We need a car after our 10yr old car conked out, and we are looking at getting a good second hand one. Having always bought from dealers before we have discovered some good deals in Autotrader, but they are private owners. How do you check that a car hasn,t been stolen or is still on a hire purchase agreement? Any help appreciated
You must check the VIN (vehicle identification number). You will need this if doing a history check on the car but.
The VIN will be located on the car in several location, often etched onto windows, on the engine etc (the car manual will give you full details). All should match exactly. There should be no signs of tampering, scratched out numbers or plates being replaced.
Vitally the VIN should match exactly on the cars V5 certificate.
thanks Guys, checked out the Hpicheck site, which could be very useful.Would ove to buy a new car but our budget is about six grand and you can't get a new family sized car for that car for that.