Top tips to help you buy a used car

It’s no secret that new car prices, like most things, have rocketed in recent years. According to Auto Trader, the average new car cost is around £40,000 – a figure out of reach to many, even if you split it down into monthly payments.

It’s easy to see why the used car market is now so appealing, and why more people are choosing to go down this route. But buying a used car brings certain shortfalls and added complexities. Here are some top tips to help you buy a great used car.

Check the car’s history beforehand

Advances in technology in recent years make it easier to check a car’s history before you’ve even seen it. One of the best features is the government’s online MOT history checker. Simply by entering the registration plate, you can access the vehicle’s previous MOT records.

Look at the latest MOT and if there are any advisories listed, and ask the seller if these have been fixed since. If they’ve not been sorted, consider the cost of the repairs and work this into your negotiation. If a vehicle has a history of MOT failures and advisories, it points towards years of neglect, and would likely not be the best buy. Look to make sure the mileages align with the current number on the odometer. If the current mileage readout is lower than on the last MOT, it’s a sign the mileage might have been clocked.

Before purchasing any used car, you should also carry out an online history check, which can tell you if the vehicle has ever been written off, scrapped or has any finance outstanding.

Be aware of scams

In recent years there has been an increasing number of scammers looking to take advantage of buyers desperate for a car. These con artists set up websites that look genuine, often replicating a real business.

The cars are usually offered at suspiciously cheap prices, so it’s worth remembering the mantra ‘If a deal seems too good to be true, it probably is’. They usually con people by asking them to send a deposit over the phone or online. We recommend only sending or handing over money when you are at the dealer’s premises and when you’ve seen the vehicle for yourself.

The test drive

Test driving the car is a must, and if a dealer, or anyone selling it, ever makes up excuses for not letting you have a go in it, alarm bells should be sounding. As much as the test drive is to check you like the vehicle – such as that you can get comfortable and can see out of the car, etc – you should use it to check nothing is wrong with the car.

Listen out for any knocks, bangs or rattles, especially when braking and cornering. Whether it’s manual or automatic, make sure that the gearshifts are smooth, as gearboxes can quite often be problem parts on a vehicle. Check that other features work on the vehicle too, including air conditioning that blows cold, heated seats that do their job and cruise control that can hold a steady speed.

The paperwork

While you can check a lot about the vehicle’s history beforehand, there is still plenty to learn about the vehicle when you get close to it, and importantly, that includes the paperwork. Ideally, you want a vehicle pack to be present, including the manuals and a stamped service book, but it’s the receipts that are essential, as these are much harder to manipulate. Look out for the dates of parts such as timing belts/cambelts (if fitted), as these usually need changing every five or so years, and it’s one of the more expensive maintenance jobs.

Make sure the V5C registration document is also present, and in the name of the person selling the vehicle (if buying privately). You could check the vehicle identification number (VIN) is the same on the V5C document as it is on the car too; it can normally be found at the bottom of the windscreen.

Payment

Before you start shopping for a used car, you should set yourself a strict budget, and make sure not to go above this – as tempting as it may be. You should also think about how you’re going to pay for the car.

With used cars, in an ideal world, you want to do an outright purchase, because good finance deals are much harder to obtain on an older vehicle. You have far more protection if you use a credit card, so it’s preferable over cash.

If buying outright isn’t an option, then you might want to consider taking out a traditional bank loan. This will also mean that you technically own the car outright to begin with. Just make sure you can always afford the monthly repayments.