A respected driving personality has taken to YouTube to highlight three particularly common scams to look out for when buying a used car and how motorists can avoid them.
The used car market is currently particularly strong, with some models taking just a few days to sell. As a result, drivers may be tempted to get their dream car as soon as it comes up for sale.
However, in a popular video, Jim Starling from the YouTube channel DefinitelyNotAGuru recommended that drivers be particularly vigilant around cars they think could be cloned.
He warned: “Car cloning is something that’s become rife in this country. Usually, the criminal takes a salvage or stolen car, say for example a 2018 blue Ford Focus. They’ll then find a blue Ford Focus from 2018, same model, same trim.
“They’ll use that registration number, get a new V5 for it, and either sell the car or use it for illegal activities like ram raids, so the actual owner has the police turn up on their doorstep or you suddenly get a load of speeding fines caused by someone else.”
Whilst many vehicles are cloned by criminals to help them get away with motoring offences, helping them avoid fees such as speeding tickets and ULEZ charges, a considerable number are sold for profit on the used car market.
One of the easiest ways to tell whether a vehicle has been cloned is by looking at the number plates. An unusual font, colour, or fixings the letters could be a sign that the plate is a knockoff.
Drivers interested in a used car could also look up the number plate on a car checking website and compare the mileage recorded during the latest MOT test to the figure printed on the vehicle’s odometer.
Later in the video, Jim stated that drivers should make sure that the address the seller is using is their own, sharing a simple yet effective way of determining whether they are being scammed during a viewing.
He advised: “Another sign that a car may be cloned is that the address on the V5 is not the one you pick the car up from or, secondly, you’ll arrive at the address on the V5 and the owner meets you outside – at no point do you go to the front door.
“If you do arrive at someone’s house and the address is correct, a really good way of checking if it’s there address or not is by just asking to pop in and use the loo. If they refuse, there’s probably a big warning sign there.”
Finally, to help give used car buyers peace of mind that the model has not been clocked, Jim suggested that drivers check the mileage history with an MOT checking service and look for any unusual signs of wear and tear for a low-mileage car.
He added: “There are different ways to go about this, but the easiest way to avoid clocking is to do an MOT history check or to do a V-check and look at the mileage recorded every year. You’ll also see the mileage when the car was bought and sold if it was input at that time.
“Also look for things like if it’s a low-mileage car but the seats are worn out and the leather on the steering wheel is a bit worn. Also check to see if the service history isn’t very good. A book with stamps in it means absolutely nothing – you want receipts as well.”
