When buying a car, considering whether the sale’s safe and genuine is one of the most important decisions. After all, scammers are getting ever more adept at fraudulently faking listings. This can be incredibly overburdening to face. So, this begs the question: is it even possible to buy a car safely anymore? And, if so, how?
4 Steps to Buy New Cars Safely
Car purchases aren’t a two minute decision. Luckily, you should be able to find a new car safely that won’t put you at risk with the following tips.
#1 Run a Car History Check
You’re happy that the seller seems genuine. Now that you know they likely exist, it’s time to check their claims are also truthful. After all, it’s not unheard of for people to exaggerate on a listing to encourage a sale. A car history check provides the perfect way to authenticate their claims. These quick tools allow you to view:
- Financing status
- Stolen status
- Write off status
- Mileage records
- MOT history
- Vehicle information
- And more.
Altogether, you can use this information to help check that the seller’s claims match. All you’ll need is the number plate to get started.
#2 Start with Trusted Selling Platforms
So, you’re buying a new car. For this, the first step is simple. Always start with a trusted selling platform.
Whether you choose to buy through a reputed dealer or online, ensuring the platform has a good reputation is vital. Indeed, there are many online selling sites that tend to attract scammers. Avoiding these and instead looking for a platform that’s well regarded for genuine listings (with stringent verification policies) is vital.
#3 Verify the Seller is Genuine
Once you’ve found a listing you’re interested in, the next step is to verify the seller’s genuine. Check the seller’s profile, if possible, to see if they look like a real person and if they’ve sold cars before. If they have a lot of vehicle listings, unless they’re a dealer, there’s a good chance they could be a scammer. You should also consider asking for additional, niche photos to help verify their identity. If they’re genuine, they should be happy to take extra photos to help.
To also verify the car advert listing, you can run the registration plate through a car checker tool for free, and it will reveal the previous listing prices. This will allow you to check if the car has been sold previously and for what price.
#4 Collect the Car With Someone Else
When you’re completely confident that the vehicle is genuine, it’s time to collect it and make payment. However, there’s always a small chance of things going awry when meeting someone you don’t know, especially in unfamiliar environments. As such, always make sure you take someone else along with you to collect the car, for the sake of safety.
Final Thoughts
There are many potential risks in life. One such challenge that’s important to be aware of is the importance of buying a car safely. Indeed, it’s incredibly easy to get caught out with a vehicle purchase. And, no matter how cautious you are trying to be, there’s always a great deal of potential risk. Luckily, by following today’s four tips, you’ll hopefully feel a little safer when making your next purchase.