Most people heading out to buy a used car will naturally approach it with some caution. Not all of us have the skill or knowledge to quickly identify if a car is good value, and there can be a degree of risk involved, especially if you’re buying from a private seller who doesn’t need to subscribe to the stringent operating procedures a dealer must.
So if you wanted to buy this Ranger here for instance, you could be confident that the vehicle would be as described because you’re visiting a national chain. But buying it from a private seller you would probably want to be on your guard, as it’s estimated that 1 in 3 vehicles has a hidden past, which could mean anything from a falsified work history to it having been stolen. The National Crime Agency estimates that around 90,000 vehicles were stolen in 2013 alone. Many of these will be stripped for parts, but substantial numbers will be sold on with forged documents, a procedure known as ringing.
However, protecting yourself is inexpensive and easy to do, and with the potential repercussions if it turns out the car you bought was stolen (for one thing, instantly losing your mode of transport with little chance of financial compensation), it makes good sense to bear the following advice in mind if you’re looking for a used car, whether from a private seller or a dealer. Use the following steps to carry out a background check:
1.
Your first step should be to check the DVLA’s online database. It costs nothing to use, and besides revealing plenty of vital knowledge, it will also help you to estimate the annual road tax you’ll be paying. You can find out:
- The car’s year of manufacture
- Date of its first registration
- Its engine capacity
- Its original colour
- Its current tax disc expiry date
- Its tax rate (also known as vehicle excise duty rate)
Compare this information against both the car itself and its registration certificate. Any discrepancies would indicate there may be a problem. If you suspect it may be stolen then it’s your responsibility to report the seller to the police, but certainly do not hand over any money.
You will need the car’s registration and make to run the check, and the DVLA’s contact details are:
Phone:
0906 185 8585 for information about the car
0906 765 7585 for the expiry date of the current tax disc only
Both lines are premium rate.
2.
It’s a good idea, if you can afford it, to get a private check done as well. This can reveal other useful information that the DVLA database will not, such as if the car has been reported stolen, if it still has finance owing, or if it has been seriously damaged by a crash in the past.
There are various companies that will perform such a check for a charge, but it’s a good bet to go with a major one such as the AA as they guarantee the accuracy of their data up to £30,000. A single check can cost as little as £20, and you can do multiple checks if you wish, but ask for a discounted rate. It may also provide other useful snippets of information such as the number of owners the car has had, its carbon emissions, and also an approximate valuation (do not go by this alone though).
3.
Lastly, it may also be of help to contact the Vehicle and Operator Services Agency (VOSA) to check the car’s recent MOT history. You’ll need the registration number and also the MOT number found on the MOT certificate, the MOT refusal certificate, or the vehicle registration certificate. Any legitimate seller should be happy to let you see that number, and if they refuse then that in itself is a cause for suspicion.
You should now be in a position to make an informed decision, but if you are in any doubt, it’s always best to head for a reliable second-hand dealer where you can be confident that everything should be in order.
Content Provided by Patrick Vernon