Best ways to spot a dodgey car ....

[pixsaudisex2]

Well i was wondering if anyone has any input on how to spot a dodgey car when going to look at 2nd hand cars.. ( dont get me wrong as far as paint etc im ok ish)

Wondering more is it stolen and on false plates ETC or is the only way around this pretty much to get a car from a garage,,

Just wondering as im about to go and spend more than i have ever done on a car and well i dont want to get burnt,,,

But i have to say fellas the Devils juice is looking better and better all the time but well im not one for going down the sensible route.

just looking forward to owning a car again,,

[Rikki Kitto]

You can HPi it from a text message now i think about £20, tells you if it's stolen, finance or right off

[Error404]

You getting an RS4 then Pix?

[bluequattro]

My text check app
Costs me about £2 per car for basics, never let me down yet
Think "would you buy a car from this man" and it's a good start
Then ask lots of questions about ownership(if private sale) if garage ask for
Previous owner details and ring them
Still buyer beware at en of the day tho

[5cylinderman]

For what it's worth when looking at a used car....
Google the seller's phone number. It's a quick method of finding out if the vendor is masquerading as a private owner or is indeed in the trade.

[Cottis]

General rule of thumb. If you are spending more than you can afford to lose, do an HPI check with a reputable company online. Do not think £20-£30 is a waste of money when you are spending thousands on a car. You want to know past MOT's, mileage, any accidents, insurance claims etc.

The entity selling the car should ave a genuine reason for sale. You can tell idiots a mile away. If they sound sketchy and cannot give decent reasons for sale, avoid like the plague.

Usual checks can show you if the owner has taken good care of it. Things like a valid service history coupled with how the car looks and drives. For example, if you have doubts about the mileage, check things like wear on the gear stick, seat condition etc. If the person you are buying off says they have had it for years and are overweight but the side bolsters look fine, smell a rat and ask them when they had the seats reconned ha ha.

Always ask the owner to take you for a test drive. Do not just drive it yourself. Watch them carefully and how they drive it. Are they familiar with the car? If not, why not? This will tell you if they are a private seller or a trader. For some reason, I dislike buying from traders but that shouldnt put you off necessarily.

Tyres, are they any good (not the tread but the quality) If someone is prepared to pay for good rubber, chances are they spend well on other components.

Lastly, does it seem too good to be true. If it does, it proabably is too good to be true. You dont get something for nothing in this world.

Good luck. What is it you are looking at buying?

[kulster]

I don't mind giving what ever your buying a once over, because the amount of cars I've seen Hpi clear and have been in accidents and repaired on the cheap is unbelievable, just give me a shout

[andy10v]

My normal process (checking for a mate that actually buys expensive cars)

Check the reg on a free car reg check
Check the logbook, chassis vin and engine code tally (find out if there is a code in the windscreen etc as well)
Check the history/paperwork
Check the online MOT history from the V5 number, or MOT number

If that all checks out (the above can all be done for free (as long as the car is close enough to view)

HPI.

Obviously spend a couple of hours going over the car with a fine tooth comb, front back, and the whole underside. If the seller will not give any details, or let you inspect then WHY?

Dealer is no guarantee.

Went to look at a dealer car with a mate, it had a lot of front end body work done (bonnet, one headlight, wing, overspray, shut lines not right etc), but the dealer knew nothing about it

Also cars are damaged and repaired all the time without any insurance involved. Lots of people will pay cash if its not too expensive, keeps their car history clean, keeps insurance clean.

Also went to look at at clean history car with a kinked roof, twisted strut top mounts and god knows what else

[4WheelDrifter]

Remember a HPI check is next to useless if the car is a ringer.
Check that the VIN numbers match and look untampered, the boot and service book stickers should match too.

Buying from a dealer normally gets you a POS that will need many things putting right IME. Get a well loved car from a private seller. Have a good old chat to them, find out what sort of person they are, what they think of their car, how they are likely to have treated it, and so on.

[pixsaudisex2]

Some good advice i see you have given
And cheers for the offer Kulster i may take you up on it ( as im sure it would only be you who can paint a car and i wouldnt pick it up lol)

My biggest concern is a blooming ringer to be honest.

And the prices of lets say for example RS4s is all over the place.. some are dirt cheap some expensive. And the reasons just dont seem to add up even rang one bloke up who had one for sale and i must say it seemed nice....

So i cheekly said im think i like but would you take ( knocked about 2500 pounds of the car and he said he really would have to think about it as he has not had a single phone call on the car) So the time to buy might well be soon or just before Crimbo who knows...

[4WheelDrifter]

For a ringer they will have to transplant the clean cars VIN number onto the dodgy car, so just make sure everything looks right regarding that.
I have seen a couple of S2s that have had very badly transplanted VINs. Yet it is still very hard to get across to someone that their car is dodgy, as the HPI check can be as clean as a ****.

I feel you on the price differences though. I am currently looking at cars that vary ~£10k in price, yet it has no relation to spec or condition.

[Christophski]

My mum brought a be eons last week. 57 plate and she got it without telling me. She did a hip and all that stuff and it came back clean with no damage recorded. Within 5 minutes of her turning up at mine with it I had noticed it's had masses of body work done due to a side impact and it's been done badly. She hadn't noticed! She is now stuck with a crash damaged car that she won't be able to sell for the price she was mugged off for. She's a bit upset understandably.

Checks don't always show things so have a proper check including underneath as best as possible.

[pixsaudisex2]

Just wondering mind wouldnt you get a claim back of hpi,,, I suppose it depends on how much you pay for the HPI?