Buying a ‘used’ car has become far more complex than ever before, with independent reports showing increasing number of cars sold with a hidden history. Recent reports show 1 in 3 cars are sold privately with outstanding finance, whilst 1 in 4 cars have changed its number plate and 1 in 12 have a mileage discrepancy meaning it may have been clocked.
Although this may not be the case on all cars, this hidden history is increasing every day. Therefore, let’s start by looking at the reasons why people may change their plate.
They are 2 main reasons why a car owner may change the registration number of their vehicle. Firstly, and more commonly known is to change it to place a personalised plate on the car. This tends to uses letters or dates of their name, business or important details to them. This type of plate change doesn’t tend to raise suspicions; however, the second reason can sometimes mimic this as the seller tries to hide some of the car’s identity.
As finance agreements are sometimes linked to a single registration number, when looking on some sites this may not be highlighted to you after a plate change has occurred. However, other Reg Check, companies will display all registration numbers linked to a vehicle. This will allow you to then look deeper into the other registration numbers highlighted on the report.
This is only one example of what can be highlighted on this type of report. These reports complete multiple checks within a few moments, and most importantly will check and highlight key points to you. For example, along with plate changes, they often highlight if the car has been exported or imported, if it has outstanding finance, check MOT and Tax date details, police stolen records, insurance write off information, anomalies in the mileage and much more. Detail reports will also allow you to check if the cars information has been cloned by allowing you to check the car details against the VIN number the car displays.
If you purchase a car with a hidden past, you could soon find yourself without the car and the money you paid for it. If it is recorded as stolen, has outstanding finance, or is a write off this can quickly be taken away by the police. In most cases losing a car can in this circumstance can cause further issues.
Within a few minutes you can no longer drive your children to school or even get to work, but the biggest blow is losing the money you paid, and you may not be able to afford buying a replacement so quickly.
On the other hand, these history checks can be completed within a few seconds, and will not only provide you with the history of the car. In addition to this, and in some cases more importantly, it will give you the assurance the car is suitable for sale and give you that added peace of mind that you’re making the right decision.
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