply)




Common MOT FAQ's:

My 1966 Buggy is classed as a Historic Vehicle with Free Tax, so its Automatically a "VHI" and MOT exempt, Right?
Wrong. The 30 year exemption ruling is from the date when the DVLA were notified of it being transformed into a Buggy, not the age related year of the donor chassis. If, for instance, your chassis is 1966, but it was converted into a Buggy in 2001, then whilst you may still benefit from free tax, you do not have enough "Buggy years" under your belt to qualify for MOT exemption. This is one of the DVSA quirks as the tax relates to the age of the chassis, yet the MOT exemption relates to the date that DVLA/DVSA were notified of the conversion. This ruling is different for us as unlike the majority of Classic Cars out there, ours have been Radically and Visually Altered - ie: they no longer look like a VW Beetle.


How do I prove when my Buggy was Registered as Converted?
If you can find a clear and concise way of answering this one, then please let me know. In the meantime, I can only offer some general advice based on my experiences so far. This requires some considerable homework. You may need to approach DVLA for a history report on your vehicle, and that again comes with a few caveats. As a general guide, those that were correctly registered and converted prior to the mid 1990`s may have "Convertible" on the Registration Document. Those that have Beach Buggy or the name of a Buggy, such as GP or DOON will probably have been registered post 1998, more often than not with a date specified on the V5. Those that have BEETLE or SALOON registered are unlikely to be considered for MOT exemption as DVSA will class these as not having been correctly registered as a Buggy, unless you have inspection documentation or provenance that can prove otherwise. There will be exceptions to this, and remember that this is just a guide towards MOT Exemption, and not about Vehicle Registration.


My Buggy is Short Wheelbase, Can it still be MOT Exempt?
Sometimes. Chassis length is not taken into consideration providing that any alterations were completed over 30 years ago and that it has the correct wording on the V5. My understanding is that a Short Wheelbase with "Beetle" or "Saloon" on the V5 is NOT EXEMPT and will still require an MOT to be carried out. Anything else on the V5 should be ok. (see above)


I`m not sure my Buggy would go through an MOT, so can I register it as exempt and not have to worry about it?
Definitely not. You car must always be in a fully roadworthy and safe condition. If you think that there is something that will fail an MOT, then it still needs fixing before you can use it on the road. If you get stopped by the side of the road in an un-roadworthy vehicle, then you could face some very serious consequences.


Do I need to find a Special Buggy Friendly MOT Station?
Strictly speaking, No, as any MOT station should be able to test your vehicle although there is no harm in looking for an MOT station that is use to dealing with Classic Cars rather than modern Repmobiles. Some of the younger generation of inspectors may not be initially aware of what they need to test and what is exempt from testing due to the age of the Buggy, and a certain amount of educating them may be required. Its actually quite difficult to fail a Buggy as there is precious little to test, and most of the allotted time will be spent twiddling their thumbs and drinking tea. It is always a good idea to strike up a good rapport with your MOT station though, as it can make life a lot easier!


My MOT tester reckons my 1979 Buggy on a 1966 Pan should be classed as a reconstructed classic.
No. This is an indication of a tester that does not understand the rules and what they have said is actually nothing to do with them. If the registration document indicates that you have a 1966 vehicle, then it is tested as such. This is one of the rare times that I would advise going to another MOT station, as there is no point in making life difficult with an uneducated jobsworth before its even gone on the ramps for inspection.


Do I just let the MOT run out and continue driving as Exempt?
Absolutely not. MOT exemption has to be applied for by means of an annual self declaration of at the time of applying for your vehicle tax. If you are caught driving with an EXPIRED MOT, then this is treated very seriously with the usual result of the car being impounded and often destroyed.


Will my Insurance be OK if I am MOT exempt?
Have a word with your Insurers. A few will allow continued cover, although most of them will have imposed severe restrictions against mileage, personal injury and international travel, and I am aware of quite a few that will no longer provide any cover whatsoever if the vehicle does not have a current MOT.


Will my Breakdown cover be OK if I am MOT exempt?
Highly unlikely. Most of the breakdown companies now have something in their small print that clearly states that any vehicle must have a valid MOT certificate, and I have not yet been made aware of any companies that offer breakdown cover for those who are exempt.

Apologies for a repost, but this may help you regards SALOON


Until we get some rock solid clarification from DVLA or the vehicle amnesty that I am currently fighting for, then we will have to do a bit of lateral thinking on this one, and whilst my thoughts here are as yet unproven, it would be quite difficult to disagree with them. However, DO NOT ATTEMPT TO TRY AND CHANGE THE BODY TYPE YOURSELF WITHOUT SEEKING ADVICE FROM ONE OF THE MODERATORS ON HERE FIRST.


