We've bought a van from the NHS for £700.

As it was on nil tax the NHS kept the tax disc. They gave us the log book along with a form we needed to fill in to get it reclassified for normal use.

Sent this off 10 days ago and so far had nothing back from the DVLA.

When we bought our escort van in october we had the log book & tax disc reminder back within 5 days.

Does anyone know of any other information we should be sending the DVLA or are they just slow with this kind of thing? We are desperate to test drive the van to see if we want to keep it or not.

Thanks

Go down your local DVLA office, I'm sure you'll sort it there.

Edited 13 June, 201115 yr by MaxVW

Where do you buy these vans from the NHS?

got my v5 today for a car that i bought 2 months ago. so i wouldn't hold out for much.

Where do you buy these vans from the NHS?

Just done a quick Google and found all sorts of things from regular old police cars and vans to, well, these:

Dennis Sabre, 42, 000 miles, 8.3 V6 - £9, 5000

Or...

A FUCKING TANK - £4, 500.

only 4.5k? thats my new work vehicle sorted. Pull out in front of me now bastards!!!! :lol:

8.3 v6. hmmmm, wonder what the fire engine will do on the strip (empty and stripped out of course)

Edited 13 June, 201115 yr by Cymro

only 4.5k? thats my new work vehicle sorted. Pull out in front of me now bastards!!!! :lol:

8.3 v6. hmmmm, wonder what the fire engine will do on the strip (empty and stripped out of course)

Yeah, and I'm not joking. Check out the others at the bottom!

now this is what I'm talking about:

http://www.mod-sales.com/direct/vehicle/re...d/35549/CET.htm

That website is so overpriced for vans!!!

Thanks for your replies, I'll wait it out another week and then go to the DVLA office - cant believe the delay after how quick our other vans paperwork came through.

We are lucky to have someone in the family who works for the NHS, so when this van was retired from its role as the diabetic eye clinic van we were offered it.

I was furious when I came home to find this on my driveway - the boyfriend agreed to buy without even seeing it.

And being a Fiat the battery is flat after being sat for 10days....

Its a 2002, 2.8 diesel, 90,000 on the clock, full service history, years MOT.

That website is so overpriced for vans!!!

Thanks for your replies, I'll wait it out another week and then go to the DVLA office - cant believe the delay after how quick our other vans paperwork came through.

We are lucky to have someone in the family who works for the NHS, so when this van was retired from its role as the diabetic eye clinic van we were offered it.

I was furious when I came home to find this on my driveway - the boyfriend agreed to buy without even seeing it.

And being a Fiat the battery is flat after being sat for 10days....

Its a 2002, 2.8 diesel, 90,000 on the clock, full service history, years MOT.

So are vans a regular buy for you? Also, welcome to the joyful world of Fiat! (Might want to carry a spare everything in the back.)

Not usually! We bought a van to carry our sound system in - but now the rigs outgrown the van! This one fell into our hands and couldnt really say no!

Was really angry at first as wanted to save money and buy something a bit more reliable but coming round to the idea now - know what you mean about spares lucky for us got a few mechanics in the family as well so it'll be well looked after.

Funny thing is it came from the diabetic eye clinic - still trying to figure out why its got a small tail lift in the back?!

Not usually! We bought a van to carry our sound system in - but now the rigs outgrown the van! This one fell into our hands and couldnt really say no!

Was really angry at first as wanted to save money and buy something a bit more reliable but coming round to the idea now - know what you mean about spares lucky for us got a few mechanics in the family as well so it'll be well looked after.

Funny thing is it came from the diabetic eye clinic - still trying to figure out why its got a small tail lift in the back?!

It's a high mileage Fiat, it's almost certainly going to go wrong, hate to break it to you . My dad has a 65, 000 mile Fiat Punto and it's starting to go. Passenger side window is dead, steering column was playing up a while ago. One advantage of buying it from the NHS is that it will have been checked regularly, if you keep that up it should be alright.

that was why I was annoyed my boyfriend had agreed to buy it - because the family member who works at NHS was always moaning about having to go to the fiat garage with one problem or another. this one came from a different part of the hospital and has been maintained by the garage next door to where I work so I hope its not going have problems.

