Buying a used car: the ultimate guide (Sponsored)

Around 7 million used cars are bought in the UK each year and there's some great bargains to be had but also some serious pitfalls to avoid. According to vehicle history check experts HPI one in every three used cars it checks has a hidden history and one in 20 has a mileage discrepancy and that could mean that it's been clocked and so in this video I'm going to explain how to protect yourself against these risks and buy your perfect used car at the right price. To do this we will look at how to spot signs of accident damage, check if the car's been properly maintained, vouch its mileage and history, take it for a test drive and negotiate the best price. But before we get into any of that you first need to decide what type of car it is you need. After all there's no point looking at normal hatchbacks if they're not going to be big enough for your family. Once you decide on the type of car you then need to narrow it down to a specific model. A great source of information are the used car buying guides on autoexpress.co.uk so they also give you information about known faults for that particular car. Once you've done your research you can find a vast array of cars for sale online and this will give you a good idea of what price you can expect to pay. Dealers usually charge a bit more but you do have some legal consumer protection if things go wrong whereas you don't when buying privately. Though if you do your background checks properly there are some bargains to be had. Okay then so you've found a car you like and now you need to check the document. The most important one is this the registration certificate also known as the B5C. As it says on here this document is not proof of ownership it shows who is responsible for registering and taxing the vehicle but you don't want to buy a car without having your hands on this. There's a couple of things you need to check in it. First is the chassis number so you match the chassis number there to the one on the car and yes that agrees which is a good start. Also check some other things such as the colour make sure the colour matches up and that the engine under the bonnet is as it says here. What you can also do is check the address. Now you need to know this if you're buying privately because you want to be at the address that is on this form because if you're not and you have a history check done it won't come with a guarantee and do not be tempted to meet the seller at a convenient location such as a supermarket car park because if there's a problem with the car after you've bought it you want to know where you're going to go to go and If you're at a dealership they will probably have had a history checked on the car already for their own peace of mind. After all of all the cars HBI check each day 649 are shown to be an insurance write-off 30 are stolen and one in four have outstanding finance. Next you want to check the car's mileage. Now a good way to do this is to take the very latest MOT certificate and if you look here you'll see that it's got the car's mileage at the previous MOT test and you can that back to what it says on the odometer to make sure it all adds up. You can even double check those numbers there to the old certificates if they're present and if the car's got any invoicing for servicing the mileage by the mechanic will be noted down on the invoice and you can check all that as well and if you're having a vehicle history check done that should report back any mileage discrepancies as well. You can also do some visual checks yourself for instance if the car's steering wheel is very shiny it's a sign that the car has done lots of miles. Other things you can look out for are shiny gear knobs. You should also check the pedal rubbers make sure they're not worn. Another place to check are the seats in particular the side bolsters especially the one on the outside of the car from people getting in and out of it rubbing against the fabric and causing it to fray. Now if you've got all these signs of wear but the odometer is saying that the car has done a few miles there's a good chance that it may have been clocked which means its mileage has been wound back. While you're inside the car it's worthwhile checking all the electrics. When you turn the car on the warning lights should all illuminate to show they are working and then switch off. You should then try all the switches, the electric windows, the stereo, the heater fan, all the lights and the wipers. Then you want to check for known faults for the particular car you're looking at. For instance these C4 Picassos are known to have bits of interior trim coming loose so have a good look around the cabin make sure no bits have dropped off. In particular check the parcel shelf because they can damage easily. Also check these seats because they're really cool the way they move but you want to make sure the operation is all fine and dandy and yes this is this is good. This particular model has the automatic gearbox and I know that it had a software update. You want to check that that's been done by a dealer so just look through the service log and it should be noted down in there. This is also a good time to see if the car has been properly maintained. Just because it says full service history in the advert doesn't mean it's necessarily true. Also find out when the next service is due and what it involves. If it's a major one such as a cam belt change you could be facing a large bill soon. At some point you're going to have to get your hands dirty to do some visual checks underneath the bonnet. You want to look at the coolant level, you also want to look at the level of the screen wash and the level of the brake fluid because you want to make sure that they're fully topped up. Now if they're low it could suggest that this car has been neglected. Of course the big one to check is the engine oil so take the dipstick out, wipe it, pop it back in all the way then check the level because if the engine's been running without oil or low oil it has done some serious damage to it. Now this one it's perfect it's got the right amount of oil in and you actually don't want it overfilled because if it's been overfilled there's a sign maybe that someone may have you know been constantly topping up the engine because it's going to leak somewhere. So if you see it's overfilled have a look around for leaks because there there could well be some. Now another thing to look with the oil is if you check this out you'll see it's a nice translucent kind of brown colour and that suggests it's quite fresh. If the oil is black it means it's old. Now that doesn't apply on a diesel car because it goes black quite quickly. Another thing to look out for is if the oil is kind of a bit more like a mayonnaisey kind of globular residue and you find some of that in the coolant tank as well it suggests there could be a major problem with the engine. So with a car like that you'd probably want to walk away from it. Looking for signs of accident damage is also key when buying a used car as certain repairs may have been done outside of insurance so there'll be no record of it. Check the panel gaps with your fingers to make sure they are even if not the car could have had a shunt. Also look for over spray inside the doors and under the seals, inside the wheel arches, in the fuel filler cap and inside the boot. Plus keep an eye out for mismatched paint colours and any dimpling or blemishes in the finish as all of these could suggest some sort of bodywork repair. If you're not confident doing any of these checks yourself you can always pay to have a vehicle