check it out

When you're buying your first car you make the choice between buying a good car or a pup. You have to work out which is which. It's not always obvious but there are things you must do and you may need help in doing it.

There's a lot to check to make sure all is well. You need to check:

Ownership
The car
The documents

Checking ownership

You can perform a quick check for ownership, outstanding finance and insurance write offs. You may want to do this before you travel a long way to see a car but if it's local, you might want to see the car first and do the check if you are interested in buying it. Many dealers now offer this information but check how up to date the check is. If it's a private seller, why not try and get them to pay for it? They've got as much to gain as you.

It'll cost you between a tenner and £40 but it could save you from being conned. In blind tests of several car-check provider's services there were significant differences in the amount and quality of information given. The two tests that were rated as best— HPI and The AA - both cost £20 for a single car check.

Checking the car

It may sound obvious but look at the car — very closely. Is it actually what the seller is telling you it is? 'Cloning' cars is a growing crime, where a stolen car is made to look as if it's actually another, legitimate car.

Does all the paperwork tie in with the car ? Check the number plates — easy to check but easy to change — and the Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) — a little harder to check, but it's stamped on the bodywork, usually under the bonnet, sometimes also by the front seat ( under the carpet) and sometimes on a metal plate visible in the corner of the windscreen ( a 'visible VIN' ). Does it look original or fiddled about with. If it's the latter, walk away.
Does it look like it's just been repainted?
Do all the exterior panels and the bumpers fit well?
Can you see repairs where most people wouldn't look, like inside the boot/hatch (lift the carpets and look) and engine bay?
Does the spec match up with what you're expecting? It's not unknown for an unscrupulous seller to stick a different badge on the back — so is it really a 1.3L or a 1.0 base spec with a badge from a scrap yard?

Drive it

You shouldn't buy a car that you haven't driven but you need to be able assess a car to be able to tell the good from the bad.

Do all the right warning lights come on and go out as they should? An ABS warning light that stays on is an MOT fail, for example.
Start it from cold and listen to the engine — does the alternator squeal? Does it rattle and then quieten down. If the owner has 'pre-warmed' the engine and the car is otherwise good he might be trying to conceal something, so wait 'till it cools down or come back later.
Does it drive straight and true? Are they're any strange vibrations? Check up to about 60mph, where safe to do so. Vibrations at that speed might just be wheel balance but could be worse so check.
Does it brake straight and true? Pulling to one side could be wheel alignment, or worse. It shouldn't make too much noise when doing so either.

If you're not sure about doing this yourself, then take somebody along who does. It'll save you money and grief in the long run.

Mechanical Inspection

Alternatively you can pay for a mechanical check , obviously this makes more sense the higher the value of the car you are buying. Using a service such as UsedCarChecks, who can check out a car for £99, might just save you a lot more.

Checking the documents

So you've handed over your hard-earned dosh to the bloke you found through the small ads and bought that car that was just 'too good to be true', then you get the knock on the door from a very nice policeman saying that they know someone who'd like their car back. What's gone wrong?

It was 'too good to be true' and you've just been had — that's what!

You aren't the first, and you won't be the last, but you've bought a car that either wasn't theirs to sell (it may still had finance outstanding on it), it's been nicked and possibly ''cloned' or it's been involved in an accident, written off but repaired and sold on to a mug — you!

So what can you do to prevent this happening to you?

First, keep thinking straight — if it is 'too good to be true' the it probably is and unless you can convince yourself that it is 100% legit, then walk away.

What if you've bought a bad car ?

If you find you've bought a secondhand car that isn't 'as advertised' then you should consult the UK Trading Standards to see what you can legally do :-

Used car advice — England and Northern Ireland

Used car advice — Scotland

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