Second-hand checks
Lesson 7 of 13 in our free Big Purchases guide: a 5-minute money game with the key points below.
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Questions you'll answer
You buy privately (not from a dealer). What rights do you have?
Quick facts
- Red flag: “Hatchback, 2016, only 18,000 miles!” — Very low mileage for its age — check the MOT history for clocking.
- Red flag: “Cheapest on the market,” — Too cheap = ask why.
- Red flag: “logbook 'in the post'.” — No V5C means you can't check who owns it.
- Red flag: “Meet at a supermarket car park,” — Not at the seller's home address — harder to trace them.
- Red flag: “cash only, quick sale.” — Cash + rush = no comeback.
- Checking the MOT history online with the reg number → Good check. Free on GOV.UK — shows mileage at each test and past failures.
- Buying without seeing the logbook → Bad idea. You can't confirm ownership.
- Paying for a history check for outstanding finance → Good check. If finance is owed, the car might belong to a lender.
- Viewing it in the rain at night → Bad idea. Scratches and dents love darkness.
- Taking someone who knows cars with you → Good check. A second pair of eyes is worth it.