What DVLA means for you
For a buyer, the DVLA's records are behind the V5C logbook, which shows the registered keeper rather than the legal owner. Check the keeper's name and address match the seller's ID, and that the VIN matches the car.
As an owner, a SORN (Statutory Off Road Notification) tells the DVLA your car is off the road, so it needs no tax or insurance. It must then stay off public roads, and you must tax it again before driving it.