Buyers advised to look into vehicles' hidden past

One in four used cars have a hidden past that dealers are unaware of, meaning buyers need to be one their toes to avoid purchasing a vehicle that could ultimately be a dud.

Figures compiled by HPI Checks reveal there are a range of common issues that buyers need to be aware of, with one in four cars on UK forecourts having outstanding finance - meaning buyers run the risk of the car being repossessed and losing both the vehicle itself and the money they paid for it if the finance company wish to reclaim it.

Furthermore, 19 vehicles every day are found to have been stolen to order by criminals and then sold on to dealers, while four in every 100 HPI checks reveal the vehicle has been involved in an accident and so badly damaged that it has been declared an insurance write-off.

Another issue is that of altered mileage, with one in 20 vehicles having been clocked to mask their true age.

Finally, one-fifth of those vehicles checked by HPI had seen their number plates changed and while many cars have personalised plates, there are other more sinister reasons for doing so, such as hiding the true past of a motor.

Daniel Burgess, managing director for HPI, said: "It's alarming to see our dealer community is still exposed to such a high level of danger when looking to part exchange or invest in new stock for their forecourts."

As a result, buyers have been urged to always do their homework prior to purchasing any used vehicle, as the number of problems that can ultimately leave them out of pocket are diverse.

Meanwhile, data from AVCIS, the vehicle crime intelligence service set up by the Association of Chief Police Officers, reveals that the most commonly stolen cars in the UK are the Vauxhall Vectra, followed by the Ford Mondeo, Ford Focus, Ford Escort, BMW 3 Series and Volkswagen Golf.

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