Pre-Purchase Used Car Checklist

What should I check before viewing a used car?

The most valuable checks happen before you leave the house, because they cost nothing and can rule a car out entirely. Start with the MOT history: look at the mileage progression for drops or implausible gaps, note any dangerous or major failures, and write down every advisory from the last two tests, since those are the repairs you may be paying for soon. Then research the model itself. Every car has known weak points by a certain age, whether that is a timing chain, a gearbox or rust in a particular spot, and owner forums will tell you what to look for on the exact engine you are viewing.

Finish your desk work by checking the price against similar cars for sale and getting an insurance quote. A car priced well below the market is not a bargain until you know why, and some models carry surprisingly expensive insurance groups for what they are. If the car still looks good after all that, and it is an expensive purchase, consider booking an independent inspection for £100 to £150; it is the cheapest professional opinion you will ever buy.

Which documents should the seller have?

The V5C logbook is non-negotiable. It should be the original document, in the seller's name, at the address where you are viewing the car, and the VIN printed on it must match the VIN on the car itself, which you can find at the base of the windscreen, on the driver's door pillar and stamped under the bonnet. A V5C that is "in the post", a name that does not match the seller's ID, or a VIN that disagrees anywhere is where the viewing ends, because those are the classic signs of a stolen or cloned vehicle.

After the V5C, paperwork is about proving the car's story. A service history with dates, stamps and mileages should line up with the MOT record. Receipts for big jobs matter most: a timing belt change (a £300 to £800 job due every 60,000 to 100,000 miles on many engines), a replaced clutch, brake work. A seller who claims work was done but has no paper for it may be honest, but you cannot price the claim, so treat it as if the work was not done.

How do I inspect the car itself?

Walk around the outside in daylight, never in rain or at dusk, which hide everything. You are looking for evidence of accident repair: panel gaps that are not even from one side of the car to the other, paint that does not quite match between panels, or overspray on rubber window seals. Crouch at each corner and sight along the car's flank; ripples in the reflection give away filler under the paint. Check the tyres while you are down there, both the tread (1.6mm is the legal floor, but budget for replacement below 3mm) and the wear pattern, because tyres worn on one edge point to alignment or suspension trouble. Then look at the rust hotspots: wheel arches, sills, door bottoms and around the windscreen. Bubbling paint means rust working from underneath, and what you can see is rarely all of it.

Inside, the question is whether the wear matches the mileage. A 40,000-mile car should not have a steering wheel polished smooth, a sagging driver's seat and brake pedal rubber worn to the metal; when the interior says 120,000 and the odometer says 40,000, believe the interior and verify with a mileage check. Turn the ignition to position two without starting the engine and confirm the warning lights come on and then go out once running, since a warning bulb that never lights at all may have been removed. Work through every switch, window and the air conditioning, and use your nose: damp means leaks, and a sweet smell means coolant where it should not be.

Under the bonnet, pull the dipstick and look at the oil, which should be golden to brown rather than black sludge, and check the coolant for any mayonnaise-like residue on the filler cap, a possible head gasket warning. Look at the belts for cracking, the battery terminals for furring, and the ground under the engine for fresh drips. None of this requires expertise, just a willingness to look slowly while the seller waits.

What should the test drive tell me?

Arrange to arrive with the engine stone cold; a pre-warmed engine at a viewing is sometimes hospitality and sometimes a car that starts badly from cold. Watch the exhaust on start-up, because blue smoke means burning oil and persistent white smoke can mean head gasket trouble. On the road, the car should track straight with your hands light on the wheel, brake in a straight line without grinding or judder, and change gear without crunching (manual) or jerking (automatic), with a clutch that bites around the middle of the pedal's travel rather than at the very top. Drive with the radio off and listen: knocks over bumps, whines that rise with speed, and rattles on acceleration are all repair bills introducing themselves. Our test drive checklist covers this stage in more detail.

What final checks come before paying?

Before money moves, run a full history check. The free MOT data tells you about condition, but it cannot show outstanding finance, a stolen marker or an insurance write-off, and any one of those can make a car legally worthless to you. A MOTCO premium check covers stolen status, finance, write-off category and mileage verification for £4.99 + VAT, a fraction of the £20 or so the big-name providers charge for the same answer. If the car has outstanding finance, the finance company owns it, not the seller, and walking away is the only sensible move unless it is settled in writing first.

Photograph the car, agree exactly what is included down to the spare key and locking wheel nut, and never pay a "deposit to hold it" in cash on the doorstep. A genuine seller survives you sleeping on the decision; pressure to commit on the spot is itself a red flag.