Stolen & recovered or not? Contradicting information

gamblinharry

I've just found a car which I am looking at buying. I carried out a check of the car at mycarcheck and the search revealed the car had been stolen & recovered in January 2009 (the current owner had owned the car since May 2009). I advised the current owner of this and he was adamant that the car had not been previously stolen. To substantiate this he carried out a HPI search (which he sent me a copy of) which stated the car was clear and had no record of it being stolen.

I was under the impression that the car check companies obtain their information from the same sources (i.e: insurance companies & the DVLA). Has anyone else experienced this where car check searches show differing results?

Tomorrow I will be trying to contact the previous owner to ask if they confirm if it was if fact stolen in Jan09. I will also check with HPI and Mycarcheck to confirm their results. Any further suggestions?

Thanks

emmell

Don't accept a Hpi check from the owner of the vehicle, if you are still interested do some more checks with different companies. Why is he selling the vehicle after 6 months?
A few years ago round here some unscrupulous traders were giving free Hpi checks with every car they sold, they were fabricating them on their computers and printers.
Caviat emptor - Buyer beware.
ML.

Lemonade_Pockets

IF IN DOUBT, PULL OUT!!!

Not worth considering, unless it is particularly rare.

If it is particularly cheap which is why your chasing it, then it should really be self explanatory.

harveybobbles

IF IN DOUBT, PULL OUT!!!

Story of my life...

Lemonade_Pockets

harveybobbles wrote: »

Story of my life...

hahaha and i bet its served you well!

gamblinharry

emmell wrote: »

Don't accept a Hpi check from the owner of the vehicle, if you are still interested do some more checks with different companies. Why is he selling the vehicle after 6 months?
A few years ago round here some unscrupulous traders were giving free Hpi checks with every car they sold, they were fabricating them on their computers and printers.
Caviat emptor - Buyer beware.
ML.

I also had a friend (who runs a used car business) do a HPI check on the car & that also came back clear. I also questioned the seller as to why he is selling it after only 6 months - he said he now used it as a 2nd car so couldn't justify the cost.

gamblinharry

Lemonade_Pockets wrote: »

IF IN DOUBT, PULL OUT!!!

Not worth considering, unless it is particularly rare.

If it is particularly cheap which is why your chasing it, then it should really be self explanatory.

The car is quite rare (but if I'm not 100% I won't be buying). It's not particularly cheap either - about the right price for a private sale.

Inactive

" Don't touch " and " barge pole " spring to mind.;)

blued

I just googled mycarcheck and it's a service that costs £3.95. Unless the prices of HPI checks have changed drastically lately (they used to be £20-£30) I'd get a check through the AA or HPI (http://www.hpicheck.com/) if you're still interested in buying. I wouldnt part with thousands for a car relying on a service that cost £3.95 and especially wouldnt trust these text message services.

emmell

gamblinharry wrote: »

I also had a friend (who runs a used car business) do a HPI check on the car & that also came back clear. I also questioned the seller as to why he is selling it after only 6 months - he said he now used it as a 2nd car so couldn't justify the cost.

What does your friend , who runs the used car business, advise you to do?
It sounds to me as though you're not convinced this car is right so maybe you should leave well alone.
ML.

LeeSouthEast

Would a prior theft show on an HPI check if it had been stolen and then recovered? He likely wouldn't know - or wasn't told - if he bought the car after the event?