Land Rover tax exempt questions

Hi,

If I wanted to build/buy a Land Rover and claim it as historic for tax exempt reasons, do DVLA go off the year of the chassis or the engine or similar, or, can you claim historic if most of the vehicle was manufactured pre 1973? Can the motor heritage museum offer info from the chassis number?

What i'm trying to say is, is there a grey area when DVLA decides what vehicle is said to have been built pre 73? Or is there no point at all trying to get around this with a nod nod wink wink!

cheers

if it was built before 73 and registered in 73 you could still get the tax exempt status you can find out from here but you have to pay them

Heritage Motor Centre

some dvla offices sometimes want to check the vehicle but it doesnt happen all the time

Check the DVLA Web-site, its in the FAQ section; if you have a pre-73 V5, then its HVS tax exampt; BUT, to be assured the vehicle wearing the number plate that V5 belongs to, you are best off, going for a VOSPA approval through the SVA test scheme, where they evaluate the vehicle against a points sceme, and basically it has to have:-

• Original Chaiisis (or exact, un-modified, like for like replacement)
• Original engine (or exact like for like replacement
• Original gearbox/transmission (or... you get the idea! FFS!)
• Original, Axles, brakes and steering, (Or ditto)

Each item has a different points loading, and the chassis is the critical bit.
And the numbers should all match.
Like for like replacement STRICTLY means 'new' replacement, not an engine/box/axles taken from another or numerouse other scrapped cars.
There is some tolerence in there, but if you have an 88" S2 with a salisbury back axle (later SIII LWB spec) and 1 Ton brakes on the front axle, and the later servo set up for them, a 2.5 engine from a defender or sherpa, and a Suffix D gearbox..... they they are likely to be a bit 'iffy' about it.
Give the thing a V8 and coils springs and you are looking at loosing HVS and getting a Q-Plate.
They are, I believe fairly 'sympathetic' to cars that are kept close to factory standard, and genuinely 'restored' in the spirit of a classic car, and hence deservant of HVS, they aren't so keen on old nails botched together for bashing about quarreys or drag-strips, by owners chancing the idea that becouse they have an old V5 they can getaway without paying RFD.
Bottom line is you can 'ring' a ruddy defender as a HVS SII or SIII if you are cheeky enough, and from the examples punted on e-bay and posted on here, plenty do, but it is ILLEGAL, and you know it!
If you want to do it right and be assured of HVS you do the job to the rules, in the spirit of what the rules were put there for, and put it in for assessement, and get a letter from them confirming beyond shaddow of a doubt your vehicle is ellegible and deservant of HVS, and reward you with a RFD exemption cert!
Play in the grey areas to your hearts content; take it to VOSA and have the argument with them ans to whether you can have a ticket, or keep quiet about it and hope no one ever asks awkward questions or takes your car off you and hits you with a big bill for back tax and a find for tax evasion....
choice is yours.....
Start on the DVLA webby......

Hi,

You either need the original chassis and matching V5. OR fit a brand new chassis built to same spec as the original.

Fitting a second hand chassis means that your truck has an indeterminate "date of birth". Fitting a brand new chassis counts as a repair.

But what is "same spec as original"? Is it the original spec? And what is that? 2-axle rigid body? Or in accordance with the manufacurers plans? Or same as the latest manufacturers spares list ..... S2 chassis NLA in 1983, so they supplied a S3 chassis?

As original. Original what? Original vehicle as it left the factory? Or original vehicle as it was before you took it to pieces, including the brackets for coil springs that you welded on in 1995, but never finished. (Removes tongue from cheek). Or original chassis ..... but the advice sheet is ambiguous.

Where can we find the relevent legislation (The Act) on the web?

602

w3526602 said:

Where can we find the relevent legislation (The Act) on the web?

Click to expand...

HMSO web-site, has e-versions of all legislation passed since 2000, and has been working backwards from there with everything passed before. Think that have something like 80% of all acts passed since the second world war......
But be warned, its confusing, and a lot of the bills that are on the site have been recinded, amended or superceded.... its not very user freindly but can be VERY illuminating.

I've seen that you get awarded points for original parts of vehicle:

5 for chassis
2 for steering
2 for transmission
2 for suspension
2 for axles
1 for the engine

... etc


... and that you need 8 out of 14 points to claim historic vehicle status.

Hi,

Correct, but those 8 points must include 5 for the chassis.

602