Vehicle Inspection

machtzu

Hi All,

I am planning on buying a used car this weekend or next and I was looking for some advice on Vehicle Inspections, I thought Martin may have written one up but can't find it

I was told that I absolutely must get an inspection done and an HPI check regardless of main/independent dealer or private. The two main ones I can see are AA and RAC at around £135 each for non members.

Is there a better price out there and is there a better service? Oh and the car is a Ford Focus Zetec 1.6L 5dr Hatchback with an 04 plate.

(PS Martin please write an article on this I'm sure others would find v v useful!:))

highguyuk

If buying from a garage, I insist that THEY do the HPI check and give me the copy. They have the licence to be able to do it, much cheaper, and why should you pay!

For inspections, maybe you could approach a local garage and see if you could borrow a mechanic for an hour for an inspection?

dnc1781

See:
http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/directories/index.htm

mjr600

An RAC or AA inspection is useful if it is paid for by the garage, a much cheaper way to have the vehicle inspected it to take it for an MOT. This is really useful if it is a private sale, it does not matter if the MOT is due the test will provide some assurance about the mechanical condition of the vehicle and is a great deal less money than paying for an AA/RAC inspection privately.

If you buy privately an official HPI is a must, as well as providing background details about the car it comes with up to £10,000 worth of insurance on which to claim if you later discover any of the details they provided were false or that you had bought a stolen car. Just make sure you follow the small print, I know they pay out if the circumstances are correct. The HPI provided by a garage will not have the insurance included as you would be covered by the Sale of Goods Act.