People prefer buying used cars for different reasons, and the spotlight always lands on cost. In a situation where the cost of living and everyday expenses is on the rise, most people would prioritize used cars over a new one to make room in their expenditure for utility bills, rent, and tuition, among others.
This does not mean that having a car for mobility is not a necessity, but the issue is with car depreciation, and that’s part of the reason why some people go for used cars.
However, buying used cars has its own set of challenges, and we will share some of them with you.
Hopefully, you will be equipped with enough information to help you steer clear red flags in used cars. Before we proceed to reveal the common problems with used cars, let’s discuss what a car checkeris.
What is a car checker, and how does it work?
Well, to start easy, you can think of a car checker as a “tool” you can use to run background checks on the history of a vehicle. A car checkerhelps buyers compare information about vehicles with records on regulatory bodies’ databases.
Having understood how car checker works and its benefits, let go ahead and see what the risks of buying used cars are.
1. They Could Be Stolen
The greatest fear of buying pre-owned cars is that they could be stolen. Before buying a used car, it helps to double-check with police records and other relevant authorities.
We know what you are thinking right now. Are you going to visit the police station every time you want to buy a used car? If that’s what you are thinking, the answer is no. You can use a number plate checker to get such information.
2. Outstanding Finance
Used cars usually have outstanding payments on them: either insurance or tax. As a buyer, you wouldn’t want to inherit such expenses. One way to check whether a car has any outstanding fees is to use a reliable number plate checker.
Interestingly, a number plate checker will give tell you all your need to about a car’s financial history by just typing in your registration plate number.
3. Could Be a Write-Off
Whenever a car is regarded as a write-off, it either has no economic value or the cost of repairing it is way above the value of the car. It could also mean that the car cannot be restored to a safe working condition.
The challenge with such cars is that they somehow find their ways back to our roads when they are supposed to be scrapped or destroyed at an Authorized Treatment Facility (ATF).
You can use a car checkerto confirm if a car has outstanding finance issues and if it’s been issued a certificate of destruction. If you have this information about a car and it’s not positive, you know what to do — pass on the offer!
4. Used Cars Get Cloned Easily
Yeah, tricksters clone cars too! When a car is stolen, the people involved try to make it look genuine by changing its identity. The act of hiding the identity of a car is regarded as cloning.
Cloning is one of the reasons why you need a number plate checkerto verify the vehicle’s registration certificate, which is also known as V5C. You will be able to tell if a car is stolen or cloned from a VIC inspection, which is also available on a car checker.
5. Watch Out for Lemons!
I’d bet you are thinking about lemons, the type you get at fruits market, and then you got this point wrong. The word “lemons” is used to describe cars that don’t meet safety standards and are returned to the makers because of defects, engine malfunctions, and damages.
Driving a “lemon” is considered illegal in most countries, and one way you can tell it a car is a lemon or not is to do a VIN check.
Some robust car checkersare designed to determine whether a car has defects and should be returned to the manufacturer. The car check reports will give comprehensive feedback on the date the car was made, repair history, involvement in accidents, color changes, and lot more.
For your convenience, the number plate checker is available online, and all you have to do is provide the car’s vehicle identification number (VIN).
There is so much you can do with a car checker. If you are equipped with all we have shared so far, you can be certain of not tossing your hard-earned money into a car you will regret later in the future. Take the smarter decision and use our reliable car checker to boost your car-buying prowess!
