Avoid becoming one of the 20 per cent

Avoid becoming one of the 20 per cent

Avoid becoming one of the 20 per cent

The Government's fair trading watchdog has warned second-hand car dealers that they face tougher punishment if they continue to try to deceive buyers. The Office of Fair Trading (OFT) has revealed that one in five people who buy a used car encounter some kind of problem within the first three months of taking delivery.

The onus is on the dealer to make arrangements to fix such problems in such cases, but nearly one third of buyers who contacted the garage from where they bought the car said they did not do what was needed to put the problem right. Such failures meant that buyers were left, on average, 425 out of pocket, through having to arrange repairs elsewhere, and extra costs involved in being without a car while it was fixed. That amounts to an annual total of 85million.

Tampering with mileage readings, or clocking', is also another widespread problem, which the OFT estimates results in buyers paying over the odds to the tune of 580million every year.

Many problems also arise from dealers posing as private sellers in an attempt to get out of their legal obligations, and trade sellers who attempt to rely on illegal disclaimers, such as sold as seen' and no refunds available' when offering a used car for sale.

But another major problem which the OFT encountered, falsification or concealment of details of a car's service history, could be easily tackled if buyers were more aware of what documents to ask to see, it said.

With the second-hand car market in the UK estimated to be worth 24billion a year, the OFT has said it plans to look more closely at how the sector operates. Its probe comes after it received a record number of customer complaints about sellers' practices. Nearly 72,000 people contacted the OFT's Consumer Direct division in 2008 to register their dissatisfaction over some aspect of their used car buying experience.

The AA's Edmund King said that detailed research, and ensuring that they only bought a car from a dealer they could trust, were vital to prevent buyers exposing themselves to the risk of getting stung. And he urged all would-be buyers to be sure to let their head rule their heart at all times when choosing a used car.

Many cars coming onto the market during the recession had not been maintained to the highest standards as people attempted to economise, he added, but this could pose potential problems for the next owners of such vehicles.

If you're looking for Used Car Dealers selling popular models such as Land Rover and Peugeot then have a look online to find the best dealers in your area.

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