HPI checking

castle96

...... if I buy a car from a dealer, who has previously bought from an individual who had finance on the car...
OK money is owed to the finance Coy, car is taken from me. Do I then have recourse against the dealer for the money I paid, as I bought from them, not the individual

thanks (I know I should get all potential purchases checked)

InsideInsurance

Did they misrepresent the vehicle saying there was no finance on it or did they not say anything and you didnt ask?

castle96

haven't bought yet, but they all say HPI clear. I 'assume' they would check before buying, but who knows. Whatever they 'say', I still have my original Q to ask

colino

One of the basics of being a proper trader is to ensure the items you sell you do so, not just in good faith, but can actually prove good title. I'm not aware of any trader that doesn't automatically HPI (other service companies are available) each and every piece of stock they take in.
If you buy a car that has outstanding finance (not necessarily just someone trading in a dripper) from a bona fide trader, your beef is with them, not the fraudster down the chain.

InsideInsurance

castle96 wrote: »

haven't bought yet, but they all say HPI clear. I 'assume' they would check before buying, but who knows. Whatever they 'say', I still have my original Q to ask

If they say its been checked and its clear but that turns out to be wrong then you have recourse against them.

That said, for the sake of £10 I'd do my own check if I was concerned as the time/ hassle to chase the dealer is going to emotionally cost you much more

jimjames

castle96 wrote: »

haven't bought yet, but they all say HPI clear. I 'assume' they would check before buying, but who knows. Whatever they 'say', I still have my original Q to ask

Be very careful what HPI clear means. It may just mean there is no finance on the car not that they've checked for any other things like being written off or mileage being correct.

Looked at a car last year described as such, when I checked MOT online the mileage had gone from 110k to 130k and then back 70k in the space of a year.

colino

"HPI Clear" report from HPI themselves, covers an awful lot more than just outstanding finance.

castle96

where is this MOT/mileage checker please

jimjames

castle96 wrote: »

where is this MOT/mileage checker please

Here

http://motinfo.direct.gov.uk/internet/jsp/ECHID-Internet-History-Request.jsp

You need the V5 reference and reg number or MOT number

gomerpyl3

I'd always pay to have my own car check done. I'm not talking about a £3 text check, rather a proper paid for service that includes finance status, stolen / recovered indicators, reg number changes, mileage checks when it's over 3 years old etc. A flag isn't a show stopper, but a prompt to do more digging.

I had a rough experience a few years ago, and almost ended up with a misrepresented car (import rather than UK supplied) because of a dealer claiming it was all kosher when it was not. He said he'd done his own provenance checks, but simply hadn't.

A few cars earlier I did a car check on a car from a garage. It was flagged as having finance outstanding - but it gave me a reference number & the finance company details. After a short call, they sent a formal confirmation that they no longer had a financial interest in the car, because the trader had settled the balance in the last few days.

The MOT Checker is great too. You can get an indication of whether the car has been looked after (assuming that no advisories / failures are just one sign the car is well maintained). Anyone, including a Trader, who won't help you check is to be avoided.