market could prove to be a headache for local car dealers.

That was the view of the dealers -- who warned they will not be going out of their way to help owners sell their old cars -- unless they are already committed to buying a new make from them.

As of tomorrow, car owners will be able to buy a new car without having to wait a year after selling their old one or having it cut in half.

The Motor Car Amendment Act is aimed at allowing families which have "grown larger or smaller and require a car to replace the present one'', said Transport Minister the Hon. Ralph Marshall said.

"Our goal is not to realise a marked increase in the number of private vehicles, but to allow for better utilisation of existing vehicle resources.'' The law aims to stop preventing the creation of used car lots by preventing owners from buying a new vehicle until the old one has been tested and transferred to a buyer. The law of one car per household remains in effect.

But motor car dealers can also act as agents for people selling their cars and have the vehicles transfer tested and licensed.

But dealers contacted by The Royal Gazette this week said they will not set up a special department or operation for this.

And some said while they will assist customers upon requests, they will not go out of their way to attract people who are trying to sell their cars.

PWs motor sales manager Mr. Alex Hunter said: "We will be doing our best to assist people in finding buyers if they (customers) are generally interested in buying one of our cars.

"But there's no safeguard if somebody has you doing all the spade work for them, then they come in and say I'm buying a car from somewhere else. I don't think any of the dealers want to be taken advantage of.'' Mr. Hunter said there were still areas of the second-hand car plan that had not been properly thought out.

"If you take your car to TCD and TCD says it needs new brakes who pays for that,'' he asked. "There are a lot of different ramifications to consider.'' Ray Brothers general manager Mr. John Martin said: "We will assist any customer who is willing to buy a car from us''.

And Mr. Fred Thompson of Honda said: "We will help as best as we can. But it is nothing we will make a job of.

"However, if one of our old customers come in and say they need help with selling their car in order to buy a new one, we will oblige them.'' Mr. Thompson said the law may be beneficial to those who cannot afford to buy a new car or people who buy cars as a hobby, but it will mean more paperwork for dealers.

Mr. Robert Shaw, owner of Shaw Enterprised Ltd. which sells and services BMWs, stressed he was opposed to the plan from the start.

"They're going to regret ever passing that law,'' he said. "You're going to find more and more trashy stuff on the road.'' Mr. Shaw said he was not "knocking'' TCD because it was doing "the best it could''.

But, he said, those in his business have seen cars that are freshly painted and look good on the outside, but upon closer examination find various problems such as the floor falling out or frames that are gone.

Mr. Shaw said he has made his concerns known to TCD director Mr. Donald Dane.

"Down the line they will really regret this,'' he reiterated.

But Mr. Marshall said Government was committed to "maintaining the high standards of cars on our roads''.

"And for that reason only those vehicles which meet standards of road worthiness will be approved for resale,'' he said.

Taxis, light private trucks, and driving instructional vehicles will not be allowed to be sold for second-hand car use.

Under the new law, the seller need only make an appointment with TCD to have their car "transfer tested''.

If the vehicle passes the test, a certificate valid for one month will be issued to allow the seller time to complete the transfer process.

The seller must complete a bill of sale for the buyer. The green vehicle licence form is recommended to be used for this purpose.

The buyer must have the car transferred in his or her name by presenting the transfer test certificate, an insurance certificate, a completed assessment form, the bill of sale, and the required licence fee at TCD.