Buying a used car is a great way to save money when buying a car
, as long as you dont mind a few extra miles on the clock and a lack of that new car smell then a used car can be the perfect choice when buying a car on a budget. The trouble is that buying a used car can have its risks, some sellers are less than honest when it comes to describing the vehicle with some people actually going to extraordinary lengths to try and get unsuspecting buyers to think the car has a higher value than it truly has.
The most common tricks are often illegal and can put the new owner in plenty of bother if they have bought a car that is somewhat dodgy
Clocking the mileage is one of the most common crimes, if a car has more miles on the clock then buyers see this as a negative point since it will mean it has been driven more and so is more likely to have aging parts which could lead to expensive repairs and breakdowns. You can normally tell if the odometer has been tampered with as the dashboard may not look correct or the instrument panel looks like it has been opened at some point.
Modern cars can be clocked digitally with the help of a laptop computer, this way you may not be able to tell whether the mileage has been interfered with. Key giveaways are stone chips on the bumper can indicate the car has been driven on the motorway a lot, also the interior such as the pedals and the steering wheel, if these look particularly old or well worn then it could mean the car is older than it appears.
Some cars that are stolen or have existing convictions such as parking offences against them, some motorists may even get cloned license plates from a similar car and put them on the car youre looking at. To check this you should get the VIN number which is on the door sill on the drivers side and under the bonnet, normally etched into the metal this number should match up with the number plate when doing a car data check.
These data checks are one of the main things to do when you are buying a used car as they can tell you a lot about the car including whether there are any repairs or major recovery work carried out and even related information such as whether there are any existing car finance payments that are owed.
Make sure you look into as much detail about the car and check both with your eyes and online with a trusted car data check too.