Buying a used car? Here’s what you need to know!

Thinking of buying a used car? It’s something that many of us do, but how much do we really know about buying a used car?

Unlike buying a brand new car straight off the manufacturers forecourt, buying a used car entails a lot more. For starters, you won’t want to spend on a used car for it to conk out in a few days. You’ll need to ensure your ‘new’ used car is reliable and safe. In addition, it’s also important to make sure you’re getting value for money. After all, even though it’s a used car, you’ll still want it to last you a long time.

So when buying a used car it’s important to know the possible risks and dangers as this will save you money in the long run. The website, Car Guide is a great starting place. Their unique machine learning platform predicts which components of a car are likely to fail at the next MOT. This is great to budgeting and negotiating a better price.

Here are my top tips when buying a used car.

Risks and Dangers

When buying a used car it’s important to make sure the car you have your eye on is safe. But how do you do this? To start with it’s always worth getting a free car check. A free car history check from Car Guide will give you peace of mind because it gives you the full MOT history and everything you need to know about the history of the vehicle. Getting a free car check takes just a few seconds. You just enter the registration number and you’ll receive your free car check and history report. Car Guide’s free car check will show previous and upcoming servicing (based on manufacturer service schedules) and repairs, as well as how much they will cost.

Knowledge is Power

Finding out as much as you can about the used car you plan to buy is so important. HPI checks can be expensive, but you can actually get free HPI Check from Car Guide. HPI stands for ‘Hire Purchase Investigation’. It’s a basic vehicle history check. It provides information to ensure the vehicle you want to buy: isn’t already financed elsewhere. hasn’t been written off from an insurance claim or been badly damaged.

In addition to a HPI check, you should also carry out an MOT Check. Car Guide’s MOT check will tell you:

• Current MOT Status and current MOT expiry date
• Car History, including full MOT history with dates, advisories and any reasons for failure
• Full list of components that are likely to fail or get an advisory on the next MOT – Using machine learning, we have analysed over 700m MOT data points to accurately predict what is likely to fail on your car’s next MOT

You should also compile a list of questions to ask the seller. Here are a few to get you started:

• Is the logbook present?
• Is the seller the registered keeper?
• Does the car have unpaid finance?
• Has the car ever been involved in an accident or written off?
• Has any work ever been carried out on the car/any parts ever been replaced? If so, what?
• Do you have car’s service history?
• Does the car have a current MOT?

Budgeting and Saving Money

Your budget very much depends on the type of used car you’re able to buy. Do some research to see what cars are available within your budget. If any catch your eye, carry out a free car check. It may be worth seeing if you save up a bit more money for a slightly pricier car that will last you longer.

After all, buying a used car can be a fantastic way of getting more for your money, considering brand new cars begin to lose value as soon as they’re driven off the forecourt. 

Negotiation

Finally, when buying a used car remember if a deal seems too good to be true, it probably is. A free car checker is so important, and without running the right vehicle history check, that appealing used car deal has the potential to leave you inadvertently out of pocket down the line. It’s also good to bear in mind that the older the car the more likely it is to rack up costs in future repairs and maintenance. 

Final Thoughts

So when buying a used car it’s important to know the facts and have all the information up front. As mentioned above Car Guide’s website is a good place to start. Apart from standard one off single buyers report (£8.99), they also offer 30-days access (£10.99) to their platform. This includes 2 full buyer’s reports and allows you to add as many cars to your shortlist as you like. This is great when you’re researching cars and want to compare vehicles against each other.