WHEELER Dealers star Mike Brewer has revealed how you can avoid “getting your fingers burned” when buying a used car.
The TV star’s scam-proof hack could cost you “less than a tank of fuel” but save you from being ripped off.
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Mike urged Brits to make one vital check before committing to their new motor or risk being stung for hundreds, if not thousands, of pounds.
He told The Express: “There are so many little checks you can do on a car that are really, really simple to avoid you getting your fingers burned.
“I’ve been trying to tell people and educate people for decades on how to buy a used car.
“Pay one of the major services like the RAC, the AA, Green Flag… and they will come down and inspect it for you and get all the data checks.”
Motoring companies like the ones Mike mentioned run plenty of thorough and affordable inspection services for prospective buyers.
All you need to do is request a check and they will send out a qualified technician to look over the car, give it a health check and identify any potential faults.
This can help you avoid dodgy deals where the car has some form of hidden issue.
Best of all, Mike added that it will only cost you “the same as a tank of fuel”, with plenty of options available for around the £100 mark.
For example, the RAC offers a basic package for £116 that involves a 218-point check and a three-mile road test from one of their experts.
While it does add a bit of extra cost to the buying process, it’s more than worth it considering how much you could be saving on maintenance bills by screening out the duds.
And Mike also recommended making use of free online services, like the DVLA or DVSA’s registration checker, to narrow down the field.
These services can tell you everything from the vehicle’s tax status to its MOT history and even whether the model has been subject to any recalls.
The presenter added: “It’s actually much easier these days because there’s so much information online.
“If you’re going to buy a car that’s second hand you can check the car’s MOT history and service history by going on one of these free downloadable apps you can get on any smartphone.
“You type in the registration number and you can go through the MOT history so it will tell you if it had any failures in the past and what it failed on.
“That means when you’re looking at the car you can check to see if those things were repaired and if it passed again in the future.”
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