When I think of Ferrari, I think of one of the world's most desirable supercars with a thoroughbred pedigree that is almost peerless in the world of luxury sports cars. But that might be because I've just stumbled from the passenger seat of an F430 Spider that made me feel that no electric carriage had any right to be so comfortable whilst being so alarmingly rapid. You'd think that the eclectic transport tastes of my family would have prepared me for this. I have a Land Rover Discovery, my brother drives a hulking Mitsubishi Warrior, but my father has always had a passion for sports cars. From Mg Midget to Porsche 911 Carrera Sport Targa to Renault Alpine, my sibling and I spent our younger years squished into seats (where more than one was available) that seemed far too close to the ground for my liking. But my word could those cars cut a dash.
Whether on the motorway or country lanes, it was an education in power and handling. Whilst I might hate real arachnids with a passion that borders on hysteria, there's nothing unlovable about the Ferrari F430 Spider. When a sports car loving friend decided that their most recent used Ferrari acquisition require breaking in, they proposed a weekend jaunt in the darkest reaches of Devon. I was initially sceptical, because looking at the F430 you wouldn't think that luggage was much of an option. And you'd be right. Let me point out that we were travelling from York, a five and a half hour journey at the best of times, and one that could be the test of even the oldest friendship. Fortunately, we had something to divert us from any potential bickering over toilet stops or music choice. Because the used Ferrari dismissed any concerns about performance in the ten minutes between my house and Micklegate. The return journey was no less exhilarating, and it was almost with a sense of sadness that I waved goodbye as the fabulous used Ferrari took its leave. In fact, I'm not sure whether I was waving goodbye more to my friend or the car. If you have the financial means, there's a good chance that you've already considered a Ferrari as your next luxury sports car. With the second hand car market offering exceptional savings, a used Ferrari will provide the same enjoyment as a new model, but at a more attractive price. Choosing from a specialist used Ferrari dealership will ensure that you receive tailored advice that takes into account your budget and vehicular needs.
Because third-party insurance does not pay out for damage sustained to the insured vehicle itself, such cars will not have been declared a total loss by the insurer, so may not be on MIAFTR. The Motor Insurers鈥?Bureau told us some insurance firms 鈥渓oad manually or in batches鈥?when placing cars on MIAFTR, creating potential delays. Some of the cars we analysed were auctioned as write-offs more than a year ago and were still not detected by the history checks we ran, though. This means that vehicles placed on the DVLA鈥檚 database as Cat C and Cat D in 2018 must have been assessed as write-offs the previous year under the old classifications, with a delay of at least three months. Legally, insurers must inform the DVLA when a car is written off, but the MIB says 鈥渢here is no mandated timeframe for supplying write-off data to the DVLA鈥? creating potential delays even in the official database.
The closure of the Vehicle identity Check (VIC) scheme in October 2015 could also have a part to play. The VIC scheme saw a 鈥榤arker鈥?placed against Cat C cars (now Cat S) on the DVLA database. These cars had to pass a VIC test, where an inspector would assess them before the DVLA would remove the marker and issue a new V5C logbook. The VIC test didn鈥檛 assess the quality of repairs but, if inspectors noticed a 鈥渟erious defect which would make the car dangerous鈥? they would issue a prohibition notice, and the car could not be driven. Cat S write-offs now only need to pass an MoT test before being put on the road. Further DVLA data obtained via a Freedom of Information request reveals that 4,870 vehicles were written off via paper notifications over the past five calendar years. These cars bypassed MIAFTR when being placed on the DVLA鈥檚 database, so would be unlikely to show up in checks.
MIAFTR is non-mandatory, subject to delays and may not hold records for written-off cars that only had third-party insurance. So for history-checking firms to rely solely on its data to determine a car鈥檚 write-off status is problematic. How widespread is the problem? Auto Express obtained data from the DVLA showing how many write-off 鈥榯ransactions鈥?the agency processed during financial years 2016/17, and 2017/18. The MIB provided us with the number of write-offs it held records for over the same periods. Data from both organisations is for vehicles, so includes trucks, vans and motorbikes, as well as cars. There is a significant difference between the two organisations鈥?databases, with nearly 100,000 fewer written-off vehicles a year appearing on MIAFTR compared with DVLA records. Even after removing from the equation Cat A and B vehicles - which must be scrapped and can never be driven again - these numbers give a clear idea of the discrepancies between MIAFTR and the DVLA鈥檚 database. What do the organisations involved say?
