Buying a new vehicle represents a significant investment and it’s common sense to take steps to ensure that what you’re buying is everything it seems to be. There are various systems and companies which offer checking into the history of used vehicles. There is a small cost associated with running a check on a vehicle which you are thinking of buying, but with industry surveys suggesting that around one in three cars have some sort of hidden past, it is money well spent.
VDI stands for Vehicle Data Information and when you enter the registration number of the vehicle to run a check, the system will look at a wide range of other databases to see whether a car has been reported as stolen, whether it has been written off as a total loss by an insurer, whether it is outstanding finance, or has a whole range of other potential issues. Running checks when buying a car from a private individual is always going to be riskier than purchasing from a company which has a reputation to maintain and legal responsibilities. When buying from a private seller, it’s your job as a buyer to take steps to thoroughly investigate the history and condition of the vehicle you are thinking of buying.
Checking for scratches and taking the car on a test drive to identify major mechanical defects is the easy part of checking the car’s history. Buyers are also advised to look at any paperwork which the seller can provide, such as the V5 form, servicing history or any other invoices. That is the easy part of checking out the car’s history. It’s less easy to quickly verify whether the seller still owes money om a finance agreement, or whether they’ve told the DVLA that they have exported the vehicle from the UK completely. If you don’t make these checks, and later find out that your vehicle is still actually owned by the finance company, then you could be substantially out of pocket.
The VDI Check will give you a vehicle’s life history. You’ll be able to find out whether the seller is indeed the legal owner of the vehicle, and has the right to sell it, helping you avoid scams. As well as pointing out major issues, the check will also flag up things like outstanding manufacturer recalls, which could affect how much you will be prepared to offer to buy the vehicle.
The main things which the VDI check will look at for any vehicle are:
The idea behind a VDI check for a used car is to find out whether there is any history which might not be visible to the naked eye. Dents, rust and strange noises from under the bonnet tell their own story, and there are other services run by large motoring organisations and independent mechanics who will give the car the once over and inform you of any major faults you should be aware of. A VDI check is more about the hidden past which might be lurking – things which you can’t see for yourself, and which might not be immediately apparent with a free online search. Not every car dealer or private seller is out to rip you off, and not every second-hand car on the market is a potential financial nightmare. But many are, or at least have a history which should make you seriously question whether buying them is a good idea.
One of the big areas of concern is finance. It’s not uncommon for a seller to want to get rid of a vehicle before the finance is paid in full. Finance companies are usually more than happy to let this happen, as long as the person who has borrowed money against the car settles their loan in full when the car is sold. Knowing that there is outstanding finance on the vehicle gives you the knowledge to be able to address this with the seller, and ensure that as soon as you transfer the money for the sale, they immediately log on to settle the finance.
Insurance Write-Offs
Write-offs are another thing which buyers are concerned about, and for good reason. Write-off means that the car has been involved in some sort of accident or incident, resulting in a claim by the owner. The insurance company looks at the value of the car and the cost of repair, and if the cost of repairs is higher, writes the vehicle off. There are different categories of write off, and the category the car is placed in determines what happens next.
A VDI check will tell you firstly whether a car has been written off, and secondly, what category the write-off was given. A category A or B write-off is a clear sign that you should walk away from the purchase, given the previous levels of damage the car has sustained. It’s also a criminal offence to try to sell a car which you know is a category A or B write-off. For the other two categories, the information that the car has previously been written off means that you should be asking more questions of the seller about how it has been repaired. A car which is a previous write-off will be worth less money than a similar vehicle which has not been written off, and will be more difficult to sell too. These are factors which you should be taking into consideration when deciding whether to make an offer for the car, or indeed whether to buy it at all.
One of the oldest tricks in the car criminal’s book is to take the front of one car which has been involved in an accident, and the back of another, and welding them together. This is known as a “cut and shut”, and it’s illegal. A decent mechanic will be able to spot a cut and shut vehicle without any difficulty, but a VDI check on one of the VIN or chassis numbers should be the first indication that there is something seriously wrong.
Another basic indication to raise suspicions is any mismatch between the colour stated of the vehicle online, and its actual appearance. People might have their vehicle resprayed for a number of reasons, not all of which indicate that they have something to hide. But a car which has repeatedly changed colour may indicate that someone is either trying to hide its true identity, or trying to mask damage caused in an accident.
Most numberplate changes are not suspicious. Many people buy a personalised numberplate, which they then use on several different cars. If the person selling the vehicle wants to keep their personalised numberplate, then the DVLA will simply allocate another. This does mean a bit more admin for you but it’s not a major barrier to buying. If however you find that a car has had several different identities, and especially where the number plate does not match the documentation or the plates on the car, you should be suspicious. There may be a reasonable explanation for the discrepancies but if there is any doubt, walk away. There will be other cars out there which have a less dubious history.
It’s certainly true that there are some aspects of car history which you can access without paying. The DVLA website will allow you to enter the registration number of any vehicle and see whether it has current road tax or MOT. Click through to the next page, and you’ll be able to see what the result of previous MOT tests was. This is the basic level of checking which all prospective car buyers should be doing. However, this information isn’t going to tell you whether a car has been reported as stolen, or whether a finance company has a legal interest in the vehicle because of a loan secured against it. When you are considering spending a considerable sum of money on a large asset such as a vehicle, it is essential to take whatever steps you can to protect your cash. This is especially the case when purchasing privately, as getting your money back should anything go wrong isn’t as easy as it might be with a larger, established company. A basic check on the status of your intended vehicle is as little as £10. It’s a small price to pay to have all the information at your fingertips to make an informed decision.