HPI check

JamoLew

A very good friend of mine (honest its not me) is looking at buying a new (to him) car from a main dealer.
It's 6 months old, the right price etc etc and I suggested to him that he would be wise to run an HPI check.
What I didn't realise is the sheer amount of companies and sites offering this and all may not be equal.
Any recommendations on sites to use that will flag any outstanding finance or prior accident damage etc or any other potentially unpleasant surprises ?
Thanks in advance

neilmcl

Just use the official HPI one, hpicheck.com. They also have an app.

Takmon

JamoLew said:

A very good friend of mine (honest its not me) is looking at buying a new (to him) car from a main dealer.
It's 6 months old, the right price etc etc and I suggested to him that he would be wise to run an HPI check.
What I didn't realise is the sheer amount of companies and sites offering this and all may not be equal.
Any recommendations on sites to use that will flag any outstanding finance or prior accident damage etc or any other potentially unpleasant surprises ?
Thanks in advance

Well there is only one company that offer HPI checks and surprisingly they are called HPI  so best to use them.

Ebe_Scrooge

Yes, the official HPI site is your best bet.

But before your friend goes shelling out for an HPI check, ask if the garage has already done one.  Most reputable dealers will do an HPI check themselves anyway, if for no other reason than to cover their own backsides.

JamoLew

Thanks for the info - much appreciated

macman

For a 6m old vehicle, it's unthinkable that a main dealer would not include this in the price. If they won't, walk away.

EdGasketTheSecond

Why would you want to do a HPI check when buying from a garage (only reason I can think of would be if you expected the garage to go bust and disappear)? Any problem and the garage takes the hit which is why they have almost certainly done their own check already when they took the car in; just ask for a copy.

JamoLew

EdGasketTheSecond said:

Why would you want to do a HPI check when buying from a garage (only reason I can think of would be if you expected the garage to go bust and disappear)? Any problem and the garage takes the hit which is why they have almost certainly done their own check already when they took the car in; just ask for a copy.

will certainly suggest he asks the garage - the other reason he wants one done is peace of mind that the car hasnt been in any major accidents (is at 70% new list price, so not sure in the current climate that is good or too good)

Must admit, this forum is a funny beast - If i'd come in in 2-3 months time asking for advice because he'd found out the car had outstanding finance or was a repaired wreck - you would all say "should have done an hpi check"

facade

JamoLew said:

  the other reason he wants one done is peace of mind that the car hasnt been in any major accidents (is at 70% new list price, so not sure in the current climate that is good or too good)

The HPI check will only tell you if the vehicle is recorded as a total loss at the instant the check is made.

Plenty of cars get played bumper cars with and are repaired by insurance without being "written off", or bodged back together by their owners without claiming on insurance.

As someone on here found out there can be a 12 month delay between the car being declared a total loss and being recorded, in his case ample time for it to be sold for salvage, repaired and sold to the trade.

He wants what the AA call a comprehensive check done, specifically looking for evidence of body repair.

EdGasketTheSecond

JamoLew said:

EdGasketTheSecond said:

Why would you want to do a HPI check when buying from a garage (only reason I can think of would be if you expected the garage to go bust and disappear)? Any problem and the garage takes the hit which is why they have almost certainly done their own check already when they took the car in; just ask for a copy.

will certainly suggest he asks the garage - the other reason he wants one done is peace of mind that the car hasnt been in any major accidents (is at 70% new list price, so not sure in the current climate that is good or too good)

Must admit, this forum is a funny beast - If i'd come in in 2-3 months time asking for advice because he'd found out the car had outstanding finance or was a repaired wreck - you would all say "should have done an hpi check"

Outstanding finance would be the garage's problem. A basic look round and underneath should tell you if it has been in any serious accident. You can always ask the seller if it has ever been in an accident and if they say no, ask for written confirmation that the car has not been in an accident and if later found to have been that you are entitled to a full refund.

Probably a lot of cars on forecourts right now but check what other similar cars are going for to give you an idea if the price is reasonable or a lot less than it should be. I doubt anyone is paying 'list price' for a new car either.

The_Rainmaker

Loads of brand new cars with around a third off the price.  53% off the Alfa Romeo Stelvio

https://www.honestjohn.co.uk/cars-for-sale/search/New/