Checks you need to do when buying a used car

Perspective

It’s all about checking out the finer details.

What do you see in the picture?

A rock in mid-air?

Look again! And you’ll see a rock in water ..

Used cars are very similar, on the surface most used cars for sale look great, it’s when you start to investigate the finer details you soon start to realise ALL used cars are not the same.

And watch out for so many scams currently especially on Facebook marketplace, some very, very ‘cheap’ cars .. that don’t exist! Please, please do not be tempted to even look or contact the sellers unless you want to lose your hard-earned cash!

When searching for the used cars remember to check and ask for all these at the minimum.

·         Check the provenance check with your own eyes or better still do your own check to ensure there is no outstanding finance, it’s not been stolen, it’s not a ‘write off’ , it’s not been a taxi

·         Check the service history, even if the seller tells you, it’s OK, it’s all online, you need to see it in print to confirm what you’re told.

·         Check the MOT history online, its free from DVLA, this will give you some guide of the mileage over the years if its over 3 years old.

·         V5/ Registration document, this should be in the seller’s name if you’re buying it as a private sale, but check for number of owners, if you’re told it’s a 3-owner car the V5 will state ‘2 previous owners’ on the front cover.

·         Spare keys, does the car come with a spare key, these can be very costly from around £150 to many hundreds for some model.

·         Is the seller a private seller or a dealer posing as a private seller, if you buy from a private seller, you have no comebacks, you pays your money and takes your chance!

·         Is there a warranty on the vehicle, what does it cover?

·         Check the online reviews if you’re buying from a dealer? What do others say about their experience, they don’t all have to be 5* reviews, but it would show how the dealer handles any issues if they had had.

·         Don’t carry large amounts of cash if you’re going out car shopping.

·         If you’re buying a car unseen from a dealer, ask them to send you a personalise video of the car, this will prove they are in possession of the car, rather than just some information about the car.

·         If you don’t know what to look for when looking for a used car, take someone who knows about cars but also remember sometimes little knowledge is dangerous so make sure they really do know whet they’re talking about.

·         Check with your family and friends where they bought their car from and their experience, most times a recommendation is the best way/ place to deal with.

·         There are many things but hope these help, happy to help please feel free to give me a call if I can help. 01782 822 700