I'm trying to convince him we should tax it and sell it and buy a VW.

that was why I was annoyed my boyfriend had agreed to buy it - because the family member who works at NHS was always moaning about having to go to the fiat garage with one problem or another. this one came from a different part of the hospital and has been maintained by the garage next door to where I work so I hope its not going have problems.

I'm trying to convince him we should tax it and sell it and buy a VW.

You could pop in there with some details of the van and see if they can tell you anything about it. Oh, and you know you want to...

I've taken him to 3 VW shows and gone on about VWs non stop hoping he'll get the hint!!

The tail lift would be for wheelchair diabetics! as limb amputation is very common with diabetics, I've got my yearly check up next week and a big part of that is the testing of sensations in the foot and lower leg, as a loss of sensation means the blood flow is comprimised and if the area gets a wound it can lead to gangerene and amputation!!

Health and Safety, you can't go lifting heavy stuff into vans, exspeccially in the Public Sector.

Makes it safer to lift fragile sutff in too.

To be honest, those Fiats aren't all bad, I'd have one over an LT any day of the week.

Thanks for that info I never realised it was such a common problem. I'm still confused - the vans totally empty except that tail lift, nothings been taken out as there are no markings to show where stuff was previous.

Edit: Yeti posted while I was typing my response - not confused about the tail lift anymore!!

Edited 14 June, 201115 yr by imagine

I got bored...

...I think I might need a little bit more practice at this Photoshop thingy...

haha thanks mate I've shown it too the boyfriend he likes it! Was going to get the local artists to do some graffiti work on it anyway!!

Just got back from 3 days travelling north norfolk during my week off - cannot believe how every motor home we came across was one of these - there were 5 on the same field in our campsite alone!

steph

Was going to get the local artists to do some graffiti work on it anyway!!

Should look good, or if you want it to look authentic, park it in Paris somewhere. Visited there earlier this year and saw a few vans covered in graffiti, the didn't paint the windows though so at least they were nice about it .

Quick update on this - despite sending off the relevant forms to have the van reclassified we got a log book saturday morning - still stating NHS Nil tax.

The hospital have sent off the tax disc sorning it until June 2012.

So I think now the only way we can tax it is if we take the paperwork to our local DVLA office and they change the classification there and then? Its so complicated - also insurance on this bloody van is so expensive its going to cost an arm & a leg to get this on the road just so we can test drive it to a few festies and decide if its what we need.

Grrr!!

Quick update on this - despite sending off the relevant forms to have the van reclassified we got a log book saturday morning - still stating NHS Nil tax.

The hospital have sent off the tax disc sorning it until June 2012.

So I think now the only way we can tax it is if we take the paperwork to our local DVLA office and they change the classification there and then? Its so complicated - also insurance on this bloody van is so expensive its going to cost an arm & a leg to get this on the road just so we can test drive it to a few festies and decide if its what we need.

Grrr!!

I think high insurance is just tagged with vans as the insurers don't know what you're going to be carrying in there.

OK so now I've finally managed to get in on the road I can tell you what you need to do!!!

If you buy a Van from the NHS you need to surrender the tax disc to the NHS and they send it off to SORN it.

Once you get log book you need to insure it.

Once you get insurance paperwork you need to take all your paperwork to your local DVLA office. They then supply the forms to fill in & send off your log book to the DVLA again and hopefully it then comes back with Taxation class PLG rather than NHSV.

If it doesnt you need to take it back to the DVLA local office, they fill in the form again and send a shirty letter to Swansea saying sort it out!!!

After all this palaver the battery on the van was flat... Took it for a spin,,, stopped at the inlaws, battery still flat!! So today jump started it twice!

After all this palaver the battery on the van was flat... Took it for a spin,,, stopped at the inlaws, battery still flat!! So today jump started it twice!

Hooray for Italian electrics!