Buying a used car can feel a bit like online dating. Everyone looks great in their profile picture, right? But once you meet up in person, you realise the photos were taken in 2015 and the description was, shall we say, optimistic. Used cars are no different. That gleaming motor on the forecourt might be hiding secrets that’ll cost you thousands down the line. I’ve seen enough disasters to know that a quick once over isn’t enough. You need to be properly suspicious.
The thing is, dodgy used cars are everywhere. Some sellers know EXACTLY what they’re flogging & don’t care. Others might genuinely be clueless about the car’s history. Either way, you’re the one who’ll end up paying for it.
Check the Mileage History Properly
Clocking is still rampant. That’s when someone winds back the mileage to make the car seem less worn than it actually is. A car with 50,000 miles on the clock is worth considerably more than one with 150,000, so the temptation is massive for dishonest sellers.
Look at the MOT history first. You can do this for free through the DVLA website, and it’ll show you every recorded mileage from each MOT test. If the numbers jump around or suddenly drop, you’ve got a problem. Sometimes it’s an honest mistake where a tester typed it wrong, but more often? It’s deliberate fraud.
Check the service book too. Does the mileage stamped in there match what’s showing on the dash? Look at the general wear inside the car. If it’s supposedly done 30,000 miles but the pedals are worn through, the steering wheel is shiny & smooth, and the driver’s seat looks like it’s been sat on by a family of elephants for a decade, something’s not right. Trust your eyes.
Motorscan’s free car check will pull up the mileage history from various databases. It’s worth doing before you even bother going to view the car, honestly.
Missing or Patchy MOT Records
A car that’s been off the road for long periods is often trouble. Perhaps it failed an MOT badly & the owner couldn’t afford the repairs. Maybe it was written off and shouldn’t even be back on the road.
Gaps in MOT history are red flags. If a car suddenly disappears from the MOT database for a year or two, then reappears, you have to wonder what happened. Was it stored? Was it repaired after an accident? Was it exported and then brought back?
I think cars that have been consistently MOT’d every year without gaps are generally safer bets. It shows someone cared enough to keep it legal & roadworthy. When you see big gaps, that’s when alarm bells should ring.
Unusual Ownership Changes
How many previous owners has the car had? If it’s a three year old motor that’s already had six owners, something is very wrong. People don’t get rid of good cars that quickly unless there’s an underlying problem they can’t fix or can’t afford to fix.
Check the V5C logbook. Does it look genuine? Forged V5Cs do exist, especially for stolen or written off cars that have been given new identities. The paper should have a watermark, and the details should be crisp & clear, not photocopied or dodgy looking.
Also look at WHERE the car has been registered. If it’s bounced around the country between different towns every few months, that’s suspicious. Cars that stay in one area with owners who keep them for reasonable periods are usually better maintained.
Motorscan will show you the number of previous keepers and can highlight if there’s been anything unusual about the ownership pattern. It’s simple stuff but it matters.
Signs of Poor or Bodged Repairs
Walk around the car slowly. Really look at it.
Are the panel gaps even? If the gap between the bonnet and the wing is wider on one side, that panel has probably been replaced. Why? Accident damage, most likely. Check the paint finish too. Does it match perfectly across all panels? Run your finger along the edges. If you feel rough paint or see overspray on rubber seals, it’s been resprayed.
Open and close all the doors, the boot, the bonnet. Do they shut properly? If a door doesn’t close flush or needs a proper slam to latch, the car’s probably been in a shunt & the chassis is twisted. That’s serious.
Look underneath if you can. Fresh underseal or paint on the underside can be someone trying to hide rust or accident damage. Honestly, I’ve seen some right bodge jobs over the years. People trying to flog cars that should’ve been scrapped.
Mismatched tyres are another giveaway. If the front two are premium brands and the rears are cheap ditch finders, the owner has been cutting corners. Not necesarily a dealbreaker but it tells you about their attitude to maintainance.
Outstanding Finance You Didn’t Know About
This one catches people out ALL the time. You buy the car, drive it home, then three months later a finance company turns up demanding their vehicle back because the previous owner still owes them money. And guess what? They can legally take it.
You lose the car AND your money. Brutal.
A proper car check will tell you if there’s outstanding finance registered against the car. Motorscan includes this in their free check, which is frankly a godsend. Never, and I mean NEVER, buy a used car without checking this first. I don’t care how trustworthy the seller seems or how good the deal looks.
Even if the seller swears blind it’s all paid off, check anyway. People lie. Sometimes they don’t even know there’s finance still attached because they took out some complicated PCP deal and didn’t understand the small print.
Write Off History
Not all write offs are equal. Category A and B cars should never be back on the road. They’re supposed to be crushed. If you find one for sale, run away fast because it’s illegal.
Category S (structural damage) and Category N (non structural damage) cars CAN be repaired and put back on the road legally. But they’re worth less, and you need to know about it before you buy. Some are repaired properly. Others are bodged back together with cable ties & hope.
The problem is that many sellers won’t tell you. They’ll hope you don’t check and won’t notice the dodgy repairs. A car that’s been written off will usually be harder to insure & harder to sell on later. You might struggle to get finance on it too.
Check the insurance write off databases. Again, Motorscan’s free check includes this information. If the car has been written off, you need to know EXACTLY what damage occurred & see proof of professional repairs with receipts and photos.
Trust Your Instincts About the Seller
Sometimes it’s just a feeling.
Does the seller seem evasive? Are they rushing you to make a decision? Do they have proper documentation? Can they answer basic questions about the car’s history and how they’ve used it?
Be wary of anyone who wants to meet in a car park rather than at their home address. I know some people are funny about strangers knowing where they live, but it’s also a classic tactic for hiding the fact that the car is stolen or they’re a dealer pretending to be a private seller.
Ask why they’re selling. The answer should make sense. “I’m getting a company car” or “we need something bigger for the family” sound reasonable. “I just don’t like it anymore” after three months of ownership? Suspicious.
If something feels wrong, it probably is. Don’t let anyone pressure you into handing over cash before you’re completely satisfied. There’ll always be another car.
Final Thoughts
Buying a used car shouldn’t feel like a gamble, but without doing proper checks, that’s exactly what it is. I’ve seen too many people get burned because they didn’t want to seem suspicious or thought they’d lucked into an amazing deal.
Use every tool available to you. The free checks from Motorscan are a brilliant starting point & they’ll flag most of the common issues like inconsistent mileage, missing MOTs, unusual ownership patterns, outstanding finance and write off history. It takes five minutes and could save you thousands.
Don’t rush. Don’t let anyone pressure you. And if multiple red flags appear, just walk away. The perfect car is out there somewhere, and it won’t come with a side order of financial disaster & regret.
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