Congratulations! You’ve just bought your “new” car. Well, sort of new anyway.
It’s an exciting prospect to be the proud owner of a car that you got for a steal. But as you drive out of the dealership, you start to feel a sense of uneasiness. You think to yourself, “what was the catch?”
This is a warning to all my readers out there who are thinking of buying a used car.
If you’re buying a used car then it is vitally important that you get all the information possible about the vehicle and so that know the car’s full history. You want to be sure that the car is will not be a massive liability.
That’s not to mention all the other ducks you have to get in a row before you buy a used car.
Here’s what you should do to check your car’s history before you hand over your money to the dealership.
Ask about a Hidden Past
Does the car you are looking at have a hidden past? One in three used cars on the market has something to hide.
Some skeletons in your car’s closet might be:
- insurance write-off
- mileage discrepancies
- stolen
- having loans or finance agreements against it (the worst)
One in four cars checked by HPI Check has an active finance agreement or loan against it, and more than 53 cars per day are identified as stolen. A quarter of used cars have had their numbers plate changed, and there are also 200,000 stolen logbooks in circulation in the UK.
So before you spend potentially thousands of pounds on a used car, as the dealer about it. Most of the time, they’re not obligated to tell you about the nasty stuff. But they can’t withhold the information from you either.
If you don’t feel comfortable still, or simply need more verification, then you need to do the appropriate checks to make sure you don’t end up with an unreliable car with questionable usage history.
Get a car check from a reputable professional
To start the process, you’d need to find a company that specialises in getting car histories checked. You should be looking for a company that provides a super comprehensive history check. You may be tempted to leave everything to a “professional”, but you should do your homework to choose a reputable professional to protect you from motoring scams and fraud in the future.
To that end, I’d recommend HPI. The HPI Check is a fully comprehensive car history check, arming you with vital information about the car you want to buy, to protect you from motoring scams and fraud
HPI uses cutting edge technology to make sure you get accurate and up-to-date information. They are so confident in the accuracy of their data that they back it with a £30,000 guarantee. They have a dedicated team of experts available 7 days a week to take your call.
How it works (yes, you can do it online)
What I really love about HPI is how convenient it is.
Simply enter the registration number of the car you are enquiring about into HPI’s vehicle checker and they will instantly send you a report of the car, letting you know that car’s safety information and recall history.
In a typical year more than 1 million cars are affected by a recall, so it is very important that you check the recall history of you car with HPI’s simple online check.
Beware of imitation car checker services that claim to offer car checks for free. Any other company offering a free HPI Check will not be providing you with the genuine article.
Conclusion
Getting your car’s history checked is a straightforward and simple process. But that doesn’t mean it’s not important. You could be exposing yourself to huge liabilities if you skip this step.
Given how easy certain providers like HPI make it for you to check your car, you should definitely take the extra half an hour out to get your car history checked. Because after all, what’s your peace of mind worth?
