My son bought a car privately in January. This week it was seized by a bailiff acting for a finance company. He said there were payments outstanding on the car from last September, but the money wasn’t owed by the person my son bought the car from, but the previous owner. I was wondering what the legal position is?
If, as seems likely, the original owner was buying the vehicle on HP, the person your son bought the vehicle from will have acquired ownership, assuming he was unaware of the HP agreement. That means he was entitled to sell it to your son, and your son became the true owner of the vehicle. In that case the finance company should not have repossessed it, and your son would be advised to see a solicitor about getting it back.