Have you ever thought about why it’s so important to get a vehicle check? So many of us overlook this option when buying a second-hand car, especially when we buy the car directly from a dealer.
Nevertheless, even if you trust the seller, making sure the vehicle is genuine can be hugely important. Just one more step can provide a huge amount of clarity, after all. And so, we’ve outlined some of the main things you’ll need to know to help with this. It’s always better to be safe than sorry.
Why It’s So Important to Get a Vehicle Check
Did you know that getting a vehicle check is incredibly important to ensure that you’re purchasing a safe and reliable vehicle? There’s a lot to consider as part of this, and just a few of the key reasons you may need to get a car check include the following points:
- Check the vehicle’s MOT history: In many cases, knowing how a vehicle has performed during its previous MOTs can be incredibly useful. This simple check helps you see what problems may have been flagged in the past. This can help you see whether the car will likely need TLC after you’ve bought it.
- See whether a car has been stolen: Purchasing a stolen vehicle by accident can leave you in a lot of trouble, potentially even losing your new purchase without any refund or remuneration. In line with this, making sure that the vehicle hasn’t been registered as stolen before you purchase can help significantly.
- Ensure the car is out of finance: If you purchase a car that’s not had its finance paid off, you might find that you’ll end up taking on the loan – effectively, this means you’ll have to pay for the car twice. This can be an incredibly costly error to make!
- Check the number plate details: If you think the car may have had a previous number plate, a check allows you to find out (and see details relating to the previous plate). This can give you a clearer picture in regard to the car overall.
- See if the car’s mileage is realistic: Another key feature of vehicle history checks is that they can allow you to check the likelihood of a vehicle’s mileage being accurate. Indeed, it’s relatively easy for someone to clock a car’s mileage – and it’s not even necessarily illegal, provided full clarity is given when the car is sold. Luckily, checks provide reports on the previously recorded mileage, allowing you to see or estimate if the numbers have been changed.
- Check for write-offs: Just because a vehicle is sold as authentic doesn’t mean that’s true! Accordingly, it’s important to check whether the car has been written off before buying it – and the nature of the write-off, if so.
Final Thoughts
Getting a vehicle check is an incredibly quick process, and the importance of doing so cannot be stressed highly enough. As such, if you’ve been looking to purchase a new vehicle, make sure you’ve considered getting a carreg check with your vehicle’s number plate details to help verify your purchase.
