If you like what you've seen so far, now's the time to check the paperwork - to note a few details and make a couple of phone calls.
Half a million cars are stolen in the UK each year. If you're conned into buying one, or one with finance still owing on it, you could end up not only losing the car but the money you paid for it. Insurance write-offs are very likely to have been in a serious accident so could, if they've not been properly repaired, be dangerous to drive.
You'll want to see the car's service records, MOT certificate and its registration document (the V5 form, sometimes called the car's 'logbook').
Never
buy a car without a V5 registration document. If the seller is unable to produce
it for any reason, walk away.
With the V5, first check it's genuine by looking for the watermark.
Next check the registration number, car description and chassis number on the form all match the car.
Ask for proof of the seller's name & address and check it matches what's on the form. If buying privately, you should be doing the deal at the address shown on the V5.
To check the car's chassis number matches the V5, look at the car's data plate (often called a 'VIN' plate), normally found under the bonnet. Look particularly closely at metalwork around the plate when you do this to spot signs of tampering. The chassis number should be stamped somewhere else on the car too - often around the driver's side door sill or the base of the windscreen. Look in the car's manual to find where it should be and check all numbers match.
This will help you avoid buying a 'clone' - a stolen car that's been given the identity of a similar, legitimate one that's already on the road. The number stamped on the chassis is harder to alter than the car's number plates or VIN plate under the bonnet.
The DVLA has also warned buyers to avoid cars whose V5 forms display any of the serial numbers listed in the box above. The serial number can be found on the top right-hand corner of the car's V5 form.
They belong to batches of forms stolen from the DVLA during 2007 and 2008, and may be used by criminals to disguise the identities of stolen cars.
The stolen forms can also be distinguished by a different background colour on the 'Notification of Permanent Export' tear-off slip. Legitimate forms are coloured mauve on both sides, but the stolen ones are mauve on the front only.
To check the validity of a vehicle's logbook, call the DVLA hotline on 0870 241 1878. A car history check carried out by specialists HPI will also automatically include a check against the list of stolen V5s.
Next
check the MOT certificate - check the details against the car, and check it
expires when the seller says. Check the certificate is genuine at www.motinfo.gov.uk.
But remember, an MOT is no guarantee that the car's roadworthy. You should have
given the car a thorough inspection already to
get an idea of its current condition.
Service records: hopefully the car will have a good file of service receipts or, ideally, an up-to-date service record book full of main dealer stamps at the right intervals. A lack of receipts indicates a car that hasn't been cared for and which might prove unreliable. Check the records for who has been doing the servicing, what work has been done and whether anything has had persistent attention but may still be unresolved. If there are old MOT report sheets, see if any warnings of looming faults were noted and check if they've been fixed - or you could be hit for the bill next time around.
See if the mileage has been recorded on any receipts - old MOT certificates are best for this. If the owner still has them, that's a good sign. See if the mileage has progressed in a normal way over the years, bearing in mind the average is 10,000 miles a year. And check the mileage on the latest MOT certificate against that shown in the car.
Warranty: find out what's covered and what's not. Does it cover parts and labour? Will anything invalidate it? Would you have to contribute towards a claim - is there an excess? Is there a limit to how often you can claim?
Make
enquiries: if at a dealer, or if the car has recently changed hands, note
the name and address of its previous keeper from the V5. Get their number from
directory enquiries if you can and give them a quick call. Ask them if they had
any problems with the car, how they used it and why they sold it. It's no skin
off their nose to tell you the truth.
Finally, for extra reassurance,
contact a company that checks the previous history of cars, like HPI.
A dealer should have done this already - ask them. If buying privately, it's essential.
It'll tell you if the car has ever been declared an insurance write-off, whether there's any finance still owing on it and whether it has ever been stolen.
A check costs around £35 - £40 and can be done over the phone or online. You'll need a credit card, the car's registration number and its 17-digit VIN / chassis number.
You
can compare the price of the major car data check services and what they will
tell you about a car at Datachecks.co.uk
