Journey to see potential lorry

[Austen123]

Hi All,
found a nice lorry to view, however it is 2 and a half hours from me. i should be passing my HGV test on the 15th Oct. Do i go up now, view and place a deposit and then drag my long suffering OH up with me after i pass to drive it home. or do i wait until after the 15th, we both go up and if all ok, drive it home straight away. However, i risk losing the lorry if another buyer comes up between now and then.

I didnt envision having to drive across the country for a lorry, even with a budget of just north of 50k. is 2 and a half hours even a long drive?? some serious over thinking happening here...

 

[AandK]

I would wait until you have passed your test (just in case you don't first time round!) then you can view and drive it home straight away.

 

[Cowpony]

If the purchase is anything like the two times I have bought lorries you won't be able to drive it home that day anyway. Mechanical inspection takes about a week to arrange, take place and get the report back. If it's a dealer they will often not get it plated until it's sold so that will need to be done. Even paying for it can take a while to arrange with the bank if it's a large amount. I had to pay for mine in three tranches across several days due to the bank's transfer limits.

 

[FlyingCircus]

Yikes don't pick up same day unless you or your OH are mechanical and can assess the lorry properly before purchase!

 

[Leandy]

I would not be buying it on the spot now or later. There is no rush and if you miss it there will be more. Unless it (including the chassis) is new or nearly new from a reputable manufacturer, I wouldn't be buying without a pre-purchase examination (especially if I am paying £50k +). It also takes time to sort out insurance and payment. So I would go and view now and go from there. If it is with a dealer they would arrange delivery for you if you wish after above items sorted out.

 

[The Bouncing Bog Trotter]

There are so many lorry scams around, one was/is quite local to me. I wouldn’t travel too far to see a lorry unless I had checked very carefully that it, and the seller existed. If you are spending a high amount you’ll need to get it checked and you’ll need to sort out insurance so I’d plan to view and then go back.

 

[Squeak]

As others have said I'd probably get it checked over by a mechanic - there are some specialist mechanics who can also advise on the build of the horsebox and state of the floors etc.

I know that sometimes the market can move very fast on lorries so if you've been looking a while and not found one suitable then I would go and view and put down deposit but if you've only just started looking then I'd probably wait until after the test.

 

[Darbs]

I would not be buying it on the spot now or later. There is no rush and if you miss it there will be more. Unless it (including the chassis) is new or nearly new from a reputable manufacturer, I wouldn't be buying without a pre-purchase examination (especially if I am paying £50k +). It also takes time to sort out insurance and payment. So I would go and view now and go from there. If it is with a dealer they would arrange delivery for you if you wish after above items sorted out.

This

 

[Littlebear]

I drove a round trip of 12 hours in one go for the last one, was well worth it though, i took someone with me who was good with checking things mechanically though.

 

[Orangehorse]

Don't arrange to meet them half way, have known someone who didn't buy the lorry they had seen, having agreed to meet up on a motorway service station.

 

[Farmer Chalk]

Never meet halfway!!
you need to physically see the lorry at the location it is registered on the logbook at! If it’s a trader then you need to see it in the yard to which the company is registered...

it would be totally abnormal to view and collect any lorry on the day of purchase...there is also a nightmare getting lorries plated at present due to the C19 lockdown of the Government run DVSA testing sites.. they have only just reopened and there is a huge backlog of lorries desperate for a test....

I would be wanting the truck to be put through an independent inspection if less than 6 months outstanding on the plating certificate...

Personally I would go and view the lorry, make sure it physically exists, take loads of photos, arrange an inspection and then hand over a small deposit if you think it’s going to suit your purposes...Then arrange to collect at your leisure....

Do your homework, contact the last owner, look up it’s history, research research research...

 

[Cowpony]

You can check the plating history on-line, so you can see if it's failed, what for, advisories etc. A very useful insight!