inspection done by a mechanic. One of the easiest things to check is the condition of the tyres. Now you want to make sure they're in good nick otherwise you're gonna have to buy some new ones and they ain't cheap. So you want to look at the tread depth and you need a minimum of 1.6 millimetres to be legal and handily most tyres have these little markers to say where 1.6 millimetres is and this tyre has lots of tread left on it which is good. You also want to look out for things like cuts or grazes around the outside of the tyre and those can cause an MOT failure so these tyres are in good condition. Also you want to look at the wear over the whole tyre to make sure it's not uneven. Now an even tyre wear can signify something simple just like the tyres have been over or under inflated however it could actually mean something more sinister such as a problem with the steering. Also inspect the condition of the wheels themselves. Badly curved rims suggest the owner doesn't take great care of their car. If there are locking wheel nuts make sure the key's with the car. Check that the jack and towing eye are there too and check the condition of the spare wheel or if the car doesn't have one the foam and the compressor aren't missing like they are on this Citroen. Now it's time to check the engine runs okay. It's best if you can start it from cold as a damaged engine will make all sorts of horrible noises before it warms up and if everything's okay it's time for the test drive though you'll need to make sure you're insured first. If you have fully comprehensive cover on your car it's possible you're covered third party on other vehicles but check first if not you may be covered under the Once you know you're covered you want to pick a route which takes in a variety of roads such as some dual carriageway, twisty roads and obviously driving through town and if you can you want to leave the cellar behind because you don't want them constantly yapping in your ear distracting you while you're trying to think about how the car feels to drive and if it's got any problems. There are a few key tests which can highlight common problems on a used car and it's really worth taking time to do them because they are easy to perform. To check the clutch if you've got a manual car just cruise along at 25 miles an hour then pop it into third accelerate hard and if the revs rise but the car doesn't actually increase in speed at all yes your clutch could be wearing out. Now this car's an automatic and what you want to check with an automatic is that when you're stationary and you move the gear selector it actually chooses the gears quickly and then when you're driving along you want shifts to be nice and smooth and you don't want it constantly changing gear unnecessarily because that could signify a problem. If you can on your test drive try to find some uneven or badly serviced sections of road as these will highlight any problems with the suspension. If you see some potholes or bumps then specifically drive through them. I'll tell you another good thing as well go over some speed humps and what you want to do is listen out for bangs or clonks from the suspension this car absolutely no problem at all those kind of noises are a bad sign so too is grinding from the wheels rattling from the exhaust or if you go through a very sharp turn such as round a mini roundabout if you get a clonking sound from the front in a front wheel drive car it could mean that the drive shafts are on the way out. Next you want to find an empty stretch of road because you're going to do an emergency stop and if the car's got abs what you want to do is to floor the brake and the clutch at the same time and what you want to look out for is that you get this pulsing sensation under the brake pedal and that's a sign that the abs is working and you want to notice if the car brakes in a straight line because if it pulls to the side it could signify a problem with the brakes also when you're braking you want to see if you can feel any kind of vibration in the steering wheel because if you can it's a sign that the discs are warped. After you've done your brake test you want to get to a nice straight stretch of road and hold the wheel very lightly because you want to see if the car drifts either to the right or to the left if any kind of veering off is excessive it could be a sign that your wheels are out of alignment or worst case scenario the car has been in an accident and the chassis is slightly bent. If your car's got it you're going to want to check the air conditioning so turn it on then ratchet up the fan to full speed and you want to make sure that the air coming out the vents is nice and cold. It is on this car which is a good sign but if it's not it could just mean something simple like the system needs regassing and that's not very expensive to do at all however it could mean something more serious such as the compressor's gone and that will be quite expensive. Take at least 20 minutes for your test drive as this will give you enough time to not only check for faults but also to see if the way the car drives is right for you. For instance for a car like this you want it to have nice supple suspension you want the seats to be comfortable all the controls are nice and easy to use and it's dead simple to drive in town or just on the motorway you probably want it to be quiet as well because you're going to be carrying your family about. Another thing you might want to do when you're on the test drive is to reset the car's trick computer if it's got one and then you can work out what kind of mpg it does in your hands so you can see if it's going to be economical enough for you. If you're choosing between a number of different models take some notes from each road test rating the car in certain areas to help you make up your mind which to go for. So you like the car and you want to buy it but before you do you should see how much tax is left on it and when the next MOT is due. In fact have a look at the MOT and see if it's got any advisory items on it because those could cause it to fail next time. You can actually use that to help negotiate on the price. Now comes the bit most people don't like, haggling. First you need to decide the maximum you are willing to pay for the car and stick to it. Now don't discuss any trading just yet because often the dealer will give you a great price on your old motor only to bump up the price of the car you're trying to buy. Also don't tell him you're going to be paying by cash up first because it's easier to negotiate a good deal the dealer thinks is going to be able to flog you some finance. Now if you've done your research you should know what the value is of the car you're looking at but I'd always go in with a cheeky offer of about 20% below the asking price and then steadily negotiate my way up from there. Keep it polite but don't try to be too matey because let's face it you're not here to have fun you're here to do business and if you can't get the deal you want just walk away. It's a buyers market and there's plenty of other used cars out there. If you do get the price you like before paying up get your own vehicle history check done even if the seller has done one already that way it's you who is guaranteed if something goes wrong. If you're not buying the car on finance try to pay the dealer using your credit card you'll get a bit of extra protection from your card issuing company. Also if you're buying privately pay by bank transfer because you don't really want to be going around with bags of cash and then hopefully you'll end up with your perfect used car at the right price.