Could it have been in an accident?

Catonthemoon

I’ve just run the registration no (which the seller informed me was the original), through 2 websites. 

1. gov.uk - get vehicle information from dvla
2. gov.uk  -check mot history 

The response to 1.  was “no details could be found “.
The response to 2. was “problem, check reg no is correct “.

???!!What’s going on here?

paul_c123

It looks like the original plate isn't the current plate. Either he's taken off the cherished number or not. If he has, he'll be informed of the replacement number - which is usually, but might not be - the original age-related plate.

Some data checking services need a bit of time to catch up. DVLA searches normally need about 3-4 days.

Mildly_Miffed

Catonthemoon said:

I’ve just run the registration no (which the seller informed me was the original), through 2 websites. 

1. gov.uk - get vehicle information from dvla
2. gov.uk  -check mot history 

The response to 1.  was “no details could be found “.
The response to 2. was “problem, check reg no is correct “.

???!!What’s going on here?

You aren't checking the reg that's actually currently assigned to the car.

He's probably not taken the vanity plate off yet.

If it was a third party site, it might be simply lag, but the gov.uk official ones should be pretty much current. Certainly MOT history shows tests just about live.

born_again

End of the day no site or company is every going to say it has never been in a accident. As many cars are repaired without any reporting.
Even insurance companies do not report accident repairs. Unless it falls into one of the reportable categories

Catonthemoon

Desmond_Hume said:

What car is it? What makes the example - that’s 300 miles away - the most attractive to you?  Can you find something closer that you can view?

For me, travelling hundreds of miles to view a car only makes sense if it’s something rare or ultra specific. If it’s something totally generic like a Vaxhall Mokka, find one closer. 

Everything about it; the colour, condition, price, not to mention the very low mileage. It’s a make & model that I’ve fancied for some time, a nifty little sports car. 

The ones I’ve seen recently on Auto Trader & eBay are snapped up very quickly…they had much higher mileage and the asking price was £1 - 2k higher! That’s why I think the trip might be worth it. Although, first registered in 2008, It’s located on the Isle of Wight which probably accounts for the very low mileage.

facade

Catonthemoon said:

facade said:

Run it through one of those vehicle checkers, under £10 which is nothing compared to what you would lose paying full price for an undeclared write-off on a mid- priced car (I wouldn't bother on a £500 banger, I'd just look at it)

That will tell you if there is outstanding finance, if it was a taxi, if it has been written off- and often it has the pictures from Copart of the "cosmetic damage" where one of the wheels is completely missing...

However, if the car was in a serious accident but wasn't written off by an insurer information will NOT be available. You will need to have it physically inspected thoroughly for signs of repaired accident damage- a few hundred pounds, but worth it on a £20,000 car that you intend to keep.

It would only be around £6500. Would you always recommend an AA/RAC pre-purchase inspection? As mentioned, it’s only got 16,000 miles on the clock. Rust free & full service history.

With a £6500 car, getting it inspected would add 3% to the price (over £200 for a comprehensive inspection) 

I wouldn't bother, I'd have a good look at the car, check it for water ingress and any obvious repairs and see how it drives.

If it passed my tests and I wanted it then I'd buy it on the grounds that I couldn't lose too much money (and I'd have a car I could use), but I'd definitely pay £10 for a history check first. I can't afford to throw £6500 away on a stolen car, but if I'd paid £6500 for a car that was basically ok but actually worth £4000 because it  had "lost" 100,000 miles it wouldn't be the end of the World as I'd be keeping it until it was only worth a few hundred.

If you don't have confidence in your ability to check the car over, is it worth paying another 3% for a good car, or £200 not to get caught out buying some bodged up previously damaged car? 

jimjames

Catonthemoon said:

Desmond_Hume said:

What car is it? What makes the example - that’s 300 miles away - the most attractive to you?  Can you find something closer that you can view?

For me, travelling hundreds of miles to view a car only makes sense if it’s something rare or ultra specific. If it’s something totally generic like a Vaxhall Mokka, find one closer. 

Everything about it; the colour, condition, price, not to mention the very low mileage. It’s a make & model that I’ve fancied for some time, a nifty little sports car. 

Low mileage isn't necessarily a bonus. Having a car little used can be a way to more problems in the future as some components benefit from use and others deteriorate based on age anyway

MyRealNameToo

Catonthemoon said:

Considering buying a used car from a private seller. All looks good… the only question I haven’t asked is if it had ever been in an accident. 

(1) I know the registration but I can’t remember how you go about finding out this information. What’s the procedure?

(2) The seller said that it’s currently being driven on a private plate, which would be replaced with the original upon sale. I was wondering… what if it had an accident on the private plate (I don’t know this number), would this be recorded/logged on a database so that it would be picked up? In other words, I’d know either way, whichever plates were on at the time.

TIA

You can't, you can only check if it's ever been a write off. 

You can get a tool that measures pain thickness, machine spraying in a factory is much finer than the respray done by people to do bodywork repairs. When my PCP car went back they noted the paint on the rear quarter was 4x the thickness of everywhere else on the car which is where Mercedes fixed their own damage to the vehicle. 

Depending on the age of the vehicle you can't guarantee it's been in an accident, could be other reasons why the paint needed repairing. 

Most DBs can be searched with the VIN, which obviously doesnt change during the life of the vehicle. 

Mildly_Miffed

Catonthemoon said:

Everything about it; the colour, condition, price, not to mention the very low mileage. It’s a make & model that I’ve fancied for some time, a nifty little sports car. 

The ones I’ve seen recently on Auto Trader & eBay are snapped up very quickly…they had much higher mileage and the asking price was £1 - 2k higher! That’s why I think the trip might be worth it. Although, first registered in 2008, It’s located on the Isle of Wight which probably accounts for the very low mileage.

What are we talking about, something like an MX5 or MGTF? Unlikely to be anything too exotic at £6.5k...

16k miles in 17 years rings lots of alarm bells in itself. It's probably never been off the island. Which probably means it's never been fully up to temperature, just local pootling, so engine wear may well be accelerated.

Also, consider RUST! Both of those are renowned for it, and a salt-laden island atmosphere won't help one bit.

motorguy

Catonthemoon said:

Desmond_Hume said:

What car is it? What makes the example - that’s 300 miles away - the most attractive to you?  Can you find something closer that you can view?

For me, travelling hundreds of miles to view a car only makes sense if it’s something rare or ultra specific. If it’s something totally generic like a Vaxhall Mokka, find one closer. 

Everything about it; the colour, condition, price, not to mention the very low mileage. It’s a make & model that I’ve fancied for some time, a nifty little sports car. 

The ones I’ve seen recently on Auto Trader & eBay are snapped up very quickly…they had much higher mileage and the asking price was £1 - 2k higher! That’s why I think the trip might be worth it. Although, first registered in 2008, It’s located on the Isle of Wight which probably accounts for the very low mileage.

Run the reg number thats on the car now - ask the seller - through vcheck.uk.

It'll tell you all the usual stuff including if theres outstanding finance, if its been categorised as a write off, and it'll also search through all the big salvage sites to see if the car ever appeared there (which can pick up written off, but not recorded).