If you are in the market for a new car it is always wise to carry out some checks before handing over your money. Every year thousands of people are ripped off when they buy a new vehicle, and it is becoming more common.
Don’t Buy A Stolen Vehicle
These days it is all too easy to end up buying a stolen car. There are gangs of thieves that steal cars then disguise them as legitimate vehicles and sell them to the unsuspecting public. All of the paperwork looks legit and matches up with the details on the vehicle making it hard for the average consumer to spot the fact that the car they are buying has been stolen.
In the UK, if you buy a stolen car, even by mistake, you can lose it. By law, it has to be returned to the legitimate owner, leaving the car buyer out of pocket.
Avoid Buying A Car With Outstanding Finance
Another common problem is people selling cars that they have not finished paying for. If they carry on making the payments, the new owner is OK. They can use the car as normal.
However, should the payments not be made the new owner faces a huge problem. Naturally, the finance company will still want their money.
To get that cash they will try to repossess the car. The fact that the vehicle has been sold to someone else is irrelevant to them.
The finance firm has the legal right to take that car and have it sold to cover what is still owed. Most finance firms exercise that right, leaving the owner fighting to stop the repossession or get their car back.
Make Sure The Car Is Not An Insurance Write Off
In some countries, it is possible to buy what is called an ‘insurance write-off’. That is a car, which has been damaged in an accident, and the cost of repairing it would be more than what the vehicle is worth.
Often the damage done in the accident is quite serious. Therefore, the vehicle may not be as strong as one that has not been involved in a big collision.
Many consumers feel that these cars are not safe, so would never knowingly buy one. Sellers know this, so some hide this detail when they put their vehicles up for sale. In addition, a written-off vehicle is worth less than one that has never been involved in a serious accident.
How To Avoid Being Scammed
Fortunately, there is an easy way to avoid mistakenly buying a vehicle that has been written off, has outstanding finance, or has been stolen. The solution is to get a vehicle check from mycarcheck.com.
All you need to do is go to their website, key in the registration of the vehicle you are thinking of buying, and hit enter. All of the relevant details are checked, and if you want to see the full report, you just have to pay a small fee.
If you want to ensure that you are not ripped off when you buy your next car, it really does make sense to pay for a vehicle check. Of course, it will cost you money to do so, but a lot less than the cost of losing your vehicle.