As we have already stated, VW never actually called the Beetle a "Beetle". It was only ever a nickname (until VWGB rebadged the 1300S as the GT Beetle) and through the 60's the model designations were the engine sizes: VW1200, VW1300, VW1500 etc. It was not until the sales brochures that appeared in 1967/68 that VW started referring to their cars as Beetles instead of Type 1's, which does mean that if DVLA have an earlier one registered as a Beetle then that is actually technically incorrect.



Let us sidetrack a minute and think of the car we know as the Mini. The current BMW Mini is larger than a Landrover and a far cry from the concept designed 60 years ago by Alec Issigonis and shares nothing other than the name and the badge. So we can accept that a badge that says Mini could be used on a number of vehicles of differing shape and size.




Ok then - so here is a thought about badges.


If you saw this badge on the boot of a car, what would you think the car was ?   




But then a Golf can also have this badge which has nothing to do with a Furry Pet Animal? 




So it is widely accepted that a Golf can also be called something different - With me so far?   



We are all legally obliged to keep our V5 details up to date and that means engine numbers, address, colour etc etc. Anything you change on the car MUST be registered with DVLA as soon as you change it. They don`t actually seem interested in what the car is called just so long as the details on the V5 matches the vehicle that you are driving about in. Where people come unstuck is when the likes of MOT examiners or ANPR cameras flag up a yellow car driving past when its actually blue and they will say that the registered car in front of them is not as presented. That bit we understand. However, we are also now dealing with a younger generation of people that have never actually seen "Herbie"  nor remember the streets buzzing to the sound of air cooled engines, so when a Buggy goes past and their database says "Beetle", and what we know as a Beach Buggy does not match the latest generation of water cooled monstrosity of Beetle that they are now thinking of, then their instant reaction is to flag it up.


So . . . . . .

If you are worried that your V5 says BEETLE but your car does not, then I have a potential solution for you. Your car has 99% of the running gear of a Beetle, it probably has the chassis and engine of a Beetle. So why not stick a badge on the back (Genuine VW Part number even) to say BEETLE and that way if you are ever called into question, you can simply reply, "Yes, its a Beetle, and that's what it also says on the rear".





And for those of you with SALOON on the V5, then don`t worry as the Nissan Sunny has provided a suitable badge for you too and I think "EX-SALOON" is actually quite comical if you can track one down. Failing that, a rummage through your local parts factors for some letters would probably suffice. To the best of my knowledge, nowhere does it actually state say that a SALOON has to have a roof, (no different to DVLA calling our cars 4x4 without having four wheel drive fitted) so if you put the name SALOON on the rear of your car, then I cannot see how it can be misinterpreted.




Its actually a very simple solution as you are not disguising what the V5 says, but actually confirming it when the car is ever presented.


Looks like a Duck . .  Walks like a Duck . . . Quacks like a Duck . . . . . . . It might just be a Duck 

It`s a Hi from me   

Do all you can to have someone present mechanically/electrically savvy to some degree. Most importantly let your head rule your decision not your heart. Don`t pay a penny more than you believe its worth...Any doubt at all... simply walk away and keep on looking.

Wow
You have just made things a lot clearer it now makes sense to me.
Thank you so much for the explanation I now feel a lot more confident about buying a buggy regardless of what it is described as. Also the mot issue now seems a lot clearer
Can't believe how helpful you have been, just need to hope someone out there can help me out looking at it
Kindest regards
Paul

Glad it made sense 

Any further questions, post them on here, or give me a bell if needed (just let me finish my cornflakes first) 

As Paul1953 says ultimately you can walk away as other buggys exist but fingers crossed all works out as buggy ownership is terrific.

You haven't said where you are based but do post some images, as and when, you get your first buggy and as you're finding out this Forum can solve nearly all buggy issues...

You haven't said where you are based

He's tag is Millwall Paul, could be a clue or it could be the football team.

Welcome Paul, I was a West Ham supporter in the 60s so not far from Millwall

Good luck with your buggy search
Dave

Fair point Dave.

My Secondary Modern Geography lessons were more about sheep farming in Australia. Millwall's whereabouts was never mentioned and I remain sadly somewhat ignorant. But if it gets an active buggy I'll scrutinise the Members Map to further my ongoing education.

Hi,
Things to check  physically on the buggy, apart from the numbers
rust n the frame head underneath and between the axle tubes also the front axle shock towers bottom to top.
jack the front up and rock the wheels top to bottom if king and link pin as king pin replacement is specialist later ball joints a local garage can press out.
tyre age as buggies get little use they may look new but be 40 years old
check the electrics work and condition of wiring.
check the crankshaft end float and oil smoke
Have a drive it should be a pleasure not hard work but may be a bit bumpy

if you are happy with the price buy it as you will no doubt change it to suit.