Using car data checks to uncover unwanted surprises

23/11/2009

Using car data checks to uncover unwanted surprises

Depending on where you are planning on buying a car from, there may be an added and unwanted surprise once you have completed the purchase. Some used vehicles may have hidden histories which may compromise your financial situation and see you end up with a heap of problems rather than what you thought was a bargain. However, vehicle history checks may be used to pick up on any potential problems from the vehicle's past - identifying whether or not it has ever been written off or stolen, for example. Or if it has outstanding finance on it.

This kind of service is often available through a specialist motoring website and cross references the details of the car against a range of records. They may be able to tell you whether or not the car still has a loan outstanding on it, perhaps from a previous owner. In some circumstances you may be liable for paying off the rest of it if the lender is not receiving money from the original purchaser. In the worst circumstances the car may be taken off you leaving you out of pocket and without a set of wheels.

Police forces have databases full of the records of stolen cars, many of which tend to disappear and then reappear re-fitted and re-sprayed and passed off as legitimate cars. If you do end up buying a 'hot' vehicle, you may again end up losing it, this time to the police.

Vehicle history checks may also be able to identify whether or not the vehicle has been written off, perhaps following a major accident, only to be unscrupulously recovered from a scrap yard, refitted and sold. This means it is potentially dangerous to drive and may cost a considerable amount of cash in future repairs.

Vehicle history checks may help you to avoid this too and are often available online, and a specialist motoring website may be able to offer you a deal whereby you save money by purchasing a number of checks in one go rather than singularly.

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